Books and Cameras

[michele_roth]

Hello,

 

I could use some advice.

I was looking through the past posts to this forum, and the from what I could tell,

there hasn't been a newer post since 2001 on what are some of the best books on medium format

cameras for beginners and/or professionals.

 

Also, what is a good used camera running for these days?

I am very new to this and love any advice you can share.

 

Cameras, film, books, classes......

I am open to anything that will help me learn and produce photos that tell a story. make you feel good,

make people take action....

or just look fantastic!!!

:)

 

Thank you,

Michele

[aplumpton]

I'm impressed by your desire to learn and to create, but also by the very wide range of your questions.

 

I think you should put together some more specific questions, maybe taking one at a time. Otherwise, you are likely to get replies that

don't meet your needs, are too wide ranging, or simply that accord with someone else's approach or philosophy

but not yours. Ultimately not as useful as you might hope.

 

A good camera club, with people who wish to share experience (workshops, tutorials, photo challenges, salons) might be

good. A mentor who can work with you is another, but it's not easy to find one whose interests parallel yours..

 

As for good books on medium format, the variety of MF camera types is too large to properly represent your needs. The

Mamiya MF book by Bob Schell is fine if you use their equipment. Wilder's book on the Hasselblad is another specific one. Are

you an RF or SLR or DSLR photographer? Whatever, books on those will likely be more technical than artistic.

 

Two approaches to perhaps consider:

 

1. Read "B&W Photography" (the Brit mag), "Lensworks", "View Camera", the Time-Life series of photo books, Zakia's

"Perception and imaging", and so on, to discover what appeals to you, then follow up those approaches (via authors,

photographers, Googling subject matter);

 

2. With a pen and paper, jot down various questions you can answer yourself, like why do I want to photograph, what

interests me, what do I feel iI know already and what do I need to know, what have I photographed to date that pleases

me or that I have a particular talent (or interest) for, what do I feel are my best and worst capabilities in that regard, what

would I rather be doing than photographing, etc?

 

Of course, getting out and trying different things in the field (subjects or specific projects to photograph) is going to bring

you up on both the learning and personal preference curves quite rapidly.

[d_purdy]

What is your budget for a MF camera? It is a wide open subject which is why you want a book of course. I don't personally

know of the book that discusses all the options. You could get some education just by looking at MF cameras for sale on

ebay. Also medium format encompases several formats that fit on 120 film. 6x4.5 6x6 6x7 6x8 6x9 6x17 You probably

need to start by defining what you have in mind to do with it.

[richard_oleson]

Since MF includes such a variety of cameras, the price range is extremely broad... the ceiling is in the stratosphere, so I'll just mention a few decent cameras toward the lower end of the cost spectrum:

 

At the very bottom, the Ciro-Flex is probably the least expensive MF camera that offers high quality performance... these are easily found for less than $50. Look for one with a Rapax shutter. They are extremely simple, not a lot of fancy features but not much to go wrong either; surely the greatest bargain in terms of image quality per dollar.

 

A step up, one of the best deals is Rolleiflexes from the early 1950s, the ones with Tessar or Xenar lenses. Rollei prices vary widely based on model: one with X flash synch only, from around 1950, can be bad for $100-150; an MX from 1951-4 will run $150-200; and an MX-EVS from 1954-56 will be $200-250. These cameras are all identical (and very good) in performance, handle well and are very durable... these are the cameras that the Japanese TLRs imitated. After the MX-EVS, Rolleis get expensive in a hurry. The Rolleis' only real weakness is their dim focusing screen, and that can be remedied easily enough.

 

Among those Japanese imitations, one of the best, and the best deals, is the Minolta Autocord, which has an extremely good lens and can generally be had for $200 or less. Its weak point is a focus lever that can break and is generally unrepairable if it does.

 

Next is the Yashica Mat, a very close (though somewhat less rugged) copy of the Rollei and a good camera. The original Yashica Mat, like the cameras above, has no light meter; the Yashica Mat 124 has the nicest built-in coupled light meter you can find in a TLR. The last model, the all-black 124G, tends to be overpriced, but the earlier (some say better) chrome-and-black 124 and the earlier meterless models can be very reasonable. I got a good 124 for under $100, and I've seen 124G's listed in the $300 range.

 

SLRs tend to be less reliable, more expensive, or both; you have to pay for the added complexity. The only one that I feel comfortable recommending in the lower price range is the Mamiya 645, which I like very much... you might find one at the upper end of the price range mentioned above. Be sure you get a complete camera, though: with an SLR you need a body, a back or film insert, a focusing screen, a viewfinder and a lens. Cameras are often offered with one or more of these items missing.

 

The other category is folding cameras, which are an interesting specialty area but I don't recommend them for general MF photography. Very few have a rangefinder for focusing, and these are expensive collectors' items with tiny squinty viewfinders. You can do excellent work with them, but they are not the easiest tool to use for top results.

[stuart_richardson]

Ansel Adams' series, "The Camera", "The Negative" and "The Print", is a very good place to start to learn traditional, film

photography. Whether you are a fan of his photography or not, he was a great teacher and really knew what he was doing.

It is very traditional and many of the cameras and/or films mentioned have long since joined the author in eternal peace,

but it is still great for really understanding how film photography works. It can be rather technical. If you supplement it with

a newer book or questions on the internet, it can be a great primer. <P>The answer to what camera is harder to come up

with. It is kind of like asking what kind of car to buy...are you thinking Kia or Ferrari? you can find something like a Holga

for 20-30 dollars or so, and you can also go out and buy a Leaf AFi 10 for 40,000 dollars before the cost of lenses. Knowing

your budget, what kind of things you photograph and what you want out of the camera are pretty important.

[michele_roth]

Hello to all and thanks for helping me.

 

Arthur ~ Thank you for your kind words and advice.

I subscribed to "Lenswoorks" this morning after checking it out at a bookstore.

 

 

 

And I am taking your advice on jotting down what I want to learn, where do I want to go with photography... all of it. These were great ideas. It sounds like you would be a great mentor!

 

 

 

Dennis ~ I had no idea that 120 film could fit so many sizes!! That was a major eye opener. Thank you. I have about 1000.00 us set aside for a MF camera. What would be you top 3 or 5 cameras??

 

 

 

 

Richard ~ Thank yo so much for the advice on the types of cameras. I can go on to ebay and do some looking and start comparing them.

 

 

 

Stuart ~ I will go to the library and look up the Ansel Adams books you recommened. Living in New Mexico, it is hard not to like Ansel's work... I live in it in a way. What who would you recommend for portrait with a MF camera??

 

 

Thanks to all of you.

 

Michele