The 120 equivalent of a ZI?

J

Joakim Målare

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I really like the Zeiss Ikon ZI, mostly for its viewfinder but also the ease of use. I have a Rolleiflex for 6x6, but perhaps it would be nice to have a medium format camera that can be looked through rather than down at, I dunno... I prefer the way of working with the ZI when action is involved - the TLR is a little slow (or I am, with it) - but the 135 negs feel a bit small sometimes.

So, since the viewfinder is important to me and because I wear glasses - I'd like to know which 120 rangefinder comes closest to the ZI in terms of comfort when viewing/framing?

Could be 6x6, 6x7, 6x9. AE or not. AF or not. Even an SLR, but it need to have a bright viewfinder with good eye relief.

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
I agree that the ZI has a wonderful viewfinder. The Bronica RF645 is not quite there, but is a very nice camera. The Mamiya 7's viewfinder isn't quite as bright, but again a very good camera. I think that the Mamiya 7II is the closest of the medium format RFs that I own, but I don't own any Fuji film cameras.
 
What's not bright about an RF645? It's just a couple of glasses you look through. Same as a G645Zi, G690BL or G670M. All just as bright as looking through your glasses.
 
The Voigtländer 667 Bessa III or its Fuji GF670 sibling is probably as close as you can get with respect to the viewfinder. I was just out shooting with the Bessa III today, enjoying how crystal clear and bright it was, how I could see the whole frame lines, etc. One of these cameras offers you the choice of 6x6 or 6x7 format, a superb lens, and "reasonably" compact to carry. (Nowhere near as compact as my Balda Baldix or Voigtländer Perkeo II, but they don't have rangefinder, meter, or 6x7 capability ... and their squinty little viewfinders are just a peephole compared to the Bessa III.)

Yes, I wear glasses and a viewfinder with enough eye relief to work properly is important to me.

Of course, I'd hardly think of any of these MF cameras as really suited to fast moving subject matter. They're slower to operate than smaller format cameras and even just winding on to the next frame takes a lot more time than working with 35mm cameras. They do fine as long as you're after just one or two shots of a mobile subject, though, as shutter lag is virtually non-existent.

G
 
I chose the Mamiya 7ii to compliment my Rolleiflex. Probably the closest to the ZI as far as size, weight, speed of operation and having interchangable lenses goes, though the VF isn't as big.

I find it as fast in use as the Leica M7 I had previously although the longer focusing throw on the 150mm lens will slow you down.
 
Spanik said:
What's not bright about an RF645? It's just a couple of glasses you look through. Same as a G645Zi, G690BL or G670M. All just as bright as looking through your glasses.
Click to expand...

Just my opinion. No need to pay attention. I like the RF645. The size is certainly closer to the Ikon than the Mamiya 7s. Given the size and getting more frames per roll and given that I don't usually need the higher quality of the 6x7 negative and the added optical quality of the Mamiya lenses, I use the Bronica more than the Mamiya. There is some getting use to the vertical orientation of the RF645's viewfinder. I tend to shoot more verticals, so it works for me.
 
A big thank you to all who have replied so far! It's always nice hearing opinions from photographers rather than sales brochures and such.

I appreciate getting some advice regarding speed, but that wasn't my primary requirement. It was just the reason the Rolleiflex doesn't always work for me, being reversed and a bit slow to focus.

The viewfinder is what's really important and I must say the Bessa III / GF670 does look very tempting! It's out of reach though, unless I manage to sell a few things...

The Bronica 645 looks odd and kinda cool. Just not sure 645 is enough...

The Mamiya 6 and 7 seem nice to use, but to me they look like a trunk on an elephant 😱 😀

Can someone wearing glasses comment on the eye relief of the Fuji GW670/690 (ii)?
 
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