Photography

One of my Photo Plans for the year is to "shoot medium format film (6x7)".  So toward that end I got out and started to dust off my Mamiya RB67.  I have had this kit for a couple of years... purchased used for a very reasonable price.  The only lens I have is the K/L 1:3.5 f=90mm L with floating system (the 35mm equivalent focal length would be 44mm).

The floating mechanism corrects curvature of the field against a subject at infinity.  To operate the floating system is a two step process... first you focus using the ground glass and then set floating system mechanism to the focused distance that can be read off the side of the camera...  this should give you high contrast/resolution from the center to the periphery of the picture area.

That's a total of 6.23 pounds to carry around not including the tripod and light meter

I am a little slow off the blocks this year...  Was a busy November and December, but now starting to get back into the groove...

The plan is to shoot a couple of rolls in the next few days, and have them scanned when they are developed... my other photo plan for the year is to pick up a 120 format film scanner... I can just hear Jeff thinking as he knows that it's been on my list for more than a couple of years...

Have a good weekend,
Casey

photos speak louder than words... and I was out and about in the late afternoon.  6x7 means ten images per roll...  I used my ball head tripod, never again... the image is reversed on the ground glass and getting everything aligned was not so easy...  a three way head would work much better .  The lab is closed on Monday,  so depending on the scanning I should have some photos to share later in the week...

Thanks for the push out the door. The scanner will arrive toward the end of February after taking care of some home admin issues.  Space, I need more space

Thanks for the comment Echi and looking forward to see your friends 6x6 shots.  Do I need to send them some film...

A Leica MP is an alternative...
Casey

Here is a photo going/returning from the shoot this afternoon...

I will definitely share the results... I had some expired film loaded, so we'll see how that turns out... as well, my first time to use scanning by the lab...  Have to wait until late February to get the a 120 format scanner...

How are your photo projects going... any shooting on the schedule?

Casey

was a point & shoot digital just to show how I carried the RB67 and tripod... sorry if I was unclear on that point...  I will drop off my negatives at the Lab tomorrow, so the results from the Mamiya will take a few days.

The New Year period is definitely a family time

Casey

I visited the Ricoh (Pentax) showroom just before the camera was available in stores... it's very nice.  Handles like a dSLR and the menus are very familiar as well.  There are some new lenses and I believe that some(?) legacy lenses can also be used.

A used Hassy and a new digital back must still be expensive... haven't done the math... okay about 6x6 vs. about 4x5 is another consideration.

You might want to look at the 645Z before you buy anything

Thanks for the comment flamenco...

Casey

was considering that some 3-4 yrs ago ?

There is a fantastic report/article 645D vs D800E on Pentaz forum. That made up my mind on the D800E ...

Which I regretted. Large file sizes are not my thing. And for the stuff that I do, quite overkill.

Besdies, That was in my GAS phase.... not anymore ... LOL  But u must agree that the 501 looks really nice

After the experience with the 800E, my medium format itch never came back ... not to mention the cost of lenses ! ouch !

For now M43 & Fuji X , keeps me really really happy ! Light wgt=more joy !

I hear you about large file sizes... I know some scan their film to a smaller size and my film scans are larger than my 5DII files, but I just appreciate the flexibility of the larger scans since I do crop

For some reason I am still looking for a small (digital or film) camera...  My current P&S is not quite enough... M43 or a Fuji X system gives good results, no question... based on potential usage, I don't want to over-buy... another system, I hesitate for some reason.

Gear, love it...

Casey

With the Mamiya RB67 and the K/L 90 f/3.5 L the floating mechanism is implemented on the lens... Please see the attached photo.

I have labled the relevant parts...

(A) for setting the f-stop in a range of f/3.5 to f/32
(B) for setting the shutter speed in a range of 1 sec to 1/400 second plus "T"
(C) for setting the floating system

The fixed part of the floating mechanism (toward the front of the lens) is the set point and DOF indications...
  32 16 8 | 8 16 32

The movable part of the floating mechanism is used to set the distance in a range of 1 meter to infinity...

The process to set the floating system is to first focus on your selected target (using the ground glass viewfinder), then read the distance from the scale on the bellows (that group of colored lines on the side of the camera in the picture).  Once you know (or guess) the distance use (C) to  make the final correction.  The largest impact is for close distances.

The RB67 utilizes a "mechanical lens shutter" rather than a focal-plane shutter as found in most 35mm SLR film cameras.  The shutter speed is set on the lens using (B) in the photo, rather that on the camera body... flash synchronization is available for all shutter speeds.

There is no battery... external metering (or a guess) is required.

Good that you are using your Yashica TLR... looking forward to your photos.

Casey

Floating element lenses have a cam system that adjusts the distance between the lens element groups as the lens is focused, particularly at close distances.  As well the design is said to help minimize certain forms of aberration.

The Nikon nomenclature is CRC (close range correction), at Canon it's a floating system, and Hasselblad & Mamiya call it FLE (floating lens element).

Note that some Mamiya lenses have a DOF only indicator in the same location as the K/L f/3.5 90mm L floating system adjustment... in that case it just indicates the DOF.

I have not noticed any change of focus after adjusting the floating system, but I do mostly landscape work...  I just checked it on a close object and there doesn't seem to be any change of focus...

Casey

I hear you about "15 minutes" vs. "slow serenity"... on social media for the most part I stopped indiscriminate use of the "L" button... if it's worth one button click, then it's worth a short comment.

It might sound corny to say that I shoot digital for my friends and film for myself and it's not 100% accurate, but it does tend to lean in that direction.  Something about the pace...  and I like getting to knowing each lens and it's history... the time alone can be quite enjoyable... and when it snows it can be quite physical .

Correct, no neck strap ... I have one, but I actually like using a tripod... I can walk  around and think between shots.  Rather than a strap, I have a cheap canvas bag with an insert for protection...  backpack for accessories and tripod in the free hand.

The Trip 35 with a 40mm f/2.8 is a nice little camera... and no batteries.

An M3 user... I think a film M and a digital M make a good combination... they can act as back up on a shoot and you can change the mood with two different look-and-feel results.  I do like in-camera metering and A-mode, but nothing like getting back to basics...  I have two meter-less cameras... for those special moments

I would love to try a Hassy some time and likewise it would be nice to see some of your 6x6 photos...

Casey