need help picking a camera for location portraits

[rmesbah]

ok, I am putting together a doc trip to india, part of the project is some

location portraiture in B&W (about 80-100 rolls.) I want to do this in medium

format so I can print 16x20 or larger. I have little experiance with MF but have

years in 35mm. What I am trying to figure out is what camera should I be looking

at. The requirements are that it be under $1000 used with the lens I need, easy

to opperate, that it can take a licken and keep on ticken, and that it not need

lots of batteries. meatering would be nice but I have a sekonic 358 so not

completely needed. it must have a sync terminal however. My shortlist is thus in

no particular order: mamiya rb or RZ, a rangefinder RF645/M6/Plaubel Makina,

mamiya c330/c220, kiev 88M. Am I missing something really obvious? Basically I

need a good, cheap, Portrait setup, that is built like a tank. please, you wise

sages of MF land, give me guidance

 

thanks,

Riaz

[bueh]

I would never take Kiev for such a trip, these cameras are notoriously unreliable (and sync only at 1/30 sec). The Makina would also not be my first choice. You listed no 6x4.5 SLRs and no Hasselblad, any particular reason?

 

I am not familiar with the rangefinders and don't know how close you want to go to your subjects, but these cameras are obviously the lightest choice.

 

If weight is not an issue, the RZ67 with the 110mm f/2.8 or 150 f/3.5 is a nice setup, especially on a tripod with mirror lock-up. For more wide-angle-ish portraits the 65mm f/4 is also nice. For $1000 you can get the camera and two or three lenses on that big auction site. I would go with the Sekonic instead of adding a metered prism. The RZ is pretty fool-proof, reliable and offers huge enlargement possibilities. The rotating back is also cool. But make yourself familiar with MLU operation before starting your project!

[russ_britt3]

Hassey with 150mm....220 backs

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Will you use flash? If so, go with leaf shutter lenses that sync at all speeds. How close will you get? If head and shoulders, skip rangefinders. Do you prefer square prints or rectangles? If rectangles, 6x6 is the same as 645 after you crop.

 

One other item - get the camera early and practice. You will get a lot less DOF with medium format so stop down a couple stops from what you would shoot for 35mm.

 

The RZ is fantastic if you don't mind big and heavy. And the bellows allows you to focus close. The Bronica GS-1 is more portable but you'll probably want extension tubes for close focus.

 

Personally I'd look for a 6x7 if you want to print larger than 16x20. Probably a Bronica GS-1 as the prices are low. And don't forget to add a good tripod to your budget. And you should carry a backup body and 150mm lens.

[michael_gilday]

Look into a Koni Omega/Rapid Omega, a series of 6x7 rangefinders. They fit all your criteria - cheap (~500 for a clean kit with the 180/4.5), easy to operate, takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' (they're built like tanks, and were used by the military), doesn't need a lot (any!) of batteries, and has leaf shutters that sync at all speeds. As far as quality goes, they're very, very, good; the lenses are all still among the best ever made for the format, and the cameras have an interesting and effective method of ensuring great film flatness. They're heavy, and big, but no more so than any of the other cameras you're looking at.

[harvey_trautenberg1]

For exclusive portrait shooting I would rank the SLR / TLR / RF in order. A venerable 500cm

with 150mm (as stated above) is ideal. A second choice is a Rolleiflex TLR as proven by

Avedon and others. The RF is simple but an disaadvantage for portraits inherent in its design.

[elliot_n]

Pentax 67

[vcallaway]

The nice things about a c330 is leaf shutter, light weight and bargain prices. You can easily carry a 65mm, 80mm and 150mm in a small space and stay under your $1,000 budget.

 

I pack and RB67 on day hikes but it is not something I recommend to everyone. I'm a big guy and can handle it. If I had to pack camping gear as well I'd be looking for another camera.

 

If you're not planning on printing square you might take a look at something like a Mamiya 645 100s. They are bargain priced but use a focal plane shutter and do require a battery. The plus side if faster lenses. I would take a 45mm, 80mm and 150mm.

 

I've owned the 645 and C330 and both are excelent choices.

[adw]

Mamiya 7 II is an awesome, easy to use, robust camera with inpecable image quality.<br />

<img src="http://bilder.preissuchmaschine.de/prodfoto/mamiya7ii.jpg" /><br />

Can't beat it for travel photography. My favourite camera without doubt.

[machts gut]

As no one mentioned Zenza Bronica before, I'll do it now. The SQ-A/B/Ai are nice inexpensive reliable cameras.

 

Stefan