MKPhoto wrote:

For the lab work, I have to refresh what I did 32 years ago with my auntie, who was a professional photographer. I'll most probably go with developing negatives myself; but honestly have no intention going analog "all the way" especially that I have access to high end scanner.

It is all about fun factor. Once it gets too tedious, not fun anymore; and I understand your point about digital efficiency.
So a compromise, negative at home, scan at friend's and rest in the computer.

I have the opinion that printing is the most fun of all. There is little more rewarding than watching a print develop right before your eyes. It's especially fun when it comes out the way you plan it, which usually includes some dodge/burn effects that can't be seen until the print appears.

AgX wrote:
Pawn shop, perhaps?  Just a thought, for handling one.  I would still use KEH to buy.

Will try pawn shop...But this is Winnipeg really, with all its limitations. Maybe there are some in established photographers' attic. Browse for photographers and models in Winnipeg and you will see what kind of  desert it is

We'll see how much S&H to Canada costs!

curiosa des yeux wrote:

I have the opinion that printing is the most fun of all. There is little more rewarding than watching a print develop right before your eyes. It's especially fun when it comes out the way you plan it, which usually includes some dodge/burn effects that can't be seen until the print appears.

I've done some printing when I was a teenager...and did not find it fascinating. Different personality perhaps...No interest in becoming very good at something, rather try a lot of different things.

MKPhoto wrote:

Will try pawn shop...But this is Winnipeg really, with all its limitations. Maybe there are some in established photographers' attic. Browse for photographers and models in Winnipeg and you will see what kind of  desert it is

We'll see how much S&H to Canada costs!

KEH shipping to Canada is a bitch.

But I've had good success buying second hand from B&H before and they're super reasonable.

Linux99 wrote:
KEH shipping to Canada is a bitch.

But I've had good success buying second hand from B&H before and they're super reasonable.

Not THAT bad $60  plus I am sure GST at the border and brokerage fee. My experience from this side is that USPS is the best, because first Canada Post charges $5 for brokerage and UPS up to $40... and if they can;t deliver because I am not at home, post office is 5 min. away and FedEx half an hour.

curiosa des yeux wrote:
I have the opinion that printing is the most fun of all. There is little more rewarding than watching a print develop right before your eyes. It's especially fun when it comes out the way you plan it, which usually includes some dodge/burn effects that can't be seen until the print appears.

MKPhoto wrote:
I've done some printing when I was a teenager...and did not find it fascinating. Different personality perhaps...No interest in becoming very good at something, rather try a lot of different things.

I was the same way.  I even had a darkroom set up by my parents.  But I could never get the print the way I envisioned.  Not enough technique/knowledge - but mostly not enough patience.  I always had a pro lab make the prints after I marked up a test print with a grease pencil.  Once digital came, I did what you're going to do, scan and do my print work in Photoshop and output either on an Epson or as a silver print from the file.

Now, some twenty years later, I find I truly enjoy the process.  I now have the patience necessary to really learn and refine the techniques necessary to create the prints I always imagined.

Paramour Productions wrote:
Now, some twenty years later, I find I truly enjoy the process.  I now have the patience necessary to really learn and refine the techniques necessary to create the prints I always imagined.

There is cross country skiing, mountaing biking, paragliding, and a few more things interfering....never mind (half) of family and work. Perhaps it is a matter of personality.
Some people say "good enough never is", I say "better is enemy of good". Maybe not exactly best approach to photography, but that's how it goes. I do not forsee trips to the darkroom in the near future. But never say never.

Neil Snape wrote:
I'll never shoot film again.

Obe Wan .... I just felt a dip in the force

MKPhoto wrote:
I am shooting strictly, completely for fun, and don;t even take myself very seriously;  I am  interested in exploring = having fun with more variety.

......what kind of image quality can be expected from the cheap 645 or 6x7 "outfit", reference being sub-$1000 DSLR.  The use will be studio only, B&W; on a tripod, most probably side by side with the current Nikon D-90. camera . No intention of printing in darkroom, I have access to high end scanners.

If your planning to shoot tripod... don't mess around with 645..... get the mother of all medium format slr. The Fuji gx680. The quality will blow you away and you will have tilt and shift as well. Talk about variaty!



Get it from astrosmith on ebay. Great Used MF dealer with quick shipping.

Here is what that camera can do:



This was shot with a Fuji gx680 (version 1) and a 250mm lens.

I recently picked one up for a friend for:
$120 body
$250 lens
$75 for a film back
$59 for a battery pack.

sgb images wrote:
Consider the Pentax 67 it's just an overgrown SLR

Thanks...Interesting! and very rational,  that would be a quicker learning curve, and possibly better results faster, but it is too rich...and I have a Pentax SLR already .

Fred Greissing wrote:
This was shot with a Fuji gx680 (version 1) and a 250mm lens.

I recently picked one up for a friend for:
$120 body
$250 lens
$75 for a film back
$59 for a battery pack.

Seem so  from astrosmith22, plus $120 shipping.
Stuff on his site is a bit more expensive now.


The image you showed is ridiculously sharp.

Getting this would mean being serious, not dabbling

MKPhoto wrote:
Getting this would mean being serious, not dabbling

Great for serious stuff, but also great for fun and games.

Here are a couple of polaroids shot with the Fuji gx 680:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5224/5806 … e426_b.jpg

You can also do this sort of stuff:

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6168/6152 … 7b9f_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6056/6322 … e9b1_b.jpg
photos linked from flirkr

You can also use the tilt shift to shoot very shallow depth of field, but also keep two people on different planes in focus.


without tilt


with tilt. Both were shot at the same aperture.

MKPhoto wrote:
BRONICA GS-1 WITH 100 F3.5 PG (72), 120 6X7 BACK, PRISM, SPEEDGRIP G, MEDIUM FORMAT SLR MANUAL FOCUS CAMERA OUTFIT $364 ?

MAMYIA RB67 PRO-S WITH 127 F3.8 (77) MEDIUM FORMAT SLR MANUAL FOCUS STANDARD ANGLE LENS  $317 ?

cut and paste from KEH website.

Hasselblad is outside of play money range.

I will let MM decide, Please cast votes

The RB, you won't have to reset your tripod to change from vertical to horizontal format, just spin the back 90 degrees. The GS-1 will be more cumbersome to use and was discontinued long ago by a company that is now defunct. Great camera but there was recently a rather large sale of BRAND NEW RB stuff which means Mamiya is still stocking parts and open for business.

Henry The Artist wrote:
In addition to the excellent suggestions already made I wonder if the OP has considered a twin lens reflex?

TLRs are lighter and (usually) much cheaper than medium format SLRs. For many years Rollei, Yashica, and Mamiya TLRs were the camera of choice for fashion and portrait photohraphers.

Thanks!..   Rollei is out of play money range and I am checking Mamiya TLR on the website.

As of now I am tossing between Fuji GX680 with 135mm f/5.6 or 100 mm f/4 and Mamyia RB67 Pro with 127mm f/3.8 lens. There is $$$ difference between the two, but passion of some MM'ers for Fuji is contagious (and they look like Star Wars not ...old cameras ). Also PMs and searching the net suggest that Fujinon lenses might be sharper than Mamyia.

MKPhoto wrote:

Thanks!..   Rollei is out of play money range and I am checking Mamiya TLR on the website.

As of now I am tossing between Fuji GX680 with 135mm f/5.6 or 100 mm f/4 and Mamyia RB67 Pro with 127mm f/3.8 lens. There is $$$ difference between the two, but passion of some MM'ers for Fuji is contagious (and they look like Star Wars not ...old cameras ). Searching the net  also suggests that Fujinon lenses might be sharper than Mamyia.

I don't see how you can go wrong with the Fuji, just get it. I went with Pentax 6x7, partly due to opportunity and partly for the 165 2.8 and 105 2.4, great lenses for the look I am after. It is a huge, primitive clunk box but the view is awesome with fast lenses and I feel comfortable controlling it.

Rick Athearn wrote:
How about an old Hasselblad 500CM with an 80mm Zeiss lens? They are pretty cheap these days and have fantastic optics.

You can get them for about $250 and other lenses are about as cheap.

Btw...the BEST Glass!

Digital Czar wrote:
You can get them for about $250 and other lenses are about as cheap.

Btw...the BEST Glass!

Could not find below $800 at KEH....Also 6x6 and 80 mm is short for my use.

Carioca wrote:
The problem with a Hasselblad it's squared, if you shoot for a rectangular output, you always waste half of the film.

Square format is never a waste ... It's perfect in it's own merit - you just need a lil time to adjust to it, that's all ...
The same thing with using waist-level finder and/or ground glass on Large Format camera.

I used to shoot Hassy for so long when I get back to 35mm digital - I cropped all my image to square-format ... because I'm so get used to the lovely 6x6 format ...

Digital Czar wrote:
You can get them for about $250 and other lenses are about as cheap.

Btw...the BEST Glass!

yeah ... in beat-up condition, maybe ...

I might say maybe around $500 - $800 for the one with still good condition ... my ball-park ...

Madcrow Photographics wrote:
Medium format film scans well even on a flatbed and black and white film is dirt simple to develop at home. I'd say go for it!

I already decided to go... I am just waiting for someone to tell me that Mamyia RB67 with 135mm lens is better choice than Fuji GX680 with  150mm lens.

MKPhoto wrote:
I already decided to go... I am just waiting for someone to tell me that Mamyia RB67 with 135mm lens is better choice than Fuji GX680 with  150mm lens.

Size reference for ya

GX-680 vs Nikon F3 by nitrostang02, on Flickr

CAMERA WARS - GX680 is the boss, RB67 looks small next to it by Fredrik Lundén, on Flickr
Fuji reviews
http://www.dannyburk.com/fuji_gx680iii.htm

RacerXPhoto wrote:
Size reference for ya

GX-680 vs Nikon F3 by nitrostang02, on Flickr

CAMERA WARS - GX680 is the boss, RB67 looks small next to it by Fredrik Lundén, on Flickr
Fuji reviews
http://www.dannyburk.com/fuji_gx680iii.htm

ROFLMAO^2  I knew it was large....but not that large....haha. No wonder delivery from Japan is $120.

I bought one, with 125 mm f5.6 and 120 back.. $100 more than initially planned, but as toys for boys go, you can't get any better. If it is good enough for Fred (thanks for help, you made my day, mother of all SLRs) it is good enough for me...

At least I have a tripod to match...

MKPhoto wrote:

ROFLMAO^2  I knew it was large....but not that large....haha. No wonder delivery from Japan is $120.

I bought one, with 125 mm f5.6 and 120 back.. $100 more than initially planned, but as toys for boys go, you can't get any better. If it is good enough for Fred (thanks for help, you made my day, mother of all SLRs) it is good enough for me...

At least I have a tripod to match...

That tiny thing? I bet you could fit 3 of them inside this one!!!

Paramour Productions wrote:
I think you made a good choice, there's nothing like playing with camera movements, it's why I love my 4x5.

In fact, Fred posts have had me looking to pick one up myself....

There is one there (on ebay) with a 135 mm lens. for $350 + $120 S&H.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fuji-GX-680-cam … 784wt_1161

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fuji-GX-680-cam … 764wt_1161

MKPhoto wrote:
Let's not play mine is bigger game, because I took a few shots with a 100MPx, 12x18cm sensor (liquid nitrogen cooled, for noise reduction...), 14,400 mm f/4. It was a while ago...

Ha ha!!! That's awesome. The green beast is not mine, a friend of mine has it. Not currently in use, a bit of a lug-around for street shooting.

RacerXPhoto wrote:
Good choice nice to see Mr G turn another over the the dark side....lmao
I wish rental shops still has this baby
Would love to take a test spin

..No problem, 50 page proposal, half a dozen co-drivers and two years waiting list...
But you can get a 4000mm f/8 for a price of a good car, 700lb....

MKPhoto wrote:

..No problem, 50 page proposal, half a dozen co-drivers and two years waiting list...
But you can get a 4000mm f/8 for a price of a good car, 700lb....

Was that a divro lens on that monster?