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Mamiya RB67 Pro S, hands down.

While I have a Sekonic L558 I use with most for most of my MF work (where I spot meter), I also have a Gossen Digisix which I absolutely love. It's a bit more expensive than the Sekonic meters, but the size can't be beat and I've found it to be very accurate. There is a version that can be used as a flash meter as well, but I haven't used it.

<p><i>Black & White Photography</i> out of the UK is an outstanding magazine. While it does contain some articles on digital, it's focus on B&W and the relative immaturity of B&W digital solutions mean that it still does a lot with traditional techniques and printing. Highly recommended.</p>

With regards to the loading issue: if you followed the directions in the manual and followed the arrows painted on the back showing the path of the paper, you should be all set. Forgetting to remove the darkslide is a very likely problem if using an older back. Another think to check is to make sure that the multiple exposure switch isn't on: this is under the winding lever.

The other answers in this thread cover your questions, but I want to add a voice of support for the RB67 Pro S. I love this beast. Its a wonderful camera, though be prepared for some sore muscles if you go out in the field with it: I just got back from a weekend in upper Maine where I was carrying my RB around on its (non-carbon fiber) tripod and beefy ball head and my shoulder is killing me. But I really don' think you can go wrong with this, especially for the price.

 

The revolving back is really nice when doing landscape work: you can take vertical and horizontal shots without changing the tripod position, which can be really useful.

 

Another tip: if you plan on using the mirror up function, make sure you have at least one cable release, though two are recommended. Mamiya makes a single release that triggers the mirror and the shutter in succession, but two regular cloth-covered cable releases work just as well I find.

 

Enjoy.

Another vote for the 3021: steady as a rock, but heavier once you add the RB and accoutrements.

I expect that the 120mm macro is going to give you a sharper image than an 80mm with spacer, on the general principle that the dedicated optics in the 120mm will be sharper. So while the magnification will be the same, the quality of the resulting image will (probably) not be.

If you want to buy new equipment (which I actually recommend if you are starting out: nothing is more frustrating then screwing around with used gear that may or may not work and which may or may not have manuals, etc.) the Mamiya 645E is a great way to get into MF. This is a relatively inexpensive system (B&H has the 645E, 80mm prime, 120 holder, and rapid-wind grip for US$929, or the same without the grip for $100 less, though I recommend the grip) and is an excellent all-around camera. Manual focus (AF MF gear is a lot more expensive), apperture or shutter priority. You can get 220 holders for it. The downside is that the back is fixed: you cannot swap film mid-roll. It is relatively light (with the grip and standard lens it doesn't feel much heavier than an N90s with vertical grip) and can easily be hand-held, with and without its grip.

 

You could go on the auction sites and look for other bodies. Perhaps a Rolleicord or other TLR. These are also great cameras, and can be an inexpensive way to get into it. But they are often old (my Rolleicord is at least 50 years old) and need to be checked over before you use them. Depending on the camera you may not have interchangable lenses. And if you get a TLR with an interchangable lens, you need to use the auction sites or used store (like KEH) to get them.

 

With regards to processing, as others said earlier, more consumer labs are able to handle 120 now than even two years ago, at least for C-41. If you shoot chromes then these labs generally send out to the pro-labs and you end up paying a premium on top of the pro-lab's cost. Also be aware that many of the consumer labs will print square, so if you want prints made from your rectangular negs you're better off either going to the pro-lab or just having them develop and scanning yourself.

I think the 4990 is the successor to the 4870. I've had really good luck scanning both 35mm and 120 negs and chromes with my 4870. Obviously not the quality as a dedicated film scanner or drum scanner, but for my purposes it works really well.

I've been very happy with with the f.64 MFX Medium Format bag. It can hold all that you

specify, and has two detachable side pockets that make it possible to use the bag as a

carry-on. Usually what I do is detach the side pockets and put them in my checked

baggage: these usually hold accessories like the grip or my Cokin filter holders. Then

when I get to the destination I just reattach as necessary. I've used this bag to carry both a

645E and its lenses, but also a 645E and Nikon N90s with a couple lenses each, or an

RB67 and accountrements. IMHO the f.64 products are oustanding without being

unreasonably priced. And the protection offered is excellent.

 

I also have a Lowepro Nature Trekker backpack that I took on a trip to Japan. It carried the

645E with three lenses, an N90s with three lenses, a BessaR with two lenses, and about

sixty rolls of 35mm and 120. It weighed a ton but held all of that almost comfortably. :-)

I wouldn't recommend it, see <a href="http://www.vividlight.com/articles/210.htm">this

article</a> for more information.

I regularly scan medium format negatives and chromes on my Perfection 4870 at

resolutions from 2200dpi through 4800dpi and have been very satisfied with the

sharpness. Which scanner are you using?

Portra 400NC has a print grain index (according to the datasheet) of 44 when enlarging a

6x6 negative to 8x10in. This isn't too bad. If you are concerned, and the lighting is going

to be good, then you can use 160NC, which has an index of 36 in the same enlargement

ratio. By the nature of the pictures you are taking, I don't think you will have anything to

worry about though.

<p>My recommendation would be to bring along Kodak Portra 400NC, and perhaps a

couple

of roles of Portra 800 just in case. In my experience Portra is an excellent film for people

in a wide range of lighting conditions, and its color is far better than the comparable Fuji

print films. The consistency between the 35mm and 120 versions is very good as well. <a

href="http://www.dreamersrealm.net/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-26">This picture of

my daughters</a> was taken with 400VC, but you can get a feel for the quality.</p>

 

<p>For this kind of shoot I would also bring along some black and white. Again, Kodak's

chromogenic BW400CN is a great choice here.</p>

 

<p>When shooting chromes I'm dedicated to Fuji, and generally when doing black and

white to Ilford. But for portraiture you really cannot go wrong with Portra.</p>

I have had really good results scanning MF negatives and chromes with the Epson

Perfection 4870 Photo. This, coupled with a relatively inexpensive ink jet will get you a

long way. You can probably do this for under US$1000.

 

You can combine this with doing your own processing of B&W film. You won't need an

enlarger: scan the negatives and do the printing digitally. The problem here is that B&W

printing isn't quite at the quality of doing this chemically, but it is getting their fast (a

recent Shutterbug had an article about this.)

Turn it (IIRC) counter clockwise and it will unsnap.

FWIW, I regularly hand-hold a Mamiya RB67 and have not had a problem with mirror slap.

The biggest issue with hand-holding this beast, IMHO, is its size and weight. It is quite

heavy and can be awkward to hold if you don't have big hands.

 

While the RB67 is a bit of a beast, the rotating back is a huge plus for me. It is fully

manual: you have to cock the shutter separately from winding the film. Focusing is not as

fast as on a RF or SLR with the barrel-mounted focusing ring, since the RB uses bellows.

Finally it has no in-camera metering. I think the newer RZ67 adds this, but I may be

wrong.

 

In my opinion if you want the larger chrome size but want also to hand-hold and be able

to take "quick" shots, then the Mamiya 7 is the way to go, if you can afford it.

It is more the case that people freak out in the auction when they could be better off just

looking at B&H or KEH to find the same thing at a much better price. Times like that it is

good to be a seller as you watch those who are quickly separated from their money stomp

on each other in an effort to throw it at you.

<p>Here is a stand alone version of the rough translation I did of the Fujifilm Japan comparison table of Velvia 100, 100F, and 50. This was first posted to photo.net in a thread linked earlier.</p>

 

<a href="http://www.dreamersrealm.net/tree/velvia100">http://www.dreamersrealm.net/tree/velvia100</a>.

According to the article the new film will be available in the UK "this summer", so if it isn't available yet it will be soon. The article also says that 400CN is manufactured in Europe.

 

I find it interesting that Ilford would help Fuji create a competitor to XP-2... seems slightly odd.

<p>The August 2003 issue of <i>Black & White Photography</i> has a

small piece on Fuji's new C-41 Neopan 400CN (which will not be

released in the US, from what I've heard) which indicates that it was

designed with help from Ilford and is based on, but different from,

XP-2. It goes on to say that there is a possibility that the

Fujifilm/Ilford collaboration will continue in the future.</p>

<p>This means for every one 'part' of rodinal you use 24 'parts' water. A 'part' here depends on how much of the final solution you want to create.</p>

 

<p>To keep things simple, let's say you want to make 1000ml of solution. You need to divide the total amount of solution into 25 parts (1 part + 24 parts), so 1 part is 40ml (1000ml / 25 = 40ml). So you mix 40ml of rodinal (1 part * 40ml) to 960ml of water (24 parts * 40ml).</p>

 

<p>This link, <a href="http://www.jobo-usa.com/faq/mixvols.htm">http://www.jobo-usa.com/faq/mixvols.htm</a> may be useful.</p>

I store most of my 35mm slides in Print File archival preservers (2x2-20B), which are then put into an enclosed binder (also by Print File) for storage. I do the same for my 35mm negatives and 120 negatives/chromes, using the appropriate Print File pages.

 

Those slides I don't want to put in the binder, but can't bring myself to toss, go in a metal slide tray.

The Mamiya 645E is a nice camera for the money, but it does not offer interchangable backs, so if you ever want to go to digital with it you are out of luck. However, the 645E is nicely portable, and with the rapid-wind grip you can hand-hold it very easily (though even without the grip hand holding isn't a chore because the camera is light, as MF systems go). You get the full range of M645 lenses to boot, which are readily available on the auction site and from the used departments at B&H and KEH, to mention only two. The finder is also fixed, which can be detrimental to some.

 

The Mamiya RB67 ProS is a wonderful camera, though I call mine "Beast" (with a Voigtlaender Bessa R as "Beauty") because it is big and ugly. With the 120 back, WLF, and 127mm lens it weighs in at almost 6lbs. Sure, it can be hand-held, but it really wants to live on a tripod. It takes wonderful pictures though, and once you experience the convenience of the revolving back you'll start to wonder why every (rectangular format) camera doesn't have it. You can find the RB and accessories on the auction sites as well, and the lens selection is very nice. Another feature of the RB I like is the bellows focusing, which I've taken advantage of when doing nature photography. One complaint people have with the RB is that you need to cock the shutter and wind the film separately. For me this hasn't been a problem, and certainly doesn't justify the extra cost of an RZ.

 

The RB is also very configurable. Virtually every component can be taken off and replaced for specific needs. I bought my RB completely stripped: no focusing screen, no film back adapter, no hood, nothing. The body had been serviced by Mamiya, so while cosmetically a bit rough it was in pefect working condition. I then bought the remaining components needed to get going (screen, hood, back adapter, back, and lens) over time at bargain prices: for under $400 I had a complete RB67 ProS system that works like it was 1975 again. You can also get digital backs for the RB/RZ series.

 

Obviously I am a Mamiya fan. For rectangular format portrait photography I think you would be well served for a long time with them. I have never used a Hasselblad, so I cannot commment one way or the other on them.

The mirror flips out of the way before the shutter opens. However, depending on the camera it is conceivable (though unlikely, I expect) that the autofocus and/or meter could be affected.

 

In the future don't muck around inside the camera body.