which camera for handheld work

[c_erwik]

I want to buy a medium format system for people photography. First and foremost, I need something that

I can handhold. Secondly, I want a system that has a metering system in it. I have ruled out the Pentax 67

because the mirror slap is legendary and scares me.

 

Looking to spend 1500 bucks for a used system all in.

 

Suggestions?

[SCL]

Rolleiflex

[mike_earussi1]

Pentax 645 is the lightest, most compact and rugged of them all. A manual focus body with a 150 f3.5 will cost about $500.

 

If don't mind the limitations of a rangefinder and you have the money, the Mamiya 6 or 7 has the best optics, is lighter in weight and quieter.

 

Depends upon what you want, your style and what you're comfortable shooting.

[johnmarkpainter]

You should be more specific about "people photography". You mention a Meter...Candid

and Street? How close would you like to focus? How tight of a crop would you like to have

available? Do you want to change lenses? Backs?

 

I shoot Hasselblad handheld most of the time. Shooting quickly can be a drag as the View

goes black after every shot.

 

I had a P67 but it was KILLING my wrist.

[zenzanon]

For AF SLR : Pentax 645nII. Wonderful camera. Very reliable, low cost, nice lenses for decent prices, and smallest of all AF MF SLRS. I have shot with the Mamiya and the Contax 645 AF cameras, and I liked the Pentax best - by a fair margin. The glass on the Contax is maybe better. . . but I never noticed the difference.

 

Look here for examples from a few of the MF SLRs and some from the Bronica RF645. THe site is below this list here :

 

first row : D70, Pentax 645nII, Mamiya 645E, COntax 645

second row : contax 645, contax 645, Bronica RF645, Bronica RF645

third row : Mamiya 645E, Mamiya 645E, Mamiya 645E, Mamiya 645E

Fourth row : Pentax 645nII, Pentax 645nII, Pentax 645nII, Mamiya 645e

 

go see the images in the Street Photography and Reportage galleries for images taken with the Bronica RF645.

 

On the landscapes page, it's pretty much a mix between the Pentax 645nII and Mamiya 645E. I think the Mamiya glass is softer and highest resolving power, but the Pentax is crisper. The bottom left image in this gallery is Bronica RF645. Top left is pentax 645nII.

 

www.shutterflower.com

 

If you would consider a rangefinder, I would suggest the Bronica RF645. Read my review on my site, off the main gallery index.

[richard_laepple]

I'd consider the above mentioned Bronica RF645 or the Fuji rangefinders (GA645, GA645Zi) or a Mamiya 6/7. The only problem with rangefinders are head shots, you can't get very close.

[zenzanon]

Hmm, can't edit posts. Not cool.

 

Here is a simpler way of checking out the comparisons :

 

Bronica RF645 :

portrait : http://www.shutterflower.com/portrait%20gallery/pages/christy-westin-7RFF.htm

Landscape : http://www.shutterflower.com/landscape%20gallery/pages/ruins2RFF.htm

Street : http://www.shutterflower.com/street%20scene%20gallery/pages/private-gardenRFF.htm

reportage : http://www.shutterflower.com/reportage%20gallery/pages/behind-the-wallRFF.htm

 

Mamiya :

portrait : http://www.shutterflower.com/portrait%20gallery/pages/lisaearBWRFF.htm

landscape : http://www.shutterflower.com/landscape%20gallery/pages/treeRFF.htm

 

Pentax :

portrait : http://www.shutterflower.com/portrait%20gallery/pages/sierra-2RFF.htm

landscape : http://www.shutterflower.com/landscape%20gallery/pages/across-from-gatewayRFF.htm

 

Contax :

portraits : http://www.shutterflower.com/portrait%20gallery/pages/christina-3RFF22.htm and http://www.shutterflower.com/portrait%20gallery/pages/christina-7RFF2.htm

 

so, really, I think you'd probably find the nice small size, and super premium glass on the Bronica RF645 a great thing.

[zenzanon]

The Bronica RF645 has a 100mm that gets plenty close - as my review shows, about 1 meter or less, but that lens is RARE.

 

Of course, right now, you have little in the way of support for any film MF cameras. Pentax might be OK, but Mamiya, Bronica, they are gone.

 

For price and availability of parts and accessories, the Mamiya 645 system (non-af) is the hands down best, but it isn't going to be the #1 performer of the bunch. The AF is too pricey and not that spectacular to work with - clunky and not well refined.

[peter_evans4]

<p><em>Mamiya, Bronica, they are gone</em></p><p>Bronica is part of Tamron, which hasn't gone, and the photo mags (or some of them) that came out in Japan the day before yesterday had ads from <a href="http://www.mamiya-op.co.jp/home/camera/index.html">Mamiya</a>.</p>

[zenzanon]

Well, Bronica doesn't exist as a marketing company anymore. They may have infrastructure, but Bronica no longer markets products. Mamiya is out of the film camera business completely - now only working on certain industrial and imaging applications. I don't think they even decided to maintain their digital camera business.

[poul]

mamiya 645 afd works really well for me.

[peter_evans4]

<p><a href="http://www.mamiya-op.co.jp/home/camera/products/index.html">Mamiya's list of products.</a></p>

[jon_warwick1]

Mamiya 7 -- big negative, vibration-free, good hand-grip, and extremely sharp lenses. Not sure what you mean by "people photography"? -- if you want close up head shots, the Mamiya 7 won't focus close enough. It's just about fine for head and shoulders pictures, but rather more ideal for "people" in the street photos. I manage to take much sharper photos with the Mamiya 7 than I can when handholding my Hasselblad; the rangefinder (in my view) also makes it quicker for photographing candids. It's a great travel camera. Meter is OK (especially for B&W), though needs to be used with some thought attached -- it's no advanced matrix system.

[www.antiquecameras.net]

Fuji GA645Zi<p>

<a href="http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/fujirf.htm">Fuji 645 RF Page</a>

[fernando_libenson1]

I got a Fujica G690BL with 100mm, 50mm and 180mm lenses for that very same budget. Superb results. Very tough system. Yes, you need a hand meter.

[vord.exe]

The Pentax 67II worked out just fine for me, i've almost done nothing but handhold it and i've consistently gotten good results at 1/60 with a bit of practice. I didn't find the weight to be that bothersome and i'm this stringy little guy.

I've recently switched to a Mamiya 7II which i'm enjoying very much, if you want the best handholdability, a rangefinder is the way to go. I find the metering system of the 7II to be excellent after some getting used to i love it. The only thing that might be bothersome is the minimum focus distance of 1meter, i haven't found this to be a problem for my kind of shooting though and if you need a tight portrait you can just crop afterwards seeing as how the neg is so big and the lenses are nothing short of amazing. I bought it new at Robert White's with the standard lens for not that much more then you're willing to spend.

[Aoresteen]

I'll chime in here for the Mamiya 645. You can get a body with meter prism for $200 (M645J & M645 are cheap and reliable). Add the 110mm N and the 55mm N and a couple of 120 inserts and you are set.

 

Why the need for a meter? I prefer to use a good handheld meter (Sekonic 508) which does it all. If you can deal with the hand held meter, then you can look at a Hasselblad 500C/M kit.

 

As for mirror blackout, my Hasselblad 2000FC/M has instant return mirror. Coupled with the 110mm f/2 Planar it is a great people camera.

 

Note: There are no more shutter curtians for the 2000 series Hasselblads! If that scares you then look into the 200 series but you will exceed your $1500 budget.

[russ_britt3]

Hassey ELMs have instant return mirrors and are cheap!I have two and love them.I never grab my CM but do love my Superwide.ELMs can be had for $200-$300 range.

[tim hyde]

Mamiya 6. Long discontinued but well represented on eBay. It is a reasonably fast, light, better-than-average internal meter, and incredible optics. You can get the body and both 75 and 50mm lenses within your budget.

[q.g._de_bakker]

<i>"Hassey ELMs have instant return mirrors"</i><br><br>"Instant"? Now that's stretching it a bit.<br>The mirrors are brought down again by the motor in the ELMs, but not even as fast as you can wind a C/M by hand...<br>;-)

[johnmarkpainter]

RE: Mirror Blackout...

 

My 'other camera' is a Leica so I am distracted by mirrors in general. You can get used to

it of course.

 

jmp

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Rangefinders are great for carrying about, but they do have limitations. As mentioned above, tight head shots are problematic. And the focal length choices are limited. But they are light and compact.

 

I own a Bronica RF645 and 3 lenses. It's great for carrying about - but forget about telephotos (longest lens is equivalent to 60mm in 35mm format) and you can't shoot macros. SLR's are more versatile (so I own an Mamiya 645 SLR, too).

 

Rollei TLR's are nice, but you don't get interchangable lenses. Hasselblads are excellent cameras, if you like square and can afford Zei$$ glass. Perhaps a Bronica SLR is worth a look. I don't own one, but many folks here use them and get nice results.

 

Mamiya 645's are very inexpensive and the 645 fomat enlarges well to 16x20. And additional lenses are cheap (and of excellent quality).

 

Sorry, but I don't have a magic bullet.