The perfect rig -- does it exist for me?

[cmedin]

Well, with the renewed photography interest of mine I've been buying and playing with various things. Between that, taking pictures, and going through and scanning my old work I'm starting to get an idea of what it is I want to do. I'm not married to any particular brand or type of equipment, and would be happy to swap what I have out (with a couple of exceptions) for whatever it is I need.

My work seems to break down into a few categories:

Artsy/abstract macros. I have a TON of these and really enjoy the great effects you get working with the DOF control. It's great fun to take everyday items and turn them into something strange and intriguing by focusing on very small aspects of them, or approaching them from an unexpected angle. Most of them were done with an SLR and extension tube.

'Fine art': I love shooting old buildings, broken down cars, abandoned equipment etc. There's something about the character in these things that really make for a great image.

Landscapes. Not a lot of these, but occasionally I do want to go out and capture something beautiful in nature. Seems like the best shots I've done landscape wise have all been 50mm equiv or longer focal lengths though; the wideangle ones I'm just not really happy with.

Family: baby, wife, extended family. Just documenting them, capturing memories. Nothing more than snapshots, though I like to make the images as technically good as I can. I think my Fuji GA645 is perfect for this.


Now, with this in mind you might wonder what I'm doing on a rangefinder forum; the RF camera really isn't an ideal tool for any of the above. However, I DO love RF gear, and the crowd it attracts; this site has a lot of film enthusiasts and great photography discussion that I just can't find anywhere else!

I also know that there are a ton of people here who shoot other than RF gear, so thus my inquiry / plea for help: IS there an ideal camera setup for what I want to do? Putting the requirements down 'on paper', it seems like landscape work and macro could be handled with an LF rig. However, I've used LF in the past and it's a little too cumbersome for everyday use, not to mention I prefer working with rollfilm over sheetfilm. Is there something obvious I'm overlooking? Is there a camera system that can do everything I want? I'm wondering if I'd be best off with a medium format SLR rig (which?) that has macro capabilities, and using the GA645 for faster type shooting, 'snapshots' if you will. Or is perhaps something like a Horseman 970/980/985 worth looking at? Never used one but it seems good on paper with the rangefinder, viewfinder, ground glass focusing option and movements...

Suppose that I'm asking for the impossible; aren't we all searching for the One Camera that will do what we want exactly how we want?

Either way, if you've read this far, any suggestions are welcome...

 

[shadowfox]

I think you know that the simple one camera anwer is: No 🙂

However, I don't know if you realized it, but just by looking at your signature, you have all you need to make good pictures in all the categories you mentioned.

For example, unless you're going to blow up your abstract macro to 40x30, you just need to get a good macro lens for your SRT-101 or a bellow, or a close up lens set, all these are cheap from the 'bay.

Another example, for landscape, that's where I would bring the Fuji GA645. And yes, I've had a Fuji GW670 before and those Fujinon produce beautiful landscapes that can be printed *really* big.

For fun and family snapshots, Holga can create memorable images 🙂

I personally, am going in reverse from you, trying to whittle down my "collection" to a couple of cameras that I would really use. Ironically, I think I'll end up with something like what you have now 😀

 

[Finder]

I use a medium-format RF for everything on your list except macro. For macro, I use a veiw camera with a roll-film back. For micro, I use a 4x5 microscope camera with the same roll-film backs used on the view camera.

To use medium format for everything, a Mamiya C3, C330, C220 TLRs would be a good way to cover everything with a limited budget. Or an SLR type medium format camera.

 

[keithwms]

I agree with Finder. I think something like a mamiya 6 or 7 RF system will suit everything you mention except macro. If you like shallow DOF, those particular systems are also not optimal. For landscape, the mamiya RFs rock.

As an all-round camera I use and adore the rb67, but it's not at all suitable for impromptu stuff. Great for landscape and macro and portraiture, though.

I guess my time is divided fairly evenly between the mamiya 6 and the rb67, though I now do more LF stuff. I sometimes wish I had a tlr specifically for concert work, something I'd like to try.

 

[RML]

Now, with this in mind you might wonder what I'm doing on a rangefinder forum; the RF camera really isn't an ideal tool for any of the above.

Why is an RF not suitable? IMO an RF is meant for the kind of work you described. Not that an SLR can't do it, but this is an RF forum. 🙂

 

[cmedin]

The RB67 is one I've looked at, but having a hard time finding out how well it can do macro. Doesn't seem to be a lot of people using it for that. I'd like to go with MF for most stuff if possible. However, shadowfox makes a good point that the SRT could be used for macro if I'm ok with settling for 35mm there. I just like big negs a lot. 🙂

I don't mind the idea of using the Fuji for landscapes, though there are points where I really want movements for a certain type of image. However, that comes at the cost of much slower shooting... I guess everything has to be a compromise.

So maybe I'm looking at keeping the Fuji for landscapes and family pictures, the SRT or something like an RB67 for macro and maybe fine art... I guess I really don't NEED anything else even though I love buying gear. My wife always carries a compact digital wherever we go so baby snapshots etc I don't have to worry about missing though obviously I'd much prefer to capture it on some 120 film!

I'll keep the oldies around for a while to play with though, there's something about finely machined 1960s/70s cameras... the Bessa-L will likely be sold soon, it was an attempt of mine to get into the shoot-from-the-hip, don't fret over exact focus etc approach, but frankly I'm far too picky about the technical aspects of my shots. I look at some of the Bessa ones and can't stand how the focus is off by a small bit here or there, or the framing isn't exactly what I wanted. I like the IDEA of being a hip street shooter photographer, but I just don't think it's for me.

 

[cmedin]

Why is an RF not suitable? IMO an RF is meant for the kind of work you described. Not that an SLR can't do it, but this is an RF forum. 🙂

Well, speaking from my personal experience of using them, I have a hard time getting the focus set quick enough for snapshots and baby stuff (though I can focus an SLR in an instant with a regular microprism) and no matter how hard I work at it I just end up missing shots or getting poorly focused ones because I can't do it fast enough.

Macros, I don't know how the heck I'd use an RF for.

Landscapes, I really do miss movements from when I had my Super Graphic. As I mentioned I'll use the Fuji for now and see if I can get by without 'em.

Fine art, I'd be fine going either way. SLR, TLR, RF, view camera... either works fine for the stuff I shoot.

Overall though, I think I'm just a poor RF user. I just don't seem to be able to use them as well as most others; the focusing just doesn't snap for me like it does when I use an SLR.

 

[keithwms]

The RB67 is one I've looked at, but having a hard time finding out how well it can do macro. Doesn't seem to be a lot of people using it for that. I'd like to go with MF for most stuff if possible. However, shadowfox makes a good point that the SRT could be used for macro if I'm ok with settling for 35mm there. I just like big negs a lot. 🙂

The rb is an ideal platform for macro. Let me count the ways.

1) bellows focusing

2) can take a metering finder, so no bellows factor headaches!

3) many inexpensive extension tubes and TCs and such

4) almost any RB lens makes a decent macro lens

5) leaf shuttered and with MLU so you get no shutter impulse at all.

6) it is heavy and smoothly focusing, which is what you want for macro, you want a stable platform with a lot of flexural stability so that you can do long exposures if necessary.

A reason you may not have heard about RBs doing macro is that a lot of people use them for portraiture. So that's what dominates the airwaves.

The only MF camera I like more than the RB for macro is the horseman VH mini-view camera, with has longer bellows and you can buy a *little* bit more DOF with movements. But the stability of the RB is really great. Put it on a real tripod and it is just about perfect. And for landscape I love it because it doesn't move at all, even in a fairly strong wind. I sometimes do 20+ sec IR exposures and the RB is a gem for that kind of thing.

 

[cmedin]

Keith,

Thanks much! I actually priced out a basic RB67 kit this afternoon, looks like $250-300 will get you body, waist level finder, back and 90mm lens. I'll definitely have to think about this one... between that and the GA645 I should be about covered, though a 35mm would probably still be around for fun.

PS: Are there any cheaper metering prisms than the Mamiya one? Seems like they run damn near as much as the entire rest of the setup 🙁