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Favourite medium format?......


Nick De Marco

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An update - I just put up my most recent magazine issue, which features not only some of the Hasselblad film pix I posted on this thread earlier (and some additional ones), but also some Rollei 6x6 film shots.

 

ColoradoSeen - Home

 

The Rollei pictures of the staging area of last year's St. Patrick's Day parade were made with a busted "museum-piece" RolleiMagic 1. The fragile trap-needle auto-aperture mechanism was stuck at f/11 or so, so, like the proverbial broken clock, it made good exposures in two circumstances - bright sunlight on TMax100, and overcast on TMax400. The latter worked for this story.

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An update - I just put up my most recent magazine issue, which features not only some of the Hasselblad film pix I posted on this thread earlier (and some additional ones), but also some Rollei 6x6 film shots.

 

ColoradoSeen - Home

 

The Rollei pictures of the staging area of last year's St. Patrick's Day parade were made with a busted "museum-piece" RolleiMagic 1. The fragile trap-needle auto-aperture mechanism was stuck at f/11 or so, so, like the proverbial broken clock, it made good exposures in two circumstances - bright sunlight on TMax100, and overcast on TMax400. The latter worked for this story.

 

Very nice Andy. I particularly like the photos from the Martin Luther King Marade. Did you use the 90-degree finder for all?

 

br

Philip

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Some of my favourite medium format bodies. Missing is my Rolleiflex 2.8F and a 503Cx that I sold to Andy Barton, but bought back as soon as I could.

 

On top of these are all my lenses (including the fabulous 110mm FE), backs, motor drive, straps and filters. A disturbing pile reflecting a lifetime of appreciation for 120 film. :)

 

Gary

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Edited by Rolo
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Very nice Andy. I particularly like the photos from the Martin Luther King Marade. Did you use the 90-degree finder for all?

 

Yes - except for the low-angle "marchers and church" shot, where I popped off the prism and just used the naked ground glass. And that since my previous post showing the PME metered prism, I came across and switched to the unmetered 90° PM version, which is bit less bulbous and saves about 5 ounces in weight (I hand-meter or use "sunny 16" exposures anyway).

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  • 2 months later...

The mirror pre-release is Hasselblad's weapon to defeat camera shake whilst hand-holding.. It leaves the remarkably quiet shutter alone to do its work comfortably down to 1/30sec.

 

My 203FE has an automatic, single action, mirror-up & shutter release feature with a 2 second delay. Just have to ensure that the picture content doesn't change in that 2 seconds. With the AE and easy applied compensation, it's a dream to use.

 

My 503Cx just has the traditional two action mode, which is really no hardship.

 

I'm trying to get back to the situation where these are my main image capturing tools for possible framed and stock images, with my MP for creative snapping. The digital M's have gone.

No mention of your Rolleiflex? Has it fallen out of favour?

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Now, after some 50 rolls with the 203FE I can confidently say that I'm very pleased with this camera. It is a joy to use and the image quality is simply staggeringly nice. True, scanning takes a bit of time still because I haven't really got the hang of Vuescan's settings to line up frames properly but that's a minor annoyance. So far I only have the 80FE but I'm now looking into expanding the system. All very exciting.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Been having some fun with my Linhof Technika Press 6x7 w/ Carl Zeiss lenses on the street with strangers.  I recently found a used polaroid back for the camera and have been having lots of fun with instant film and these amazing lenses.  

 

Here is a photo of the camera...then some samples of random ad hoc portraits of strangers, shot wide open with the 100mm at f2.8 (portra 400)

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Edited by A miller
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these files are massive, though a little bit of a bitch to PP given the size..

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Edited by A miller
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Holy heck, they ARE different to your "usual street" stuff Adam. Really different.

And in a real nice way too. I like these, much much more than I do the 28mm stuff.

Gary

thanks, Gary.  The turbo charged resolution of the MF film, amazing Zeiss glass and the fact that I don't push this 120 film as I do with the 35mm portra 400 will produce much cleaner and balanced images.  Given the significant weight of the camera and the slower workflow of needing to very temporarily befriend strangers makes for an entirely different approach to shooting.  Truth is that I like both approaches and my 35mm shooting won't slow down although I clearly will have a much higher volume and lower keeper rate given my approach...  Thanks again for your kind feedback... Best, Adam

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Adam,

 

Excellent portraIts, I like them. Apart from the cleaner files, the main difference seems to be the use of the wide open aperture, your subjects jump clearly into focus (and mind). I suppose 2.8 in medium format (whatever it is what you use) is the equivalent of a summilux or noctilux in kb. Clearly that requires a different approach to selecting and approaching subjects than the 28mm f11 mode street photography.

 

Best regards

 

Christoph

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I love medium format film.  It integrates exceptionally well, IMHO, with high-end digital such as the M240 and M246.  I go back and forth between them - digital and film - depending upon my mood and the subject.

 

A Hasselblad 500C/M with 80 Planar is my favorite roll film camera.  The long thack of its shutter, accompanied by the tactile texture of something ineffable going on, is one of the more sublime things in photography.  The twin to my other favorite... the thin snick of a film Leica carefully razoring off a snippet of time.

 

And, yes, I agree with those who see an unexpected benefit in square format.  There's a unique magic to 6x6.

 

I also shoot with a Bessa III and a Bronica RF645.  Both rangefinders, of course.  Each special in its own way.

 

I'm committed enough to film that a few months ago I sold my decades worth of Nikon glass to fund the single most expensive photographic thing I've ever bought... a high-end film scanner worthy of those large 120 images.

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Hi Pico

 

I don't know about fitting a motor to earlier SWCs but I have seen a reference in the 2001 product catalogue to a motorised version of the 903SWC, called the 903SWCE. It's on page 13. If this link to the catalogue doesn't work (it's to my dropbox because the file is too large to upload here), here's the text:

 

903_SWCE.jpg

In this special version, the 903SWC camera body is equipped with an integral motor to enable sequence exposures of up to 1.2 frames per second and remote control. All other features and optical specifications are equal to those of the 903SWC camera body and the standard Zeiss Biogon CF 4.5/38 mm lens. See pages 8, 15 and 16.
 
Weight: camera body and lens 1555 g. (3 lb 7 oz).903SWCE camera body Code 61085
 
Supplied in black trim with fixed standard Zeiss Biogon CF 4.5/38 mm and the following equipment:
 
Viewfinder SWC 52036
Release button 46116
Release cord FK30 46043
Fuse, 2 pcs 56111
Front lens cap 51643
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Adam,

 

Excellent portraIts, I like them. Apart from the cleaner files, the main difference seems to be the use of the wide open aperture, your subjects jump clearly into focus (and mind). I suppose 2.8 in medium format (whatever it is what you use) is the equivalent of a summilux or noctilux in kb. Clearly that requires a different approach to selecting and approaching subjects than the 28mm f11 mode street photography.

 

Best regards

 

Christoph

Hi Christoph - sincere thanks for your kind remarks.  I am looking forward to using this camera more and hope that it will reduce the amount of time I need to spend at the gym :)

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My favorite medium format gear:

 

1) Leica S system for the most mobile, compact and lightweight gear with best possible lenses and image quality

2) Mamiya ZD + Mamiya 80/2.8 AF - most beautiful color palette, never managed to have my Leica S2 files get to look this beautiful

3) Exakta 66 + 80 2.8 E66 Schneider lens + WLF - the underdog, totally overlooked and under-hyped - I have a no costs spared Rolf Baier special with all possible upgrades and it is the most incredible yet simple 6x6 film camera I have used, wouldn't swap it for a Rolleiflex

4) Mamiya 645 TL + 200/2.8 APO + 300/2.8 APO lenses - amazing long lens gear + the most affordable yet fantastic all around beginner medium format system - dirt cheap and really good lenses + a great body (the lenses are so fantastic, I keep using them on my S2)

5) Noblex 150 - there is no other camera that can do this camera's party trick (swing lens panoramic @ 120 film) pity, they are not making them any more, a landscape shooters dream camera

6) Rolleiflex 80/2.8 Xenotar (beautifully made cameras, beautiful lens)

7) Hasselblad 203FE + 110/2 CZ Planar FE - (THAT LENS !!!)

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