Newbie to Medium Format and want some advice

Ive really enjoyed shooting 35mm film over the last few months and have now bought a scanner so i can do my scans etc.

I am so tempted to break into medium format but am afraid of buying something expensive and hard to use etc.

If I wanted to start shooting good quality portraits what camera lens combo would you recommend that I could start with?

6x7 is on the cards but I want a good lens to go with it

Anyone?

QC

I've been using a 645N II for quite a while now and love it. I know a few local Pentax shooters here using the 6x7 and it's a beast. It's like looking at a huge wide screen TV that takes photos.

Don't know which lens would be best as you need to decide what you want to cover, portrait, landscape, or just kick off with a standard lens and fall in love with just using such a camera. Either way, jump in and commit, you will not regret it.

Reversal film at these sizes is awesome.

Best regards

I have one of the old 645's (manual version), and love it... Don't get out with it enough, but love it when I do... Picture quality is still fantastic on these... You should be able to find one with a couple of portrait lenses (55/75) for around the £220-250 mark... If you want to shoot landscapes, the old 35mm lens is excellent, but a fair bit more expensive and currently being hunted down by D and Z shooters... If you need autofocus, the N is a bit more expensive but otherwise pretty similar... Used to be the go to machine for wedding photographers etc... Even Ken Rockwell likes it http://www.kenrockwell.com/pentax/645/645.htm... Clunk, whirr, brilliant...

Best

I've got to add the quality with the Z is absolutely stunning, and I've been using it with a 45 - 85 Zoom.

I have 645N with FA 45mm 2.8 going begging If you want to start you MF journey with something modern
And yes, 120mm positives are stunning. They are big enough to mount in frames with no back and put in the window
oh yes, I have a load of film in the freezer, ready to go.

Thanks guys for the feedback

I have a 645 with 55, 75 and 150mm lenses and it could be very good for your purpose. I also use a Yashica Mat 124G (6x6 TLR) which is more enjoyable to use but not as well suited to portraits.

I'd love a 67 but the 645 is (just) light and small enough to travel with and to use quickly, much like a 35mm SLR. I suspect the 67 would be much worse in both respects (but I'd love to have one anyway).

I haven't used the Pentax 645 but have a Mamiya 645 - it handles well and is only slightly more cumbersome than a large 35mm film SLR. Whilst the camera/lens combination is slightly bigger, the actual bag can be same size and weight (you just carry fewer lenses and other bits you rarely use). I do have a P67 which is great (but can be temperamental).

When shooting in 'portrait' format (verticals) you need a prism finder unless it's a 6x6 or has revolving backs. The second tripod mount on the side of the Pentax 645 bodies would be a real help (it takes a very good tripod head to hold an MF camera vertical without an 'L' bracket). That said, you can crop a 6x7 image quite effectively.

The hardest part is probably loading/unloading film until you get the hang of it (most MF cameras are fiddly for the first few rolls). The P67 isn't that much bigger as a camera and I prefer the form factor to my Mamiya 645 Pro. A 6x7 transparency is easily worth it though (although if scanning at a high enough resolution to show it at its best, you'll end up with a huge file).

I guess in 35mm terms, the handling and features of a 645 are similar to a Super-A, the 645n/nII similar to an MZ-5n and the the P67 similar to a large K1000.

Personally I prefer the 6x7 format as it's almost twice the area of 645, and when you're halfway up a mountain (not that I often get that far) I feel I can do the image more justice with a larger format.

EDIT: P67 lens focal lengths are roughly twice that of their 35mm equivalents. Good choices for portraits are likely to be the 105/2.4 or 165/2.8 (50 & 85mm equivalents respectively). All the lenses are good, some are excellent, the focal length & apertures are probably the most import criteria.

Note that a lot of MF gear has had hard professional use and a lot of P6x7 lenses are nearly 40yrs old. They're well built metal lenses but can look a bit shabby on the outside.

John.

i love 120 film... i'm using TLRs mainly, plus a couple of 'toy' cameras and a lovely folding one that a friend gave me.

i'm too poor for 'real' medium format cameras, plus i tend to be out and about, so something reasonably portable is a must.

the detail in a 120 negative is amazing and the texture of the photos is just delicious. i've had shots from a Lomo Diana that would shame a DSLR.

One of the important things with regard to handling is that the Pentax 645 and 67 models all operate the same way as the 35mm and DSLR bodies. The lens aperture rings turn the same direction, as does the manual focusing and, where applicable, the shutter speed dial. This is vital when working under pressure and it's worth remembering that Pentax, Nikon and Bronica all operate the same way round. All the other makes operate in reverse.

Although I have a P67 with several lenses - and feel on film this is a great camera - with the 645D & Z out there, a 645 with FA lenses looks a much more enticing proposition today (although I'll shoot my P67 & P6x7 until they wear out). I have however acquired an OEM 67->645 lens adapter 'just in case'!

Pentax 645N plus FA 150mm for portraits, no question.

The N (and Nii) has dial controls unlike it's predecessor which tried out switch type controls. The N is far more a photographer's camera, and does offer autofocus as a bonus (with FA lenses).

Also worth getting a wider angle, macro, and standard lens to compliment the 150mm depending on your photographic interests.