Please help me find the right MF setup!

[jakeg1999]

Thanks for the link, already started reading it. I am pretty excited about this part of my adventure. Now to learn up on how to develop and scan. Hopefully I can find some 120 locally, I have a family shoot of 19 ppl this Friday, and while I'll be doing it with my digitals, maybe I can sneak in a couple shots with the MF!

 

[amolitor]

I own an RZ, but the proportions are similar. I've fooled around with it handheld, and it's just ridiculous, mainly because the Mamiya glass quite hefty, which places the center of gravity well forward with most lenses. There is absolutely nothing on the body that's designed to hang on to, it's just a cube, a wildly unbalanced cube. With the waist-level finder it's somewhat doable, maybe, at highish shutter speeds. Put the prism on there and it becomes not merely wildly FRONT heavy but also TOP heavy, and still hasn't got a thing to hang on to.

 

[cgw]

I own an RZ, but the proportions are similar. I've fooled around with it handheld, and it's just ridiculous, mainly because the Mamiya glass quite hefty, which places the center of gravity well forward with most lenses. There is absolutely nothing on the body that's designed to hang on to, it's just a cube, a wildly unbalanced cube. With the waist-level finder it's somewhat doable, maybe, at highish shutter speeds. Put the prism on there and it becomes not merely wildly FRONT heavy but also TOP heavy, and still hasn't got a thing to hang on to.

Any of the Mamiya grips and/or a neck strap are part of the handheld drill. That's what they're for--surprise. It wasn't designed to be handheld otherwise.

 

[Mike_E]

I own an RZ, but the proportions are similar. I've fooled around with it handheld, and it's just ridiculous, mainly because the Mamiya glass quite hefty, which places the center of gravity well forward with most lenses. There is absolutely nothing on the body that's designed to hang on to, it's just a cube, a wildly unbalanced cube. With the waist-level finder it's somewhat doable, maybe, at highish shutter speeds. Put the prism on there and it becomes not merely wildly FRONT heavy but also TOP heavy, and still hasn't got a thing to hang on to.

Any of the Mamiya grips and/or a neck strap are part of the handheld drill. That's what they're for--surprise. It wasn't designed to be handheld otherwise.

The RB with grip and prism is a lot of fun to shoot and being mistaken for a TV crew is good for laughs too.

 

[jakeg1999]

Well I got my GS-1 today. Went through the whole thing and giving it a good cleaning. Looks pretty good, can't wait to spool up some 120 and see what it can do, I mean what I can do with it. Thanks for all the help, opinions and direction. Jake

 

[Derrel]

Well I got my GS-1 today. Went through the whole thing and giving it a good cleaning. Looks pretty good, can't wait to spool up some 120 and see what it can do, I mean what I can do with it. Thanks for all the help, opinions and direction. Jake

Awesome-possum, Jake!!! So glad you were able to snag the outfit. I looked at it on-line in the SDCL listing...the Tamrac bag he had it in brought me back!!! I used to use the same bag, only in the forest green color. I think the more you use the camera, the more you will see what good ergonomics and handling the camera has, especially with the eye-level prism AND the grip/winder added. I hope you have a great experience with it.

 

[jakeg1999]

Well I got my GS-1 today. Went through the whole thing and giving it a good cleaning. Looks pretty good, can't wait to spool up some 120 and see what it can do, I mean what I can do with it. Thanks for all the help, opinions and direction. Jake

Awesome-possum, Jake!!! So glad you were able to snag the outfit. I looked at it on-line in the SDCL listing...the Tamrac bag he had it in brought me back!!! I used to use the same bag, only in the forest green color. I think the more you use the camera, the more you will see what good ergonomics and handling the camera has, especially with the eye-level prism AND the grip/winder added. I hope you have a great experience with it.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited, and the bag is great with tons of room. My first thought was man this thing is awkward but once I played with it a little more and put the grip on it started to feel really good. Can't wait to put it through the paces, hopefully tomorrow.

 

[jakeg1999]

Ok, so I started playing around with my new camera and I must say, it's a great tool....I am really enjoying it.....Now I would like to start developing my own film and then scanning it, black and white for now.....I have a tank/reel and bag picked out, could someone advise me as to what else I might need please! Not sure of which chemicals to get or any other supplies. Also I would love to hear some feedback on scanners......thanks again....you folks have been a great help.....Jake

 

[Derrel]

I like Kodak HC-110 liquid concentrate as a decent film developer for "traditional" silver-based B&W films. For kodak T-max, I think T-Max Developer is excellent. You want acid stop bath, and also some kind of rapid fixer. I have used both Kodak and Ilford fixer. You'll want a darkroom thermometer. For washing film, I think the simple method of water/agitate/let stand 30 seconds/dump tank/refill with water agitate 5 seconds,let stand 30 seconds./dump/repeat, is one of the more proven ways to actually wash film and to ELIMINATE the chemical residue efficiently and FAST. Many washers just slosh water around at the top of the washer, so I am not of the opinion that a guy needs a "film washer". Some Kodak Photo Flo is nice to have, and a lidded container to mix it in and to keep it covered works great (think 32-ounce sour cream container...seriously. Some negative file pages to keep cut film strips in are nice.

I like to mix HC-110 up on a per-tank basis, using 1/4 ounce per 7.5 ounces of water, using a small graduated cylinder as the measuring device, and using it as a "one-shot" developer. You can store stop bath and other chemicals in brown 40-ounce beer bottles or whatever. A funnel is nice to have on hand!

Film drying can be done by hanging from a wire on clips in a dust-free area. Scanners? I dunno...the Epson V700 seems to come up a lot.