Landscape SLR

[Fester]

Hi

I have been wanting to have a go at Landscape photography for awhile now and MF and LF are still out of my price range, but it seems Film SLRs are well within my budget of around £100ish/$150ish I'm not to fussed about having all the bells and whistles but the camera must have depth of field preview. Any camera & equipment recommendations and hints and tips would be most apresiated.


Thanks

 

[Steph]

I would go for an older manual focus camera from the 70s/80s with a couple of prime lenses (24mm or 28mm at the wide end, a 50mm and a 135mm or 200mm at the longer end). Examples of such cameras: Pentax Spotmatic F, Nikon FM/FM2, Olympus OM1... Those were all very well built and should have stood the test of time well. They feel very solid in your hands and are a delight to use.

 

[Steph]

Also, purchasing a tripod (if you don't already have one) might be useful for landscape shots, to allow for slower shutter speeds required for deeper depth of field.

 

[Mike_E]

MF is NOT out of your range!

Look around for a TLR. Framing takes a (very) little getting used to but after that you will be well pleased with the results.

With a little shopping you should be able to get a Yashica MAT 124 (don't bother with the G as it's the same basic camera with gold on the meter contacts- and the meter isn't all of that anyway. The 124 has stronger winder gears to boot!), an older but still serviceable hand held meter, and a dozen rolls of top grade film for under 150 pounds. It doesn't have to be a Yashica of course, there are several great TLRs out there.

 

[Fester]

Thanks for the replies.

I will have to look into TLR's


Thanks

 

[farmerj]

Take a lot around at some local camera shops.

I found a local one that has some Mamiya RB67's lens and such that one can get into for the same price as a SLR package. I could get the body and a 90mm lens for like $500.

Medium format is likely within your reach more than you think.

Another option is to consider an older bellows camera like the Agfa Isollete or similar set-up.

 

[Steph]

MF is NOT out of your range!

Look around for a TLR. Framing takes a (very) little getting used to but after that you will be well pleased with the results.

With a little shopping you should be able to get a Yashica MAT 124 (don't bother with the G as it's the same basic camera with gold on the meter contacts- and the meter isn't all of that anyway. The 124 has stronger winder gears to boot!), an older but still serviceable hand held meter, and a dozen rolls of top grade film for under 150 pounds. It doesn't have to be a Yashica of course, there are several great TLRs out there.

The problem is that cheaper TLRs, such as the Yashica MAT 124, tend to come with a normal lens (around 80mm lens), which might not be wide enough for landscape. Don't get me wrong, TLRs are wonderful cameras and I'd love to shoot with a Yashica MAT 124, but I would find the 75mm lens a bit limiting for landscapes. I would much prefer a 50mm lens but that might be just personal taste.

 

[Mike_E]

MF is NOT out of your range!

Look around for a TLR. Framing takes a (very) little getting used to but after that you will be well pleased with the results.

With a little shopping you should be able to get a Yashica MAT 124 (don't bother with the G as it's the same basic camera with gold on the meter contacts- and the meter isn't all of that anyway. The 124 has stronger winder gears to boot!), an older but still serviceable hand held meter, and a dozen rolls of top grade film for under 150 pounds. It doesn't have to be a Yashica of course, there are several great TLRs out there.

The problem is that cheaper TLRs, such as the Yashica MAT 124, tend to come with a normal lens (around 80mm lens), which might not be wide enough for landscape. Don't get me wrong, TLRs are wonderful cameras and I'd love to shoot with a Yashica MAT 124, but I would find the 75mm lens a bit limiting for landscapes. I would much prefer a 50mm lens but that might be just personal taste.

This is true, however you can get a lot done with a normal lens. Plus, if you have the negs scanned you can stitch them for panos easily.

A TLR that has interchangeable lenses is the Mamiya C330. These are a little more expensive of course but should be reachable.

The RB 67s would be great for landscapes also though fairly well out of budget. An RB and a 40mm with a sturdy tripod (and a back-brace ) would be just about ideal.

 

[McQueen278]

MF is NOT out of your range!

Look around for a TLR. Framing takes a (very) little getting used to but after that you will be well pleased with the results.

With a little shopping you should be able to get a Yashica MAT 124 (don't bother with the G as it's the same basic camera with gold on the meter contacts- and the meter isn't all of that anyway. The 124 has stronger winder gears to boot!), an older but still serviceable hand held meter, and a dozen rolls of top grade film for under 150 pounds. It doesn't have to be a Yashica of course, there are several great TLRs out there.

The problem is that cheaper TLRs, such as the Yashica MAT 124, tend to come with a normal lens (around 80mm lens), which might not be wide enough for landscape. Don't get me wrong, TLRs are wonderful cameras and I'd love to shoot with a Yashica MAT 124, but I would find the 75mm lens a bit limiting for landscapes. I would much prefer a 50mm lens but that might be just personal taste.

I've got a Rollei T with a 75mm lens and it is almost too wide for landscapes. You'll be able to work with a Yashica Mat 124 very easily. TLRs work great for that kind of work.

 

[djacobox372]

One thing to keep in mind with MF and LF, is that developing the film can be really $$, unless you do it yourself.

That said, you can buy a LF speed graphic for <$200 if you look hard enough; they typically come with a normal lens (135mm), but you can always add a wider once you have the $$.

35mm landscapes are NOTHING compared to a 4x5 landscape shot!

 

[McQueen278]

One thing to keep in mind with MF and LF, is that developing the film can be really $$, unless you do it yourself.

That said, you can buy a LF speed graphic for <$200 if you look hard enough; they typically come with a normal lens (135mm), but you can always add a wider once you have the $$.

35mm landscapes are NOTHING compared to a 4x5 landscape shot!

I'd go as far as saying that 4x5 cameras are the least expensive film camera to operate. I shoot Shanghia B&W which cost $24 per 50 sheets out of my $100 speed graphic/127mm Ektar and get it proessed for $3 per sheet and scan it with my hacked up $150 scanner with cheap mylar and mounting fluid. HUGE image files and it's fun. I need to start doing my own developing more often to get the cost down even more. Right now I'm just lazy. The most expenisve thing was buying a 1TB external hard drive.

 

[epatsellis]

One thing to keep in mind with MF and LF, is that developing the film can be really $$, unless you do it yourself.

That said, you can buy a LF speed graphic for <$200 if you look hard enough; they typically come with a normal lens (135mm), but you can always add a wider once you have the $$.

35mm landscapes are NOTHING compared to a 4x5 landscape shot!

I'd go as far as saying that 4x5 cameras are the least expensive film camera to operate. I shoot Shanghia B&W which cost $24 per 50 sheets out of my $100 speed graphic/127mm Ektar and get it proessed for $3 per sheet and scan it with my hacked up $150 scanner with cheap mylar and mounting fluid. HUGE image files and it's fun. I need to start doing my own developing more often to get the cost down even more. Right now I'm just lazy. The most expenisve thing was buying a 1TB external hard drive.

well, by that measure, my 8x10 field camera is about as cheap as it gets, $40 or so to build the camera, Free lenses (scrounged from process cameras), packard shutter I got for free and Ultrafine Contone Dupe film, around $.65 a sheet.

erie

 

[djacobox372]

One thing to keep in mind with MF and LF, is that developing the film can be really $$, unless you do it yourself.

That said, you can buy a LF speed graphic for <$200 if you look hard enough; they typically come with a normal lens (135mm), but you can always add a wider once you have the $$.

35mm landscapes are NOTHING compared to a 4x5 landscape shot!

I'd go as far as saying that 4x5 cameras are the least expensive film camera to operate. I shoot Shanghia B&W which cost $24 per 50 sheets out of my $100 speed graphic/127mm Ektar and get it proessed for $3 per sheet and scan it with my hacked up $150 scanner with cheap mylar and mounting fluid. HUGE image files and it's fun. I need to start doing my own developing more often to get the cost down even more. Right now I'm just lazy. The most expenisve thing was buying a 1TB external hard drive.

The processing cost would kill me... I process it myself for 16 cents a sheet (B&W) or about $1 a sheet (e6).

 

[epp_b]

The best landscape system is any body, f/8 and a tripod

 

[coreduo]

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