$1000 budget

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imightbechad

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I was fortunate enough to win a contest at my university in which the prize was $1000 cash money! Anyways, I want to purchase something rf-related, and was curious to see if y'all had any suggestions...

My only (and quite wonderful) rf is a canonet gIII, so seperate lenses are really out of the question. I would love to get another camera & lens but I'm not sure what to go for and what is in my price range.

Any help would be great!

Chad
 
For $1000, it depends on what you want out of a camera.

For that much money, I would buy the Bronica RF645 from KEH for $849. Without question.,

But, you could buy the R3A/Color Heliar
maybe the Leica CM . . .pricey but nice.
Or a user M3 and user summicron.

The Bronica would be my personal choice. . . but you won't have much in the way of lens options.

go here : http://www.shutterflower.com/RF645 review.htm
 
I guess I'd say buy something that is very different from your current cameras. A medium format rangefinder would offer variety - and capabilities that your Canon can't dream of. An M3 is classic and everyone should own and use one. The R3A an maybe two lenses would be economical and would offer the greatest versatility. . . but you already have a 35mm rangefinder. Do you really want another of the same? You could buy the Bronica kit for less than an M3+lensm, and you'd have something of a new and different breed.


Honestly, right now, I am dreaming of the CV Color Heliar. But, I have always adored the Leica M3 - it is the pinnacle of mechanical engineering. I have to say that the Bronica just makes me happier than any of my previous cameras.

😕

You'd be very well served with any of those cameras. The Leica CM is the least cost-effective/versatile. Forget that.
 
As has been mentioned, it really depends on what you want to do with it. There are an amazing number of good and enjoyable options out there. Some that haven't been mentioned yet include:
A mint CL & both the Summicron-C's for it (40/2 & 90/4) is possible.
A Canon 7 or 7S with the 50/.95 lens
A Contax G2 kit with 28, 45 & 90 lenses
A Mamiya 6 with the 75 (edited to correct silly mistake :bang: ) lens

Just some food for thought, good luck deciding! 😉

William
 
Last edited by a moderator:
How about the first version Mamiya 7? often body comes up at very reasonable price compared to the second version. i've had both and the first is as good as the second.
 
Chad,

If I had $1,000 and wanted medium format, I would jump with both feet at the chance to get a nice Plaubel Makina 67. As luck would have it, one is being offered here by enochRoot. Drop him a PM to see if it is still available.

Robert
 
shutterflower said:
Fuji - BIG cameras - not very good for RF work as it is intended to be. Some people don't like the intense contrast of the Fuji glass. No interchangeable lenses.

Plaubel Makina = beautiful cameras. Built like bricks. Metal bricks. Fast lenses, 6x7 negs. Expensive even used - but maybe you'll find one. No metering as far as I know.
Click to expand...

Shutterflower
i have to disagree here having got both of the above. The fuji's are almost unbreakable and the glass is not that contrasty IMHO - the older GM67 version is a good buy. The first version BL690 takes interchangeable lenses.
Although i prefer my GW690III -( its lens is less contrasty than my Nikkor 80mm 2.8 on my Plaubel )- the last version also available as a 67 model.
Whilst i love the Plaubels they are very expensive (easy £850+ GBP) and prone to breaking especially the meter wiring in the collasable bellows (they have a built in 10 degree meter which is not TTL) and the rangefinder is prone to mis-aliging (better on the 670 model than the earlier 67). Plaubel can fix all this at a resonable cost in Germany even after all these years after ceasing production i had one of mine almost completely rebuilt last year for just over £200 inc shipping.

The Mamiya 6 comes up often usually with it's standard 75mm and the 50 and 150 lenses that were made for this set average £350-450 GBP. Cheaper than the 7 series.
 
Simon Larby said:
Shutterflower
i have to disagree here having got both of the above. The fuji's are almost unbreakable and the glass is not that contrasty IMHO - the older GM67 version is a good buy. The first version BL690 takes interchangeable lenses.
Although i prefer my GW690III -( its lens is less contrasty than my Nikkor 80mm 2.8 on my Plaubel )- the last version also available as a 67 model.
Whilst i love the Plaubels they are very expensive (easy £850+ GBP) and prone to breaking especially the meter wiring in the collasable bellows (they have a built in 10 degree meter which is not TTL) and the rangefinder is prone to mis-aliging (better on the 670 model than the earlier 67). Plaubel can fix all this at a resonable cost in Germany even after all these years after ceasing production i had one of mine almost completely rebuilt last year for just over £200 inc shipping.

The Mamiya 6 comes up often usually with it's standard 75mm and the 50 and 150 lenses that were made for this set average £350-450 GBP. Cheaper than the 7 series.
Click to expand...

Yeah, ok, but I still don't like that they don't have interchangeable lenses and are very large.

The Mamiyas are still more expensive than the Bronica. Bigger negs . . . ah whatever.

You'd be happy with the Mamiya or the Bronica. You'll just spend more on the Mamiya.
 
One thing we're all talking around is format. You say you are interested in a MF rangefinder and that's a good thing to be looking for. But which format do you want to shoot?

Shutterflower's beloved Bronica is 6x4.5cm. I find 6x6 to be far easier to use in day to day shooting - much easier to frame a scene for me (as my first experiance of MF was a Yashicamat 124G), but more than likely not for you.

The Mamiya 6 is 6x6 while, naturally enough, the Mamiya 7 is 6x7. Fuji's come in almost everything - 6x4.5, 6x7, 6x9. The Plaubel is 6x7.

The key is understanding what you want to do and if you need lots of lenses. If you can get by with a 50, 75 & 150 plus like the 6x6 format, then the Mamiya 6 is your best option. If you like 6x7, things open up a bit... 😉

Frankly, your best bet is to put that $1,000 in a bank for 6 months while you consider very carefully what you want to do photographically. There is an utterly amazing diversity of what you can choose in that price range - and that does include an M camera if that is what you decide you want. Not my cuppa, but that's why so many different toys have been made for us to play with. Decide what you want, but take your time. Be sure. And you'll have even more fun in the long run.

And none of this is worth it without fun... 😉

William
 
You know, I don't personally like the Mamiya 6, but. . . it does have that famous glass and 6x6 would make composition MUCH easier in the field. I found that the vertical orientation of hte Bronica made for some extra work when shooting yesterday's immigration rally. I find it harder to focus on people when shooting landscape, so I turn it vertical - focus, then twist it back. I don't mind that, and am happy to trade that for compactness.

If you don't mind fiddling with the folding mechanics and the shutter curtain and the pricey glass, the Mamiya 6 is probably a more capable camera for its more normal focal length and 6x6 frame. But then you have to think about cropping and fewer shots per roll and all that.
 
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