Cost of Medium Format Film

[Horace]

What's wrong with leaving a RB67 in the car in an air tight box?

What's wrong with leaving an RB67 in a car, in an air-tight box?

NOTHING! That's a GREAT place for an RB67!

From the way this post is going, I think I will probably end up getting a "Something" 67, probably the RB or RZ or something with a safe name that isn't too expensive on eBay. I would like to build something like this but with my Sony A6000 on top instead.

Stunning Video of Paris Captured Through the Viewfinder of an Old Pentax 67

 

[Horace]

Does anyone know about the quality of the images coming out of a Mamiya M645? It seems to be from the 70's and the prices on eBay for this one seems to be the best so far now that I have eliminated many cheaper choices due to image quality concerns.

 

[gsgary]

The Mamiya lenses I have for my Mamiya C330 are top notch so the ones for the 645 should be good

 

[pixmedic]

What's wrong with leaving a RB67 in the car in an air tight box?

If I invested a few hundred dollars in a camera system, I would rather treat it more carefully. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't store anything I cared about in my car. Moisture, temperature changes that can affect lubrication, bumps that could knock the mechanics out of whack, valuable item that can be stolen...

Even in a Pelican case ?

Like I said, maybe it's just me, but it seems silly to spend so much money on a camera kit, even more money on a fancy case, just to leave it in the car. If I want to leave a camera in a car for a "just in case" moment, I wouldn't be leaving anything expensive. I'd rather keep my important gear safe and sound at home and bring it out when I know I'm going to use it.

And maybe I am also not bothered about having a "just in case" camera at every moment of my life. If I see a gorgeous sunset and don't have a camera with me, you know what I'm going to do? Say "Oh well, no camera" and then enjoy the damn sunset and not worry about it anymore.

I would never leave my Leicas in the car but I do have a Rollei XF in the car

not even in a pelican case?

 

[minicoop1985]

I dunno about you guys, but I wouldn't be afraid of keeping my camera and digital back (once acquired) in the car with me.

If you're going the 645 route instead of the 67, I would HIGHLY recommend going with at least a Super, Pro, or step up to the AF/AFD series. The Super and Pro offer interchangeable backs, and seem to be of much higher quality overall than the original M645s. I've had all 3 now, and I would say the 645AFD is the best BY FAR.

 

[Horace]

Need some quick advice.

Is this too good of a deal to pass up? Will this take photos comparable to a Mamiya 645 or RB67?

Rolleicord

 

[Horace]

I ended up going for it. $74 USD with shipping. Hope it was a good decision

 

[pixmedic]

Need some quick advice.

Is this too good of a deal to pass up? Will this take photos comparable to a Mamiya 645 or RB67?

Rolleicord

i had a rolleiflex 3.5e with the built in light meter.
good lenses and a reasonably inexpensive way to get into medium format.
I imagine the rolleicord will be similarly decent.

 

[minicoop1985]

I'll have to dig them out, but I had a Rolleicord I repaired some time ago and tested with film. Great cameras, but not for everyone. There's no THUMP of a mirror moving, so to some that's a little disconcerting.

 

[limr]

I ended up going for it. $74 USD with shipping. Hope it was a good decision

The Rolleicord is a very good camera and I think that was a good deal, assuming everything works. The Rolleicord was a simpler, less expensive version of the Rolleiflex.

When you get it, look up the serial number and you should get an idea of when it was made and what model it is (I can't see from the pictures) which will give you information about what kind of lens it's got and what the qualities of that lens are. The lenses are excellent, but they'll just have different qualities to them (especially with color rendering) depending on type and coatings.

 

[Horace]

Do you guys buy film locally or ebay it?

 

[480sparky]

I buy locally when I can as I prefer to support my brick & mortar store.

 

[minicoop1985]

I buy locally or on Amazon if the local shop is out. Which they frequently are...

 

[limr]

I'll sometimes buy locally, but the selection for 120 is poor, so most of my stock comes from B&H or Adorama, sometimes Amazon, sometimes Freestyle.

 

[Dave Colangelo]

I buy 100% from BH at this point as their prices are far bellow my local shops. If I need something specific in a pinch I will buy local if I can but stocks are limited, generally I go BH and when ever Im in NYC I always make sure to stop in. To give a bit of a price idea B&H charges $4.69 for a roll of Delta 100 (at the time of writing this) that my local shop charges close to $8 for. While I generally support local (I always get my stuff processed locally) I really cant bite the bullet on those kind of local film prices. BH (for me in philly) is basically free next day shipping which never hurts.

I would forego ebay film FWIW (unless you are looking for something out of production). You dont know how its been stored and you never know the quality. You can get more than enough options from whats still in production.

As for the Rolleichords, I have a very early one (Model II I think) and its a great little camera. The only real difference from the flex's of the same era is that it does not have the combined film advance/cock lever. So the film is advanced separate from the shutter being cocked. Many like this as it allows for double exposures. The compur lens units in these cameras are pretty simple and easily cleaned if there are any issues. 50/50 chance your low speeds are going to stick a bit as that is pretty much par for the course with these cameras. A light application of napthal to thin the oil usually fixes this. I did a focus plane adjustment on mine with some ground glass as well as the lens had moved a bit over the years.

It wont be long before you are going after a system camera....

Regards
Dave