If you follow this blog at all, you know that I am film guy who loves the medium format. One twenty film is a beautiful thing. I currently own a Hasselblad 503cw, a Hasselblad Flexbody, 50mm, 60mm, 80mm, and 150mm lenses. I also own a Pentax 67II, a Yashica D, and an Ansco Viking Readyset. I love working with medium format film. I am also lusting after the new Fuji/Voigtlander GF670 camera (check recent posts).
With the massive drop in prices of high quality digital cameras (Canon 5D Mark II for $2699), the prices of very high quality medium format cameras are dropping as well.
Now I will say that I think medium format film will be here for a very long time and have no worries about whether or not I will be able to buy it. Since I have a darkroom in my home, film processing and printing are somewhat easy for me.
Just out of curiousity, I started checking ebay for other medium format gear and frankly, I was quite surprised how low some of the prices are. So I've made a simple little list below so that you can see what kits (body, lens, back, viewfinder) are going for.
Holgas for $40
Yashica D for $150
Bronica ETRS for $350
Pentax 645 for $350
Pentax 67 for $400
Fuji GA645 for $500
Rolleiflex 3.5 for $600
Mamiya RB67 for $600
Mamiya 645 Pro TL for $600
Mamiya 645 AF for $650
Hasselblad 500cm for $750
For $500, you could do really well if you are patient and know exactly what you are looking for what things should sell for. For $750 to $1000, your options are even better with kits that include more than one lens or other accessories. I just took a small sampling of ebay so that you could have an idea. If you are sticking with film until your end (not films end), than $1500 to $2500 will buy a whole lot of high end equipment.
Mamiya 7II with 80mm lens for $1600
Hasselblad 501cm with 80mm lens for $1600
Pentax 67II with AE prism and 105mm lens fr $1600
You get the idea. Then buy a decent scanner for $1000 and you are getting better results than some of the semi-pro digital cameras that are out today.
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Fuji kills Fujicolor Pro 800z film
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2 comments:
Plus you are having a lot more fun. And people will marvel at your "antique" camera. (Really, I hear that comment about my Hasselblad all the time.) And the anticipation, the waiting to see what's on your film -- for me, it's like opening Christmas presents. Of course, once in a while there are some old socks in there...but just as often, I get just what I wanted. I'm about to sell my fancy digital camera, a Mark IIN. No romance in the thing, none at all.
I was happy with my digital cameras for years. I still am, and I mostly use digital. But a year ago or so I started to get curious about medium format film when I realized just how pleasing the tonal range, how soft the roll-off and how large the dynamic range is compared to digital. It also dawned on me that so often when I saw an image that I really liked technically - smooth without being hazy, and detail both in the highlights and shadows - that was film, not digital.
So this spring I got a Yashica Mat. Just weeks after, we visited my parents who were cleaning house and about to throw out a couple of old cameras. A Swedish box-camera, and a Voigtländer Bessa I, both medium format cameras. The box camera I've used once, and it's a blast, but not something I would use on a day-to-day basis.
The Bessa is fun, and would be great if not for a few shortcomings. It's 6x9, which is too wide for my taste; there's no rangefinder so I use a clip-on one that is a bit of a hassle; no metering (ok, it's easy enough to guess, or use my digital camera for measurement); and the lens is not really up to modern standards.
The Yashica is the best camera I have, and I love the square format. The only thing I have against it is that it's not a folding camera so I just can't bring it with me in my bag on a daily basis, or (easily) on trips; shooting with the Mat is an activity by itself.
Enter the Fujifilm folder. It looks almost exactly like the camera I would design myself given a large staff and a vast budget. If it really is released I think I know what I will get myself for my birthday next year.
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