big mistake? mat 124g

back alley

back alley

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it's cold and windy here this weekend and i just don't have myself mentally prepared for winter shooting yet.

so, i'm in a pissed off mood and even the dog is staying away from me. :mad:

i look around for something to shoot (with a camera) and nothing looks the least bit interesting.

i'm thinking i should play with the yashicamat as it's just been sitting since it arrived, maybe 2 weeks ago. :eek:

i load in some ilford fp4, set it up on my borrowed shakey tripod and roam the house.
nothing... :bang:

after thinking a bit i decide i need another shot of one of my canon p's with a 35mm lens on it.
hey, c'mon, i don't have ANY medium format shots of the canons... :p

i have problems focussing, i keep moving the camera in the 'wrong' direction for framing, and i don't care for the bending over the camera too much either.

this could have been a mistake...

joe
 
You just have to get used to this 'different' machine. I had the same in the beginning. Took me a few films before I got the hang of it. Wait until you get the negs out of their soup!
 
It is a camera that takes getting used to. Do you have a neverready case? Try using the neck strap instead of a tripod at first to get used to seeing upside down and backwards. Just look down through it for awhile practicing framing things.

It will reward you though, if you stick with it, especially those 6x6 negs. It's still the only camera I regret selling.

Good luck!

William
 
I tried one of those things a long time ago. I could never get used to it, everything was upside down or the wrong way round. I did like the waist-level view though, that was nice. A pity really because the neg area is so big. Now though you can buy something like a Bronica and get the big neg with a rangefinder... :)

 
Joe, stay away from a LF view camera. The image is also upside down! LOL :D

If you can pat your head while rubbing your stomach in a circle, you're a perfect candidate for a TLR. Otherwise, stick with The Force ...

Gene
 
rover said:
Three Canon Ps and looking for #4. Yeah, change should come easily. :)
Click to expand...


lol!
big belly laugh from that one rover!

gene, i can't do that!!
guess it's the force for me.

seems my eyes were bigger than my format...


joe
 
A tip for backwards framing. You really do get used to it, and I and others have reported going backwards when using a viewfinder or prism'd camera. Just remember - if the object is moving it still moves in the direction it's facing. The front of the car is still the front and that's the direction it's traveling.
 
backalley photo said:
i

i have problems focussing, i keep moving the camera in the 'wrong' direction for framing, and i don't care for the bending over the camera too much either.

this could have been a mistake...

joe
Click to expand...

Joe,
our life is built on compromises and if you want a compact, robust and cheap MF Reflex machine you must take a TLR with a waist level finder.
You will get used to the reversed pic on the screen as 95 percent of all TLR beginners do. It needs a bit of patience, as each new system needs. On a LF screen the reversed pic is turned top down additionally nonetheless still people take nice photos with those beasts.
The TLR has it's weak points as all other systems have weak points, and it is not good for everything, same as all other systems are not 100% versatile. That's why thes exist side by side
The reverse finder is not the real weak point, worse is that you need enuff light to compose and focus properly, it is no lowlight system, for low light the integrated sports finder works good.tho with a preset focus. Too bright can be bad too, if the sun is more or less directly above your head and shines into the finder, nothing to see then.
Hope you used the screen loupe for focussing ? No precision without it.

Regards,
Bertram
 
I know the feeling!
I have tried a TLR twice myself, but to no avail.
Expensive, this "trying" business.
Oh well, never again...

Excelsior, you fathead!
-Chris-
 
Hi Joe,

Your message struck me. I've just bookmarked half a dozen Yashica Mat 124's on eBay. That was before reading your message. I've been looking at them because they are a cheap medium format camera with good build quality. A friend of mine loaned me a Mamiya RB67 -- do you know that camera? It has a ground glass focusing screen and a magnifier loupe. As Betram says, the magnifier is essential for focusing. With my eyes, I have to hold the camera a foot or so from my eyes to see the image. But I like having the ground glass for composing. It's like a static picture rather than the fluid picture through a viewfinder. Then I bring it up close to use the magnifier for focusing. Then back down for the final compose and snap. It' s time-consuming but I found it enjoyable. Anyway I have three rolls at the lab and will see how I did. The Mamiya focusing screen is a reverse (mirror) image. It is awkward at first, like moving a slide around under a microscope in the opposite direction you think you should be moving it. But after the first roll I started adjusting. Give the Yashica one more chance.. then post it here! :)
 
Joe, take the TLR outside to do some shooting with it. That'll be easier. Wait until you process those MF negatives again!
 
There's no doubt about it: a TLR is a very different beast from other cameras. What worked for me was taking the camera around for a day or so unloaded just so I could get used to the controls. For me, the bigger hurdle was working without a meter in the camera. Don't give up yet, Joe, the time invested in learning the camera will be well worth it.
 
As an owner of a Rolleiflex, Mamiya Sekor C330f, Yashica Mat 124, and a Pentacon 6tl that can be used with a waistlevel finder as well as an Exakta VX2a, I have become familiar with this point of view. Sometimes I wish the Bessa R had a waistlevel viewfinder. You can be unnoticed with them because you are looking down and not at the people you are taking pictures of. When I take portraits or wedding shots, the camera is mounted on a tripod and after framing it, I stand beside the camera and take to the folks until I get the look I want. Useful tools for studied photos!! Now for action or low light, not so easy to do; however, if it was my only camera then use the sportsfinders or get a pentaprism for them. Can you tell, I like them.
 
Richard,
I feel just the same - I'm even thinking about getting some SLR with WLF, like a Praktica FX2 or something similar, because I like that way of viewing.
Using a WLF has become so natural to me, that I consistently move my Canon digital into the wrong direction when using it at waistlevel with the fold-out screen - I wished there was a way to reverse the image on that one... ;)

joe,
a TLR does not belong on top of a tripod, just like a rangefinder... But it is true, it takes a bit of practice to get used to WLF viewing; would not want to miss it, though, I love composing on that big screen, I love not having the camera between me and people, and I love the square format . I definitely take different pics when using the TLR - more static, graphically composed ones, not as dynamic as those with a rangefinder - and I think this is not only due to the differences in handling, but also the format - the square is more balanced, harmonious, static, the rectangle more dynamic...

Roman

PS: Gene, hey, I can do that, and even after a few beers...
 
fraley said:
A friend of mine loaned me a Mamiya RB67 -- do you know that camera?
Click to expand...

Yeah, the RB67 is probably the funnest camera I have right now. I rather enjoy its eccentricity, unfortunately I still do not have a good way of scanning the negs and end up having to get prints made. This was a combination of the totally manual operation, the waist level viewfinder, the BIIIG negatives. It's definately a 'different way of looking at the world' if you will. I kind of wanted a TLR and a folder before I got the RB. When I got the RB I had to have them. Folder needs bellows work, still dont have the TLR yet.
 
i have used medium format before, started with a mamya 645 and then moved on to the mamiya 6.
i love the square - getting used to a rectangle again was the biggest hurdle in going back to 35mm.
however...
if the mat works and i'll need to process the film before i know, i think it will go on sale here.

i don't really have a need to work in 2 formats and i'm not shooting enough as it is now.
i do this every time i start to really hate my stuff, i move to another format or quit shooting for a few years.

i need to discipline myself, pick up the canon and set some projects in motion.

joe
 
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