Medium format purchase advice wanted

Bill58

Bill58

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My friend wants to buy her dad a medium format " landscape camera" for
mainly shooting mountains in China. She wants the best on the market.

I'm personally into 35mm RF streetshooting, so I don't know "jack" about this.

What do you all recommend? Hassy, Fuji, Mamiya?

Many thanks,

Bill
 
In medium format, it's hard to go wrong with any modern system; all are capable of producing fabulous photos. It all depends on what format she wants to shoot and how much money is in the camera budget. A 6x7 Mamiya outfit or a 6x8 Fuji may be a better option, particularly if she's shooting mostly from a tripod. A Hassy is also a great choice. For what it's worth, I usually use a TLR or a Pentax 645 for this kind of shooting because I mix in a lot of handheld shots and I hate carrying around a ton of equipment.

Another option she might consider for medium format landscape shooting would be a 4x5 field camera with a 6x9 back.
 
Since we've presumably eliminated price as a consideration, I would suggest the Fuji GX680 SLR. Possibly the medium format system most suited to landscape photography. It is the only medium format camera that has front tilt and shift capability. It also has the usual interchangeable backs, finders and lenses. If you're only planning to use the camera for landscapes, you wouldn't need auto-focus or a rangefinder, since you can take your time to compose. Even if her father's eyesight is deficient, ground glass focusing should not be a problem.

This review might be helpful.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/gx680iii.shtml

Clarence.
 
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Best at what? Does she want a RF or an SLR? Is manual focus ok or does it need to be high automation? One lens or a kit? Then there is the question of budget...

It's really hard to suggest anything without a little more information.

William
 
I shoot landscapes with a Bronica SQb ( 6x6 ) and am very pleased with the system. In the used market it is readily available and prices are very reasonable. The body is solid and very easy to use. It is easy to find lenses and accessories, used, and in very good condition.

The SQa body includes a built in meter where the SQb does not. I prefer to use a handheld meter so the "b" is a better choice for me. I think this system is a fine option for you to consider.

Bob
 
Whoa, slow down there :eek: What is her dad's level of technical know-how in photography and what is his comfort level in terms of weight of gear to carry along on his travels? Cameras like the Fuji GX680 and Mamiya RB/RZ are beastly big and heavy. Any medium-format SLR is best used on a solid tripod if he wants the results to be worth the bother. With few exceptions (Pentax 645 is one) he'll also have to know what he's doing in terms of manually adjusting exposure, and again with few exceptions (P-645 among the few) zoom lenses are few and far between so he'll have to carry and be prepared to change lenses. This is why it's critically important to know the guy's level of knowledge as well as how much stuff he's willing to haul around. If he's going to be miserable and leave it in the hotel, or bring back awful pictures because he didn't set the camera right or use a tripod etc., then what's the point? Maybe a Fuji GX680 is the right camera for him, or maybe he's better off with a GA645Zi set in "P" mode. We don't know till we know more about him.
 
Ben Z said:
This is why it's critically important to know the guy's level of knowledge as well as how much stuff he's willing to haul around. If he's going to be miserable and leave it in the hotel, or bring back awful pictures because he didn't set the camera right or use a tripod etc., then what's the point? Maybe a Fuji GX680 is the right camera for him, or maybe he's better off with a GA645Zi set in "P" mode. We don't know till we know more about him.
Click to expand...

Salient points. Can't go wrong with the GA645Zi, either, actually. It's so versatile.

Clarence
 
Ben has some good points. This guy is traveling in China, shooting landscapes. The 645 cameras are nice, but I would suggest the Mamiya 6 or 7 system for such a trip. He may not have much chance to use a tripod, and these rangefinders are made for handheld use. Hassy is good too, but I'd go 6x7 RF. But then this is the RFF afterall!
 
How strong is your friend's dad's back?

If he needs something light, handheld, then the Mamiya 6 or 7 are hard to beat. All the other systems will work, but for sheer lightweight travel, the Mamiya RFs are pretty great for travel. As for sharpness, the Mamiya 7 lenses are top of the line.

regards
 
I'll second the Mamiya 7 as a good travel camera. Lenses are rated as "the best" according to some sources.

Kinda... Kinda wish I had mine.
Nah. The Universal, 6x9 and 50mm lens will just HAVE to do.

:)
 
I would have your friend give her dad a card on his birthday saying he "won" a medium-format camera of his choice (maybe include a gift certificate). Then let him pick it out. There are so many different types of medium-format cameras that she can easily give him the "wrong" one. There are at least 8 different formats available and 7 camera types. You also need to consider what lenses and accessories are available for the camera.

If you just want a snob camera, buy a Hasselblad.
 
For shooting landscapes in China . . . . hasselblad is the wrong choise. Anything with a mirror is the wrong choice.

Hassy is nice, but it has mirror shake.

Give a gift card and the advice that leaf shutter cameras are the way to go for landscapes. Wide angle lenses. Big negs.

Really, I think it would be the Fuji GSW690III that I would choose first. Then the Mamiya 7II and 43mm.

Of course, Mamiya has lens options - a good thing.

But, you might also consider something extreme . . . . Fuji or Linhof 6x17. Maybe the Technorama? Sick pricey but cream of the crop.
 
Don't forget TLR options. High end is a ROlleiflex, lower, but almost as good - Yashica, Ricoh, Minolta, etc...... And they have mirror. hehe. But no mirror shake. Lenses are great too. And those cameras don't weigh that much either.

George
 
TLR isn't the best choice for lack of lens options. They aren't easy to find. THe TLR does have a leaf shutter which is nice, but it will prove to be less capable than something with a selection of wide lenses (or just one good wide).

The Fuji 6x9 is basically a large format, hand holdable superwide camera (65mm in 6x9 is like . . .20mm or less. Even wider than that probably).

I shoot with the Bronica RF645, and I've never had sharper negs in my life. And there are three lenses for it, instead of just the one on the Fuji.
 
shutterflower said:
TLR isn't the best choice for lack of lens options. They aren't easy to find.

I shoot with the Bronica RF645, and I've never had sharper negs in my life. And there are three lenses for it, instead of just the one on the Fuji.
Click to expand...

Forgive me young George, but I must have been shopping in the wrong places today. I just bought 3 tlr's today, a Yashicamat, a Yashicamat 124G, and a Rolleiflex f3.5 Tessar. Didn't see any Bronica RF645 available nor any the 4 (four lens) made for the Bronica RF 645. I think they made a 45mm, 65mm, 100mm and a 135mm for the Bronica. So, in my limited experience I would say that a tlr is easier to find than a Bronica RF645.

Wayne
 
Wayne R. Scott said:
Forgive me young George, but I must have been shopping in the wrong places today. I just bought 3 tlr's today, a Yashicamat, a Yashicamat 124G, and a Rolleiflex f3.5 Tessar. Didn't see any Bronica RF645 available nor any the 4 (four lens) made for the Bronica RF 645. I think they made a 45mm, 65mm, 100mm and a 135mm for the Bronica. So, in my limited experience I would say that a tlr is easier to find than a Bronica RF645.

Wayne
Click to expand...


yes. The RF645 is rare nowadays. My point was that to find a TLR with a wide angle lens is going to be harder than finding an SLR with a wide angle, or a fixed lens wide angle camera like the Fujis.

The Bronica is very special.

I think it might be harder to focus a TLR than an SLR or RF because of a smaller viewing screen. Am I wrong?
 
shutterflower said:
I think it might be harder to focus a TLR than an SLR or RF because of a smaller viewing screen. Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

I have limited experience in medium format cameras. I have only used a Koni-Omega in rangefinder, Bronica ETR and SQ SLR's, and Mamiya C330, YashicaMats, Minolta Autocords, and Rolleiflex in TLR's. The TLR's have a reversed image on the focus screen which can be a little frustrating when first starting out. With a little practise you will learn which way to move the camera to capture your image. What I like about tlr's and rangefinder cameras is the lack of mirror "black out" after the shutter is tripped. I have a much better idea of what I captured at the moment of shutter release. With the slr's it goes something like this "Ok, I think this is the shot I want, KAWACK!! Hey, where did everybody go? Oh, I have to wind the film to bring the mirror back down so I can see again, HMMM, I wonder what I missed while I was temporarily blind and deaf?"

I am not completely convinced that wide angles are the best lens for landscape photography, but then again what do I know?

Wayne
 
shutterflower said:
The Fuji 6x9 is basically a large format, hand holdable superwide camera (65mm in 6x9 is like . . .20mm or less. Even wider than that probably).
Click to expand...

not 20, but 28!
 
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