120 RF for Travel

[al1966]

OK I have a nice extra job and I don't need the money so I first thought Ill buy a used Leica. But I have a project I am doing that involves a lot of travel and I thought something lighter than my Bronica would be cool. I quite like 643 as a format but then 67 is bigger and can be blown up bigger. The square format is also a highly appealing format, so what are my options? This would more than likely only be a one lens deal though so fixed lens is cool, I think after tax I will have £700-£1000. My Wife still thinks I should get a Leica though, she will be donating the extra if needed.

[mugent]

I have a Fuji GF670, it'd be difficult to get one for under £1k, but it's possible, I got mine imported 2nd hand, for around that.

It's a lovely camera, I also have an Leica M6, and I much prefer the Fuji, the quality of results are obviously much better too.

The GF670 can do 6x6 and 6x7, so very versatile, it's a light camera too, for an MF anyway, it weighs around the same as my M6.

Since it's a folder, portability isn't really any worse than the M6, I'm taking a bag either way.

It's basically the lure of a red dot vs quality of results, for me I'll take the Fuji every time.

MT

[tj01]

Mamiya 7 with either a 65mm, or if you can afford it, 50mm.

[Leigh Youdale]

Having had the use of a Bessa III (same as GF670) for a couple of weeks it would get my vote. If I didn't already have the Rolleiflex I would have bought one. Easier to use in 6x6 format (for me, anyway) but 6x7 gives nice frames too.

[FrankHarries]

Mamiya 6 - the best 120 i've ever used traveling!

[sahe69]

GF670/Bessa III - or the Mamiya 6 (or 7 if you prefer).

[al1966]

Now looking through the options so far, I like the look of the Fuji but the Mamiya 6 looks good as does the 7. Although I also saw mentioned Fuji 645's and they looked quite desirable I remember playing with one in shop along with the Mamiya and I think a Bronica. The Fuji was lighter which if my fybro flairs up will be important, I bought a µ43 as I could not hold my 5d for a long time and used a film compact alongside. But I want a big neg though 645 would do there is always the desire for more.

[drinkingeye]

one more vote for Bessa III, light, flexibel, good IQ!

[ruby.monkey]

Fuji GW670 III - it's a hammer, it's a guy-rope anchor, it's a melee weapon, it's a shelter against small-arms fire, and it takes pretty good pictures to boot. Duct-tape a Swiss Army knife to the back and you have the perfect travel companion.

[raid]

You must decide what you find as best for you.
I have many times used a Rolleiflex 2.8D as my main travel camera, and I have never regretted doing so. It is a way to make the camera equipment basic in a trip, while still keeping it first class. The details in the negatives or transparencies are amazing in the MF format. The TLR also made me avoid the mess of having to change lenses. You would be able to take a small camera bag with the TLR, a small light meter, a cloth for lens cleaning, and then some 120 film.

To be honest, my current back-up camera for the 2.8D is a Leica M6 with 35mm lens on it.

[al1966]

Raid I am pretty much a one lens on a camera person, I hate changing lenses in the field and I pretty much only use 35mm and 50mm with the occasional foray in to 135 for portraits and 28mm. As long as I get something with a field of view around 50mm equiv I will be fine. I am looking more towards the Fuji 645 cameras as Ill use them more into bad periods.

[atlcruiser]

Mamiya 7 w/65 would be my sugesstion. I often leave the M6 a home and take the x pan and the mamiya 7 when on the road.

[SteveM]

I can recommend from my own travel experience that the Bronica RF645 makes a wonderful travel camera. A large negative is great on a light table, but realistically, how large will you print? If you are considering Leica, then 645 is certainly an improvement and good enough. If I didn't have this camera I might consider the Mamiya 7 but it is costly and not as compact. That's a personal choice. I'm sticking with the Bronica. By the way, I have a Leica, but for travel I prefer the Bronica. There's one in the classifieds now at a very good price (no relation to the seller).

Steve

[Matus]

I had a Rolleiflex T and now have Mamiya 6 + 50, 70, 150. So here comes my experience with these 2:

The Rolleiflex is rather light and compact. Very nice to use and much less "aggressive" to strangers than a camera held at eye level. But it is also slower to use as you need an external light meter. One BIG advantage are long exposure shots - for most cases a compact table top tripod will allow you to take them (I have Manfrotto 709 - it is perfect) and you do not need to lie on the ground to compose and focus. I would go for f/3.5 Planar/Xenotar lens as these should be sharper wide open. On the other side the f/3.5 Tessar is beautiful for portraits and gets really sharp once stopped down a bit (f/8 - f/11). Compared to rangefinder cameras TLRs are easier to get to focus closer than 1m - there are lens attachments available - I had the Rolleinar 1 that allows to to go down to 0.5 m.

The Mamiya 6 with one lens weights a bit more than Rolleiflex T (1.2 kg versus 1.0 ). The lenses are scary sharp at any aperture. You get AE with lock but you need to be carefull with the meter - it is sensitive on light hitting the viewfinder from the top - so especially when shooting with the 150 lens you may need to take you reading a bit "down". It takes 1 - 2 films to learn (I would suggest high contrast E6 films for that). The advantage of the Mamiya 6 over the 7 is the collapsible lens mount - it really makes a difference and the camera is easier to store in a shoulder bag. On the other side if you break your winding mechanism you will have a very hard time to get it repaired - Mamiya does not support parts anymore.

******

If you are 1 lens guy than The new Bessa III could be interesting. A new camera (cool too ) with a good lens and AE. But for comparison - it is not more compact than Mamiya 6 with the lens collapsed. Check the specs.

If you want to have more than just normal lens than have a look at Bronica RF645. I never had one, but it is supposed to be excellent, with very good handling. The body and 45 and 65 lenses can be had for reasonable money and should be within your budget. The long ones (100 or 135) are harder to find and pricey. If you would plan to get the long lens - keep in mind that most cameras on the market have frame lines for 100 and not 135. 135 were produced in low numbers and were replaced by the 100.

One more option you should not forget are the Fuji GA645, GA645w and GA645ZI cameras - AF with very good lenses. Rather light and also cheap compared to the above.

[f16sunshine]

Similar to Raid I use a Rolleiflex D and a M8. I would love to have a folder and wish the Bessa iii/ fuji gf670 were 6x9 rather than 67/66. That said. I Own a GW690iii and 670iii. They are big cameras but not heavy and take fantastic photos. The TLR is my choice for now as it is the least intrusive. Never pulling the camera to ones face is great for travel.

[bwcolor]

I have traveled in SE Asia with my Mamiya 7. It makes a good travel/hiking camera, but more recently I purchased a Bronica RF645 and short of very large prints, I believe this to be a better camera for travel. It is more compact and I personally like the vertical format. I would not take a medium format SLR. Just me.

[kuzano]

My selection would be the GA645Zi.....

Some Zoom 55-90mm (one lens only...no changing in the field)
Fast accurate AF
Manual Override
Quiet...oh so Quiet
Over/Under exposure telltale... nice
The three I have had were reliable
Good service still available reasonably priced
Not that big
Available in Titanium and Black. Black holds price better.

I was NEVER!!! disappointed with the function and Image Quality of my Zi's. (3)

Slightly bigger than the GA645, and not much bigger than the original GS645 folder, which is why I sold my folders.

The camera is so quiet I used to have to look at the frame count to see if it fired and advanced.

Excellent supply and priced well under $1000 for low shutter count examples. Tricky shutter count.... unlike the big Fuji's, the shutter count is a manipulation that shows a one or two digit count on the back display...TO WHICH you add TWO zeros. The big Fuji's have a count on the camera bottom to which you add one zero.

One of my Zi's was still going strong showing a shutter count of 342 plus two zeros. 34,200. I sent it in for a CLA and no problems.

[mervynyan]

GF670 for large print, it is handy. of course leica is good choice as well, if you don't need too big of a print.

[atlcruiser]

Just to chime in again.....

If it comes down to M6 or Bronica or any 645 I would suggest stay with the leica. I sold/traded all of my 645 stuff as the bulk, weight, smaller number of frames per roll etc... did not justify itself over 35mm IMO.

I jumped to 6x7 and have never looked back. I figure why not get the most negative possible at about the same weight/size

[Calzone]

+1 on a TLR. I prefer a Rollei 3.5F over a 2.8 because of its lighter weight. My 3.5F has a reliable meter BTW that gives me good exposures. Go for the bigger negative; shoot the square over 6x4.5.

+1 on a Mamiya 6.

BTW I own both and often pair the two as a kit.

Cal

[Austerby]

I have the fixed focal length Fuji GA645i and it's a brilliant camera - stunning negatives, lightweight, compact and easy to use.

I can see that a Mamiya 7 may be a better camera in many ways but for travel purposes I don't think that the price of the bulk of the Mamiya would outweigh the quality gain on the smaller negative of the Fuji.

Having bought and used the Fuji GA645i has cured me of thoughts of getting the Mamiya, lovely camera though I'm sure it is.

An alternative you may not have considered is the Hasselblad Xpan, which has medium-format quality levels from the wide negatives possible and which is smaller and more versatile than the 645 rangefinders, but of course would get you even further away from the square format than the 645s.

I do have a Yashicamat TLR as well, which is also a good lightweight travel camera.

[htimsdj]

I like to take as little gear as possible, and went to Spain within the last year with just my Nikon F6 and the 50mm 1.4 lens. I also have a Mamiya 7II with the 80mm lens (which is a bit wider than 50mm on 135). While the 7II is a nice camera, I figure, if I am hand-holding the camera, it doesn't matter what size negative I have. Therefore, I prefer the F6 for travel.

With the 7II and my Leica's, its a lot slower, which makes it harder for my travel photography. With the F6, I've got all the information in the viewfinder AND on top of the camera. I can hold the camera in front of me and meter by looking down on the top panel and the bring it up to my eye for quick shots. Also, since the full meter information is available, I can go up and down on exposure, depending upon whether I think the meter is tricked.

[JHenry]

I just got a Mamiya 7ii, and can tell you it will be coming along with me on my next trip...along with at least one Leica M.

The 7ii isn't small, but it isn't that big either, and it doesn't weigh a ton. I got the 65mm, 80mm, and 150mm lenses, but will only travel with the 65 and 150. Pretty small kit if that is what you're only taking with you. And, it's a joy to use.

I considered the Fuji RF's, but decided that I wanted the option to change lenses, which is sounds like isn't an important factor for you. But, having the option is nice.

Personally, I can't wait to travel with this camera. I think it will be great. Now...if only B&W film came in 220...

Jeff

[Matus]

Many good points mentioned already - I would just add few more questions -

How relevant is to you the speed of operation? Mamiya 6 & 7 and probably also RF645 are quite comparable to 35mm rangefinder (like Bessa R3A). TLR is slower (metering, focusing). The AF Fuji are probably the "fastest". Still - none of these will probably rival 35mm AF SLR.

How relevant is to you speed of lenses? In MF RF you do not get faster than f/3.5 (Mamiya 6), mostly f/4.0. OK - there is Plaubel Makina 67 with f/2.8 lens, but that is a bit special camera. The TLRs are also f/2.8 at best. If you need fast lenses than again 35mm format (RF or SLR) is hard to beat.

How much film do you shoot and/or how often do you like or need to change the film? 35mm format gives you 36 frames, 6x4.5 : 16, 6x7 : 10 and 6x9 : 9 frames per roll.

... just food for thought ..

[al1966]

Ok I will be aiming to shoot at f8+, I am not bothered about speed of use but am not keen to have a TLR. I will shoot with either colour print or slide at around 100asa, broad day light only, no evening or low light shooting. Thank you for all the replies so far I have a lot to think about but have a fair time to decide (March).