david_powell1

I bought an old Kodak "Monitor 620" 6x9 folder on eBay for only about $40. It's small, light, well-built, and easily slips into a belly-bag WITH ROOM TO SPARE for extra film! The model I bought has a 101mm f:4.5 "Anastigmat Special" lens with shutter speeds to 1/400 sec.

This lens was reputedly Kodak's answer to the Zeiss Tessar four-element formula. I've seen several people on the web who say that the lens (at least) compares with the Zeiss Novar, and from what I've seen, it does indeed deliver very sharp photos. (However, it would be a good idea to rig some kind of lens hood since the lens is uncoated.)

Of course, this camera was designed for 620 film. And people will tell you that it's easy to reroll 120 film onto 620 spools for these nice older systems. But you don't HAVE to reroll film for the Monitor 620! Most modern 120 spools are plastic and you can easily trim off enough of their rims with scissors to fit the 620 film chamber. However, many people don't mention that 120 spools are also a tad LONGER than 620, which forces one to reroll 120 film to use in MOST 620 cameras. But Kodak built spring-metal brackets into the Monitor 620 film chamber, so the longer 120 spools (with rims trimmed) fit in just fine with no tightness at all!

Some minuses-- there's no meter or rangefinder, so it's guestimate metering and front-cell focusing... just you against the image!

Other plusses-- it's a well-built, solid camera that's techno-stylish and a lot of fun to use. There's a nice (uncoupled) DOF dial that makes it easy to determine hyperfocal focus settings at any aperture. And the sporty flip-up viewfinder has unique, fairly effective, parallax compensation.

I know I've written more than most people want to read about this camera, but I think that it is an inexpensive, terribly underrated, American folder that delivers crisp results for someone interested in exploring MF for the first time! Just another point of view.

I also faced your dilemma, and made an entirely different decision because I like to travel light when I shoot. I bought an old Kodak "Monitor 620" 6x9 folder on eBay for only about $40. It's small, light, well-built, and easily slips into a belly-bag WITH ROOM TO SPARE for extra film! The model I bought has a 101mm f:4.5 "Anastigmat Special" lens with shutter speeds to 1/400 sec.

This lens was reputedly Kodak's answer to the Zeiss Tessar four-element formula. I've seen several people on the web who say that the lens (at least) compares with the Zeiss Novar, and from what I've seen, it does indeed deliver very sharp photos. (However, it would be a good idea to rig some kind of lens hood since the lens is uncoated.)

Of course, this camera was designed for 620 film. And people will tell you that it's easy to reroll 120 film onto 620 spools for these nice older systems. But you don't HAVE to reroll film for the Monitor 620! Most modern 120 spools are plastic and you can easily trim off enough of their rims with scissors to fit the 620 film chamber. However, many people don't mention that 120 spools are also a tad LONGER than 620, which forces one to reroll 120 film to use in MOST 620 cameras. But Kodak built spring-metal brackets into the Monitor 620 film chamber, so the longer 120 spools (with rims trimmed) fit in just fine with no tightness at all!

Some minuses-- there's no meter or rangefinder, so it's guestimate metering and front-cell focusing... just you against the image!

Other plusses-- it's a well-built, solid camera that's techno-stylish and a lot of fun to use. There's a nice (uncoupled) DOF dial that makes it easy to determine hyperfocal focus settings at any aperture. And the sporty flip-up viewfinder has unique, fairly effective, parallax compensation.

I know I've written more than most people will want to read about this camera, but I think that it is an inexpensive, terribly underrated, American folder that delivers crisp results for someone interested in exploring MF for the first time!

Many Thanks to everyone who has responded to my other questions!

Inquiring minds would like to pose three more questions to the

digest's Brain Trust! Here goes:

(1) Do any of the old MF folders support interchangeable lenses or

come in different versions whose lenses could be easily exchanged (for

example, using a screw mount)? I'm basically wondering if it's

possible to have a single folder with easily exchanged wide-angle,

normal, and tele lenses!

(2) Can any of the old MF folders support three different formats

(such as 6x4.5, 6x6 and 6x9?

(3) Are any classic MF lenses highly underrated today, in your

experience? We know that Ultron, Ross Xpres, Heliar, Ektar,

Color-Skopar, and Sonnar lenses are generally superb, but are any

other MF cameras (especially folders) fitted with little-known

optical treasures?

Thanks Again!

Dave

I tried searching to see if this has been asked already, but the

search engine hasn't been responding. So here goes! Can one use the

old "Rule of Sunny-16" without modification to "guestimate"

medium-format exposures? Or does one have to adjust the rule because

of MF's greater film-to-lens distance?

Many Thanks!

Dave

I just picked up a simple, old 120 camera-- the Dacora Digna-- at a

yard sale. It has a solid lens mount(no bellows), which collapses into

the body for portability. Looks like it has a simple, 2- or 3-element

lens, with a "guestimate" focusing ring. I've also seen similar

cameras-- the Paxina, Agfa Isola, and Agfa Clack-- posted on eBay.

Have any of you ever used such cameras and liked the results?

Which ones? They look like an INTERESTING way for a beginner to

experiment with MF using a compact, rugged, and very light unit...

before committing to a more expensive (and more professional) system.

Your experiences and recommendations would be appreciated!