Your Cameras

aw man I'm jealous of that Pentax! I've kinda wanted a medium format for a long time, but I simply tell myself NO since I've streamlined my 35mm process to the point of being pretty cheap. switching formats would put me right back in the expensive zone.
I love love love the low grain and beautiful tones of a lot of medium format photography. Especially stuff like the better Martin Parr, Philip Lorca di Corcia, Larry Sultan, that kinda stuff. And of course Frieldander's medium format stuff is DIVINE.

i was reskimming this thread a couple of days ago, i'm thinking about getting an xa2 as my always-in-my-bag flash camera (i kinda liked some of the alternative suggestions, but i can justify buying the xa2 in a way i can't a rollei, &c). is there anything i should keep in mind buying one, or is what you're getting pretty straightforward?

pretty straightforward I think. Just be sure to get one with a flash unit included! many XA cameras and flashes have been orphaned from one another.

in other words, there's not a lot to test on one aside from clicking the shutter button and making sure it's responsive & operating at fast and slow speeds depending on the lighting.

also it's hard to do exposure compensation - you have to adjust the ISO setting which is a lil counterintuitive

finally, light seals may need replacing, but it's something you can do with a it from ebay and some elbow grease

yeah, also in my experience the xa2 defaults to being a bit underexposed. so I'd probably just generally set the iso to a speed or two slower than the box speed of the film.

If you want cheaper/newer than a XA2, there's the Olympus Stylus Epic DLX (or mju II). AF instead of rangefinder, but small and quality. I've been hoping to run across one at a thrift shop but no dice so far.

yeah I picked one up at a flea market and I agree, the stylus epic is great. and the flash is built in. it goes with me everywhere, often alongside the leica for quick auto-exposed or strobe lit shots. the one thing is that there's like a 1/8th or maybe 1/16th second delay between when the button is pressed and the shutter is fired. and the autofocus can be a little finicky.

oh and you can't rate the film faster or slower, but you *can* spot meter.

i have bought two xa2's and neither has had a responsive shutter button :(

hey thank you y'all

milo let's see that xpro

XP1 via iPhone and Facebook's newest acquisition:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/6919273920_3a8432c9f2_z.jpg
Untitled by celluloidpropaganda, on Flickr

when I went to get the grip for it, my camera shoppe had a Nikon 35Ti on consignment for $125. I figure I could flip it on Ebay for more if I don't like it, but it's pretty awesome so far:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/7065355201_550e222046_z.jpg
Untitled by celluloidpropaganda, on Flickr
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5350/6919276930_787133ac70.jpg
Untitled by celluloidpropaganda, on Flickr

I love my 35Ti (see post upthread), despite a few glaring flaws (those tiny flash buttons, shutter or aperture displayed in viewfinder but not both), but the lens is astoundingly sharp and the whole thing just feels like it was crafted from an anvil. And that gauge cluster <3 <3 <3 especially since it lights up at night (press middle top button, or halfway on shutter release).

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/jiaoqu/argusc4m.jpg

not mine, but the Fuji Klasse W looks pretty dope - 28mm f/2.8 P&S
too bad they're almost $600 new from Japan

http://www.fujifilm.co.jp/corporate/news/article/img/ffnr0052.jpg

it looks pretty generic and everything but i picked up a
konica big mini a few days ago and thought it was one of the uglier things in my collection of point & shoots but it makes really crispy pictures (and i heard robert frank uses one)

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/jiaoqu/robertfrank222222.jpg

source = http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48595

so it must be good right?

the konica big mini is p legendary

soft release: received

thx milo! i just played around with it a little bit (need to buy film), but i really like it already. now just need to figure out how to take it off for stowage w/o losing the thing

http://i.imgur.com/RLyrM.jpg

ha!

I bought a new camera* last week and I am contemplating buying another one soon

*now it's at the repair shop

I got a used Fuji Klasse W from KEH, but I'm returning it. More dinged-up than expected and too heavy to pocket. Stick with my Olympus Stylus Epic/mju ii unless I run across a Ricoh GR1S or 1V on the cheap.

I am lusting after this

http://i.imgur.com/lEzEt.jpg

you can't say you bought a new camera without elaborating!

I've always hoped to run across a sweet deal on a Mamiya 7
http://urbanindiana.com/cameras/mamiya_7.jpg

or in the event of lotto win, since they're $3k: Bessa IIIW
http://www.cameraquest.com/jpg2/voigt_IIIw_box.jpg

are those all medium format?

yeah

I placed an order for film yesterday and was kinda shocked at the limited range of color negative films out there now. basically, fuji and kodak both have one pro, one consumer version and that's it.

I've just started buying all the Superia 400 at Wal-Mart. The latest price increases put Portra 400 out of range for me when you include shipping.

yeah portra is just too expensive to use that often. kodak and fuji consumer stuff is the way to go, and can look really nice if you work with it. I know for b&w, at adorama they sell 3-packs of Ilford HP5 for just under $10. probably pretty cost effective to order that stuff online.
DAYO WHAT CAMERA DID YOU BUY???

all will be revealed

good cuz some of us are freaking out here

srsly mang c'mon already

GF went for G3 w/20mm f1.7

off to USVI tomorrow, hopef should get some dece pics

Oh yes. Would love that combo myself.

dayo: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost-classifieds/showproduct.php?product=33956

$450 for a first-gen GW690

hmm, guess that's not as good a deal as I thought, KEH BGN GW690 for $429

thanks for the heads up!

lol at $7k new Leica 50/2

all will be revealed

HEY YOU

patience

I did go to a yard sale today, bought a nimslo 3d and an olympus stylus (the original 35/3.5 one, not the newer epic)

is that the mju-i? i have that, now, having bought an mju-ii on ebay & got burned by the seller. i googled around, i think it's pretty similar just with occasionally less reliable AF.

I am in temporary possession of a summicron 50 (old).

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/jiaoqu/minoltaaffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff.jpg

really really like shooting with this. just for the weight and feel of it.

"Hey, kids, I'm just going to take a photo of this old camera a friend gave me - I'll come and play with you in a minute, ok?" They won.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/7326616480_7edc59cf0b_z.jpg

aw.

oh X100 why are you such a flake. had mine 3/4 weeks and now it suddenly won't turn on. haven't been out in rain, dropped it, or anything. have tried different batteries.

welp, back to the store with you. ~sigh~

...

it was a corrupt mem card in the end. phewwwww