the tightwad

I can relate to Troy's concern as I too have vision problems right now.

At my age (57) my eye doctor tells me that I'm developing cateracts on both eyes with the right eye being the worse. He also tells me that 99% of population will develop cateracts as they age due to the loss of the

ozone layer.

I struggle to use my equipment finding that my enlargments are one way

to see the world a bit clearer when I view them inches from my nose!!

The loss of vision has slowed me down but not stopped me.....yet.

Hopefully, surgury will fix my concern but until then my auto focus

Pentax Pz-1p will get a workout. My Mamiya c330 will get a short rest.

Do a search here on this subject and you will find out all you need

to know (Including how to make your own box as I did) Best of luck.

Andrew, Please go to this site to find out all you will ever want to

know about the wonderful Mamiya TLR you now own. In time you will find

that these cameras will do magnificent work if you learn them and are

patient.

http://www.btinternet.com/~g.a.patterson/mfaq/m_faq.html

Cam, Find and buy a Pentax K1000 35mm camera. This camera while older

will help teach you Photography on a students budget. It's rugged,

simple, easy to use, cheap to buy and VERY easy to find accessory

lens and equipment for.

I own several Pentax cameras as well as other brands. The Pentax K1000

is the one I use most often when I need a simple rugged camera. I really like the ease of match needle simplicity when I'm in a hurry.

Point, match,focus, click.....I have my picture every time.

I own and use a Mamiya C330S as my MF camera so I can vouch for the

quality of work you can do. Along with what Doug said I'll add if the

C330S that is avaible to you is in good shape ( wedding tlr's get the

stuff worked out of them) then buy it and re-sell the lens you don't

need to reduce the cost. You may find as I did that the C330S is all the Mf camera you'll need. Good hunting, mate.

Not to be a smart pants but if the projector shows your slides clearly

then the lens specs will be just right for the projector. Honestly, I've never head of interchangable lens for a MF projector.

Look here for a fresh view on camera bags..........

http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/bags.html

Kelly makes a very good point about the time it takes to load the e-bay

photos. That being a lot of foolish sellers think everyone has time to

wait for the super fancy ebay ads, background etc. to load so that they

will impress the buyer and make the sale.

I'm here to tell you that just as a simple camera will do best so will a simple ad that loads in flash on dialup. DON'T WASTE FOLKS TIME WITH FANCY BACKGROUNDS AND SUCH. You'll make more sales ( and money) by keeping it super simple and customer friendly. Good luck, mate.

FWIW....If your not going to make prints beyond 8x10 then I don't see

a difference. And, NO, cost is not relevant to lens picture taking

ability most of the time. It does matter in quality of lens construction at times.

Does it matter with these two lens? Since they are so close I'd say not.

As a point of interest on TLR's. The Mamiya TLR was(& is still) a workhorse camera for wedding photographers.

I own ( and dearly love) a Mamiya C330 & C220 finding them to be all the MF camera I'll ever need. Since you like range finders I suspect

that you too will find the Mamiya a very good camera for your shooting

style. As noted they will require you to adjust from a rectangle to a

square in your framing so bear that in mind.

I can understand the old man's lack of concern for the money involved.

I, too, don't care as much as I once did about how much money I have as

long as my friends and family are well cared for. I also "give" stuff to those that will use it well and enjoy the use.

Could it be that digital backs have not reached the "consumer level" in both volumn and price? As we all know the main marketing effort for

MF digital backs is aimed squarely at the pro's now.

Mate, I dont know about a "6x12 back camera" but as far as a landscape

camera that is both inexpensive and very reliable a Mamiya TLR and 55mm

lens is tough to beat. You can buy an entire Mamiya TLR setup for way

less than $2000 and shoot a greater subject range including landscapes.

Please take a moment to read this point of view on the digital or film

question that haunts so many of us. Comment if you wish, please.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/filmdig.htm

Paul, Andrew makes a good point here. There really are times when "Less

is More". The 10D for a novice is a real boost the ego and major hit on the wallet for minumum return on your investment. Wring all you can out of the Minolta before you jump on a 10D.

Steve, Yes, Your plan seems to be well though out thus far. I do , however, wonder with your lack of experiance in MF how you came to settle on 6x7 format.

Since you are not a "gear head" ( a good thing really) there is a chance that a 6x6 TLR might fill the bill much better. TLR's are simple

to own, operate & buy at a cost that is very reasonable. Please remember that there is only 1/4" more negative with a 6x7. The 6x6

square format (for me ) solves a lot of framing issues while producing

drop dead beautiful prints in any size I want.

Antonio, Proceed with caution on the Kiev. Good glass but poor mechanics.....they break a lot. Better to buy a more main stream brand.

THIS is a valid case of ......you don't get the quality you pay for.

Consider this......It's better to buy a single quality camera with no

accessories and get good pictures than to spend all your time (and budget) fixing the camera and getting NO pictures. You can buy accessories as you learn what you need to buy.

I own and use a Mamiya C330s & a Yashica 124 TLR using both for "slow"

deliberate work that they are best suited for ......People and landscapes. All the "fast" work is done my Pentax 35mm's .....sports,

animals/birds etc.

In my house a 10+ year old Pentax 105R P&S sits at the ready for those

grab shots of the kids, the cat & all the wonderful things that happen

on the spur of the moment. Anybody in our house can use it without

worry of blurred or over exposed shots.

When we travel I take the 105R and my Pentax Pz-1p to cover the trip.

The older manual Pentax cameras ride along ,at times , for the shots

that "I" want to control. Either way I seldom miss a shot and still

have fun with my hobby. Life is sooooo good!!

Rollies are a good example of really great quality being sold at whatever the market will bear. It goes without saying that some (?) folk's get so mad about the price because they want one so bad.

From my point of view manufactures that think to much of their product as Rollie does simply are NEVER considered for ANY of my money either

new or used. I don't need them as much as they need me as a customer.

So if enough folk's refused to pay the high price both new and used

market would eventually come down to reason. But don't count on it.

P.T. Barnum was right...."There's a sucker born every minute."

Antonio, Yes, I'd agree that the TLR is a very good place to start (

and stay as I have for my needs) The 6x6 square format while different

from a 35mm will help you learn good composition and may even become

a favorite as it did for me. I personally like the simplicity of the

TLR over a SLR for MF as it is so very low profile in use which is a plus for street use. As to which TLR to buy? Buy a Rollie if you wish

to add a prism (it won't be TTL but it will allow viewing through the

"viewing" lens). The Rollie is a long time pro level TLR with a distinctive history in steeet work. Good ones cost more but are worth

it. Or,if you wish, look for a Yashica 124 , Minolta Autocord or for

a TLR with interchangable finders and lens the Mamiya C330 / C220 series. (Mamiya's are bit heavy for street work long term)

If it's any help I use a trusted Yashica 124 for light work or street

work finding it to be an excellent tool for that work. (I suspect that

the Rollie is as good or better I've just never needed one) My Mamiya

C330s is used for all other MF work that I do finding it to be excellent in all respects along with being super reliable.

A light meter is simple once you get used to it. However, for all but

very precise work I use zone settings that follow the "Sunny 16 "rule

to simplify exposures. There is no sense at all to making photography

to much "work" and not enough "fun" to get all wrapped up in tech stuff.

So for the fun of it buy a Rollie, Yashica or Autocord and go take

some MF pic's. You'll may be frustrated at first but in the end you'll

have a ball. Enjoy!!

Antonio, it sound like you have already made your mind up for a SLR

which is a shame. One very important point that I think you've missed

is the ......size of the negative you want to shoot.

MF is several sizes of negative on 120/220 film unlike 35mm. Consider

if you want to shoot 6x6,6x7,6x9,6x4.5 or what? All have framing considerations and will yield different composition needs. Just buying

the equipment based on brand or SLR/TLR would be a mistake.

The need for equipment in street shooting in MF is more compsition and

luck than equipment. Douglas Green has offered some very good advice here so I'd sugggest that you determine what size of negative you want

first based on your ablility to compose the pictures you want to take.

In MF the TLR is tough to beat for street grab shots. Some of the

most famous street shots were taken with a single lens TLR so they

give no ground the an SLR and a fancy lens setup.

I live in the midwest and we see this all the time. The plane is so

high up that no sound reaches the ground. At time we see the trails

"cross" from two or more planes but they look like they are the same

altitude.

Hmmmm....questions such as this center on the "tools" of the trade and

not the style in which they will be used.

Digital ,to me , adds huge amounts of extra equipment and complication

to the art of photography that stifle any amount of true personal style

with all the "fiddling" that it requires.