6x6 with biggest, brightest viewfinder

[funkpilz]

That sounds like a very nice price for that Bronica. Who is making the offer if I may ask?

 

[Steve M.]

I agree w/ CLE-RF. You would be amazed at the Brilliant's, well, brilliance. I have a Welta folder that shoots 6x6 w/ 120 film, and it has a Brilliant finder on it. Not sure if it came that way from the factory or someone put it on (Weltas can be found in a bewildering number of variations), but I was startled when I first looked in it. I was planning on selling it as I have too many 6x6 cameras, but after looking through that viewfinder I'm keeping it. The nicest viewfinder I've ever looked through.

 

[hans voralberg]

That sounds like a very nice price for that Bronica. Who is making the offer if I may ask?

The owner of a local shop here in Saigon, he's rather old so I dont think he's a member of RFF.

To CLE-RF and Steve: I'll scourge evilbay tonight to see if I can find a Brilliant, you guys make me curious!

 

[Big Hairy Bee]

I'm looking into the C330f as well, how much did you get if for? Keh price is rather steep for mint example, but I'm hesitate to get a BGN fearing the screen might be dusty/scratched. Anyone want to sell me one at an affordable price?

The prices at KEH seemed to have taken an upturn on the C TLRs lately. There are quite a few on the Bay at decent prices. I just won this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110411377786&_trkparms=tab=Watching

It should be here tomorrow. It looks new!

 

[vincentbenoit]

Mamiya 6

Mamiya 6

This is Rangefinder Forum... Mamiya 6 is the answer. 😉

Vincent

 

[Big Hairy Bee]

This is Rangefinder Forum... Mamiya 6 is the answer. 😉

Vincent

I am a poor teacher. The Mamiya 6 is the answer to a question that is too difficult for me to answer--at this time.

 

[gcsk76]

SWC has the brightest viewfinder 😛

 

[Chris101]

I bought a fresnel lens from edmund scientific and cut it so it would fit over the flat ground glass of my (now deceased) Rollieflex tlr. It did wonders for the brightness, and made it so that focusing in the bright sun was not only possible, but easy.

 

[AgentX]

This is Rangefinder Forum... Mamiya 6 is the answer. 😉

Vincent

That had occurred to me, too...but if it's too steep, what about a Super Ikonta 6x6 or something?? f/3.5 lenses, rangefinder...

 

[fbf]

any 66? Rolleiflex with a maxwell screen will smoke all hasseblad screens (including all acute matte D).
Mamiya has one the best focus screens in the business (bright with great contrast).

 

[hans voralberg]

I bought a fresnel lens from edmund scientific and cut it so it would fit over the flat ground glass of my (now deceased) Rollieflex tlr. It did wonders for the brightness, and made it so that focusing in the bright sun was not only possible, but easy.

Sounds interesting, I assumed I can do this to other systems as well. Can you point me to the kind you used? I just had a look @ Edmund's site and I have no idea which kind of fresnel lens I'm supposed to use.😛

 

[novum]

rollei 6000 series with a high d screen. just beautiful.

hassy h-series is also very large and bright, though it has a green cast for some reason.

+1 on 6000 series

 

[Al Kaplan]

Back in the days when most pros shot 6X6 it was mostly with TLR's. Whether it was weddings or news photoraphy not many of us used the ground glass all that often, and then mostly at wide apertures close up. Indoors with flash ~ pretty standard until about 25 years ago ~ or outdoors in the day time you'd compose with the front flap down in the hood (the sportsfinder it was called) and set the focus by scale. You'd get pretty good at it too! The Minolta Autocord has a lever that you swing back and forth. You'd soon learn where to put it for various distances, just by feel. Anyway, that open sports finder is as bright as you can get!

 

[David R Munson]

The first time I looked through an RZ67, I was blown away.

+1 I've owned a couple RBs, an RZ, and probably a half-dozen 645s of various incarnations, and they've all been fantastic in terms of viewfinders, brightness, ease of focusing, etc. I understand if 6x6 is specifically what you want, but for what it's worth a 645 Pro with a prism and 80mm f/1.9 is about as bright and beautiful as you're going to find anywhere outside of 35mm. Add a Beattie or other brightscreen and you're doing even better.