Topic: Damn, I want one

[hookstrapped]

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2017/01/fujifilm-film-fuji.html

but no way

[Late Developer]

Shame......Aperture in London has one for sale "Brand New" for £1,690. The $/£ conversion rate has seldom been more in your favour for some time.....

[Sandeha Lynch]

Keep away - they break far too easily.

[charles binns]

You might as well buy a Mamiya 7 - not that it is any cheaper but least you'd have a choice of lenses. 

I'm not a big fan of 6x7.  I prefer either 6x6 or 6x9.

[Francois]

From memory, the camera also sold under the Voigtlander brand.

[Late Developer]

From memory, the camera also sold under the Voigtlander brand.

It did - The Voigtlander Bessa III.

I saw the Fuji version at the big photography expo at the NEC back in 2010 (or 2011 - can't remember) and it looked impressive on the stand.  However, when I got my turn to pick it up, it felt very light and the bellows mechanism didn't inspire confidence when "locked out" into shooting position.  I'm sure it would be fine in use but it felt like the metal bits were aluminium or pressed, thin-gauge steel.

The thing I really liked about it was the size, when folded. Really easy to carry around and it also had a meter / aperture priority mode which, I was assured, is very accurate.  The thing I didn't like was the price. I couldn't afford one but, even if I'd had the cash, I would have struggled to part with that much of it for something that just didn't feel solid or inspire confidence in its ability to take the knocks.

I've since bought a Zeiss Super Ikonta 532/16.  This is 6x6 (no 6x7 option and no meter / aperture priority).  However, it has an 80mm f2.8 lens and a coupled rangefinder.  It's also built like a tank. Not as light as the Fuji but, if you're prepared to do your own metering and 6x7 isn't a deal-breaker, it's a great camera and a good one can be had for around £300 ($350-ish).

If you've already got a Mamiya 6, I don't imagine the Super Ikonta would be a temptation and I suppose the call to be made is how important having 6x7 format really is.  I've owned a Mamiya 7 and liked the lenses a lot but I never really warmed to 6x7 format.  Compared to the Mamiya 6 and it's collapsible lens mount, The "7" is also a big beast of a thing.

[Aksel]

I have had two of them and ended up with a Makina 67, Fuji GW670 and Mamiya 7ii, will keep the 7ii.
In favor of the Fuji/voigt the shutter is really stealth!!! I if it´s a light breeze you can´t hear it. I had to hit the shutter several times to be sure! It´s very compact and it gives silly sharp results with very natural colours.
But, there is a big but! It feels like it´s made from cheap materials, you have to set the lens to infinity to collapse, you can´t collapse it with a filter attached, the focus is a bit of a pain. The winding knob failed on one of mine and has been rumoured to be a weakness and the bellow feels really fragile. If I where to keep mine it would be as a travel 6x7 and only that, as something to use every day I could not really trust it, even though that´s just based on feelings, mind.

[chris667]

I quite like the look of the "budget" Leica rangefinders they made. I tried one and was put off by the quality. I know it's not Leica price, but still.

In fact, everything that I've owned that was made by Chinon has been only average quality. I bought a Ricoh SLR the other week. It''s very plasticky, nowhere near as good as my Pentax P30n (apparently, everything after the P30n was made by Chinon and much more cheaply built).

I'd pay that kind of money for a camera, but not that kind of money for something flimsy.

[hookstrapped]

I will remain happy with my Mamiya 6 w/ 50mm lens.  But I want a compact medium-format with a more normal to portrait length lens

[SLVR]

Whats stopping you from getting the 75 and 150 on the M6? The 75 collapses even further than the 50.

[Late Developer]

I'm not sure if the same issue exists on the M6 as it did on the M7 but I found the 150mm lens really difficult to focus critically on the M7 as the frame lines close in and a shallower DoF just made it harder still.  The 75mm might be a better compromise but I can't think of (m)any compact / folding MF rangefinders that make life easy for anything other than more "posed" portraits.

My guess is you already have the best camera body for the job and, as SLVR suggests, a longer focal length, such as the 75mm, might be the most workable option.  The 75mm is also f3.5 which is marginally quicker than the 50mm f4.  The 150mm is f4.5 - not sure if this would be a bit too slow?

[SLVR]

I had all 3 lenses. I would say the 150 is challenging but not impossible.

[hookstrapped]

I didn't like the 75 or 150 much.  I think I want a 6x6 focal length of around 100-120

[Jeff Warden]

I know this camera won't work for you because of the focal length issue, but in case anyone else is in a similar situation and likes 6x7 and 80mm f2.8, there is the Plaubel Makina 670.  I've had mine for a year or so and have been quite happy with it.  It's not light but feels solidly built and collapses quite small.  The Nikkor lenses that came with this camera are both excellent (but the lens is fixed).  You can't tell much from reduced internet images but I like the way this one renders the out of focus and in focus areas too.  I considered the Fuji and others because I also wanted a MF folder, and decided on Makina for the lenses.

For those that need a wider field of view there is the W67 with an amazing Nikkor 55mm f4.5. 

Downsides:
Focuses with a ring around the shutter release on the top of the camera
Lens must be at infinity to collapse
No AE, but there is a light meter
Price (not as high as the Fuji but still)

Upsides:
Makina still exists, and services these cameras

[SLVR]

sounds like P67 with a 105 cropped square. But not the most economical or lightest travel option...

[Jeff Warden]

sounds like P67 with a 105 cropped square. But not the most economical or lightest travel option...

Yeah, not the lightest, unless comparing to a P67 of course. ;-)   A Makina with lens weighs less than a P67 without one.

The travel issue is probably different for all of us.  For me, walking with a camera is easier when the camera is slim.  Height and width are not so important for me personally, but depth (in the lens direction) makes a lot of difference.  I won't carry a Hasselblad when I'm walking for instance because it's an odd shape and bounces around while I walk, but I will happily carry a Makina, which is slimmer than a 35mm camera when folded, and tucks nicely under my arm at my side while using a shoulder strap.  It's heavier than a 35mm but carries easily because of its shape, and I can go for miles.  I suppose that's the beauty of folders in general.

[Late Developer]

Jeff, I have a similar issue with larger / bulkier cameras as I'm a fairly large and bulky bloke and having a Hasselblad trampolining off my frame as I stride around can become both distracting and irritating.  However, I've recently found that Hasselblad produced a short hand-strap which allows me to carry either the 503c/x or SWC much more comfortably, albeit in the hand.

Otherwise, I tend to leave my cameras in the bag when out and about and only get them out when ready to shoot.....

[Jeff Warden]

I've recently found that Hasselblad produced a short hand-strap which allows me to carry either the 503c/x or SWC much more comfortably, albeit in the hand.

Very interesting.  And that SWC has been on my wish list ever since getting (and becoming frustrated with) my 503.  A smaller Hassy without a mirror; I really like that idea, especially with a wide lens for easier focus.