MF for Wedding Photography

Experts:

For about a year I have covering local weddings, parties etc... as a

photographer. Up to this point, I have focused (no pun intended) on

taking "candid" photos using my 35-mm EOS 3 (or 1N) with a few

occassional "posed" photos. As my skill level (and available funding)

has increased, I have become increasingly interested in adding a MF

camera, mostly for use with the "posed" photos (I love the

flexibility of 35 mm and plan to continue it's use for "candids").

What MF camera would you suggest for such "posed" photos?

 

I am slightly partial to 6x6 mostly because of the freedom of

deciding how to crop the photo later, but I am certainly not married

to the idea. I would like to spend no more than $600-700 on the

camera and lens thus leaving some money for a flash.

 

Options as I see them inlcude: 1) Mamiya 220/330; 2) Rolleiflex TLR;

and 3) Mamiya 645. I like the fact that both the Mamiya's can use

multiple lenses but I'm not convinced this is crutial in this

application at this point. I've heard the Rollei's lens is a little

sharper than both Mamiyas, especially wide open, but I'm not sure how

important the difference is. Any other cameras/systems I should

consider?

 

Anyway, any comments would be appreciated.

Edward

 

Having done quite a bit of wedding photography in the past I would favour a Mamiyaflex for the following reasons. 1. The ability to change lenses 2. The quiet shutter. This is particulary useful if you have to take pictures during the ceremony. Disadvanatages are It takes longer to change film compared to a Hasselblad or Bronica. Other advantages are that compared to SLRs you can buy a lot of camera for your money. With regard to lens quality you should have no trouble achieving excellent quality enlargements up to the size most customers would want. I don't know how many weddings you plan to do, i used to do one a week. At this rate of work you should find the Mamiya very reliable. If you are doing 3 to 4 a week then the Hasselblad would be a better long term investment. One point on lenses for the Mamiya, get the black lenses because you can't get spare parts for chrome ones anymore.

 

Good luck

 

Adrian Twiss

Consider the Mamiya M6. In my opinion it is by far the best choice for weddings. It is very easy to focus (50&75 lenses) in the very low light levels you will encounter at receptions. It is also light. I would rule out the Rollei based on the single lens. Many years ago, I used a Mamiya C330 but found the lenses to be lacking compared to modern lenses especially due to flare and contrast.

I used to shoot weddings and I'm seriously considering getting back into it. For the money and convience, I would recommend the Bronica ETRSi. This is a flexible MF camera with interchangable backs and lenses. It also has several choices for viewfinders, including metered prisms and waistlevel viewfinders. You can get a motordrive for it fairly cheap and the winder is ideal for weddings. Also, the ETRSi has a socket for the SCA TTL flash system by Metz. When used with an SCA equipped Strobe (Metz 45 series) you have an excellent wedding camera-flash combo.

Bronica lenses, I think are pretty good, at least I haven't had a bride complain about her photos because of one.

In comparing the Bronica to the Maymia TLR system, I like right side up images. The 330S is a great camera, don't get me wrong, I just think the Bronica with its accessories beat it out. The Maymiya MF SLRs are also good, but I like the shutter in the lens capability of the Bronica. Also a good Bronica combo (ETRSi with lens,back and wl finder costs about $1600 new and around $950 - in good condition-used)

I also find that the transition from the Canons (I used Canon A2's) to the Bronicas a lot easier for some reason than with other cameras.

Before you buy "anything," go to a dealer and play around with one, I'm sure you'll be impressed.

 

Marcus J.

Edward:

I absolutely 100% agree with Marcus' comments. But thought I'd add my $.02.

I used to do "back-ups" at weddings - shooting the candids and non-formals with 35mm while my associate (most people refer to these as a boss) took care of the formals and poses.

Last year, I picked up an old Yashica A at a garage sale and immediately fell in love with MF - the size of a 6x6 negative showed (seemingly) so much more detail. At about the same time, friends were asking if I would do their weddings and I knew I would need more advanced MF gear to be successful.

Enter the C330. I was drawn to the Mamiya TLR because of the interchangeability of the lenses and the relatively low cost (I was able to pick-up an old pro's system at a reasonable price).

I did exactly ONE WEDDING with this system and knew it was not for me. Don't get me wrong, I am not bad mouthing this long time favorite of the wedding photography community, but I had become spoiled by my Canons. The C330 wasn't for me because:

1. It was too heavy. For formals and shots mounted on the tripod it was fine, but lugging that thing around a reception on a hot Saturday afternoon killed me (I walked with slight lean to the left for a week).

2. Composing the shot in reverse took way too much thought (maybe I'm thinking disadvantaged, but...) and while I'd like to say that I never miss the shot - I missed a few that day.

3. The square format became a waste. Ultimately due to frame and album constraints, the prints were rectangular (5x7, 8x12, 10x16) and I found myself cropping things out that I had visually wanted as part of the composition.

All of that having been said...

I had the opportunity to trade my Mamiya stuff for a Bronica ETRs package. The camera just felt good in my hand. Using the speed grip and the prism made it feel like a 35mm. Quality of the lenses and bodies was great. I was in love.

Granted the 6x4.5 format is smaller, but I have done a number of weddings with this system and have nothing but great things to say. The cost factor is more than the C330 was, but the additional ease is more than worth it.

Good luck and remember, more importantly than anything any of us have to say, you have to be comfortable with what you are using.

Wendell Robinson

I work for a University that has a Bronica 645. I personally own a Mamiya 330&220. I like shooting weddings in the square format espicially when using flash. My gripe is I am not very good at judging the cropping for regular size prints. The Bronica is better in this regard. As for Weddings with the Mamiya, I would not consider shooting a TLR with out a prism finder. The only time I use the waist level finder is with the camera on a tripod. I do not like how the Rolleiflex camera changes film. The Mamiya back opens at the top so you can leave flash brackets attached while changing film. I also prefer the C-330 auto shutter cocking to the 220 and manual shutter cocking.

Thanks for all ther responses:

 

Since I am still planning to use my 35 mm stuff for candids, I'm not sure if some of the comments above concerning the Mamiya TLR's won't apply: I really only plan to use MF for posed photos. The comments concerning the Bronica system are appreciated, but I believe the 645 systems are a little out of my price range. Someone suggested over e-mail (but didn't post here) that I should consider the Yashica 124G citing that its' optics were superior to the Mamiya TLR's, equal to most Rollei's (except the 2.8F and 3.5F, and possibly the 3.5E) and would leave me money to buy a good light meter etc... Nontheless, I have never seen (or heard) of anyone doing a wedding with a Yashica and am thus not sure how to feel about this suggestion. Any comments to this idea?

I was at a wedding last week and the assistant was using a 124g. The photgrapher was using a Mamiya 645 and he had his wife backing him with the Yashica.

Kevin Mayo

Many photographers feel the Mamiya TLR lenses are superior to the Yashica's, but a lot depends on the condition of the particular cameras you're comparing. Having a choice of lenses permits you to shot both larger groups and couples without having to move the camera as much as with the fixed lens Yashica. I've owned a Mamiya 645 and it was a well balanced, reliable camera with a wide range of lenses. Your customers will want rectangular format, so this is in the 645's favor. A crucial matter is how the cameras feel in your hands and how comfortable are you using these instruments. A waist level TLR presents a different set of handling and photographic challenges than an SLR, not to mention the flash advantages and disadvantages of leaf shutters versus focal plane. Try to rent each of these, if you can.