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Med format film camera
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Hi Guys
I’ve a link here to a camera for sale, I shoot 35mm and would like to move to med format for landscapes and perhaps portraites, I can develop my own b&w film so thats no problem, just want to know if there is everything I need here to get started and is this good value, would love some coments http://www.berminghamcameras.ie/store/index.php?target=categories&category_id=226
Looks a nice kit, good selection of lenses, will cover all your needs for portraits and landscape, maybe make a lower offer around the €600 mark.
Only concern is its a big investment considering you have a 35mm film kit already, maybe just buy a twin lens reflex or similar at a lower price to see if you like medium format, you can trade up later to a bigger kit.
Couple of things about this outfit:
It’s been for sale in the window for a while at this price, I’d say a month or more, with no takers.
If you were going for it, I’d agree with Eddie and offer around €600.As far as I recollect, the kit is sold “as is” with no guarantee. The 645J is a pretty old beast. It may have had a long and hard life. It could be costly if things go wrong.
Also, I don’t think the 645J has mirror lock-up.
The mirror has a fair old clunk, so you may get vibration in your landscape shots, even on a tripod.You may be better to go for something a bit more recent, with less lenses at around the same price.
Hope this helps.
Rog
Thanks for that guys, just saw it on the web site, might wait a while and see what else turns up, like the idea of the larger neg to work with for enlargements.
Happy new year
Hi,
I’d echo what’s been said about dipping your toe in, rather than jumping in head-first. Trying out new formats can be a love or hate it experience, and the last thing you want is to find yourself stuck with a system which you either don’t use or doesn’t suit your needs.
I’ve been a digital/ 35mm guy mostly to date, and just very recently bought a Rolleicord twin lens reflex to play with medium format, namely with the larger negative and the square format. It’s proving a lot of fun, and a more contemplative shooting experience overall, and to be honest quite different to my 35mm/ digital shooting.
If there’s a way you can borrow a medium format setup from a friend for a few days to try out, I would say go for it.
Damien
I have recently bought a MAMIYA system and have
the following do far . . .MAMIYA 645 Super with split prism
120 film back and insert
non metered prism finder N
645 80mm f2.8
StrapI sourced all tems from different sellers on ebay
except for the lens which a friend is willing to sell
me for about €30.00.I have paid a total of about €240.00 !
as far as I know the M645j was the basic model, it had
no mirror lock-up and had a max shutter speed of 1/500
no interchangeable film backs either.I did a good bit of research on this before I invested
and the Super is the one I went for, I can even get a
digital back for it at a later stage . . .definitely shop around and if you are buying on ebay
watch out for the chancers in the US that are charging
$30 + for shipping, I got all items from the US and paid
about $10 each for shipping. I didnt have to pay any
duty either as each item was well under the €100 mark.About a year ago I picked up a Rolleicord on ebay for a fraction of what you are willing to pay. For a bit more cash I got a stock of film, and some chemicals and stuff to develop at home. I’d say at most I have spent about 300 to date, that was including a complete CLA in germany, after which the camera looks new. I have a number of rolls developed, and the results speak for themselves. I have to force myself to stop thinking about technical perfection when it comes to a photo. The Rolleicord V has no light meter, so for a while before I got a lightmeter, I was guessing the exposure required for each shot. Most of my stuff is done indoors during the day, so mostly it’s in and around 1/30 sec F3.5 ISO 400. Obviously if I need to go to a smaller aperture, I need to increase the amount of light, or the exposure time.
Personally I think that’s where half of the experience lies. If you can train yourself to become a lightmeter its half the battle won! No need for batteries, just a mechanically reliable camera.
I tend to agree with Dave. The latitude of negative film is very forgiving, and allows you to
be in the ballpark for exposure, still giving you a printable image. I just recently purchased
a Rolliecord (VA) recently myself, in great condition and recently serviced, all for about €200.If you’re going the TLR route however, I would also suggest the even cheaper route of the Yashica
TLR’s which can be picked up for between 100- 150, if you have a keen eye.In all, depends on what you’re looking for. From what I can see there are 3 distinct options
when it comes to medium format cameras – the medium format slr systems (ala Bronica,
Hasselblad, etc), twin lens reflexes (Rollei, Yashica, etc), and medium format rangefinders.As Dave mentioned, the purely mechanical varieties of the above are often the best options.
Medium format cameras were never produced in large volumes, and if your camera has
electronic parts, they are guranteed to fail at some point in the future.Can you be sure the manufacturer will still be servicing these models at that point ?
This is presently a source of great irritation to me at present, as I would dearly love to buy
a Mamiya 6 rangefinder, but with this camera out of production and parts getting scarce,
there is the very real possibility that it will no longer be repairable in the future at some point...On the other hand, as a result of this uncertainty, I am now looking at older Fuji medium format
rangefinders that will be serviceable into the future.In contrast, my virtually all-metal, 50 year old Rolliecord is likely to need need nothing
more than a CLA (Clean, Lube, Adjust). Sure if a part goes, it will need a replacement, but with
nearly all the parts of the camera made from metal, I don’t envisage any problems.Just my two cents, your mileage may vary,
Damien
I saw the Mamiya in Berminghams window and it looked very clean though it didn’t go in and handle it. A big plus is the prism/meter viewfinder not to mention the selection of lenses.
However the price is too high just to have a go at MF.
The preceding posts say most of it. I would opt for a larger format such as 6×6, just a few less frames per roll.
6×6 tlr cameras are cheap and simple and fun. I picked up a Mamiya C220 with lens for a £100 in pristine order. Results are first class. Loads on Ebay.Thanks for all of the advice, I’ve looked on e-bay and where do you start, is there a good second hand shop here in Ireland, will travel if I have too, never bought anything one-bay, I’d like to be able to buy and trade up later when I get used to the new format.
Hi everybody
This is my first post and first time on this site, I too would love to know where you can buy good quality 2nd hand camera gear, I’d prefere a shop and would love to be able to upgrade, do Gunns in Dublin sell 2nd hand gear?
Gunns do sell a few used cameras.
The best bet is to watch the for sale thread here on PI and check adverts.ie often. Shops are generally much more expensive than buying from the internet.
Conns and Berminghmams have a bit of used stock at any given time too. Prices can vary a bit, but both have websites that you can check on.
Ebay can be alright, but you need to know what you’re looking for. Some good UK used websites such as Greys of Westminister etc, and the likes of Ffordes in Scotland. Quite a few used online dealers in the UK actually, and I would be more inclined to trust such dealers over unknown sellers on eBay. You do pay a premium sometimes for buying from a dealer, but the trade-off in price is usually a guarantee in return, so often worth it.
Keh.com is also a good resource. US-based, but quite trustworthy with competitive prices, and worth a look.
As Zoltan said, the for sale forums here are great. Have used adverts.ie also, but tend to find a nasty atmosphere over there more often than I’d like.
Lastly, there are some good camera techs in and about Dublin who see a lot of cameras pass through their hands, so worth mentioning also,
Damien
I’d go for a 6×9 Russian rangefinder, if I had your options-
less than a €100 for Zeiss knock off, including delivery…I’d agree with those who disagreed with 645, just on principle-
the smaller your film, the better the scanner you’ll need-Hi Joseph, wasn’t aware of the Russian 6×9 rangefinders – can you give an idea of what’s out there, as I hadn’t come across them before..
Damien
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