Looking for compact option and only one lens!

Hey everyone, having trouble doing research and need to throw it over to the Photo.net community!

 

I am going to Japan for the first time later in the year (very excited, hit me up with any recommendations). I thought it'd be really cool to shoot the whole trip on medium format. It is such a photogenic country and I'd love to bring it to life on the larger format.

 

As I'll be travelling around heaps everyday I wanted your recommendation for a compact medium format camera that wont break the bank and a single lens for that camera that'll let me capture my whole trip!

 

Many thanks

Hey everyone, having trouble doing research and need to throw it over to the Photo.net community!

 

I am going to Japan for the first time later in the year (very excited, hit me up with any recommendations). I thought it'd be really cool to shoot the whole trip on medium format. It is such a photogenic country and I'd love to bring it to life on the larger format.

 

As I'll be travelling around heaps everyday I wanted your recommendation for a compact medium format camera that wont break the bank and a single lens for that camera that'll let me capture my whole trip!

 

Many thanks

 

Mamiya 7 II with 80mm, could be a good solution. Quite expensive though.

If you don't wear glasses: Agfa folders. Super Isolette seems expensive but is a quite decent ultra light genuine rangefinder. There are other Isolettes too, I'd recommend at least one with not coupled rangemeter. The Soviets were inspired and built "Iskra". I never owned or handled one but old rumors claim that their film counters &/ something else broke over time. IDK if the Isolettes are more solid, mine seems going strong. The VFs are squinty and the RF patches of course not as bright as Leicas' but the entire thing is shootable.

Or get some Rolleiflex-knockoff TLR.

Both recommendations are standard-lensed.

Plaubel Makina might compete with the Mamiya mentioned above? - Is fixed lens though, WA versions seem available too.

 

I am no fan of the single lens solution. If possible I'd bring a moderately wide and a portrait lens, as my first choices. Did you do your film cost related math? Keep in mind that MF provides less DOF and is wasted money if you start or end hand holding 1/50 sec...

Some kind of MF rangefinder is probably your only option so, plan on spending $3-450 for a fixed-lens camera. There are also rangefinders with multiple lenses but they're a little more spendy; $450-thousands. MF rangefinders are not small. Probably the smallest MF camera will be a twin lens reflex. It just depends on how much money you want to spend and how versatile the camera and lenses need to be. Spend the money if it's a one-off trip in my opinion and buy a modest light meter too while you're in the mood.

 

You're probably looking for a pre-1990 6x4.5, 6x7 or 6x9 camera so I'd prefer USA sellers if I bought one before departure. I would not buy a MF camera or lens on ebay from Japan since their camera rating 'system' is nuts, i.e. an 'excellent' camera is one that has dust in the viewfinder or lens and an inaccurate light meter. Very inconsistent so you really don't know what you're buying.

 

Since you'll be in Japan and most MF ebay auctions are based in Japan, maybe sort out where a few of those ebay auctions originate or hunt up a few camera shops while you're there.and do some shopping. There's a lot to be said for seeing and handling camera gear before you buy it.

I've got lots of fun with my Yashica-D, simple TLR without meter, relatively lightweight and not overly large. And can be found very cheap. It has no meter, so maybe a Yashica 124 would be a better bet since it has metering.

 

But personally, a first time one sees a country, using just one lens would be very limiting to me. Once you know a country better and know better what to expect, a single lens solution can work, but for those very first impressions.... I'd want probably at least three (wide, normal, short tele), and frankly also the possibility to make a lot more shots. The somewhat slower more contemplative way of working that larger formats impose in my view works a lot better in places you already know.

Mamiya 6 with 55mm lens.

Hasselblad SWC. Best camera ever made.

Thanks for the advice. Id be much more inclined to give two lenses a go now. maybe one for landscapes and one for street shooting.

 

I was hoping to maybe grab something in more of the rangefinder body style than the tlr box style

Try Bronica ETRSi. But know that this type camera isn't discreet nor particularly lightweight, but you will have lots of lens choices, several viewfinder choices. Back in the day it was my favorite mf workhorse. These days, when I'm doing mf (infrequent), I use a Ricoh Diacord - lightweight and plenty sharp lens....same goes for a Yashica TLR.

The Mamiya 7 is quite small and light, especially considering both how capable and just how generally great it is. It doesn't meet your price criteria, though.

 

I've never seen a Mamiya 6 in person, but should be even smaller to tote considering that the lens collapses into the body.

Try Bronica ETRSi. But know that this type camera isn't discreet nor particularly lightweight, but you will have lots of lens choices, several viewfinder choices. Back in the day it was my favorite mf workhorse. These days, when I'm doing mf (infrequent), I use a Ricoh Diacord - lightweight and plenty sharp lens....same goes for a Yashica TLR.

 

 

for weight, yashicamats are excelent, optional upgrades for similar tlrs rollies. for slr, those bronicas are great in the hand but with the right strap over your shoulder they ride very nicely.

Mamiya 7 is a great camera but not really light. Mamiya 6 is also a great camera but more problematic. Film advance can fail and there are no parts available. Also, the collapsing lens mount can jam.

For another small and light(ish) SLR alternative, the Pentax 645 might be worth a look. The body is smaller than an ETR series Bronica with a speed grip, plus has a built-in motor drive. You also get auto exposure, although it comes at the expense of what is-to me-a clunky 1980s user interface(I think the 645N is better in this regard). You are stuck with a 90º prism and it's a bit dim, but the fact that it is fixed gives it a smaller and more integrated profile than a prism on a Bronica. Also, you lose interchangeable backs as compared to the ETR series, although inserts are interchangeable. There again, this does make the overall profile of the camera smaller.

 

This does combine, though, to make the 645 heavier than an ETR/ETRS/ETRSi at least in the basic trim. If you added a motor drive and AE prism to your ETRSi, I suspect you'd end up heavier than the Pentax, but then you don't HAVE to use those on the Bronica.

 

Since I rarely shoot 645, I'm currently clearing out my Bronicas in favor of the Pentax. The optics on both are excellent, but if I'm giving up film area I prefer having the built-in features of the Pentax to the somewhat lighter weight of the Bronica, Also, the Pentax lens range is more comprehensive than the Bronica. I paid $250 for my Pentax at a local camera store.

Of all the suggestions, the mamiya 6 definitely stands out as a go to travel, medium format camera. The mamiya 7 seems to have that edge, but the cost is holding me back. I also prefer the 6x6 format of the 6.

 

Anything to know about the mamiya 6 before I go down the rabbit hole? Any quirks or film it does/doesn't like?

I got mine new in about 1990 and have never had a problem with it. I have all 3 lenses for it and my favorite is the 50 mm. I have used it a lot and all it ever needed was a fresh battery every few years.

Compact and affordable? Fuji GS645S or Fuji GS 645W .

What is "won't break the bank?" $500, $1,000, $2,000 ?

You can find a Hasselblad 500 C/M + 80mm lens for decently under $1,000. And for what it is, that is a good price.

Buy I can buy a full 3-lens RB-67 kit for less than that. But a RB-67 is not a travel camera, more of a studio camera.

 

On the lower end, I would go with a Yashica TLR that has been through a CLA.

I would not bother with a built in meter, those are so old that I would question their accuracy. Get a decent hand meter. Or get the Kodak guide and do it by eye.

I don't really know the Mamiya 6. I handled one during some in store camera show and was quite impressed, especially by the silent shutter. Later I read the long lens doesn't let you get close enough for head shots and now we have the lack of spare parts. Back in it's days I didn't have the money but my inherited Super Isolette, that is lighter than the Mamiya, with a good enough lens and also a C330, which I really like for it's chimney finder (besides the fact that it was by far the most affordable 6x6 system in the late 80s)

I do like RFs but my last wealth got sunk in digitals, which I think should punch in the same league as handholdable MF film. i don't want no domestic inkjet. If I'll ever feel a desire to print at home, I'll finish rigging up a wet darkroom and shoot B&W in the MF & LF stuff I have.

I'd be reluctant to invest into battery dependent stuff with spare part supply issues. - YMMV and things should look better if there is a plan B, to reuse the lenses you 'll get, adapted on a somewhat affordable Fuji, for example. I don't claim mechanical cameras to be superior; I simply don't know anybody specialized in camera electronics repairs, the real thing, where faulty parts inside a module get exchanged.

Fuji GA645.

I'd be reluctant to invest into battery dependent stuff with spare part supply issues. - YMMV and things should look better if there is a plan B, to reuse the lenses you 'll get, adapted on a somewhat affordable Fuji, for example. I don't claim mechanical cameras to be superior; I simply don't know anybody specialized in camera electronics repairs, the real thing, where faulty parts inside a module get exchanged.

 

One of the issues you'll run into with these is their relative scarcity.

 

Common cameras have the benefit of having a good pool of parts available also in the form of damaged cameras.

 

If, for example, your Nikon F3 dies, you can probably get it fixed. For all I know, Nikon might still do some limited work on them(I haven't asked, but they do still offer pretty comprehensive service on the F5 and the F3 was cataloged up until 2000 or so). Failing that, though, your average repairman(or woman) who handles Nikon equipment probably can easily come up with an F3 where someone has dropped it or put a finger through the shutter and use that as a source for whatever electronics are bad.

 

There's NOT a big pool of dead Mamiya 6s, though.

One of the issues you'll run into with these is their relative scarcity.

 

Common cameras have the benefit of having a good pool of parts available also in the form of damaged cameras.

 

If, for example, your Nikon F3 dies, you can probably get it fixed. For all I know, Nikon might still do some limited work on them(I haven't asked, but they do still offer pretty comprehensive service on the F5 and the F3 was cataloged up until 2000 or so). Failing that, though, your average repairman(or woman) who handles Nikon equipment probably can easily come up with an F3 where someone has dropped it or put a finger through the shutter and use that as a source for whatever electronics are bad.

 

There's NOT a big pool of dead Mamiya 6s, though.

 

 

I definitely agree with the scarcity of the parts situation. To me I'm really in a difficult place. Mamiya 6 seems to be the ONLY 6x6 rangefinder and those are the qualifiers. I imagine if i spend a little extra for a high quality example I'll come off pretty well.

Mamiya 6 seems to be the ONLY 6x6 rangefinder

Nope, there are the Super Isolette & Iskra too. Mamiya 6 might be the only RF system though, since the others are folders with fixed lenses.

I carried a Rolieflex 3.5 F (Planar) for years, not only was it compact my images were fantastic.

As already suggested above, the Hasselblad SWC is the way to go. I far prefer the newer SWC/M with a 38mm Biogon CF T* lens. However, it might break the bank because the newer versions are in the $2,000+ range used. But you will have one of the finest lenses ever made.

Yes, the SWC. Suggest the more recent cameras and not the ones with the silver lenses. This camera is light, simple, compact, reliable and fully mechanical with no electronics, and travels exceedingly well. You can shoot 6x6 or 645 depending on the back you use. The 645 will give 16 exposures, which can be an economy measure when traveling. The lens is perfect beyond belief with fantastic depth of field. Get used to it and you don't even have to use the viewfinder in many situations as the square image is right there in front of you. Holding it level helps but is not absolutely essential. True, you will have to use a separate light meter, but this can be a very simple one. And yes, it won't be very useful for wildlife or distant sports. Wouldn't take it on safari as your only camera. But it's great for most other subjects.