[Leica] which medium format?

[photo.forrest at earthlink.net (Philip Forrest)]

Do you want to shoot 6x6, 6x7, 6x9 or 6x4.5?  
There's a lot of top shelf medium format gear out there on the used market 7
some NOS that is plummeting in cost since camera retailers are losing money
by keeping stock of brands such as Hassy and Mamiya.  The volume of sales
just isn't there to justify the overhead necessary to have models on hand
that a prospective buyer could physically handle.  It's all special order
these days.  
Bronica would probably be the lowest cost to get into MF.  After that,
Mamiya's TLR's (6x6) and then the RB or RZ series (6x7.)  These Mamiya 6x7
cameras are definitely the opposite of Leica aside from quality.  Slow,
deliberate and incredibly heavy.  I still fantasize over owning one though I
use a Bronica 6x6.  I've assisted photographers who use Mamiya RZ67's and
lugging around that gear is no joke.  
Hasselblad would be the best investment in the long run in my view (because
I love the square format) and also because there is so much support for the
system.  Digital backs, more lenses than you can shake a stick at and the
pinnacle of quality among medium format cameras.
A negative larger than 6x7 would be handles by a roll-film back on a 4x5 ro
a specialty camera from Fuji or Linhof (for example.)

Then again still, sometimes the most fun comes out of a MIOJ Mamiya Six
folder or some similar offering from Zeiss or Voigtlander.  Having a 6x6
folding camera that's the same size as an M body with a 50 Summicron is a
wonderful thing when just walking about.

Philip

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+photo.forrest=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+photo.forrest=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf
Of Ric Carter
Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 12:52 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: [Leica] which medium format?

There's been plenty of talk about how cheap medium format stuff is  
right now.

What would you guys suggest as being the camera to get if starting  
from scratch?

Mostly, just curious.

Ric Carter
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/ricc/

_______________________________________________
Leica Users Group.
See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information