Very grateful, medium format camera given to me
She looked at the table towards my Leica M6 and said, “anyone who owns and knows how to handle a Leica should have my father’s camera.”
I’m starting a new photo project, and for this project I have been looking for a medium format camera to shoot some very detailed portraits. I had a Hasselblad for a few weeks, but sold it to finance a much needed computer upgrade.
Last week, at the Marine Corps Ball, the Leica came along for the ride. I set it down on the table with a half-assed intention of making some photos. The wife of a retired Gunnery Sergeant, noticed the camera and began making conversation about how she used to work at a camera store and how her father was a photographer.
In between conversations, a few of us at the table thought it would be fun to share a bottle of wine, so I ran off to find an overpriced bottle of wine to share between three Marines over a steak. When I returned, the Gunny’s wife offered the camera to me, mentioning that she’s had it for years and hasn’t used it. I didn’t know what to say, except, “thank you” over and over. I had been looking for a larger format camera, to cost me between $500 and $800.
The camera, a Mamiya RB67, is a monster. The thing is huge and weighs a ton. RB stands for Rotating Back, and 67 means 6×7. 6×7 is a medium format film size that is 4 1/2 times larger than 35mm. Included with the Mamiya was a 65mm lens (wide angle), a 90mm lens (“normal”), and a 180mm lens (telephoto). Also included were four film backs, 2 for 220 and 2 for 120 film.
One thing about this camera, its HUGE. I mean, the pictures don’t even do it justice and it weighs like 7 pounds. I’m still learning how to properly use it and am finding that a tripod will be necessary in most cases. The downsides are actually upsides though, I was looking for a big camera with a big negative for image quality and a technical requirement for me to slow down and think about the image.
Something I’ve come to realize, a lot of photographers call the Leica their “sketchbook,” after lugging this Mamiya around for two miles on a hike the other day, I can definitely see how a Leica could be considered a “sketchbook” compared to this monster.
Speaking of Leicas, the other thing I’ve known for a while, and keeps being reinforced, is how much I really enjoy shooting with this camera. I think with the setup I have, I could pretty much photograph everything that interests me. Would I miss some photos due to manual and slower focus? Sure. Would I miss some photos due to extreme low light and/or missing ttl? Definitely. In the end though, like I said, everything that’s really interested me in the last year or two could be shot with a Leica, and a 35mm or 50mm lens with Tri-X pulled to 200 or pushed to 1600 ISO.
I <3 my Leica(s)