Topic: What TLR?

[xander1027]

Well im relativley new to this forum and dont have that much experience in film cameras expect a holga. my first camera was a canon rebel and im starting to move away from digital and towards film. im looking to get a TLR  and i have no idea what kind or which one to get. i was looking at a seagull just becasue it was cheap and i can buy it new but im not sure if i want to buy new.well what would you suggest for a newcomer to film looking to buy a TLR?

[Susan B.]

My first TLR was a Mamlya C220, second was a C330, third was a Rollei. Never had a Seagull so can't offer any advice on that. But I loved those Mamiyas despite the fact they were bricks. The great thing about the Mamiya is that it's less $ than a Rollie and they have a number of lenses you can change out. I think I had three lenses? Can't recall since it's been ages. Also, it focuses super close. I'd suggest comparing the Seagull and the Mamiya if it's a money issue. Not sure if it's a huge price difference between the two, but worth the comparison. Also, Skorji has a twin lens he loves--Yaschicamat. He wrote an article on it. You can find it in the blog section under technical articles. Posted March 7th. Here's a link to Skorji's article. It's at the bottom of the page: http://filmwasters.com/blog/archives/category/technical/page/2/

Good luck!

[Ron]

Well, I have an old Yashica A TLR which I love.  I think it was around $60 on eBay incl. shipping etc. and came with a case (I think you could get one cheaper).  The viewing screen could be a tad brighter, but the taking lens is very sharp and it is a sturdy camera (the 'A' model was their entry level TLR, I think).  Glad to read you are doing more film-based work.  Good luck!
Cheers,

Ron

[Tammy]

I also have a Mamiya C330 (my first medium format) and more recently a Yashica Mat124.  I love TLRs.  I would stand by either choice, but the added choice of lenses for the Mamiya make it great.  I love the close focusing too.

Good luck with whatever you get.  Yay for film.

[Skorj]

You do not say what you want the TLR for.

If it is for exploring the concept of using a TLR, and getting used to the waist-finder and other very different attributes of using a TLR, then you might consider some of the lower-end devices. The Ricohflex is a great manual device, and a good place to start. Especially as the prices are very low.

I am not a fan of the Seagull and Lubis as TLRs, but as toys me thinks they're wicked (less so the Seagull I suppose; its just built like a toy).

As Susan and a few have also noted the Mamiya are indeed a great set of kit, especially with lens interchangability, for which they are unique. These too are relatively inexpensive (compared to some German stuff), and give you a lot of options. Make no mistake though, both the 220 and the 330 are BIG BUSES. Last forever though, but not the sort of thing you want to lug all over your Great Wall trek.

The Yashica Mat (culminating in the 124G) is a very viable mid-point. Price wise a bit lower, noncoupled metering, external lens kits (a compromize for sure), and a definite step up from the Ricohflex, Seagull and beloved Lubi.

[xander1027]

i just want to try it out i have no specific reason to get a TLR. i looking for something new to experiment with.

[Francois]

Hi!

I have 2 Yashicas which I love. Easy to use and robust yet lightweight. Gives good quality images. Much cheaper than Rolleiflex. (1 I paid 70$can years ago, the other I got as a gift)

But if you want the lowdown on any medium format cameras, I suggest you visit
http://www.medfmt.8k.com/mf/index.html

I know the colors are... well... not to my taste, and it can be a long read. But it is the most complete source of camera information on the web. I'm sure it will help you make a choice. Especially the Danny Gonzales reviews (http://www.medfmt.8k.com/mf/gindex.html)

Happy shopping... let us know if you find it useful information.

[beck]

I held three beautiful Mamyia C330's today at work...ones that I've been crossing my fingers in trying to possess, if not all, but one. We shall see. A Seagull can be equally as pleasing, depending on your preferences and pocketbook. I've thought about purchasing one not too long ago...and admit, was persuaded to go with something else. I did...a Yashica Mat 124, which I've yet to load.

I've seen some really amazing photographs from a Seagull, and one in particular from Warren Harold, which still blows me away when looking at it. That's a prize winning shot right there.

[warren]

Aw shucks Beck !
I have to say for $30 at a used camera show I am totally pleased with my vintage Seagull 4B. The film advance is a knob instead of the problematic crank (hey, I don't mind manually cocking my shutter...), and the lens is more than adequately fast for short DOF. I don't have any experience with the newer models but I've heard good and not so good things. It's got its limits but I love it for what it is and was a great step into TLRs.

Here's a spattering of other images I've made with the Seagull:
http://thatwasmyfoot.visualblogging.com/galleries/2905_1016149158/33306

Good luck!

[FrankB]

I have a Mamiya C330S and find it excellent for my purposes (or will do when I get used to the shorter DoF with no preview <sulk> <strop>!).

I needed a cheap(ish) way into medium format with good image quality and interchangeable lenses and the Mamiya fits the bill to a tee. It's a heavy old brick, but built like a hockey-puck and with the feel of a professional system. Aside from the weight, no meter and the lack of DoF preview, the only other real disadvantage is parallax - although a couple of my lenses are capable of macro, this is fairly academic without a paramender to sort out the parallax issues.

Image quality is excellent... ...and I've found another TLR advantage - I was going round a local steam fair with The Brick on a reasonably chunky tripod and found that it was drawing almost as much interest as the steam engines! I started to set up on one of the exhibits and had just about lined up the shot when the owner came round with a set of steps and started fussing around at the front of it. I smiled, quietly ground my teeth and waited patiently for her to finish.

Then I realised she was removing the plastic wrap from the candy poles at the front of the engine in order to give me a better shot! When she'd finished she put the steps away and then came round to the front and politely shooed passers-by away to ensure my shot was clear!

Try going round with a digicam, or even an SLR, and see how many times someone does that for you! TLR's definitely have some advantages...

[Dave_M]

I love my Yashica 124G. It gives lovely results and can be used handheld. The built in meter is a bonus.

A few months ago I got a macro lens add-on for it. I thought it would be pretty poor but it works very well (although macro parallax is an issue). The yashicas are pretty cheap.

I'd love a Mamiya as well though