Which 6x6 MF for fashion, portraiture, street?

[verity_gill]

I am a photography student looking to make an investment in a

professional MF camera that will last me for a good while. Which 6x6

MF is best for fashion, portraiture, street, occassional landscape?

I can afford around $1000 -$1500. I want a camera with maximum

versatility & image quality. Also, I find waist level viewfinders a

bit annoying. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

[antonio_carusone]

VG,

 

I've had this camera for only one day so far but I would reccomend a Hasselblad 500CM.

You can got one in great condition in your price range. A bunch of people on here say they

are built like tanks and it sure does feel like it is. It also uses Zeiss lenses so the quality is

very high.

 

I also am not to crazy about WLF so I would say get a Prism. I just ordered a Kiev prism

with a built in meter. It was only $130 and I got it brand new. They also make ones

without meters if you are into that.

 

Good luck man. I was in your shoes not too long ago. Its a fun experience.

[dan_linne1]

Oh allmighty Hasselblad, we worship thee! The photos are not important as long as we can gaze at your perfection!

[ike k]

Rollei 600x series period!, you can get 6003/8 around $1250-$1500, check E-bay often.Sorry I'm no Hassy fan cause too many jammed stories no offend but reality.

 

Ike

[gary_woodard]

Hasselblad or if you cant afford the best get something else.

[gary_woodard]

Ike, read the instructions, no jams in 12 years of Hasselblad usage.

[ike k]

Gary, I don't need to read any Hassy instructions, I have Rollei instead ;-).

[paulrumohr]

Get a used hassy.

[db1]

Being a student, I am sure at some point you will want to "explore" the digital dark side. The Hasselblad will allow you to do that.

 

I've had a Hasselblad for over 3 years and I have never had a single problem.

 

And with your budget, you can do well on ebay. Just research and be patient.

[danny_liao]

You could get a used Hassy in excellent condition for about 1500. But all the

accessories will cost you an arm and a leg. Why not look into a 6x7 MF? You could get a

used Mamiya RZ67 in excellent conditon for about 1100. And the accessories are more

than half the cost of Hassy's. I previously owned a Hassy, but switched to the RZ because

the Hassy's accessories were too expensive. Anyway, after trying out the RZ I realized that

RZ is a better format and it's better to my wallet. The RZ will work perfectly for what you

need to do, better than a 6x6 format will be. But it is a little too big to do street, but that

never stopped me.

[work-page]

<i>Which 6x6 MF is best for fashion, portraiture, street, occassional landscape</i><p>

I doubt that there's a single camera that's able to cover this range of applications, especially if you're aiming for a mix of formal and informal approaches. Some posters have already suggested Hassy's and RB's, and no doubt they are fine cameras. But, they are SLRs and as such may not serve you best in street photography, where rangefinders shine. On the other hand, a rangefinder doesn't help much in evaluating depth of field in formal portraiture.<p>

So the first thing to decide is what's your style, then decide what type of camera (SLR, rangefinder, AF) fits that style, and only then decide on make/model.<p>

[df-gallery]

It does seem that your requirements seem to favour the hand held, approach. In particular, I would recommend a Mamiya 6. They are cheap (relatively), light weight (it doesn't encumber you), VERY quiet (excellent for street), excellent lenses and are generally quite available. If you wish to, you can even go for the Mamiya 7. For that money, you can probably get a body and one lens, if you shop around and be patient, probably two lenses. It is much easier to use and more forgiving than a Blad, Rollei, RB, etc. Having used both the M7, M6, RB, Rollei TLR and Blads, I think that the M6/7 makes the most sense. Hope it helps.

[Aoresteen]

Wanting 6x6 and not liking WLF is a bit contradictory. They go together since Rollei gave us the TLR. If WLF really bothers you then you should consider a 645 or a MF RF camera.

 

My first reaction was to say get a Hasselblad (I'm a 'Blad user myself) but if WLF is out then consider the Mamiya 645.

 

If you are set on a 6x6 with a prism consider a Bronica SQ 6x6. Cheap and good and you can get a very nice setup with your budget.

 

Also the Mamiya 6 or Mamiya 7 should work well as well.

 

All of these cameras will produce professional results if properly used - you would be hard pressed to pick one out from the other if shown a stack of 11x14 prints.

[wayne_crider4]

Having shot everything from 645 to 6x9 in the same subject matter, I'd opt for

a 645. In your price range a Pro-TL or 645N would be a good choice as you'll

be able to get additional lenses. I do like 6x6, but it's bested by other formats

for street and landscape work. 645 makes for a nice smaller package and in

the brands I mentioned the optics are sharp and inexpensive.

[pen name above]

"Which 6x6 MF for fashion, portraiture, street?"

 

Given the criteria you've mentioned verity, it's got to be a Hasselblad. Preferably a bright red candy coloured one with a metered prism.

[paulrumohr]

I LOVE my red Hasselblad. But use the WL- it's red too. The black meter prism kills the

charm.

[pen name above]

Paul!

 

Everyone knows the red Hassy shoots better pictures! I'm envious. I hear black nail varnish lacquer with acetone is great for restoring the black paint of old cameras restore the paint of old cameras - can't you get red nail varnish to match the prism? ;)

[danny_liao]

Jason,

 

You obviously haven't shot with an RZ.

[pen name above]

"Jason, You obviously haven't shot with an RZ."

 

Oh. Does that come with red nail varnish? ;)

 

The weight deterred me from trying it outside of a studio; it's also got an extra centimetre in the format which I never use. Again, it's not considered as a 6x6MF camera, but indeed it is versatile. Even without the nail varnish.

[verity_gill]

Thanks everyone. Back to trawling ebay!

[erik scanhancer]

Verity,

 

I shoot (kid's) fashion, portraiture, street, landscape (and more)

in 6x6 with a prism finder. I'm using a Rolleiflex 6008i as my

main camera. Your budget seems a bit tight for this baby though.

 

I started using the 6008 when I was a film student myself, back

in 1989. Whenever I needed some new capabilities the 6008

always seemed to be able to supply me with them. I don't know

of any 6x6 camera that offers more speed (fastest film transport,

fastest film backs change, fastest metering and coupling, fastest

shutters, fastest flash sync), choice of lenses and system

versatility. It's a real killer camera.

[paulrumohr]

One day I'll have my the rest of my black hassy gear re-upholstered in leopard skin or

mink fur.

[shutay]

Paul,

 

Ha, I like that - with a mink covering, you could legitimately say that you get a warm fuzzy feeling from using your camera!

[shutay]

Verity,

 

I think I would find it hard to satisfy all 3 of those shooting requirements with one camera. fashion + portraiture can be dealt with using a 6x6 SLR - choose one Hasselblad, Bronica, Rollei, which ever, up to you. All good stuff. I use a Bronica SQ-Ai myself.

 

For street photography though, I find a TLR or a 6x6 rangefinder is better, not to mention lighter. For such things, I am using a Yashica-Mat TLR and a classic 6x6 folder with rangefinder. Well, that's not to say that I don't occasionally use my SQ-Ai + 80mm or 50mm lens (and always with the waist level viewfinder!) for street photography. It's certainly possible, but it can get a bit heavy after a whole day out with it.

 

My 2 cents. Good luck with your choice.

[ky2]

Hassy's are great. You end up buying the basic 80 system and find out that you can't afford anything else. If you're a student, you would probably want to rule the Hassy out.

 

Other good cameras are out there: the Bronica SQ/A(i) is a great and affordable system. I liked it better than the Hasselblad. No, it has less charm, but it's very easy to use (easier than the 500/CM, IMHO), and lenses are very affordable.

 

Two other options you may one to consider are the Pentax 6x7 (Extremely affordable, spectacular value for money, but quite hard to use handheld or with flash), and the Mamiya TLR (C330/220/3) series. Both are formidable performers, and ALLOW you to experience MF and grow.

 

Spend some time tasting MF-- don't spend your money on a dead-end-system.