Medium Format Choices

D

dancook

Suspended / Banned
Messages
6,800
Name
Dan
Edit My Images
No
I'm just starting to consider medium format film for portraits.

Inspired by this type of portrait
http://www.p1600.com/en/portfolio/medium_format_portrait_photography/photo_449.aspx

I see the photographer uses a Rolleiflex SL66, but I don't know what lens - I have sent an email to the photographer, but best guess would be appreciated.

The photographer also uses this film
https://www.calphoto.co.uk/product/...s3Q6qjwyLFN0OXGOWZy0UWYGbf9Q2ZYde4aAnn58P8HAQ

So I do not overload myself too quickly, I could send prints off to be developed and then think about developing at home myself.

Any advice for me? thanks
 
I would probably pick one film (or two, one B&W and one C41) and then stick with it for a while so you can learn it's own characteristics before trying another. Then the differences will be clearer to you. I began by rushing about and trying loads of films and it made it a lot harder for to understand why to pick one film over another.

Also, home developing and scanning is a piece of cake and the equipment pays for itself within a dozen rolls, so that's something to look into. But perhaps leave a lab to develop to begin with so it's one less variable for you to battle with at the start.

I haven't used any Acros (I'm typically an Ilford user, especially Delta) so I can't help there I'm afraid, but I know there are multiple people on here that do.

Looking forward to seeing your photos :)
 
very narrow depth of field, just on the front of the face even the hair over her lugs is fussy :-)
 
The thin depth of field achieved in the example photo, with great in focus sharpness and detail, at the distance (half body shot) is important to what I want from medium format.

I don't know yet what the Rolleiflex offers in comparison to other MF cameras, but I want to be able to use a lens capable of this.
 
The lens is likely the 80mm 2.8 with a bit of tilt added to draw focus to the face. So you'd either have to get a SL66, do some freelensing with an SLR that doesn't use an in lens leaf shutter (something like a Pentax 67), or move to large format.
 
Last edited:
FruitFlakes said:
The lens is likely the 80mm 2.8 with a bit of tilt added to draw focus to the face. So you'd either have to get a SL66, do some freelensing with an SLR that doesn't use an in lens leaf shutter (something like a Pentax 67), or move to large format.
Click to expand...

I just learnt something, thanks - i saw an image with some bellows, and now I see it's built in to the SL66 - nice!
 
Probably get some good advice from @gazmorton2000
Fuji GX680 is versatile but heavy. Tripod only camera in my experience.
 
You can also get a tilt/shift adaptor to use with some lenses on the Mamiya RZ67.
 
Or bite the bullet and get a view camera probably cheaper not much heavier, plus you look like a "real photographer" with a dark cloth over your head :D
 
Last edited:
dancook said:
https://www.calphoto.co.uk/product/...YqvIZ_dmbkN8Osn19OJj0YlzlV47eZodx4aApL28P8HAQ

Thanks! yes didn't realise I was looking at 35mm

:) So when that says 5 pack - that means 5 negatives from a pack? £4 for each photo? before development.
Click to expand...

Thats five rolls of film, depending on the format of you camera you'll get between 16 and 8 shots per roll. A square format rollei gets you 12. So you'd get 60 shots out of that box.

dancook said:
Serious consideration? :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, they're not particularly expensive especially a less than fashionable monorail and those big negatives give the kind of tonality thats very hard to get in smaller formats. Not to mention, precise control of the focus and vapour thin dof (should you want it)
 
Last edited:
dancook said:
Serious consideration? :)
Click to expand...
steveo_mcg said:
Yeah, they're not particularly expensive especially a less than fashionable monorail and those big negatives give the kind of tonality thats very hard to get in smaller formats. Not to mention, precise control of the focus and vapour thin dof (should you want it)
Click to expand...

My LF monorail cost me £180 from the usual auction site. It's not amazing but it works well enough for me for now until I can justify a nice wooden field camera! Had to patch some holes up in the bellows with some electrical tape but it's all good now :D

steveo_mcg said:
Thats five rolls of film, depending on the format of you camera you'll get between 16 and 8 shots per roll. A square format rollei gets you 10. So you'd get 50 shots out of that box.
Click to expand...

It would be 12 shots per roll wouldn't it? My 6x6 hassie and 6x6 C220 both get 12 but my 6x7 RB gets 10
 
steveo_mcg said:
yeah yeah, pedants :D.

Fixed my post to avoid further confusion. Its been a long day.
Click to expand...
The last thing we need hanging around in F&C is pendants.
 
Welcome to the dark side Dan ;0). An alternative to the standard length 80mm 2.8 lenses is to pick up a Mamiya M645j with the 80mm 1.9 lens. That will give you very shallow dof along with 16 shots per roll. Coupled with good scans you'll get great results for probably less than £300.

I'd definitely recommend Acros for B&W portraits. It's a really smooth grain with good sharpness.
 
steveo_mcg said:
yeah yeah, pedants :D.

Fixed my post to avoid further confusion. Its been a long day.
Click to expand...

rjo0619l.jpg
 
dancook said:
Oh that note, I have no idea how flash works with these cameras :D
Click to expand...

Plug a cord on to the flash sync port and onto the base of the flash or on a hotshoe adaptor. Most have a little metal post sticking out the side that the PC cord fits over and the other end is exactly the same as a DSLR with an off camera flash with the exception that many medium format cameras and all (?) large format cameras are leaf shuttered so can sync up to their maximum shutter speed, usually (nominally) 1/500 (ish).
 
Last edited:
Same as with a digital except you need to work out the power first :0). The easiest way will be to shoot digital to chimp then transfer the settings to film. Alternatively, shoot with a Polaroid back and use Fuji FP100C to chimp.
 
trevorbray said:
Probably get some good advice from @gazmorton2000
Fuji GX680 is versatile but heavy. Tripod only camera in my experience.
Click to expand...

Good advice, really? :lol: Not sure about that Trevor but thanks. :)

Hey, Dan! Remember when I mentioned film for your Leica and you said, "no thanks"? What happened there? :P I LOVE medium format. Love it. That one you linked to is stunning IMO. Great tones, great DOF and the grain. I know many people would argue that the whole head has to be sharp, in focus or whatever but I love my portraits like that. Wide open. All the time. If you offered to glue my Contax and Zeiss and F2.0, I would let you!

So yes, as folk have also mentioned above. 12 shots from a roll for 6x6, 16 shots if you go 6x4.5. Yep, it costs a lot more than digital, especially if you get a lab to develop and scan but the results IMO are well worth it.

Unfortunately though, I haven't shot much B&W yet but that will change now I am going 100% film for weddings. As for colour, I love Portra 400. Fuji 400H is also beautiful but I haven't much experience in that. I love my Hasselblad (6x6 squares) with it's 80mm F2.8 which is what you would get form a Rolleiflex. I have a few cameras here that I am more than happy for you to play with but I don't think you are very close. Probably one of them Southern folk?
 
gazmorton2000 said:
Good advice, really? :LOL: Not sure about that Trevor but thanks. :)

Hey, Dan! Remember when I mentioned film for your Leica and you said, "no thanks"? What happened there? :p I LOVE medium format. Love it. That one you linked to is stunning IMO. Great tones, great DOF and the grain. I know many people would argue that the whole head has to be sharp, in focus or whatever but I love my portraits like that. Wide open. All the time. If you offered to glue my Contax and Zeiss and F2.0, I would let you!

So yes, as folk have also mentioned above. 12 shots from a roll for 6x6, 16 shots if you go 6x4.5. Yep, it costs a lot more than digital, especially if you get a lab to develop and scan but the results IMO are well worth it.

Unfortunately though, I haven't shot much B&W yet but that will change now I am going 100% film for weddings. As for colour, I love Portra 400. Fuji 400H is also beautiful but I haven't much experience in that. I love my Hasselblad (6x6 squares) with it's 80mm F2.8 which is what you would get form a Rolleiflex. I have a few cameras here that I am more than happy for you to play with but I don't think you are very close. Probably one of them Southern folk?
Click to expand...


Film for my Leica? hmm :) well I only anticipate using this for portraits - I kinda think i'll get tempted to take it to the streets :D but my Leica Q will have a firm role still - which is what I want.

Yes, I'm near Guildford
 
dancook said:
Film for my Leica? hmm :) well I only anticipate using this for portraits - I kinda think i'll get tempted to take it to the streets :D but my Leica Q will have a firm role still - which is what I want.

Yes, I'm near Guildford
Click to expand...

You are doing awesome stuff with that new Leica that's for sure.
 
RaglanSurf said:
The last thing we need hanging around in F&C is pendants.
Click to expand...

I don't think theres room for any more than our current cohort... We can't build an extension, I already had a refusal for planning permission for an extension to the "spammers dungeons" and anyway @Roberts would have a fit at all the dust and chaos caused by the builders being in...
 
StephenM said:
You can also get a tilt/shift adaptor to use with some lenses on the Mamiya RZ67.
Click to expand...
•
Since I was never at ease with the 'blad square format, The RZ67 (that I still have)
and the Fuji 6x9 (sold quite some time ago) were more in my register.
 
dancook said:
Oh that note, I have no idea how flash works with these cameras :D
Click to expand...

With the notable exception of the original SL66, if you get any of the other Rolleiflex SL66 models (e.g., SL66e, SL66x, or SL66se), they all offer TTL flash with the appropriate flash unit. With the original SL66, you need to calculate your flash exposures manually or use a flash with auto-thyristor capabilities, which will moderate the flash output automatically on your behalf, such as the Vivitar 285.

The Rollei flash sync speed is quite slow at 1/30, as it has a focal plane shutter, but you can purchase leaf shutter lenses for the system, which will get you to 1/500, I believe.

dancook said:
I'm just starting to consider medium format film for portraits.

Inspired by this type of portrait
http://www.p1600.com/en/portfolio/medium_format_portrait_photography/photo_449.aspx

I see the photographer uses a Rolleiflex SL66, but I don't know what lens - I have sent an email to the photographer, but best guess would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

There aren't very many native SL66 lenses, so this will likely be either the 80mm f/2.8, 80mm f/4 leaf shutter, or the 150mm f/4 (I think this is available with and without leaf shutter).

The look of that particular photograph is really due to the lens tilt, as @FruitFlakes noted earlier, which is a feature that very few medium format cameras will offer. To use tilt, you will likely be restricted to working with a tripod. Besides the SL66 and the Fuji GX680, one other medium format camera system that offers tilt and shift capabilities is Hasselblad, as their Flexbody uses the normal V-series lenses, backs, and viewfinders.
 
Last edited:
Thanks,

I'm going to be able to try out a MF setup with 80mm lens and hopefully a bellow for tilt-shift - so look forward to that!
 
There is a tilt/shift adapter for the RZ.
The lens is really about focal length, working distance, which may be important if you are shooting flash, and less about app related shallow depth of focus, 80 doesn't give you much elbow room for portraits.
Having a go with some gear before you buy is an excellent idea..:)


9hnlli.jpg
 
Last edited:
H'mm why buy a SL66 when there are much cheaper MF cameras......the SL66 is beautiful engineered compared to equivalent Japanese cameras and they are crude in comparison but they work just as well, which IMO is the fault with the SL66 in that it is over engineered...the shutter speeds stopped working on mine and not only that my telerolleiflex developed a fault as well h'mm put me off Rollei cameras for life.
With the 80mm lens on the SL66 it was capable of being reversed for macro work but I could never get a sharp shot with it :( anyway I was pleased to sell the telerollei for a RB67 then later bought a Bronica ETRS and the SL66 was in the cupboard unused so I sold it....all this happened about 25-30 years ago
 
And yet Barry Thornton swore by his Rollei - it's the tilts that did it for him.
 
I thought I'd heard that the SL66 etc were notoriously unreliable... anyone with actual facts can confirm or deny that?
 
skysh4rk said:
Because the cheaper medium format cameras you mention have limited tilt capabilities.
Click to expand...

You can get tilt lenses for the later model RB and RZ they'll likely be cheaper even with the expensive lenses.
 
steveo_mcg said:
You can get tilt lenses for the later model RB and RZ they'll likely be cheaper even with the expensive lenses.
Click to expand...

I know that you can get tilt lenses for the Mamiya cameras, but I'm not sure that it works out cheaper than the SL66, which has the capability of tilt with every lens. On Ffordes' website right now, the 75mm f/4.5 shift for the RB67 in just good condition is £400 by itself. You can pick up an SL66 kit for about £500.
 
skysh4rk said:
I know that you can get tilt lenses for the Mamiya cameras, but I'm not sure that it works out cheaper than the SL66, which has the capability of tilt with every lens. On Ffordes' website right now, the 75mm f/4.5 shift for the RB67 in just good condition is £400 by itself. You can pick up an SL66 kit for about £500.
Click to expand...

I assumed the SL66 would be much dearer. Though at that kind of money, I must admit I'd have a view camera.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top