6x6 or 6x7?

[J enea]

im looking to add another crack fix to my camera collection.

I shoot 85%+ B&W and enlarge with an enlarger. the rest is slide film that I do project and scan.

I have a mamiya 6 that i use for slide film as i have a hasselblad pcp-80 projector. the 6x7 ,pentax 67ii for B&W, i enlarge as i prefer that format over any other. I usually take both when i venture out.

so......

time to add another camera, mainly for travel and vacation. i have a mam 6 so if i get just a body i can use my existing lenses. i use a pentax 67ii for 6x7 format but its not really a hand held camera, although I have done it many times i dont want to bring it with me when i go on a vacation that involves a lot of walking and handled photography. so i started looking at either another mam 6 or a mam 7 or better yet a fuji 670. the new one would be great as it can shoot 6x6 and 6x7. fuji found a bunch so they are being sold new via B&H. or maybe a mam 7? i have a fuji 690 and its great. but i prefer the 6x7 format.

so, do i get a new camera (and give in to the terrible GAS I have) or use that cash for more film?

life is hard isn't it? all these tough decisions we force ourselves into!

 

[BLKRCAT]

You know BH is selling some newly found gf670s... Why not get a new folder with a meter that shoots BOTH 66 and 67

 

[hap]

6x6 pr 6x7

6x6 pr 6x7

What model Fuji 690 do you use?

 

[J enea]

the version 2 of the fixed lens. its great. just looking for something with a meter

 

[Doug]

Sounds like you have a great selection of fine medium-format film gear already... You could splash out on medium-format digital, or... turn your GAS toward airline tickets to far-away exotic places! Get out those travel brochures. 🙂

 

[Deleted member 65559]

The Mamiya 6 is a great travel camera. I've dragged one all over the place & as you know the lenses are top notch

 

[oftheherd]

I have never used the Mamiya 6 or 7. But I have a Super Press 23 when I want 6x7 and interchangeable lenses. Great camera and lenses with more weight than I like now (with 6x7 roll film backs so I understand you appreciation of 6x7). I have some Welta 6x6 folders that I like to keep in my 35mm kits. But my favorite is a 6x9 Zeiss folder with a Novar lens. That camera is astoundingly good considering its age. And that Novar lens, who knew? I can crop to 6x7, but since I started to use it about 4 or so years ago, I have found a new enthusiasm for 6x9.

 

[J enea]

im now thinking ill just take the huge fuji 6x9 with me and crop. save the money from buying a camera on more film. gotta keep ilford fuji and kodak in business somehow

 

[brennanphotoguy]

A new Fuji GF670 would sound good and shoot both 6x6 and 6x7. Here's a wildcard, Plaubel Makina 67. Love that camera.

 

[taomei]

I've used in various capacities the Makina W67, Makina 670, both Fuji GF670 and GF670w, Fuji G690BL and GW670iii, and a full Mamiya 7ii kit.

Hands down the most used one was the GF670 because AE exposure and compactness means it gets carried to trips almost as an after-thought. The 690s are so huge they force me to sacrifice room in the bag that would otherwise have carried a second camera. The Makinas are great as they fold down more compactly than the Fuji's but are slow to use and focus - benefit is in being able to put filters on them easier compared to the GF670s. The Mamiya is the ultimate kit, probably the most clinical sharpness of all, but not exactly compact either.

It's a good compromise for system flexibility, weight, and quality if you could deal with the slow-ish normal lens (F4) and non-folding. The Mamiya 7ii I had though, required calibration / collimation for the lenses I had as the rangefinder could go out of alignment easily and the 150/4 especially needed to be precisely aligned.

Usually I opt for 6x7 as the format is pleasant (about 5:4 aspect ratio) for portraits or landscapes and crops down nice to 3:2.

 

[Bill Clark]

My Omega enlarger works up to 6x6 negatives.

Works for me.