Medium format junkies

Hello all!
Are any of you out there medium format film nuts?

I recently shot and developed some 120mm from a really nice camera and I'm just hooked!
Gorgeous, crisp, just beautiful! I still need a little more practice with enlarging as far as burning and dodging. But the pictures are really nice!

Here's where I am in need of some help! I am looking to buy my first non-toy 120mm film camera.
There are plenty of choices out there, so many in fact that I don't even know what to look for!!
I would like to get an slr mainly because I want lens choices. But here's the rub....
Limited budget. VERY LIMITED. I am a full time student, so that kind of budget!

Any suggestions?

I love Medium Format! I have a darkroom as well, but its still in pieces since our recent move.

Your budget SLR is probably going to be the RB67. Its big, its heavy. It will break your back, but not your wallet. Lots of people hand hold them, but they are best for on a tripod. Lots of great lenses available. You can't beat a 6X7 negative either. The Bronica ETRSI might be worth looking at, however a lot of people argue that the 654 format is really not much of a step up from 35mm after the cropping you have to do.

If I were you, I'd go with a TLR. They don't have interchangeable lenses, but they are light, fast to use and easy to carry. The square negative is a great format too. I just picked up a Yashica Mat 124 for under $200. Since it has no extra lenses, I won't be sinking any more money into that kit!

There are also a few rangefinder options, but most of the modern ones are kind of spendy. Fuji and Mamiya both still produce them. Mamiya 7 kits are $$$$$$, but I'd love to have one. You can find old 6X7 and 6X9 bellows rangefinders for cheap, but the lenses tend to be slow, the focus is all scale focus, and the bellows are often time dry rotted.

I have been eyeballing the rb67. I actually enjoy a heavy camera, no idea why tho. I just like the substantial feel of em I suppose.

In what way(s) are rangefinder cameras different?

I am a fan, here is a TLR, a rangefinder, and an SLR, all are superb performers,

I've always liked the look of the tlr cameras. Do they take nice pictures? Are they a pain to load and use?
Are the ones with interchangeable lenses decent?

You really need to handle each type of camera as they are very different. I have a Mamiya 645 and an RZ67; haven't held a TLR in probably 40 years and have never held an MF rangefinder. I would suggest that the bigger the negative the better, but that needs to be tempered by what you want to accomplish. The RZ is a great camera, but a monster that is really better for studio work or on a tripod when in the field. The other decision point with MF is frame size/shape: 645. 4X4, 6X7, etc.

You have received some good advice thus far and my suggestion would be to think ahead a while and determine when you may be able/willing to put more cash into your hobby. Buying a camera with interchangeable lenses may be worth the stretch now if you stick with one lens and think about adding more at a later time.
You are certainly correct that negatives from 120 film are special... my Hasselblad will be pried from my cold, dead hands. I am lucky that I am going shooting with a friend next week- he has the tough choice to make between using his Alpa, Linhof or Rolleiflex. MF is very addictive.

spaz said:

I've always liked the look of the tlr cameras. Do they take nice pictures? Are they a pain to load and use?
Are the ones with interchangeable lenses decent?

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Just like any camera, there are good ones and bad ones. The Yashicas typically have great lenses and are capable of wonderful pictures. You frame and focus through a viewing good looking at the ground glass, but almost any MF camera, even the SLRs are done that was as well.

The TLR I have is light, and easy to use. It's really not any better or worse to load than my Mamiya RB67. Just different. It does t have interchangeable backs, so you do reload every 12 frames. I don't typically shoot more than that on an outing anyways. One of the reasons I like MF is that I can be done with a roll in 9-12 frames (depending on the format).

Mamiya makes a TLR with interchangeable lenses. They go for a lot more money as well.

Gents, while I know next to nothing about using good medium format cameras, I freely admit to Hasselblad lust. Specifically the 500 C/M series.

A more beautiful 'working art' piece of gear I cannot imagine. I would keep it as portable as possible. 80mm or so lens, waist level viewfinder, a couple of film backs, and a wing and a prayer. And start shooting photos.

I had a 500 C/M for a few years and loved it. I ended up selling only because I decided to go to a 35mm format for film (Canon 1V) to have more composition flexibility. The Blad can produce breathtaking sharp photos that could make a detailed print as large as the side of a barn but the shutter speed range and manual focus limited what all I wanted to do with the camera. For landscape and posed portraits it was spectacular.

spaz said:

I've always liked the look of the tlr cameras. Do they take nice pictures? Are they a pain to load and use?
Are the ones with interchangeable lenses decent?

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I have a Rolleiflex, a Russian plastic TLR, and a Mamiya C330 with three lenses. They are _very_ easy to load and use. And the enlargements are tack sharp to 11x14 (largest I make).
Mike

I love the Yashicas, especially the later ones. No, it isn't a Rollie, but it doesn't cost as much as a used car. And unless you're going to do so pretty monstrous enlargements you'll never tell the difference in the image.

Thanks for the great info guys! I have decided on a Mamiya c330. Seems to fit pretty much all of my criteria, so Ima roll with it! Haha all I have to do is wait till February to buy it.. Come on February, you beautiful beast you.. Hurry up and get here!

I've heard great things about that camera. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. It's hard to beat Mamiya lenses too.

I like my medium format gear:

Rolleiflex and Americano by Bill Smith, on Flickr

Rolleicord IV K3B by Bill Smith, on Flickr

Mamiya C220f by Bill Smith, on Flickr

Hasselblad 500 CM (Part of my Flash Test) by Bill Smith, on Flickr

Nothing beats a traditional wet darkroom print from a medium format negative.

spaz said:

Thanks for the great info guys! I have decided on a Mamiya c330. Seems to fit pretty much all of my criteria, so Ima roll with it! Haha all I have to do is wait till February to buy it.. Come on February, you beautiful beast you.. Hurry up and get here!

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Good call on the Mamiya C330, now make sure you get all the late production "Blue Dot" Sekor lenses, they will give you the best performance.

Its unbelievable how prices for medium format film gear has plummeted. Check out keh.com
BTW, you'd be blown away with the quality you can get from yashicamat 124g's. However, if you find a nice rollieflex...
The mamiya TLRs are nice well built, but big and heavy.

While you're waiting for February, you might consider looking at antique and vintage stuff - particularly, if you can find one in good condition for cheap, some of the old folding cameras. I have a folding Voigtlander Bessa (pre-war) that has an outstanding lens, and is fun to use. (Steer clear of any that use 620 film!) You might just find that some of the limitations of older gear can actually be liberating, in that your choices are limited. I see that you have already chosen the Mamiya so I'll not try to dissuade you. You might be surprised, though, if you look around at antique stores and such, what you might find - sometimes at bargain prices. Beware, though - it can be very addictive.

Good idea! I dunno why but I hadn't really considered going to antique stores.
I have to tell ya though, the addiction has taken me! I wound up getting a Holga 120 a few years ago cause it looked cool. Then realized that getting 120 film developed was a pain, so I got an enlarger and figured out how to develop film and enlarge photos. Yup... Already addicted, and don't even own a decent medium format camera (yet!)

Good luck with your search!
Although not something I have ever used, I really do love the look of some of the beautiful medium format cameras