Lure of Medium Format

[GeneW]

OK, let's share it with the TLR newbies (old guns like myself of course already know this one):

Measure the distance between the centers of the lenses on your TLR; take a film canister, and make a markt at this same distance down from the rim; cut off the bottom at that mark; slice the resulting tube lengthwise.

Now, if you want to take a picture with your TLR and a tripod, and parallax might be a problem (e.g. with close-up objects), do the following: put the TLR on the tripod, with the center column all the way lowered (as it always should be - the center column of any tripod is only there for extreme emergency cases, as using it extended turns the tripod basically into a very unstable monopod on three feet), and compose your shot; now loosen the center column, raise it slightly up, and slide that film canister onto the column, lower it again until the film canister sits snuggly between the camera and that part, where the tripod's feet are mounted; tighten center column - voilà, the TLR's taking lens is now exactly at the same height as the viewing lens was when composing the pic... (and I guess the 2 or 3 cm of center column extension won't jeopardize the tripod's stability with a lightweight TLR).

Roman

Nice tip, Roman! A poor man's Paramender 🙂

Gene

 

[DougK]

I'll have to remember that tip as I had no desire to spend money on a paramender for either my Seagull or Lubitel... it'd cost me more than either camera is worth. Thanks Roman!

 

[RObert Budding]

Thanks for all of the insights. I will keep a 35mm rangefinder - sometimes the situation calls for a small camera with a really fast lens. But I may trim down the number of lenses that I own (I now own Zeiss 35/2.8 Biogon, 50/1.5 Sonnar, 85/2.0 Sonnar, and 135/4.0 Sonnar that I use with my Contax IIIa). But I'll only sell after I figure out what I want to do with Medium Format.

The Contaflex Super B, however, which was CLA'd by WW Umbach last year, is going on the block, along with the 35/3.2, 50/2.8, 85/3.2, and 115/4.0 lenses (alll in perfect optical condition). If you know anyone that want it, let me know . . .

So may cameras, so little time . . .

The Fuji GW 670's look nice, too. Ahhhh!!!!!

Robert

 

[satbunny]

Anyone else been lured by the siren call of medoum format?

Robert

I bought a Bronica SQA and haven't really got on with it well.
I also bought a Fuji GA645zi which is basically a 120 film compact. I love it.
The truth is that my Leica is still my baby and my EOS300D is the workhorse when I want to experiment and learn and be able to make loads of mistakes.

 

[RObert Budding]

I've been eyeing a Fuji GA 645 (non-zoom version). It seems like an excellent value. If only it had a 2.0 lens!

Robert

 

[Kin Lau]

I bought a Bronica SQA and haven't really got on with it well.
I also bought a Fuji GA645zi which is basically a 120 film compact. I love it.
The truth is that my Leica is still my baby and my EOS300D is the workhorse when I want to experiment and learn and be able to make loads of mistakes.

That's what I did on the weekend as well. I had the 350D off the shoulder, Bessa R on a wrist strap, and a Moskva 2. The fact that the dslr keeps all the fstop, shutter speed & other info helps a lot. If testing a camera, I'll sometimes shoot the same scene twice, using the same settings, so that I have the "notes" on the digital and something to compare against.

 

[P C Headland]

My normal travel camera used to be a (non-RF) Minox 35GT, that was until I got hooked on MF by folders. I now make sure I always have the Iskra when travelling.

Those 6x6 slides (and 6x9's off the Moskva) are just soooo nice, and it is no really hardship carrying a folder all day. If I was into newer cameras, I'd probably spring for a Bronica RF645.

Paul

 

[RObert Budding]

Yes, I'm looking into the Bronica RF645, too. I think I'd be very happy with one, and the prices are really low.

Robert

 

[Doug]

Yes, I'm looking into the Bronica RF645, too. I think I'd be very happy with one, and the prices are really low.

And they're surprisingly compact, too!

 

[Doug]

But then Chaser's Fuji GS645S is even more compact and lighter than the Bronica, not to mention less expensive, now down to only $300: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9930&page=1&pp=20

This is a sweet little camera with fixed (and excellent) 60mm f/4 and frame-size correction along with the parallax compensation in the viewfinder, which on the other hand has a fuzzy-edged focusing spot. Built-in meter and a kind of "roo guard" protective bumper around the lens. And 15/30 exposures on 120/220 vs 16/32 for the Bronica. Decent and economical way to get into MF RF...

 

[f/stopblues]

Those Bronicas are tempting me away from a Bessa R3a.. even though they're a lot different. I thought I had my mind made up, too! There's just something about those huge negs that satisfies something deep deep within 🙂

Chris

 

[Honu-Hugger]

Those Bronicas are tempting me away from a Bessa R3a.. even though they're a lot different. I thought I had my mind made up, too! There's just something about those huge negs that satisfies something deep deep within 🙂

Chris

Doug may be picking up commissions from Bronica (😉): every time he posts a picture of his 645 I salivate and unconsciously begin running eBay searches!!!

 

[satbunny]

That's what I did on the weekend as well. I had the 350D off the shoulder, Bessa R on a wrist strap, and a Moskva 2. The fact that the dslr keeps all the fstop, shutter speed & other info helps a lot. If testing a camera, I'll sometimes shoot the same scene twice, using the same settings, so that I have the "notes" on the digital and something to compare against.

I use a light meter but sometimes I'll shoot off a series of bracketed shots on the DSLR and use that to inform how to take the final pic. Sometimes the film pic is better, sometimes the DSLR!

 

[RObert Budding]

Wow, it really is compact for MF!

I'll probably hawk one of my Contax lenses to fund this thing.

Robert

 

[Doug]

Doug may be picking up commissions from Bronica (😉): every time he posts a picture of his 645 I salivate and unconsciously begin running eBay searches!!!

LOL... I even talked myself into getting a second RF645 body from KEH. Last one they had, too, after listing 4 or more for quite a while. I see they still don't have any bodies, and just a few 65mm lenses.

The above picture does show that it's virtually the same size as a Leica M side-to-side and front-to-back, but in all honesty the Bronica IS about an inch taller. Of course you'd expect a camera shooting 120 film to be larger than one shooting 35mm. Given the 56mm x 41.5mm film frame versus 24mm x 36mm it is quite compact.

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

LOL... I even talked myself into getting a second RF645 body from KEH. Last one they had, too, after listing 4 or more for quite a while. I see they still don't have any bodies, and just a few 65mm lenses.

Oh, so you are the one that bought my RF645. I had been watching it for quite some time and it went down in price and I thought , I'll wait just a little longer and maybe it will drop in price again, and it did, down to zero 🙁

Wayne

 

[Doug]

Sorry to be hogging the goodies, Wayne! What really pushed me over the edge on that body was that it still had the original 135mm viewfinder framelines, which I think must be less common, and I hope to someday find a 135mm lens too.

After the price dropped, and it was the only one listed, I just had to put it in my basket! On the prices, we've noted KEH does mark things down. But they may also respond to a suggestion to drop a price... I tried that once and it worked... They had an Olympus Pen FV, a little uncommon, and maybe a slow mover since it was listed as a "scientific version" some of which don't have ground glass focusing screens. Tempted, I phoned with questions about it; the salesguy had the body sent to his desk for examination. I got my questions answered satisfactorily, including why it was listed as "bargain" condition, then asked if there was some flexibility in the price. Hey, worth a try. It was listed at $225, and after checking with his supervisor he came back with a $169 offer which I jumped on.