What's a good quality, but low priced medium format film camera?

[Steph]

I think I would stick with an SLR that has a mirror lock-up. (Does the SQ-B have this?)

Yes. Only the SQ does not have it (and that's the one I have ).

 

[Steph]

The GS-1 doesn't seem like a very good value compared to the Pentax 67.

Agreed but make sure that if you buy a Pentax 67 it has the mirror lock up as I don't think all versions have it.

 

[snaremop]

I have a Yashica Mat 124 G, and a Sekonic light meter. The camera is really for nature and landscape photography, as you mentioned earlier.

I picked up a great working good condition yashica Mat 124 G for 56 dollars.

 

[Mitica100]

I'd choose a Yashica, or other cheaper medium format camera, based on the lens design. Do some research and figure out what the 4 element design is called (the equivalent of a Zeiss Tessar or Schneider Xenar). Someone had posted it I think, but it must have been lost. Didn't Mitica post something about an even more advanced lens design? Maybe that's a 5 or 6 element design like the Planar or Xenotar?

That said, I love my Ansco Titan 6x6 with the anastigmat lens (a mere 3 element design).

Sorry to be so late with this... Early Yashicamats were made with the Lumaxar lenses, which were supposedly German (Zeiss?). They were a Tessar type. The lens was renamed Yashinon later, when it was actually made (same design) in Japan.

You can actually get a very nice Yashicamat for under $100. A Yashica D is not worth more than, say, $75 in good condition.

 

[Efergoh]

Cheap?

I have a Lubitel (tiny twin lens) that I paid $20 for on Ebay, and a Kiev 6C (cold war russian battle tank) that I paid $60 for. Both shoot 6x6.
My fav is the Mamiya RB67. Will be picking one up from my proffessor for $300 at the end of this semester.

 

[blackdoglab]

I agree, a Lubitel 166 isn't bad for starters. They're simple, cheap, and fairly easy to manage. There's also Seagull twin lens reflex cameras that are reasonable.

 

[Mitica100]

Alas, a colleague of mine bought a Bronica ETRS (complete) for $125.00 off Ebay. Camera is in great condition. This is the time to buy MF!

 

[montresor]

Great price on the Bronica! I usually see them going for quite a bit more than that.

 

[myopia]

mamiya 645.

 

[mysteryscribe]

The most flexable tlr ever made is being giving away on ebay these days. And trust me you can shoot anything with it. Just not fast like a 35 digital or even a slr med format.

Back in the day I owned a mamiya 330 and would buy one again if I was looking that direction and I might be soon. I'm about tired of building cameras.

 

[montresor]

Back in the day I owned a mamiya 330 and would buy one again if I was looking that direction and I might be soon. I'm about tired of building cameras.

I say get the 330 now. Just put a 55mm on mine and am shooting more film with it than I can ever hope to process. An absolute joy to work with! Beautiful ergonomics. Why wait?

 

[mysteryscribe]

I have a room full of cameras I just built to shoot roll film. I need to at least try them out before I decide to wimp out and buy a ready made camera.

The 330 was a hoss, there were times I felt like i needed an assistant to carry the camera bag, but you can drive nails with it there is not doubt about that.

I had been in business about four years before I made the decission to move up to the interchangable lenses of the 330.

That and the fancy prism and it could do anything an slr could do. Well almost lol.

 

[ksmattfish]

There's also Seagull twin lens reflex cameras that are reasonable.

Seagull TLRs are made using the old Yashica factory machines, but without the Yashica quality control, IMO. I am amazed at what new Seagulls go for. If you can get one significantly cheaper than a clean Yashica sure, but it seems to me that Yashicas end up going cheaper, and I think they are put together a lot better.

 

[mysteryscribe]

As with most things photographic it seems I owned the 1a the 4a and the 203 folder. The glass was pretty good on the seagull. I never had any problem with the lense on mine. That's the upside. Freestyle once sold these by the way.

The down side. I had one of the pegs on the bottom of the 1a missing on arrival. The shutter linkage on th 203 never worked. So yes the quality control was sucko. At the time it was said that they were made in a state factory by politcal prisoners. I'm not sure if the factory is still state run or not.

 

[montresor]

Late entry on an old thread... One thing that might influence me to get a Pentax 67 is that, according to an article I read, its lenses are mountable on the Pentax 645. At least in the later (expensive) models.