Bronica too bulky - What MF camera for travel & street?

[sfcole]

<p>"The Mamiya 6&7 are the closest but a three lens kit will weigh a lot, cost as much or more than a Hasselblad, the longest rangefinder connected telephoto will only be the equivelent of a 75mm +/- on a 35 - and it can't focus close enough for portraits."</p>

<p>Warren, I must disagree. The Mamiya 6&7 are exactly made for the poster's purpose.<br>

1. A 3 lens kit in a Tamrac bag with spare film weighs just under 7 pounds. If the poster leaves the 150 at home, it's now 5.6 pounds (I just put mine on an electronic scale).<br>

2. Bargain grade Mamiya 6 bodies are regularly seen at KEH for under $600. ONLY the 50 is expensive--the other two lenses are reasonable considering the quality. You recommended either FF digital or Leica--both will be much more expensive, and the digital will be heavier.<br>

3. Yes, the longest is "only" equivalent to a 75, but so is a Hasselblad 150, and it's the most popular tele lens in MF. Who's going to lug anything bigger and heavier for travel and street? The 50 does not require a separate finder.<br>

4. Yes, the rangefinders don't focus closely, but a MF negative will permit a large amount of cropping. It all depends on the type of portrait. Not every portrait is a tight head shot. Also, it's great not worrying about dealing with verticals with 6x6.</p>

<p>my only dislikes: PITA to load, and the meter is easily fooled.<br>

Scott</p>

[brianam]

<p>If you want maximum portability, a folding MF camera is ideal. But it does come at the expense of interchangeable lenses, and ease of using filters & accessories. I have a Fuji GS645 folder, the older bellows model. Had it serviced and it works great, really sharp 75mm lens. Though it's admittedly a quirky choice.</p>

<p>Also have Mamiya 7II's and a 3-lens kit, and a Fuji GS690III. Totally love these, but I've found them much more comfortable on a tripod. (esp. the 6x9) YMMV of course. Though, unless you're willing to use 400 speed films, or you only shoot in the brightest light, you may find yourself worrying about camera shake as you stop them down. The concern for which of course grows with increasing frame size. I've seen posts for years on this forum suggesting that you can handhold an M7 down to 1/15 or similar. Personally, with only 10 frames on a 120 roll (8 on 6x9), I'd rather just mount it, hand meter the scene, and spend the extra time getting the shot right.</p>

[john_perkins5]

<p>Bessa III 667. That's what I bought mine for.</p>

[Gus Lazzari]

 

<p >Borre, I was just <strong>blown away</strong> by the <em><strong>Vivian Maier</strong></em> blog, thanks for sharing that.</p>

 

<p>In my repair experience, Fuji folders are a bit more fragile than the Mamiya units.<br>

I'm with Steve L. and others who recommend a truly <strong>pocketable</strong> folder.<br>

Vivian proved that you only need one lens...</p>

<p>Not quite Steve's super Agfa bargain, but I vote to have a Voigtlander Perkeo II in your pocket. Smaller than either the Fuji or Mamiya.</p>

 

<div></div>

[Aoresteen]

<p>Gus,</p>

<p>I didn't know that a Perkeo could use 220 film...</p>

[phil_hanson]

<p>Bronica RF645 !</p>

[Gus Lazzari]

<p>Very observant Anthony !</p>

<p>Yes, on a Perkeo II you have the ability to <strong>reset</strong> the counter manually, so when I fire off number eleven, I then reset it back to number one. Fire off 12 more, losing only one frame due to the "red window" film start calibration.</p>

[neilambrose]

<blockquote>

<p>Bessa III 667. That's what I bought mine for.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Ditto. Ultra light, fits in coat pocket, shoots both 120 and 220. Has an accurate exposure meter and excellent lens. Very easy to handle and folds/unfolds rapidly. Excellent RF viewfinder, very bright and easy to focus. Also has clever automatic distance adjustment to keep the framelines consistent for the focused distance.</p>

<p>But you're limited to 80mm only. Personally I don't find that restrictive, but it depends on how much you really need a wide-angle.</p>

[warren_williams]

<p>Scott<br>

As I said what James wants does not exist. He already said the Hasselblad is out of his price range, so any of the Mamiya rangefinders are too. The digital option is not heavier than the Mamiya - my 7 is only 8 ounces lighter than my D700 and the lenses would more than make up for that weight difference. The Hasselblad 150 can focus nicely for portraits making it popular - the Mamiya will not. Sure you can crop but you are beginning to turn a medium format into a 35mm without the versitility. I love my Mamiya 7 but vereitility is not it's strong point. I want a travel/street camera to be wither versitile or compact - the Mamiya is neither. The Leica is compact and the full frame digital is versitile.</p>

[julius brothers]

<p>Ditto on the Bessa III 667. Really easy to carry around and compact. Great viewfinder.</p>

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

<p>The Bessa II is as expensive as a new Mamiya 7 II, and it's less versatile. I'd go with the Mamiya.</p>

[eric friedemann]

<p>Even though I already have Mamiya 7II's and lenses, if a Bessa III with a 60 or 65mm wide lens was introduced, I think I'd have to get one. Those are cool freakin' folders.</p>

[doug_williams4]

<p>What a bunch of great ideas! I would have never thought of the folders. However, I use a Rolleiflex 3.5 and it is light and easy to use even with a hand held meter. The meter on the camera hasn't worked for years. Maybe a Rolleicord they still have good lenses and are less money. But the Rollei is a wonderful camera and even with the current prices are a lot of camera for the money. </p>

[eric friedemann]

<p>Just an FYI, a few years back, I bought an Agfa Super Isolette from Jurgen Kreckel. Given the age of the camera, it had no meter, so I bought the first version of the Voigtlander VC Meter. </p>

<p>If you have an old camera without a meter or that has a broken meter, these VC meters (now the VC II meter) are reasonably priced, small, light, well-constructed and accurate. They also slide into a flash shoe and look cool and retro:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.cameraquest.com/voivcmet2.htm">http://www.cameraquest.com/voivcmet2.htm</a></p>

[LMar]

<p>Rolleicord (III).</p><div></div>

[jameshaskins]

<p>lots of great ideas guys.. thanks! Im trying to sell my bronica kit now..<br>

However ill look into the TLR's and check out the mamiya's and fold cameras. The 645's seems great, but id like a 6x6 camera..</p>

<p>sorry for the late reply, but there's a lot of great advice here!!<br>

thanks again</p>