I just got my first medium format camera!

In article , J?rg
Preddimann wrote:

Andrew McCall wrote in message
...
Hi Folks,

After 6 months working with 35mm, I have decided to explore the medium
format world, and tonight I bought my first medium format camera - a
Yashicamat 124-G from eBay! Its in great condition, and comes with an
close-up lens set (No 2) manufactured by Aico and a Yashicamat lens hood.

I know people would probably have recommended a Rolleiflex such as a T,
but to defend my choice, I didn't want to spend more than £100 and its
very difficult to get a Rolleiflex for this price thats in a condition
like the Yashicamat. If I really like medium format I will sell on the
Yashicamat and get something like a Mamiya 645, and I probably won't
loose much on the Yashicamat so long as I keep it in good condition.
All together, the Yashicamat fits my needs perfectly.

I do have a few questions though, and I was hoping for some help from
people in here.

What sort of cable release do I need to get? I already have one that
works with my Nikon FM2n, will this work with the Yash?

I normally shoot 35mm with Ilford HP5+, I presume the Ilford HP5+ 120 is
exactly the same as what I normally use? Does development time differ?

Can anyone tell me about the Aico close up lens that comes with the camera?

Are there any other "must have" items for this camera?

I have a JOBO LPL 7700 enlarger with a Schneider 2.8/50mm lens, do I
need to get a different lens if I intend to do my own printing?

Thanks for the help in advance!

Andrew McCall

I can understand your desire to have a better quality image than a
35mm negative/slide or most digital SLRs will provide, therefore you
are dabbling with medium format. You can get better results if you buy
a Sigma SD10 DSLR. Not only will you have 10.3 Megapixels of
resolution to work with, but RAW files from this camera will print
amazing enlargements up to 30 by 40 inches that a 120/220
negative/slide would not be able to do without unacceptable grain.
When you are ready to *REALLY* move up, climb aboard the Sigma
express.

--

Jörg Preddimann

spurious claims with no supporting evidence.

"Devil's Avocado" schreef in bericht
...
In article , J?rg
Preddimann wrote:

Andrew McCall wrote in message
...
Hi Folks,

After 6 months working with 35mm, I have decided to explore the medium
format world, and tonight I bought my first medium format camera - a
Yashicamat 124-G from eBay! Its in great condition, and comes with an
close-up lens set (No 2) manufactured by Aico and a Yashicamat lens
hood.

I know people would probably have recommended a Rolleiflex such as a
T,
but to defend my choice, I didn't want to spend more than £100 and its
very difficult to get a Rolleiflex for this price thats in a condition
like the Yashicamat. If I really like medium format I will sell on
the
Yashicamat and get something like a Mamiya 645, and I probably won't
loose much on the Yashicamat so long as I keep it in good condition.
All together, the Yashicamat fits my needs perfectly.

I do have a few questions though, and I was hoping for some help from
people in here.

What sort of cable release do I need to get? I already have one that
works with my Nikon FM2n, will this work with the Yash?

I normally shoot 35mm with Ilford HP5+, I presume the Ilford HP5+ 120
is
exactly the same as what I normally use? Does development time differ?

Can anyone tell me about the Aico close up lens that comes with the
camera?

Are there any other "must have" items for this camera?

I have a JOBO LPL 7700 enlarger with a Schneider 2.8/50mm lens, do I
need to get a different lens if I intend to do my own printing?

Thanks for the help in advance!

Andrew McCall

I can understand your desire to have a better quality image than a
35mm negative/slide or most digital SLRs will provide, therefore you
are dabbling with medium format. You can get better results if you buy
a Sigma SD10 DSLR. Not only will you have 10.3 Megapixels of
resolution to work with, but RAW files from this camera will print
amazing enlargements up to 30 by 40 inches that a 120/220
negative/slide would not be able to do without unacceptable grain.
When you are ready to *REALLY* move up, climb aboard the Sigma
express.

--

Jörg Preddimann

spurious claims with no supporting evidence.

To tell mo coarse lies.
The 10.2 mp have to be devided by 3 as the Sigma uses a pixel for each
color. Read more on http://www.kenrockwell.com/sigma/sd10.htm, better
explanation than I can give.
Anyway, IMHO in your case this alternative is even not worth discussing.

Back to the topic:
if you are looking for amazing quality on MF for a budget: look for a Mamiya
C330 or C220, but look for one with black (=most recent, best coated)
lenses. Only Hassy users will tell Hassy is better ;-)

Cable release: just try to fit it on the camera (without forcing it of
course) and press the button. If the shutter clicks... (My cable release
works on both my Nikon and my Mamiya C220)

Enlarger: not every 35mm enlarger will accept MF. I don't know your
enlarger, so can't answer this for you. Anyway, the lighting system must
cover a MF negatieve without light falloff on the edges. If your enlarger
allows it: you'll probably have to fit a new lightbox and negative carrier
in it.

What I can say about your enlarger lens: most likely it won't do as most
50mm lenses don't cover the whole 6x6 negative; you'll need a new lens of 80
mm (Rodagon, Schneider, Nikon... have very good lenses but they'll cost you
x times the price of you camera: look for used ones)

Film HP5+ : the massive development chart
(http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.html ) does not mention different
times for different formats, so I assume you can use the same times.

Final advice: buy yourself the above equipment, spend your money for a good
enlarger lens and you'll be in the ballpark 1) for uncomparable quality 2)
for a fraction of the price of digital.

Enjoy!

Jan