Nikon
Cheap Medium Format Cameras in 2025!
Cheap Medium Format Cameras in 2025!
#Cheap #Medium #Format #Cameras
“metal fingers”
Understanding where to start with medium format, regardless of your familiarity with 35mm film, is a cumbersome one, with many different choices for cameras, pricepoints, confusion on where to buy one, and much more. With expensive, legendary cameras out there, it can be difficult to know which…
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I bought a Brownie Hawkeye Flash, definitely more toy camera but the results I got shooting Kodak gold 200 far exceeded my expectations, and I got it for $20 with the flash and flash bulbs, and its really clean
i have a hasselblad 500elm i recommend it its the cheapes way into the hasselblad system. the hasselblad 500elm is a hasselblad 500cm with a motor.
2 points :-
a) watch for light leaks on the backs of Lubitels
b) buy the best & cry once… with the cost of film & processing spending a bit more on the camera & wasting less film (& having a more enjoyable experience) can be more economic in the long term.
I like the Yashica c. No film window and has a counter instead and film lock so it winds perfectly frame to frame. Still allows multiple exposure also.
The author didn't say about bunch of great lenses for PentaconSix. One of them is truly a masterpiece. Sonnar 180/2.8
Be on the lookout for Yashica D as well. Cheap, quality, basic. Can't go wrong! Great list. Thank you.
Hey, man, slow down. It was really hard to follow you.
Also, I'm curious how you were cradling your phone all the time, like it was some sort of comfort blanket.
Thanks, some interesting cameras I did not know about. I have a Bronica GS-1 6×7 with lots of lenses, definitely beyond beginner level prices but very competitive versus other 6×7 SLRs. Also a Yashica D, which I use a lot for its portability. I went through several Yashica Mat124s and had problems with the gearing for shutter cock/film advance; the Yashica D has those as two separate actions which makes the gearing less complicated, and also makes shooting multiple exposures even too easy! I did a head-to-head comparison of my Yashica D with a Rolleicord (the less expensive Rollei), did not see any significant difference in image quality but preferred the viewing screen on the Yashica (the Rollei screen was brighter in the center but dimmer at the edges, making focusing easier but framing harder). Cheers from Montreal!
the seagull is what i went with when looking for a cheap medium format camera to try it out. it was recently CLAed and cost €70 and was honestly a really good purchase, I can definitely recommend it.
I'm sorry to be "that guy", but the Pentacon Six is actually an SLR as there's no viewing lens and you're actually looking through the prism/lens
Didn't Fuji have a folding field camera as well? Seeing that just sparked a memory.
The Kievs were a camera that I absolutely fell in love with in the late '90s. I don't know if they're still around, but there were several people (I want to say companies but I don't remember if they were companies or individuals) that were rebuilding them to a tighter spec for maybe $100 more. I loved the 88 the most.
I would love to go back to shooting medium format, but the lack of availability for developing film without an investment, and honestly the lack of high MP digital backs for those that want to shoot both digital and it film is still a pitfall.
I learned photography on a TLR.
This was a great video to stumble across! You brought back a lot of memories. Well done!
I use a Kowa 6 and see it almost never mentioned or covered by film photographers. its great, I have 85mm (50mm equivalent) and it's all i need. it's basically a hasselblad without a removable back. I haven't had any mechanical problems yet and all the shutter speeds seem to be fine the only thing I don't like is that it doesn't seem to have a bulb mode for long exposures or I just don't understand how to make it work.
Mamiya Universal Press is a goated choice that wasn’t mentioned. Large, but cheap and takes amazing photos
Id understand like 120 bucks for some of these, but some are literally 200 for a body or film holder
it's only sept man
The Koni-Omegas are better built and have significantly better optics than any of the other cameras mentioned. When shopping for them used, the weak link is the back. It is the only part which wears out, and it is very difficult to repair, or find someone to repair it at any price. There are a series of models. The first model, the one shown here, is not the one to buy. After this first version. Subsequent versions changed to a better hand grip and an improved film back which is not interchangeable with this first model. His suggested price of $200 might have worked for me in the early 1980s, when these were very common. Today, a Koni priced at $200 is probably beaten to death with a back which is mis-spacing image frames. Buy with caution. It's basically a better built Mamiya 7, if you find a good one.
Still to mention of the Rolleicord.
The Super Fujica 6 has really unique and fine rendering IMO!
Koni-Omega was great for press photography with its fast film advance and very sharp Hexanon lens.
A friend uses the Minolta Autocord, it has a very nice lens, it seems reliable and it's damn small and lightweight for a 6×6 camera.
Homie’s in the future
Watching this like I don’t have 3 medium formats
Bros uploading from the future
The super fujica 6 was my first medium format camera, absolutely no regrets. If I were to do it again, I'd consider a TLR but it's an amazing camera
Mans fighting for his life! I think your camera wants to go ✨OUTSIDE✨ with all those auto focus shifts to the window!
A note to anyone considering a Koni-Omega. These cameras can be great, but most were worked very hard by photographers.
The trouble points tend to be stuck shutters, backs that don’t work at all or advance with uneven spacing on frames, and there are more point to get light leaks than other types of cameras.
The backs are pretty difficult to repair, I haven’t been brave enough to try yet but the instructions I’ve seen are intensive.
Try to buy one that’s been tested, or if you are a tinkerer they can be fun to learn how to fix!
When working properly you can get very sharp photos!
that grainydays cameo scared the crap out of me
Oof, I love good shutter slap
Did I miss new year's?
Wait until you get into large format 😢 the best cheap medium format is a nice Yashica (preferably the yashica-Mat 124) TLR, they never gave me no problems with light leaks, affordable, and are leaf shutters which helps with learning flash photography. They are also very quite and people will also want to talk to you about it. I get asked more about my Yashica-12 than any of my film or digital cameras.