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Archive 2013 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?

  
 
umihoshijima
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


I shoot a bronica SQ-A with a 80mm f/2.8 kit, and the set has gone up significantly in price since I bought it. I know it wasn't as popular as a lot of other systems (mamiya 645, blad), and I'm afraid that parts will start to get harder to find (the backs break easily).

I have it with the waist-level finder. For people who got rid of their hasselblads/ other medium format…

How much do you miss having a square format?
How much do you miss having a waist-level finder?

I'm thinking of switching to a Mamiya 645 manual-focus with the 80mm f/1.9 (for starters). This would give me more frames a shot, faster lens, but lose the waist finder and square format. I would probably shoot it gripped with a standard eye finder.



Mar 19, 2013 at 12:48 PM
redisburning
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


this is a personal issue.

I've personally never fallen in love with waistlevel shooting despite having owned an sq-a, a rolleiflex 2.8 and an autocord.

as far as your switch, I have to ask why? you could get a blad, for which parts will probably always be available just like Leica, or a rz67, or a rollei (same situation as 'blad) or any number of other larger negative cameras.

if you love square, seriously consider the Mamiya 6. or autocord; you know if you dont want to spend a lot of cash that little minolta can still run with the best of them and fwiw I liked the camera better than the 2.8e planar I had in a few ways.



Mar 19, 2013 at 01:13 PM
Guari
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


As red says, very personal.

To me, square is the most elegant ratio ever. It is not very dynamic though.. I wished Nikon would produce a 36x36 camera, my dream come true..

I have a blad and have never cared too much for wlf. I use that camera 80% on a tripod and for that I use a prism 45. I will only use the wlf if no tripod is around.

I do not use this type of cameras for fast shooting. I need no speed for it's use. I have a dSLR for that.

What do you want to use the camera for?

edit: Repairing a hasselblad is easy stuff, maybe not cheap, but easy. In the US, your man is David Odess...




Mar 19, 2013 at 01:54 PM
umihoshijima
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


I guess I'm undecided on square - half the time it feels constraining, the other half of the time I find it liberating. I don't think I'd miss it a massive amount.

I'm interested specifically in the switch partly to downsize. I think the Mamiya 645 is cheaper, and still a solid camera. a bit smaller/compact is also nice as well. Just got admitted to grad school and know my income won't be spectacular so…

I know that the sq-a is well regarded but I feel that electronic shutter, combined with the temperatmental backs, may make this a poor investment. I know that i hsouldn't be looking at them as investments, but ultimately it's a decent chunk of money for me and I would like some of that back when possible. I've already run throuh one $150 back, and it's frustrating to think this is a possibly recurring cost of owning this. When I consider the cost of an old Mamiya 645 with 80mm f/2.8, I feel I can get by with a cheaper rig and can upgrade to the f/1.9 if I feel the need for it.

Also want to eventually ad something around the 150mm range.

I want to use this for… general stuff. handholding would be fun. Also for some casual portraiture. I'm a hobbyist developing my own black/white and scanning.

RB67 seems nice but is huge, right?

Optimally I would have a hasselblad, for its reliability, ergonomics, repairability, etc… but they're a lot pricier at this moment.

Another possible choice is the Pentax 645… thoughtss?



Mar 19, 2013 at 02:20 PM
alwang
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


I love square, I love waist-level finders, and would never want to give them up entirely. If I were you, I'd just supplement the Mamiya 645 with a cheap TLR: an Autocord, or Rolleicord, or Yashica. I've always felt waist-level finders make more sense with a TLR vs an SLR anyway.


Mar 19, 2013 at 02:29 PM
alwang
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


I love square, I love waist-level finders, and would never want to give them up entirely. If I were you, I'd just supplement the Mamiya 645 with a cheap TLR: an Autocord, or Rolleicord, or Yashica. I've always felt waist-level finders make more sense with a TLR vs an SLR anyway.


Mar 19, 2013 at 02:29 PM
dasrocket
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


Love the square format; I use it on my LX all the time.
I also loved my Yashica TLR and Bronica MF waistfinder, and the NEX with it's 90 degree rear LCD and pop-up shade has served me very well: it focuses exactly the same ergonomically as my old TLR, and the shade works extremely well.
I use one like this one (no affiliation):
http://www.rainbowimaging.biz/shop/product.php?id_product=414/



Mar 19, 2013 at 02:56 PM
carstenw
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


I love square, but don't miss it at all. I have a Hasselblad 2000FC/M and a Rolleiflex 6008i...


Mar 19, 2013 at 04:00 PM
Greg Campbell
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


I quite like the 6x6 format. It's sufficiently different to make composition both challenging and, at the same time, refreshing. Apart from the 4x5 monster (which I don't shoot enough!) all my other cameras produce a 2:3 rectangle. Rectangles get old and boring!

My Bronica's WLF is the option of choice when hiking simply because the 90 degree prism is a brick! Otherwise, I haven't found it to be quite as useful as I'd hoped. Neither the WLF nor the 90 are idea, and both can be a PITA from time to time. Weight aside, I suspect a 45 degree would be the 'best' all around finder.



Apr 06, 2013 at 02:12 AM
Spyro P.
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


Ι love square but only on other peoples' photos.
I put tons of rolls through my mamiya 6 and pentacon 6 but somehow never got it to work for me. I just find it difficult to make an interesting square photo, it seems this shape just doesn't agree with the way I "see" things photographically.

Absolutely loved that mamiya though.



Apr 06, 2013 at 08:18 AM
timballic
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


I owned a Hass' with a 45º finder, and really loved it, as Greg says, that 45 finder is "the best".
However, when it all got stolen, I downsized/priced, first to a Bronica, which I never got on with, then to a Mamiya 645 Super System. I always preferred using the AE viewfinder to the waist finder. (The "N" Waist level finder now sells for twice the price of the AE finder, which originally sold for several times more than the "N"!)
However M645s are prone to jamming, so this site is a must:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzy_j/sets/72157623143778286/
In fact I had two M645 Super bodies so that when one was "in" for unjamming, I could carry on using the other!
I wish I'd known that simple disassembly then. Knowing which lever to press, once disassembled, I would have drilled a hole in the casing next to it, so that it could be unjammed without needing to remove the casing, and kept it covered with insulation tape until needed.
Apart from this, I really liked using the M645 Super.



Apr 06, 2013 at 08:24 AM
Mescalamba
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


Waist level isnt that much missed by me (cause there are cams that have tilt-swivel screen including some that can actually shoot in 1:1 - look on Panasonic m4/3s).

What I "miss" is size of these OVFs. Going down from FF to APS-C is bit "ouch". Using even 645 OVF and then APS-C is pretty painful experience.. Tho with advent of things like A99 it might get better in future.

Well and sensor size isnt up to game. 6x6 is very far from even biggest MF backs.

So simple conclusion for me, I miss "size" of things.



Apr 06, 2013 at 09:44 AM
mawz
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


Note that unless you get a 645E, all of the Mamiya M645 bodies from the original M645 through to the ProTL offer a waistlevel option.

The Super's aren't that prone to jamming either, I never experienced a single jam in 200 rolls through the one I had. It does occasionally occur though. More common are back issues (film advance issues on the integrated bodies, same design issue though and cured on the Pro backs).

I still have a waistlevel, and have had one with my APS-C and 4/3rds Digital bodies since I got my G1 back in early 2009. Flip-twist LCD's give you that and I use it a lot.



Apr 06, 2013 at 10:15 AM
Tariq Gibran
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


Agree about OVF size and waist level shooting. That's the only way I shot for over twenty years. Flip up LCD's, while cool, are not the same for me at all - too much technology between me and my subject...I hate looking at a video facsimile of what I'm shooting.


Apr 06, 2013 at 04:40 PM
geoffreyg
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


WLF - use them a lot on Rolleis. The way to shoot - as composing on the GG is a separate and more deliberate step.


Apr 06, 2013 at 11:16 PM
freaklikeme
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


I do love the WLF with matte screen on the Hassy. There are times when I want to take my NEX and shoot images through the WLF. It's my favorite part of shooting MF, since the camera itself is a bit awkward and fussy.

The format? If square is what you're after, you can get there with any other format. With the right lens and a pano, you can even emulate the resolution and depth of field. So the option's there if you really need it. I prefer a rectangular aspect ratio. I only drag the Hassy out for very specific subjects I know will work with the format or if I want to use a specific film.



Apr 07, 2013 at 01:35 AM
DaveOls
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


Are the Rollei 6000's still made anymore. I know they were not very popular in the US. More popular in Europe. I have aRolleiflex 3.5F from the 60's that I occasionally use.


Apr 07, 2013 at 06:50 AM
carstenw
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


No, not any more. The Hy6 might still be made, it is a bit hard to tell.


Apr 07, 2013 at 10:57 AM
Tariq Gibran
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


The Hy6, amazingly, is still made, almost per custom order from what I heard last.


Apr 07, 2013 at 11:19 AM
igmolinav
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · How much do you miss square medium format/waist-level finder?


Hi,

I would really love to have a digital solution to shoot more with a square format camera.
(At the moment I have a Hasselblad camera, but the body would love some maintenance).
I would love to see a digital back manufacturer come up with a square digital back that
has less than or 15 MP and costs less than 2.5K Just enough to have pros and amateurs
printing 8x10" and 11x14" copies of their work. Current digital square backs have a
sensor sized 37mm. x 37mm. A Canon 6D is 36mm. x 24mm., 20 MP, and costs around 2K.
How much more to have the sensor expanded to 36mm. x 36mm.??

I find a beauty in composing with the square format. I know, many people say, compose
using the rectangle and then make it a square. But, for me it is not the same.
I find the square format for many compositions way more artistic than the rectangle.

If it is of inspiration to you, I was looking recently at this photographer. He was chosen
in the portrait category of the Hasselblad 2012 masters series.

Portraits:
http://www.rouvre.com/fr/gallery/9/portraits

Animation video with portraits:



His website:
http://www.rouvre.com/

Kind regards,

igmolinav : ) !!!



Apr 08, 2013 at 06:16 PM
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