Medium Format Digital Camera

[bruceboy]

Always been a fan of Ansel Adams. While I could not ever afford a large format camera, perhaps the time is now that I can buy a medium format digital camera. Any suggestions?

[Lormaak]

Always been a fan of Ansel Adams. While I could not ever afford a large format camera, perhaps the time is now that I can buy a medium format digital camera. Any suggestions?

If you can't afford a large format film camera (from a couple of thousand dollars), then you definitely can't afford a digital medium format back (more like tens of thousands of dollars). Unless some really cheap ones have been released that I'm unaware of.

[bruceboy]

Oops. Sorry for the confusion from my original question. What I should have said was this. In my past I could not afford a large format camera. But in the present, I am able to afford a medium format camera.

Hope that clears the air. Now, hopefully someone has a few suggestions. Thanks.

[Kan Win]

Have a look here. It is pinned BTW.

Camera Review Sites

Hope this helps you to find the camera of your dreams.

Kan Win

[baahjun]

that totally depends on what you want, you like the square 6x6 format or 6x7 or 645, you like a light camera or you don't mind to carry heavy gear etc., you shoot landscapes? or people ?

I personally like the rollei 6008 very much, or a hasselblad, a little cheaper would be the mamiya 6 or if you don't like the square format, the mamyia 645 is a very good, and cheap(er) alternative, i've also been using a Pentax 645N, a great camera and very strong. IMHO the lenses available should be a very important factor in deciding on a camera.

Also look if there is a good fotolab nearby, less and less do medium format these days, which forced me to go DSLR.

[astral]

The OP is looking for a medium format DIGITAL camera.........................

[Tywais]

The OP is looking for a medium format DIGITAL camera.........................

I'm not sure what that means really, that is - medium/large format as to relating to digital cameras. Let's say you use 6x6 inch film format at about 1200 lpi that would equate to nearly a 52 MPixel digital camera.

[ChiangMaiAmerican]

You can buy medium format backs for some of the higher end cameras. Several companies make them. However expect to pay more for the back than the camera. Why not use film? On a certain well known auction site Rolleicords and early Rolleiflexes are not that expensive. An often overlooked quality medium format TLR that can be found there is the Ricoh Diacord. It has a coated Tessar type lens and either a Sieko or Citizen shutter depending on the model. I paid less than 1,500 baht for mine. 120 film is still readily available though you may have to look a bit in Thailand. You could even go large format for under 8,000 baht. . Cameras like the Busch Pressman, available in medium and 4x5 format can be found on a the same previously mentioned well known auction site. Graflexes are common. If you want to step up to a higher quality press type camera older Linhoffs and occasionally Meridian's can be found there at reasonable prices. And for low cost when they are listed Burke and James Press Cameras usually sell for 3500 baht or less. If you want to go to larger format 8x10 Burke & James and Gundlach cameras are regularly listed. Occasionally they can be had for under 7,000 baht with a few film holders and a lens. Its cheaper to source medium and large format film outside Thailand even paying the shipping and duty. You can buy properly stored short date and outdated film for big savings. Just make certain you source if from a firm that has properly stored. You can process film with a Jobo of even by hand rather than pay the ridiculous prices they charge here for developing large format. Have fun.

Edited October 31, 2007 by ChiangMaiAmerican

[ChiangMaiAmerican]

A good article on the pros and cons of medium format digital backs can be found here:

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3183/digit...ill-better.html

[astral]

The OP is looking for a medium format DIGITAL camera.........................

I'm not sure what that means really, that is - medium/large format as to relating to digital cameras. Let's say you use 6x6 inch film format at about 1200 lpi that would equate to nearly a 52 MPixel digital camera.

40Mb per image seems to be the size. judging from the article quoted above.

CF cards go up to 8Gb at the present time, meaning that one card could hold

around 200 images. Quite a practical solution for storage.

Better than 120 film, with 8 images per roll plus the processing.

[ChiangMaiAmerican]

If anyone is interested there is an older Phase One digital back for a Hasselblad V on Ebay that will close in the next 30 hours. Right now its about 17,000 baht.

Edited November 3, 2007 by ChiangMaiAmerican

[ChiangMaiAmerican]

If anyone is interested there is Meridian 45A on Ebay closing in 36 hours. This camera was referred to as the "American Linhoff" and is very similar to the Technika II. The camera has an excellent range of movements including back movements.

http://tinyurl.com/38h5lj

[canuckamuck]

I used to have a Dicomed digital back for Hassleblad, it was wonderful when we were the only shop in town with high end digital. It's an $80,000 CAD doorstop now of course. 4 years ago the guy who took over my studio moved to the H1 http://photo.net/equipment/hasselblad/h1/ . he has a couple of now, and he loves them dearly. My other partner went with the Canon D1, and bought a tilt lens to get view camera effects. Not exactly medium format, but his commercial studio is very successful. I think both guys made good choices, and they both getting many accounts and making a name for themselves.

[seedoubleyou]

if you are serious about film, look into a Mamiya RB67 or if you want to spend more the RZ 67. Great system, the 6x7 format is more suited to landscapes than the 6x6 which I find better for portraits. I own a Rz and ran thousands of rolls through it before I bought my digital system. It is a modular system with film backs and a polaroid back. The lens are, in my opinion, better than hassleblad and more reasonable priced. But the hassie is more compact to carry. The rb is a mechanical shutter where the rz is electronic. All lenses are leaf shuttered. Film easily holds up to 100 mb scans. MBK used to carry these cameras and they should be less now that digital is the new standard. The large view finder really allows one to feel the image that you are taking and I still haven't found any other format that is as good for this.

You can look in 4x5's if you rae adventurous but I would only reccomend that if you travel frequently to HK, Europe or NA. I used to live in BK and you had to order 4-5 in and polaroid is hard to find it. I have travelled with a 50 years old rolliflex before and loved it, its only drawback was the older optics/coating of the lens doesn't handle flare well, so you can't backlight your shots very well. It is a good place to start at about 3-450 US for one of these for an f4 model (maybe it was f2.8.5, forget which). The f2.8 models are more expensive and generally more sought after by collectors.

Also note that AA was also a master of darkroom technique where several neg's/exposures were combined to produced a final "perfect image"

Also useful forum for this type of work is "luminous lanscape", reviews and techniques.