Medium Format on the cheap

[captainplanet]

I just got into medium format photography, and while the holga did its

job well, and made me happy, i now need a camera with exposure

control, and a legitimate lense. i have an 35mm slr, but after going

medium format, i cant go back to 35mm. I was wondering if anyone had

any suggestions of decent medium format cameras on the very cheapie

around 200 for the whole shebang. i know it isnt a very realistic

thing, but i have limited funds. i dont feel that strongly about

format, as i am not that experienced, TLR, SLR, Rangefinder, all worth

a thought.

 

Thanks in advance

[dean_williams]

For what you have to spend, a TLR would probably do nicely. Ricoh Diacord, Yashica Mat or Yashica D, Minolta Autocord, Rolleicord are all good brands. The whole shebang, as you put it, would basically be the camera itself. <p>

Add a few filters, a lens hood, and a light meter and there's not a whole lot left to buy but film. There could be a few more things to buy later, but with this basic kit, you can do a lot of shooting, and keep your costs down.<p>

Look for something with a warranty, that has been freshly serviced, and you will be set for years.

[btmuir]

If you don't want to go the TLR route let me recommend one of the Koni-Omega Rapid

rangefinders. Operates like a 35mm rangefinder on steroids. 6x7 format and the lens are

superb.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

The Minolta Autocord is very nice. But look for one with a Citizen shutter as they are more easily serviced. And budget about $125 for a CLA in addition to the price of the camera.

 

Robert

[troyammons]

Kowa but no auto exposure. Sharp lenses though.

[kelly_flanigan1]

<img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/ektar/kowa%206/tripods-489.jpg">

[bueh]

My advise for medium format starters is always the very reliable and very easy to handle Mamiya M645 series. Get one of the old bodies (M645, 1000s, M645J), there less expensive and easy to sell/upgrade if you like the Mamiya system. You will have an excellent range of lenses at your disposal, which are both inexpensive and widely available on the used market -- and this is quite important, too. You will have a great system camera with fantastic optics and great potential not only for MF beginners. The 645 format is big enough to have all the nice tonal range and rendering of out-of-focus areas you should expect when shooting medium format. The lenses are very reasonably priced (e.g. when compared to manual focus Nikon gear). Sometimes I see small sets (camera, lens, prism or WLF) go for about €150-200 on that big auction site here in Germany.<br>

And do yourself a favor and buy a hand-held incident light meter and learn how to use it.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Funny that I didn't think of a Mamiya 645 as that's what I shoot. I suppose it was the low budget. But you can find an older body, prism, back, and 80mm lens for about $200. In fact, KEH has three such "bargain grade" cameras listed on their site for that price. The grading means that the cameras are completely usable, but that they have some cosmetic defects.

 

Robert

[ranong]

i have a mamiya rb pro s. i love it! changable backs/lenses/and finders. keh had a couple of the regular rb for <250 complete. the pros is a bit more. well worth the money. i use the 50mm, 90mm and the 250mm all excellent.

 

eddie

[michael_meyer]

When I first started in mdium format I found a Mamiya C220 with a black 80mm lens.

It was a great way to start. The whole shebang consists of the body and the lens. You

can add a prism or porro finder with a built in meter, but I found one less than useful.

The waistlevel finder was easier to use for me. I'd have kept on with it if I hadn't killed

its film transport. Maybe it's me though, as I've killed a Fuji GS645's film transport

also (and am awaiting its repair and return now). I'm so glad my 4x5 has no film

transport to go bad...

 

And, as has already been mentioned, a good handheld meter is a good item to

include in your budget also. I got a Sekonic L398, which isn't a popular choice but

one that has worked well for me.

 

-m

[bacsa]

a rolleicord/xenar lens, a rolleiflex automat/tessar or xenar lens, a yashica tlr with a yashinon lens, ikoflex/tessar, ricoh diacord, these would fit your budget from the tlr world. But it IS a bit tricky to find one that works and it will still work after a few rolls. Sometimes the shutter after some "training" starts to work better; sometimes it's the opposite as it happened with my rolleicord V.

 

A medium format rangefinder folder would also fit your budget.

[bacsa]

By the way there are some offers in the classifieds section medium format non-slr, like koni omega w lens for 165.

[jim_mcbride]

You might consider a MF rangefinder folder like a Soviet Iskra. The Iskra folder is a very

nice, rugged camera with a Tessar-copy Soviet lens, rangefinder coupled and you can buy

a fairly decent one for around $100. There are almost always a few available on *bay. I like

the 6cm x 6cm negatives and the exceptionally sharp images, when stopped down to f8 to

f11.

[dave_leonard]

Affordable medium format cameras that I've owned and liked include Mamiya C220, Moskva 5 folder, Mamiya Super 23 and 2 x 3 Speed and Century Graphic. All of them work great, but each does some things better than others. Years ago, I had a Yashica Mat 124G and a Rolliflex w/Tessar lens. These were both very nice, also. The Rolliflex had a darker ground glass viewer that I didn't like as well as the Yashica or Mamiya, but this could be changed to a brighter one (at a cost, of course.)

 

Just a few ideas.

 

Dave :)

[35mmdelux]

Seagull TLR. Superb. <$200 new.

[captainplanet]

those sound cool. i am probably going to look at a tlr, they fit more of my needs i think.

[dave_redmann]

For $200, there are basically two ways to go: a TLR as some have suggested, or a Mamiya 645 SLR. A decent basic TLR can be had for under $100, leaving you some money for a CLA, a lens hood, and a cable release. My Yashica Mat EM (bought on eBay from an apparently-reliable seller), with a CLA from Mark Hama, an original Yashica lens hood, and a cable release adapter (it needed a 'Leica / Nikon F nipple' to use a standard cable release) came to about $190. Pros of a TLR: larger frame on the film (typically 56x56mm instead of 41.5x56mm), simpler (less to go wrong--important on an old camera), quieter, lighter, flash sync at any shutter speed (useful for outdoor fill flash), generally cheaper. Cons: no interchangeable lenses (except for the bigger, heavier, and more expensive Mamiyas), generally can't use a prism finder.

 

Alternately, KEH is listing right now a set with a Mamiya M645, a Mamiya 80mm f/2.8 lens, a 120 film insert, and an unmetered prism finder, in "bargain" condition, for $182. KEH's "bargain" is usually just fine, and if you don't think so, they'll let you return it. Pros: interchangeable lenses, interchangeable backs (not on the basic M645, but on the M645 Super and Pro versions, which use the same lenses, plus on various other Mamiyas and Bronicas), smaller negative with 645 (there are 6x6, 6x7, and 6x8 SLR's, but they cost more), louder, somewhat bigger, heavier, more complicated, and M645 has limited flash sync speed UNLESS you are using one of the few leaf-shutter lenses.

[a._t._burke]

What? No one has mentioned medium format folders? I just bought my fifth folder from Jurgen Kreckel. It was a Zeiss Ikonta / Ercona II 6x9 with a f3.5 105mm Tessar (four element) lens. It had been rebuilt and had new bellows. I paid $170 plus shipping. I have bought from him direct as well as off an auction site. Try:

 

http://www.certo6.com

 

and

 

http://www.ph.utexas.edu/%7Eyue/misc/AnscAgfa.html

 

to see information about folders on the cheap.

 

The results from my 6x6 Agfa Isolette III with the four element Solinar F:3.5 lens is as sharp as many Rolleiflexes and most Rolleicords.

 

Tom