$6000 budget

Would the original poster please come back with feedback? How have we done?

It does sound as if you're 'setting the scene' for a Hasselblad, but it
would suit your work. 35mm would also meet your needs, bar film size.

I have an RZ. 3 lenses, 2 backs, pola back, filters, meter, etc. It weighs a
ton when it's all in the bag. Not a 'casual' kit by any means, but as you
may already know, it takes amazingly good pictures with hardly any cropping.
The lenses are very, very good, and short of 5x4, it's about as good as it
gets. You can pick up an immaculate 'kit' on ebay for about £700, or an RB
'kit' for around £400. You'll either love em or hate em. (I love/hate mine)

Personally, I would buy everything from ebay. There are a lot of very good
amateur used deals there at the moment, and if something doesn't suit, you
can sell it again quickly.

So, good luck with your Hasselblad then?

It does sound as if you're 'setting the scene' for a Hasselblad, but it
would suit your work. 35mm would also meet your needs, bar film size.

I have an RZ. 3 lenses, 2 backs, pola back, filters, meter, etc. It weighs a
ton when it's all in the bag. Not a 'casual' kit by any means, but as you
may already know, it takes amazingly good pictures with hardly any cropping.
The lenses are very, very good, and short of 5x4, it's about as good as it
gets. You can pick up an immaculate 'kit' on ebay for about £700, or an RB
'kit' for around £400. You'll either love em or hate em. (I love/hate mine)

Personally, I would buy everything from ebay. There are a lot of very good
amateur used deals there at the moment, and if something doesn't suit, you
can sell it again quickly.

So, good luck with your Hasselblad then?

"jjs" wrote in message
...
Would the original poster please come back with feedback? How have we
done?

Pretty well- I like the idea of the RZ, but it's a cumbersome beast. The 7II
wouldn't work, I think- I prefer SLR viewing as I stated originally, and
apparently RF lenses just don't focus close enough. I liked Hasselblad- so
much it is at #1 on my list, and I picked up a 50mm CF FLE yesterday (for
£55, yay!) and if budget allows I hope to pick up a 203FE with 110/2.0 and
150/2.8 (else it'll be a 503CW- tried an ELX but it's heavier than the RZ).
Second choice was a Rollei 6008i, but with the lenses and accessories I want
it would run to something like £4500, and that extra £900 would be a big
step towards my next 35mm kit (An R8 and half a lens, I think).

Unless something wildly changes my mind, I think it's a Hassel'd life for
me.

--
Martin Francis http://www.sixbysix.co.uk
"Go not to Usenet for counsel, for it will say both no, and yes, and
no, and yes...."

"jjs" wrote in message
...
Would the original poster please come back with feedback? How have we
done?

Pretty well- I like the idea of the RZ, but it's a cumbersome beast. The 7II
wouldn't work, I think- I prefer SLR viewing as I stated originally, and
apparently RF lenses just don't focus close enough. I liked Hasselblad- so
much it is at #1 on my list, and I picked up a 50mm CF FLE yesterday (for
£55, yay!) and if budget allows I hope to pick up a 203FE with 110/2.0 and
150/2.8 (else it'll be a 503CW- tried an ELX but it's heavier than the RZ).
Second choice was a Rollei 6008i, but with the lenses and accessories I want
it would run to something like £4500, and that extra £900 would be a big
step towards my next 35mm kit (An R8 and half a lens, I think).

Unless something wildly changes my mind, I think it's a Hassel'd life for
me.

--
Martin Francis http://www.sixbysix.co.uk
"Go not to Usenet for counsel, for it will say both no, and yes, and
no, and yes...."

Martin Francis wrote:

"jjs" wrote in message
...
Would the original poster please come back with feedback? How have we
done?

Pretty well- I like the idea of the RZ, but it's a cumbersome beast. The 7II
wouldn't work, I think- I prefer SLR viewing as I stated originally, and
apparently RF lenses just don't focus close enough. I liked Hasselblad- so
much it is at #1 on my list, and I picked up a 50mm CF FLE yesterday (for
£55, yay!) and if budget allows I hope to pick up a 203FE with 110/2.0 and
150/2.8 (else it'll be a 503CW- tried an ELX but it's heavier than the RZ).
Second choice was a Rollei 6008i, but with the lenses and accessories I want
it would run to something like £4500, and that extra £900 would be a big
step towards my next 35mm kit (An R8 and half a lens, I think).

Unless something wildly changes my mind, I think it's a Hassel'd life for
me.

Have you had the opportunity to try out a Contax 645? I rented one a few times,
and found it to be a great handling camera for hand held shooting. I also
prefer the Rollei 6008i to the various Hasselblad 500 series cameras I have
tried, mostly due to ergonomics. I have not tried any of the 203 series
Hasselblad cameras. I have used Mamiya RB/RZ 67 cameras, and while heavy, they
are also fairly easy to work ergonomically, though adding a grip and prism
finder help greatly.

Similar to your experiences, the Bronica ETRSi and SQ series just seem a bit
light and fragile. While they were tough enough in heavy usage, they are also
quite loud, which makes them seem much cheaper and lower quality than other
choices. I am a bit biased against Mamiya 645, after some bad experiences. I
have also tried Pentax 645 and 67 SLRs, though I don't like the lack of a
changeable back.

In North America, there are quite a few good deals on Rollei 6008i and 6003
SLRs, though they are not as common used as other makes. If you are not adverse
to using EBAY, there might be enough selection to drop that pricing index you
found quite a bit lower. Using a 6008i with the handgrip is really ergonomic
and easy for hand held shooting. On a tripod, I think I would stick to the
lower cost Mamiya RZ67 gear.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com/gallery.html Updated!

Martin Francis wrote:

"jjs" wrote in message
...
Would the original poster please come back with feedback? How have we
done?

Pretty well- I like the idea of the RZ, but it's a cumbersome beast. The 7II
wouldn't work, I think- I prefer SLR viewing as I stated originally, and
apparently RF lenses just don't focus close enough. I liked Hasselblad- so
much it is at #1 on my list, and I picked up a 50mm CF FLE yesterday (for
£55, yay!) and if budget allows I hope to pick up a 203FE with 110/2.0 and
150/2.8 (else it'll be a 503CW- tried an ELX but it's heavier than the RZ).
Second choice was a Rollei 6008i, but with the lenses and accessories I want
it would run to something like £4500, and that extra £900 would be a big
step towards my next 35mm kit (An R8 and half a lens, I think).

Unless something wildly changes my mind, I think it's a Hassel'd life for
me.

Have you had the opportunity to try out a Contax 645? I rented one a few times,
and found it to be a great handling camera for hand held shooting. I also
prefer the Rollei 6008i to the various Hasselblad 500 series cameras I have
tried, mostly due to ergonomics. I have not tried any of the 203 series
Hasselblad cameras. I have used Mamiya RB/RZ 67 cameras, and while heavy, they
are also fairly easy to work ergonomically, though adding a grip and prism
finder help greatly.

Similar to your experiences, the Bronica ETRSi and SQ series just seem a bit
light and fragile. While they were tough enough in heavy usage, they are also
quite loud, which makes them seem much cheaper and lower quality than other
choices. I am a bit biased against Mamiya 645, after some bad experiences. I
have also tried Pentax 645 and 67 SLRs, though I don't like the lack of a
changeable back.

In North America, there are quite a few good deals on Rollei 6008i and 6003
SLRs, though they are not as common used as other makes. If you are not adverse
to using EBAY, there might be enough selection to drop that pricing index you
found quite a bit lower. Using a 6008i with the handgrip is really ergonomic
and easy for hand held shooting. On a tripod, I think I would stick to the
lower cost Mamiya RZ67 gear.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com/gallery.html Updated!

On Sun, 15 Aug 2004 11:32:44 +0000 (UTC), "Martin Francis"
wrote:

I am now virtually camera free, with only a prosumer d/c and 35mm point and
shoot to my name... and now i'm planning for the future. I hope that within
the next twelve months i'll be able to get together enough money for some
serious kit. I have experience with both the Bronica ETRSi and Hasselblad
500CM, and like them both (although the Bronica feels far too flimsy).

I like available light, though flash isn't out of the question. Portraiture
is likely to be the primary application, though I won't rule out any others
(bar weddings). In general I prefer to get lose in to my subjects.
Handholding and monopods will be the order of the day, and non-SLR viewing
is not to my taste. I've researched extensively Hassy 503s, 553s and 20xs,
Rollei 6006 and 6008, and Mamiya RB/RZ. Mamiya RZ would be ideal, but it's a
little heavy. Fast glass would be great, but not absolutely necessary (maybe
with the option to buy later). Obsolete systems are out of the question as I
want this stuff to last me a while. I owned an Eastern European 6x6cm SLR
for a while and will not be going back, either :-).

My budget is assuming I can save £300+ per month over 12 months, meaning
UK£3600 tops (which translates to something like $6600, but stuff over here
is generally more expensive). A standard lens would be lower priority but
preferred, so i'd be prepared to leave it as a later purchase. I'm fairly au
fait with the specs and abilities/shortcomings of each system, so ideally
i'm looking for personal accounts of what each one is like to shoot with.
Hearing from people with similar style/needs to myself would be great (check
out the link below for a couple of examples). Some cameras I may be able to
try before I buy as I work in a camera store, but more esoteric cameras like
Contax 645 and Rollei 600x are hard to find anywhere but mail-order.

So, given the money and limitations (and buying used, of course), what would
you buy?

Having thought about this for a bit, putting aside my personal
negative feelings about Canon and digital, I've come to the conclusion
if doing such a thing this year, I would go with a EOS-20D kit. With
the lenses and accessories, $6k should cover it.

On Sun, 15 Aug 2004 11:32:44 +0000 (UTC), "Martin Francis"
wrote:

I am now virtually camera free, with only a prosumer d/c and 35mm point and
shoot to my name... and now i'm planning for the future. I hope that within
the next twelve months i'll be able to get together enough money for some
serious kit. I have experience with both the Bronica ETRSi and Hasselblad
500CM, and like them both (although the Bronica feels far too flimsy).

I like available light, though flash isn't out of the question. Portraiture
is likely to be the primary application, though I won't rule out any others
(bar weddings). In general I prefer to get lose in to my subjects.
Handholding and monopods will be the order of the day, and non-SLR viewing
is not to my taste. I've researched extensively Hassy 503s, 553s and 20xs,
Rollei 6006 and 6008, and Mamiya RB/RZ. Mamiya RZ would be ideal, but it's a
little heavy. Fast glass would be great, but not absolutely necessary (maybe
with the option to buy later). Obsolete systems are out of the question as I
want this stuff to last me a while. I owned an Eastern European 6x6cm SLR
for a while and will not be going back, either :-).

My budget is assuming I can save £300+ per month over 12 months, meaning
UK£3600 tops (which translates to something like $6600, but stuff over here
is generally more expensive). A standard lens would be lower priority but
preferred, so i'd be prepared to leave it as a later purchase. I'm fairly au
fait with the specs and abilities/shortcomings of each system, so ideally
i'm looking for personal accounts of what each one is like to shoot with.
Hearing from people with similar style/needs to myself would be great (check
out the link below for a couple of examples). Some cameras I may be able to
try before I buy as I work in a camera store, but more esoteric cameras like
Contax 645 and Rollei 600x are hard to find anywhere but mail-order.

So, given the money and limitations (and buying used, of course), what would
you buy?

Having thought about this for a bit, putting aside my personal
negative feelings about Canon and digital, I've come to the conclusion
if doing such a thing this year, I would go with a EOS-20D kit. With
the lenses and accessories, $6k should cover it.