MF street shooter pack?

[bradhusick]

Charles,
I tend to agree. My grandfather and dad always shot with a Rolleiflex. I have a 35mm film scanner (Nikon 5000 ED) and the results I get from that are amazing. I have two Leica film bodies and a Nikon F3HP that I regularly use in addition to digital.

I just think that in medium format, there are too many compromises today to make a street shooter happy, even if you ignore price. Either this market is too small for manufacturers to address, or MF is really unnecessary when street shooting. After all, look at most famous street photos and you could print them with a 4 MP camera. In that case, my M8 is 2.5X more powerful than it needs to be.

-Brad

 

[jlm]

it is hard to beat the tiny "snick" of the rollei shutter, plus you get that waist level point of view, which is very interesting.

 

[TRSmith]

Plus, the Rollei TLR is possibly the coolest looking camera of all time.

 

[charlesphoto]

Charles,
I tend to agree. My grandfather and dad always shot with a Rolleiflex. I have a 35mm film scanner (Nikon 5000 ED) and the results I get from that are amazing. I have two Leica film bodies and a Nikon F3HP that I regularly use in addition to digital.

I just think that in medium format, there are too many compromises today to make a street shooter happy, even if you ignore price. Either this market is too small for manufacturers to address, or MF is really unnecessary when street shooting. After all, look at most famous street photos and you could print them with a 4 MP camera. In that case, my M8 is 2.5X more powerful than it needs to be.

-Brad

I think it is a matter of price/function. Most street/editorial shooters can't afford MF digital and therefore MF manufacturers have no incentive to gear cameras towards them. They're not the ones getting the $10k day rates. Heck, even in film the Mamiya 7 is about the last one standing for street shooting (if you don't count the Rollei reissues) and I think anyone at this point would be crazy to buy MF film gear new. If Nikon does come out this summer with their 24mp model then you'll probably see even more dumped on the used market. Though in my opinion no matter how high the resolution goes in 35 it's still 35. It's the format and depth of the lenses (and even style of working) that makes MF different.

 

[Jack]

Broad sweeping generalization, but the old axiom, "Horses for courses" holds pretty well IMO...

Sure you can shoot street with a 4x5 view camera and you can shoot architectural images with a P&S camera. And for the sake of "art", you can shoot any subject with any camera; in fact doing so may increase your work's desirability! The most likely scenario for most of us however, will be that using something tailored to the task is probably going to yield the more desirable result...

Since the thread is street specific, and MF specific, I'll add my own thoughts... First off, I think the best camera for true street shooting is the Leica M. I won't bother reiterating all of its virtues for this use, just search threads here and you will find innumerable references. In addition, I have shot with just about every camera ever made, and IMO MF is at a serious disadvantage on the street. The best MF camera I ever had for street was the Mamiya 7 with 43 and 80mm lenses, but the glass is slow at f3.5 or f4.5 maximum aperture, and you are limited to 10 frames on a single roll of 120 -- few enough you are re-loading your camera frequently, and more often than not, you run out of frames just at a key "Kodak moment." I think one could fare with digital MF a bit better, especially using a zone-focused shorter lens on a small body like the Alpa, but unless your subject happens to be at the precise point of focus, your images won't likely garner any significant added image quality over a properly focused M8 file...

Again, not saying it can't be done as it certainly can, but put me solidly in the camp of horses for courses

 

[PeterA]

Everything is practice..Alpa with LeafAptus75 and Schneider35mm ..

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

but unless your subject happens to be at the precise point of focus, your images won't likely garner any significant added image quality over a properly focused M8 file...

That does seem to be a very significant point, if you are going to go to all the cost and inconvenience the question has to be is the advantage going to be worth it given the above? I thought the Alpa would make far more sense as a landscape/travel camera than a street shooter.

 

[PeterA]

cameras are just cameras. Some of my favourite landscapes are with my M8 Imaybe I am just weird..

 

[woodyspedden]

cameras are just cameras. Some of my favourite landscapes are with my M8 Imaybe I am just weird..

Peter

I don't think so at all!!! I have been very fortunate that I have gotten quite a number (probably more than I deserve) of landscape keepers with the M8. I think the file quality is so very good that perhaps it is not such a surprise.

However after really practicing, I find the files from my H3DII-39 to be compellingly good, compared to almost anything! Sometimes hard to come by and needs you to have practiced to the point of really understanding what the camera is capable of producing! But when you hit it.........WOW!!!! Now you understand why you paid the big bucks!

In any event, I have two rooms with walls filled with 22x30 framed images of Desert Southwest images which for the most part sing (to me!) When that happens, it doesn't matter which piano was best tuned for the evening's concert.

Woody

 

[Jan Brittenson]

Wish there were something like the Mamiya 7! I have a ton of 16x20 and 20x30 prints from scans, and they look great. The ZD compares well, except obviously in equipment bulk.

It really lends itself to a different style though, one that contains a lot of detail and is fun to explore visually, like this, but looks a little clutted on a computer screen.

Make me a digital Mamiya 7 and I'd be like a pig in dirt!

 

[evgeny]

Contax 645 :thumbup:

 

[KurtKamka]

Here's the Phase and P45+ with the 80/1.9 lens ... the best $300 I've spent in MF land.

Kurt

 

[KurtKamka]

Same combination ...

 

[Jack]

Kurt, great shots ---- but if you like that $300 Mamiya 80, you really need to try a Hassy 110 F f2 -- it will set you back about 4x to 5x the Mamiya lens, but oh man, is it ever worth it

Cheers,

 

[Jack]

Make me a digital Mamiya 7 and I'd be like a pig in dirt!

No kidding! Chuck Jones on this forum actually got his Leaf Aptus 75S back cobbled to his Mamiya 7 with a mock-up adapter, but it was never able to generate the finished product. Would have been ultra cool though... The only nit I have with the Mamiya 7 is the speed of the glass, but even at f5.6 that glass does have a special character.

Oh, and great images Jan! :salute:

 

[KurtKamka]

Thanks for the comment Jack, I've heard great things about the Hassy 110/2. Which version is the best to get? And, would I need to use stop down metering with the lens and an adapter?

 

[Jack]

Hi Kurt:

You will have to use the lens in stop-down metering mode and will need an appropriate adapter to mount to your Mamiya. (But like the 80/1.9, the reason I own it is to shoot it mostly wide open or maybe down one or two stops max, and it is plenty bright to focus and meter directly at those apertures anyway.) I use a cheap eBay adapter ($90 FotoDiox) and it works fine, but many folks have commented it doesn't allow infinity focus on their Mamiya bodies, so be warned. Mamiya makes one that definitely is good quality and works well, but costs around $400 I think.

To the versions, and I am no expert, there are a few models of the Hassy 110 f2 lenses. First they are broken down by F or FE. The F version is the earliest, and there are at least two, the latter is marked with a red "T*" that indicates an improved lens coating. This is the model I have, and the version Jim Collum used above for the portrait of the elderly woman. The newer versions, and again there are at least two, are FE and have electronic contacts for the later FE bodies which add considerably to the used price --- and make no difference for your use whatsoever EXCEPT that apparently the very last version has an improved inner baffle to tone down flare somewhat. (I will point out I have not noted any serious flare issues with my version and am quite happy with the way it renders.)

Cheers,

 

[Chuck Jones]

As usual, I agree with Jack on the 110 f2. I've had that lens for a few years now, and positively love it. Mine is an FE, having decided I wanted the later version because they changed the coating also from the version 2 F to the version one FE. The only flaring on my lens I really like, so can't see paying the extra for the version two FE myself. Kurt, tape that puppy down at f2 and simply forget it. Works great on my Contax, plenty of light with an f2 lens to focus, and you do not need to screw with anything on it.

 

[PSon]

Kurt,
The Hasselblad lens is very different from what you have accustomed to manually stopping down the aperture. The Hasselblad V lens has the lever to the left so that you can set the aperture you will shoot and without darkening the focusing screen until after you done your focus and at the same time you can push down the lever with your thumb. Thus it is a very fast way to shoot and unlike the Contax/Yashica and Mamiya 645 lens you are accustomed. If you need any help just email me and I will help you. I own 3 of these lens in Rollei mount now and it is my favorite lens along with the Hasselblad 2.0/110 lens. You will be happy with any version (there are 5 versions in the Hasselblad Mount and 2 in the Rollei mounts).

Best Regards,
-Son

 

[KurtKamka]

Jack, Chuck and Son thanks for the great advice. I'm beginning to look around for a copy. Can anyone post a few images with the 110/2 and a Phase + back? I'd like to see what the bokeh looks like. Thanks much.

Kurt