Medium format

[Dubie]

What should I look for when buying my first medium format camera. I am going to check used on ebay. What should I stay away from?

 

[Alpha]

How much are you looking to spend?

SLR, TLR, or Rangefinder?

 

[Dubie]

How much are you looking to spend?

SLR, TLR, or Rangefinder?

I guess I better do some research first because all I know is SLR.

 

[Alpha]

Price?

 

[JIP]

another question 6x45, 6x6, 6x7.

 

[domromer]

I'm in the same boat. All I know if I'd like to shoot nice big slides of e100vs. How cheap can you dip your toes into the medium format waters?

 

[Dubie]

I was thinking used under $500.00 Or is that not reasonable & 6x4

 

[Alpha]

That's reasonable. What kind of shooting are you planning on doing with it?

That will determine whether you should buy one that uses backs or inserts.

 

[JIP]

Hel for $500 you can get a Bronica ETRsi.

 

[Mitica100]

You really should give a try to a Rolleiflex.

 

[usayit]

If you like SLRs..

Pentax 645

or the bigger cousin.. Pentax 67

 

[Helen B]

You really should give a try to a Rolleiflex.

Yes, if I only had one medium format camera it would be a Rolleiflex TLR.

Good luck,
Helen

 

[Dubie]

That's reasonable. What kind of shooting are you planning on doing with it?

That will determine whether you should buy one that uses backs or inserts.

I have always loved the big bold pictures they produce. I was at a gallery yesterday and I seen the works of John Humble and that was it. It was a field trip with my photo class and I was talking to the teacher about Humbles work. My teacher only uses medium format and she said it was a good way to go for that kind of urban photography. I was surprised that she didn't use digital at all.

I love his work, what do you all think.
http://www.johnhumble.com/

 

[jstuedle]

For that amount of money a Hasselblad 500CM, waist level, 80mm f/2.8 and a 120 back can be had. I am a little partial to Blads, own a few of them.

 

[Alpha]

I have always loved the big bold pictures they produce. I was at a gallery yesterday and I seen the works of John Humble and that was it. It was a field trip with my photo class and I was talking to the teacher about Humbles work. My teacher only uses medium format and she said it was a good way to go for that kind of urban photography. I was surprised that she didn't use digital at all.

I love his work, what do you all think.
http://www.johnhumble.com/

TLR's have their merits, but in your case I would go with an SLR.

So there are SLR's with inserts, and then SLR's with film backs. With inserts, you load the insert with film and then put it into the camera. It allows you to pre-load rolls of film. With backs, you load a film back with film, and then attach the back to the camera. This allows you to remove the roll of film from the camera mid-roll.

Examples of 645 camera with inserts include the Pentax 645 and the Mamiya 645E.

Examples of cameras with backs include the Mamiya 645 Super/Pro, and the Bronica ETRS/i.

I currently have a Pentax 645. Though I love it, I will soon be replacing it with a Mamiya 645 AFD (which accepts backs). My gripes with the insert system are as follows: 1) Polaroid backs are too expensive for insert cameras. 2) I don't like having to finish the whole roll once I load it. 3) I can't remove and store IR film in the field without a changing bag (with inserts, you're screwed once you load a roll of IR).

Remember that MF SLR's (except for the insert-based ones) tend to be modular. i.e. the body, back, and prism are separate. This can cause you to encounter added expenses when it comes to metering. For example, insert-based 645's have a fixed prism and metering built into it. But with a back-based system, you're typically looking at an extra $100-$200 for a prism that can meter. If you have an external meter, or don't need an internal one, that's a non-issue. But having a built in meter has its advantages for quick shooting.

The choice is yours.