Mamiya 645 1000S: The Beast

This is one big chunk o' medium format metal. A couple of hours of dragging this thing around and you could be up for workers' comp. In the end, though, it's worth the pain!

What consistently knocks me out about MF is the quality of the negatives. A 645 frame on a slow film like Fomapan 100 in Rodinal 1+50 is actually difficult to focus when getting ready to make an enlargement. The grain is really small and I find I have to search for detail in order to get everything into focus. The detail in the enlargements is amazing. I have a roll of shots that I took at a local church a couple of weeks back. I did some 8x10 enlargements on Ilford MG IV FB paper and the detail, especially in the surface of the granite blocks, is incredible.

So far, I've really only used MF in the way that some of the LF (large format) photographers use their cameras: for architecture and scenery. Although the M645 is an SLR and can easily be used for event photography, I still prefer 35mm when there's lots of action. Next year I will take a look at getting a wide-angle and a telephoto for this beast; probably the 50mm and the 150mm.

FED 5V: The Ugliest FSU Rangefinder Ever?

Ladies and gentlemen I present to you what is arguably the most homely photoapparat ever to come out of the Soviet Union. So ugly, as a matter of fact, that I bought it brand new out of the box some 15 years after its creation. The joke amongst afficionnados is that when one buys a FED 5, one is actually purchasing a stunningly good Industar 61 lens with a really ugly rear lens cap. That said, however, my FED 5V was really cheap and an excellent introduction to Soviet LTM (Leica Thread Mount) rangefinders. It is perfectly reliable and smooth in operation.
I have two other lenses to go with my FED: a Jupiter-12 and a Jupiter-9. The J-12 is a 35mm f 2.8 wideangle and the J-9 is an 85mm f 2 telephoto. I have found both to be stunning performers, even wide open. The Petri Tele-wide finder, fitted to the hotshoe, allows me to correct for both parallax and the different fields of view of the J 12 and J 9. What's really great about rangefinders like the FED 5V is that they are fully manual. There are no batteries and, on most, there isn't even a rudimentary light meter. The advantages to a camera like this are twofold. Firstly, they make you think about what it is you are doing, which exercises your intellect. Secondly, they do what you tell them to do. My digicam is constantly warning me about this or that or the other thing. If I over or under expose with the FED, there's nobody to blame but me; it really forces me to think about EVs and I really like that.

Now I'm just watching the mail for the Zorki 4 which is fitted with a Jupiter 8 and is presently winging its way from Alex in the Ukraine.

Who said that FSU rangefinders were an addiction? Not true I tells ya. I can quit any time; honestly I can...I'll stop after the next one.

Canonet QL17 G-III: The Classic Compact Rangefinder

Here's one of my favourite cameras. It's a Canonet QL17 G-III. A superb compact rangefinder with a host of features and only one of the vast catalogue of 1970s rangefinders which continue to have their fans long after they were discontinued. Canonets, in general, tend to be rather fickle beasts coming into their 30s, but problems are usually solveable. This one is my third. My first one, a beautiful example, was stolen. I still have the second one, and it is a parts camera. This one, I acquired just before Christmas, and apart from a sticky shutter (very common) it is perfect.

What I like about this particular model is that it has the Quick Load feature, has a useable meter, and is fully manual, able to be operated without batteries. It has a super fast 1.7 40mm lens and is nice and compact; great for low-light situations and packing around just about everywhere. Honestly, I don't really trust the meter all that much, but I usually take a reading to get a ballpark shutter-speed and aperture and then adjust to my tastes.