Medium format portrait camera

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AndyC

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I’m looking for a bit of advice - I’ve had a Voigtlander Bessa III for a few years and love it, but sometimes I’d like to be able to focus a bit closer to fill the frame a bit more for portraits.

I’ve just bought a Mamiya 6 kit and realised I haven’t done my homework - the 150mm that I thought would be my new portrait best friend has a minimum focussing distance of 1.8 metres.

I won’t be able to test it properly and print the results this side of Christmas, as the darkroom I go to is in a UK tier three lockdown, so in the mean time, I’d love to see examples of portraits shot with a Mamiya 6 and 150mm lens, or hear your suggestions for alternatives.

Only 6 x 6, please - I love square format.
 
If you don't mind an SLR, the Hasselblad 500 series (I'm sure the F series is fine too) would be a good choice. Plus if you want to get closer with the 150mm lens (closer than 5 feet anyways), you can use Proxar close-up lenses.

Lots of options with Hasselblad, and the used prices aren't too crazy.
 
Rollei SL 66? Bellows focusing! No issues getting close. FP shutter means it's less handy for flash though. I'm under the impression that lenses are cheaper than (the same ones) for Hasselblad.
Doesn't one of the Bronicas have bellows too?
 
Bronica has nice cameras and lenses-
https://lens-db.com/system/bronica-sq/

And Mamiya RB and RZ cameras. For both, the slapping mirror is going to be very different than your Bessa III experience.

Rolleiflex and Rolleicords focus to about 3 feet, and Rolleinar close up attachments are readily available and work nicely. No mirror slap. Many other TLRs share similar close-up lenses.
All of the SLRs and TLRs usually come with waist level finders which might not be what you want to stay similar to the Bessa III. Bronica and Mamiya have prism for 90 degrees and 45 degrees, and some are autoexposure.
 
Rolleis with a Rolleinar closeup attachment work great. The Rolleinar 1 focuses from 1 meter down to .5 meters; should be as close as you need. The Rolleinar compensates for parallax automatically. (Just make sure they know to look at the taking lens when you're taking their pictures!)
 
An SLR would be the way to go..

Instead of using a close-up adapter on a 150mm lens, you can also consider using a teleconverter on a 80mm lens. The main advantage is that you can focus from the minimum focus distance of the 80mm lens (80cm, ca. 3ft) all the way to infinity without lens/adapter change. That's especially nice around the max distance that the close-up adapter allows.

Downsides are of course the loss of 1 or 2 stops for an 1.4x or 2.0x teleconverter, and the bigger weight and cost.
 
I can't say enough about my RZ67. I actually prefer it to my Hasselblad when doing really slow technical portraits on a tripod. The waist level viewfinder is just amazing for nailing focus.

The size and weight is a little restrictive for any use not on a tripod. It makes an interesting street photography camera but you'll regret it in the morning ;)
 
pvdhaar said:
Not the leaf shutter Bronicas like the ETRS, SQ and GS series. These have teleconverters and extension tubes only.
Click to expand...

Bronica SQ has bellows, but more reasonable approach would be buying 1:1 macro lens PS 110/4.5, or PS 180/4.5 that has a fairly good close up capabilities - 1m minimum focusing distance, so it can be used for head shots.
All three options are not the cheapest (bellows or these lenses would cost around $400-500 alone) but it’s still cheaper than hasselblad and lighter than mamiya rb/rz
 
With a Hasselblad, I would recommend the 150 and a thin extension tube over the Proxar or teleconverter. The 120 Macro (I have the CF version) is also a good choice.

A Mamiya C330 (plain,F,S) with its bellows focus and parallax indicator also works well. Try the 135mm or 180. I believe only the 330 has the auto parallax indicator.

I have both of these systems. You can make fine portraits with either.
 
How close do you want to get? Tight headshots? Head and shoulders?

How tall are you? Will your subjects be seated? What are your thoughts on nostrils? :D This will affect whether you'll need an eye-level finder or if a waist-level finder is enough.
 
For years, I used the Mamiya C220 TLR with 180mm lens for 6x6cm portraits.

I now use the Mamiya RB67 with 180mm lens for 6x7cm portraits.
 
Thank you for all the comments and suggestions so far.

I mainly shoot informal portraits while I’m volunteering abroad, only ever handheld, and I’d really prefer to stick with an eye level viewfinder.

This sort of thing (if I manage to post an image) AC260815142413-09 by Andy C, on Flickr
 
Just to add on what others have said - the Bronica ETR series (personally i'd pick up an etrsi with the ae finder II or III because they're cheap and excellent) with the 100mm f4 macro lens is an excellent portrait kit that can be had absurdly cheap. The 100mm is an great lens, and the whole kit is compact enough (compared to a RZ or even a blad) that shooting hand held portraits is very easy.

One of my favourite portraits, a full frame face shot of my partner taken hand held at a cafe, was taken with this set up, and the detail from the scan is incredible.
 
AndyC said:
Thank you for all the comments and suggestions so far.

I mainly shoot informal portraits while I’m volunteering abroad, only ever handheld, and I’d really prefer to stick with an eye level viewfinder.
Click to expand...

There are many 6x6 folders out there. Including rangefinders. Zeiss Super Ikonta III or IV with a Tessar will focus to about 3 feet (75 or 80mm focal length). Super Fujica 6 with a rangefinder and 75mm lens (tessar-type). And the list goes on. None of these will be as nice as your Bessa III for viewfinder and automation. And the Tessar type lenses won't have the same look as the Bessa lens.

All of the SLRs and the late model Rolleiflexes and Rolleicords can be fit with prisms for eye level working.

Don't dismiss waist level viewfinders out of hand? By keeping your face open to the subject and by sharing the same experience as the subject of looking at this box in your hands, it can create an openness and intimacy in portraits. And hand-holding them is not a problem. Well, the Mamiya RB/RZs maybe but you don't want 6x7 anyway.
 
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