Your first?

RRYANSMITHH · Jun 16, 2011

So, I'm hopefully getting a Yashica-Mat LM really soon, and it'll be my first 120 film camera, not counting my Holga.

So I'm curious, what was your first medium format camera?

Pgeobc · Jun 16, 2011

Not fair for me to answer, as I grew up in a 120/620 era and everybody had one. In fact, few people had 35mm.

RRYANSMITHH · Jun 16, 2011

I kinda wish that 120 and 620 were still the major film types.

I don't live anywhere close to a photo store, so I always have to order my film, which can be a pain sometimes. Especially since I plan on shooting with the Yashica-Mat as my main camera.

Buckster · Jun 17, 2011

My first MF was this Mamiya C330

I love this thing. It still works perfectly, and can be used as a weapon. lol

Pgeobc · Jun 17, 2011

"...and can be used as a weapon..."

Mine is the same way. It takes lovely, sharp pics and gives no indication of ever wearing out. What a tank!

In this latest round of med-fmt cameras, I started with a second-hand shop Hasselblad. A friend of mine was out rummaging around the second-hand shops in OKC and found it. The camera had been dunked in water somewhere and nothing worked. Still, he thought he would do me a favor and bought it for me for $25. This camera is an early 500 C/M, late 60s or early 70s and has an 80mm T coated lens.

He gave it to me, thinking it was a good deal. He had a couple of local repairment give him estimates that sounded reasonable. However, a cursory inspection, by me, showed that a simple cleaning would not do the camera justice. So, I sent it off to Hasselblad USA and had them completely rebuild it. So..., what I got back was a 30 year old 500 C/M that had been completely cleaned and rebuilt and you should have seen the list of parts that they replaced! Of course, they did the lens, too. You should have seen the bill for all of that, too! I could have easily done as well on the used market, but then I would not have had such a known good camera.

RRYANSMITHH · Jun 17, 2011

The Mamiya C330 is beautiful in my opinion. I hope to own one someday.

I think 500 C/M 's are incredibly nice looking as well. I've played around with MF TLRs, but I've never played with an MF SLR, but I'd imagine they'd be really useful to shoot with.

dxqcanada · Jun 17, 2011

Like Buckster, I started with a Mamiya C330.
Then I bought a Bronica SQ-A ... then a Yashica-A.

Derrel · Jun 17, 2011

My first "real" medium format camera was a vintage twin-lens reflex made somewhere between 1940 and 1945. It had an uncoated viewing lens, and an uncoated taking lens, a 75mm f/4.5 as I recall, and a pretty simple shutter that topped out at 1/200 second. Here's a photo link to one. All sizes | Argus Argoflex TLR | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

My first camera of any kind was, technically, a medium format--it was a 10 cent rummage sale find and was a simple "box camera" with one shutter speed, and a fixed-focus lens. It used 620 rollfilm.

unpopular · Jun 17, 2011

Yashicamat 124 G ... was swooning over a Mamiya C-series, but at the time they were out of my budget. I bought a Bronica S, then a Mamiya Press, Graflex RB Series B 4x5 and finally a Wista DX before going on sabbatical after selling my Contax RX (35mm). I shot briefly with a Canonet GIII (35mm) before my resistance towered the digital was outweighed by my perpetual poverty that prevented buying and processing film.

ETA: BTW- the Yashicamat is a great platform, the lens has a great, romantic feel to them. The G model, anyway, has wonderful bokeh and is well suited for portraits.

RRYANSMITHH · Jun 17, 2011

Well, I won the eBay bid on the Mat LM, I'm really pumped to start shooting with it.

Probably gonna start with some Portra 400.

vintagecam94 · Jun 18, 2011

My boyfriend just got our first today, but he is in England with it. It's a Russian TLR that uses 120 film. I am very excited to see it when he gets back