photojerry Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 IF you had 15K to spend on a camera what would it be.A. HAssey VB. Hassey HC. Contax AF 645d. Other Jerald Rosenfeld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_green1 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Well it would depend on my needs, but I'd probably spend around $4-4.5K on used Mamiya RZ67 gear: an RZ Pro II body, an RZ body as backup, about 3-4 interchangeable backs of various sizes, 50mm, 75mm Shift, 110mm, 140mm Macro, and 250mm lenses Around $500-800 on a used Rollei TLR such as a 2.8E About $1500-2000 on Studio lighting, reflectors, diffusers, etc. and about $8K on an 8-12 megapixel digital back. I might switch from Mamiya to Rollei 600x or Hasselblad 503, but I would still get the Rollei TLR, and I would still buy 2nd hand, and I'd still keep my budget for the main MF system in the $5K range. The lighting setup and the high end digital capability are far more important than any difference you'd see between $5000 of used MF camera gear and $10-15K of New MF camera gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_ql Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 For medium format, A. Hasselblad 501 with 80mm lens ($2300-$3100). For small format, D. Nikon FM3a with 85mm f/1.4 lens ($1000-$1300). For digital format, D. Nikon D100 with 85mm f/1.4 lens ($2600-$3000). The rest of the money ($11,000-14,000), on film/media/prints and travel all over the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_sonneman1 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Buy a Voightlander Bessa I with Color-Skopar lens for about $100-150, spend $200 on Schneider Componon-S 105 printing lens, $400 on an old Omega D2, and the rest on travel, film, lodging, andpaper, or, stay at home, photograph what you know best, and put $13,500 into IRAs for your retirement, any balance on Delta 100 BW and Fuji NPS 160 film, Multigrade IV paper, and maybe Crystal Archive. Buy FILM, not cameras. But if you HAVE TO spend more, OK, get the Bessa II with Heliar lens [but I mostly shoot at f/16, not much different there]. Multiple lenses? OK, look for an old Mamiya TLR Pro S ...the Mamiya TLR lenses were REALLY sharp! and interchangeable. As one book said, and I paraphrase, most all of the great photographs of history were made with cameras and lenses we now, today, would pass up on as totally inadequate. Weston's Pepper #30 he shot with an old [even then] Rapid Rectilinear [pre-anastigmat] lens costing $5 or $10!! Who now can match that quality? Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare. Fortunate they Who once, and then but far away, Have heard Her muffled sandal set on stone. Edna St. Vincent Millay --Joe Sonneman, Juneau Alaska p.s. Why get only ONE system? Cameras are like scalpels, different tools for different jobs. Get one a year for 10 years. Have fun, do good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Me? For my needs? I would lean towards a Hassleblad H1 or Hassy 553 system. The optics are great (despite not being from Zeiss) and it will integrate well with a digital back like the Kodak DCS Pro Back 645 or Pro Back Plus - -and I'll be able to shoot film as well. While waiting for the coffers to refill for the digital back, I'd buy either an Imacon scanner or the new Nikon Coolscan 9000 (due in the spring of 2004). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_wintheiser Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Spend a couple husdred dollars on a used Yashicamat 124 and a cla, buy some film. Spend the rest on expensive women and single malt scotch. If there's anything left, waste it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_ito Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Depends on what you're shooting. Personally, I'd get a 4x5 Ebony SU45 with 4-5 lenses and a Canon 1Ds with 16-35L, 24-70L, 70-200L 2.8 IS, 50 1.4, 100 2.8 macro, 2-550ex flashes. Buying it all used could probably get me into that $15K budget. One can dream.... If you're trying to choose between the above choices I'd pick (C.) Contax AF 645 system. You can always rent a Kodak DCS back. Again, it really depends on what you're shooting and what's important to YOU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_goldfarb Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I know a guy selling his Lotus 20x24" for about $10,000 with filmholders. That, two lenses, and a special order of Tri-X and I should be pretty much set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendrik Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Depends on your needs.................... Sinar P2 Contax 645 + couple of lenses Not much more Money spent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majid Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 A Hasselblad SWC, a 503CW, a Fuji GX617 and a Mamiya 7II to round it all off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_.1 Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 1) Hasselblad 203FE with 50mm f/2.8 and 110mm f/2.0; 2) 2 Leica MP's .58 and .72, 35mm lux, 75mm lux, and 50mm noctilux. Ease of use and simple tools for the job are important, and I think these 2 choices exemplify this. I happen to have setup 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_keller Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 - Hasselblad camera with 80 and 150 lens'and A12 conventional back - Phase One Digital Back - Good computer Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymond_tai Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Rolleiflex FX and FW; Leica MP (.72x + .85x), 28mm Summicron ASPH, 35mm Summicron ASPH, 50mm Noctilux, 75mm Summilux. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m_. Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 I will use my existing Leica system and travel the world with films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxc Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Hasselblad SWC Linhof Master Technika 4x5 Being a profligate soul, I pretty much own all the cameras I want already. The two big exceptions are the frightfully expensive examples above. The rest would go to long LF lenses, a Fujinon 600mm, and a Nikon 800/1200 convertible tele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 If I had $15K to spend on a camera system I'd spend no more than $2.5K and bank the rest. The photo industry is in a transitional zone right now, where film gear is dead and digital gear is crap. Either way you're going to lose your butt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phule Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 A Holga and some plane tickets? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_green1 Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 While Jay is usually pretty extreme in his views, in this case, he has a very valid point. I CERTAINLY would not buy NEW MF gear now, and if you look at the recommendation I made earlier, the longer one waits on making a major expenditure on MF digital gear, the better it will be by far. Only the 2nd hand Rollei TLR will not significantly depreciate over time. I assume that the rest of what you buy nowadays, if bought 2nd hand, will earn it's keep professionally or in terms of near term joy that you get in terms of a hobby, otherwise, I surely wouldn't buy it as an investment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 I would put $12,000 in a money making investment, and enjoy $3000 on additional camera gear; most likely a Rollei Wide TLR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r s Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 The question should have read 'If you got a voucher for 15,000 that you could only use for camera equipment - what would you get? What money you didn't use you forfeit.' That would have gotten rid of the 'plane ticket and film' answers :-) Personally I would have gotten a Hasselbad H1 with all the lenses and backs the vouher could get me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gup Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Jerald, I have just spent $22,000 CDN, which is a bit more than $15,000 USD, since March on e-bay. This is what I chose: Hasselblad 503cw kit (80mm, 12 back) brand new. Hassy 150mm lens Hassy 40mm lens Hassy 45 degree prism viewfinder Hassy motor winder with remote control Hassy 24 back Hassy 24 back Nikon F5 (4 months old) Nikon 17-35 f/2.8 zoom Nikon 28-70 f/2.8 Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 Sekonic L-508 meter (2)- Metz 70mz-5 flash units flash adapters for both bodies extra Ni-Cad battery Sunpak J-120 w/power pack Quantum Turbo power pack Stroboframe bracket Linhoff pistol grip bracket Gitzo carbon fibre Mountaineer tripod (new) Gitzo magnesium off-set ball head (new) Lowepro Pro-Trekker back pack Large Lightware case Three Hassy filters (polarizer, softar, UV) More than thirty filters in a collection with a Pro sun shade Nikon remote release Nikon wide strap Assorted cords and adapters and quick releases The latest Hasselblad Manual, by Ernst Wilde Magic Lantern F5 Guide I know there's more, but nothing large. You see, this WAS my dream! I have promised myself I would go pro for 20 years, so I'm doing it. I've lived in a small town in northern Ontario for 15 years and there has never been a professional photographer here. My love is taking landscapes, but I know I'll have to do weddings and portraits in order to pay for this venture. The old Minolta 7000i just wasn't giving me what I wanted, and I've dreamed of a Hasselblad since I was a teenager. These purchases were made very carefully. Much of the equipment has barely, or never, been used. Many decisions were based on information provided me by helpful readers of this MF forum. I was on e-bay full time, it seemed, and it drove my kids nuts-- computer time was at a premium around here. Out of all the posts here in this thread I only saw one reference to 'a good computer'. Of course, you can't consider digital equipment without one! And what about $1000 for PhotoShop 7.0 (a must have) And another $1500 for a thermal die printer. And nobody mentioned power packs and memory media. And how about being married to your computer until 3:00am every night while you 'perfect' your results. Believe me, I thought long and hard about digital, even attended a Kodak seminar in Toronto and put $250 deposit down on their new 14 meg disaster (got it back after waiting 5 months for delivery). In my world, film still rules folks. I love this digest, thanks to all who offerred me guidance. Gup Jeffries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graeme_mitchell Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 A few manual 35mms with decent optics (AE-1s, f3mes, used Leicas, whatever floats your boat), a few nice contax P&S, lotsandlotsa film. The rest I'd spend on inspiration (i.e. booze, dope, late nights, parties, plane tickets, bail, etc etc.) Also, maybe a few grand to take ADs and Pic Editors out for dinner. This way it's win win. If you're good, you'll have some great material. And if you end up being a louzy photographer, well, atleast it was a good time and you'll have some great fishing stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_macdonald Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 Well i'd buy another Rollei to accompany my Automat X. Probably a 2.8. Not really interested in Hasselblad's so I would invest in some lenses for my Leica IIIa, along with some adapters to use the lenses on a M series Leica, probably an M3 single stroke (theres just something about M3's that I love). The rest I would spend on film,paper, and various darkroom stuff, and maybe squeeze a trip to Asia and Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeroen dommisse Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 A full Mamiya C330 system (55 to 180) plus paramender and other goodies, a Nikon D100 plus Sigma 24/1.8 and 15-30 plus SB80DX, a good tripod and lots of lenses to bring my Nikon F set up to its original (sixties) date, an Epson 6x6 flatbed scanner... Plus lots and lots and lots of film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabghani Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 Wow! For 15K, I'd put my money on a couple of recent Rolleiflex 2.8F Xenotars/Planars (US800-1000/each) and a Hasselblad SWC! The rest I'd force myself to spend on film. I now have 3x2.8F Planars, 2x2.8GX, 1 Rolleicord Vb plus several other non-Rollei TLRs ... a month ago I had none. It maybe one TLR too many but hey they are seriously BEAUTIFUL machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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