Topic: I'm new here, advice anyone?

[JamFactory]

Hello everyone, Merry Christmas to you all!

I've just joined this here forum after link-hopping and I'd like to ask some advice if I may.

I've been a Film snapper for many a year now but only to the extent of just for fun, I'm quite blissfully unaware of the technicalities of true photography, generally just sticking to choose my apeture and then clicking the shutter button!

I'd like to give Medium Format a go but Im a bit clueless as to where to start and what camera to look at.

Is there anyone else out there that started out like me, very happy and content in their technical-free photography but eager to get a bit more wiser to it?

You can see some of my very very amatuer photography here: hhttp://www.jam-factory.com/media/photos/index.html

Many thanks in advance!

[Ed Wenn]

Welcome. Thanks for choosing Filmwasters  Hope you'll get a lot out of the assembled brains here. What would help answer this very open-ended question would be a  bit more info:

• What 35mm gear do you have?
• What type of photos are you planning to take with the MF gear?

[JamFactory]

hey dude, many thanks for the reply!

Sorry about the very vague question, lemme answer your q's so you can see what I'm on about!

My 35mm repertoire consists of:

• Pentax MZ-50 SLR with regular 50-80mm lense
• Assortment of Lomo LC-A, Fisheye, Actionsampler etc etc

And as for what type of photos id like to take with MF, well I didnt really have a specific plan! I love portrait photography and macro / good depth of field stuff so I'd like to play around in that sort-of area really...

Does that explain my situation any better or have I just uttered complete rubbish?

Many thanks again,

~ Gav.

[Francois]

Hi!
Merry Christmas to you too.

MF can either be done on the cheap or rapidly turn into a bank account vacuum with a seemingly endless appetite for your hard earned cash...

Macro on MF is probably the place where you are more likely to break the piggy bank. I would put it on hold in the beginning.

But for a cheap start, you can get a good general purpose camera for little. For possibly some of the best bang for the buck, Yashicamat is well worth a look. They are reliable and their optics are many times just as good as those nice Zeiss lenses used in the Rolleiflex! Just don't expect to do macro shots with them.

Cheaper than that is the Holga... though you're pretty well stuck with the default aperture (thus no depth of field control). If you want good glass and good mechanics, stay away from the Diana and its clones. You'll pay them about the same price as some good optics. The only real reason to buy a Diana is if you want the look it gives...

I should say that photography, at least on the technical side, is not that hard to learn. The hard part is finding a way to efficiently use this knowledge...

Hope it helps a bit...

[Skorj]

But for a cheap start, you can get a good general purpose camera for little. For possibly some of the best bang for the buck, Yashicamat is well worth a look. They are reliable and their optics are many times just as good as those nice Zeiss lenses used in the Rolleiflex! Just don't expect to do macro shots with them.

Welcome indeed! Looking at your work, I can safely say a Yashicamat, or similar TLR (maybe a Mamiya C330 with some short lenses) would be a safe bet for your photography.

More on the 'Mat can be read here:  Yashicamat Review. Additionally, comment on TLRs in general can be found here: Ricohflex Review.

As a step into MF, a TLR is a great step as it helps with the concept of composition and considered photographs. This could of course be all pap to you... Regardless, have fun. Skorj.

[LT]

you also need to think about what format you'll be wanting to shoot.  If you are on a budget, you get the most shots on a roll if you use 645 (16 frames) ... 6x6 square gives you 12 and less for the 6x7 and 6x9.

then you need to think about what type of camera - toy, tlr, slr, rangefinder, folder with/out rangefinder ....

If you're thinking of macro, then you'd probably prefer an SLR so you really see what's going on with DOF etc - something you wont get with the other camera types.  As Francois says, the macro lenses are more pricey than the normal ones but at least with an slr you can buy the lens later on down the line to add to your system.  that said, if you're more of an intuitive snapper-type, the MF Rangefinders are great, although they have a limted range of lenses (if they're not fixed lenses like the fuji ones) and they can be used with a more considered approach on a tripod too if that's what you want - you can get them made by mamiya (6 or 7 or 7II), bronica (RF645) and fuji (too many to list) in 645, 6x6 and 6x7 with all sorts of auto/manual/  settings.

hope that helps

[Francois]

One last thing, if you settle on something with bellows; pay special attention to their corners which tend to fail. Even a very small hole will turn into a pinhole and spoil the fun... This is especially true for the Mamiya C330...

Just as a note, I paid my Yashicamat something like 70$... though it was almost 15 years ago...

[gothamtomato]

Hi,

I agree that the Yashicamat is a good stepping in point. But you also need to think about how you are going to be using he camera; what you like to shoot & how much you move around when you shoot. You might get frustrated with a waist level finder. To me, it has always felt awkward.

The best thing about digital is, there a lot of GREAT used film cameras that you can now get for a song - one being a Hasselblad. You can build a Hasselblad system now for a fraction of what you used to have to pay. If you want to be able to use a Hasselblad like a 35slr, I'd recommend the 503CW. When you get a winder & a finder for that, you can hold it and use it just like a 35 SLR.

I picked up a beautiful, used 503CW last spring (in the past I could never afford one), and it has changed the way I can shoot 120. I love it.

I had coveted a Mamiya RZ67 system for years, til I rented one and it weighed a ton!! If I was bigger & stronger, I would definately have gotten one. It has great advantages.

[JamFactory]

many many thanks for your help, i really appreciate it!!

My brothers got a Yashica mat so im going to give that a whirl and see how I get on with that!

Many thanks all, happy new year!

[cwilk]

I like my Yashica Mat but it is difficult to focus and frame pictures using the viewfinder.  Also the cost of buying and developing film makes it about ten times more expensive than using 35mm.

I think it works best on a tripod in very good light.  It can be very difficult to use with fast moving subjects or in conditions that change unexpectedly.

I hope this doesn't put you off having a bash.

[traskblueribbon]

I would agree with Leon... in that if you want to focus on things like controlling your DOF then an SLR is the way to go.

As far as MF SLR's go I am a huge fan of the Kiev 60, not the most precise piece of photographic engineering but a great and eclectic camera. fun to shoot. a Russian made Pentacon type camera knock off. An assortment of good lenses all available relative cheep for a MF setup. give the Kiev a thought if your not looking to break the bank...