It was my birthday last week and my fiancee asked me what would I like to do. I didn’t really have anything that I could really think of other than photography time. So, she agreed to accompany me on a photography walk downtown in LA and as she was looking for a few things we started in the ‘fashion district’.
My fiancee is someone who likes to have a plan and ideally an itinerary, by the very least a goal to aim for. By contrast I am happy to wander aimlessly just looking about and seeing what I see.
So at one point her frustration got the better of her and she had to ask where we were heading and whether I had a destination in mind. My vague response I am sure didn’t settle her completely but we did stop in the Grand Central Market for a beer and feet rest.
I like the Mamiya though the 65mm lens for me is a little wide and shows some distortion on the building verticals; I’m going to look for some alternative focal lengths.
Another thing became a noticeable trend for the day was that in almost every shop or street corner someone would look at me and say “Nice camera!” The Mamiya is hardly a subtle camera to have hanging around your neck but I wasn’t expecting quite so many compliments and as my head grew larger with this attention, my fiancee was trying to bring my feet back firmly to the ground and was also slightly disappointed that these people (men mostly) were not saying something about the girl I had on my arm rather than the camera around my neck.
As our walk came to a close one final mention came from a distance of 100 yards “hey! Mamiya!?…. C330?” My fiancee rolled her eyes as mine lit up and I gave the distant admirer a big thumbs up; there was no living with me for the rest of the day 😀
April 24, 2018 at 10:27 am
You are a lucky boy!
A girl on your arm accompanying you on a photo walk … AND a Mamiya around your neck 😉
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April 24, 2018 at 11:01 am
I am indeed a very lucky fellow and I am also so very grateful 🙂
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April 25, 2018 at 12:07 pm
I’ve never had a TLR, but the idea has been bugging me for long enough I intend to get one very soon. I don’t expect to sling it over my shoulder like a rangefinder when I’m heading out to the shops or taking the dog for a walk, just in case I see an interesting subject, but will have to go out specifically to photograph stuff. I’m fine with this, but what is it that will make this more than what I can get with 35mm? Doc, please explain why am I doing this?
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April 25, 2018 at 12:34 pm
Well Monty, please take a seat on my couch… I guess there are two aspects; first it’s Medium Format and Second is the TLR side.
The Medium format means a bigger negative and so a better quality image. Until recently I never really noticed how amazing a medium format image taken through good glass is when compared to a 35mm. That negative is significantly bigger and it does show.
Then the TLR part is about a different shooting experience and you may love or hate it. I tend to like the waste level shooting though it does take a shot or two to become comfortable if it has been a while. I like that the angle tends to be lower (as with eye level shooting you often bring the camera up to your eye) and also it seems less obtrusive if you are in front of people. With a large ground glass viewfinder you can really see that the image is sharp and I quite like that the image on that ground glass feels like you are seeing the printed image (if that makes any sense).
Lastly and it’s a silly thing but not to be ignored; TLRs (in my opinion) look really cool 🙂
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April 27, 2018 at 9:43 am
Thank you for your thorough reply. I’m going to go for it – I’ll let you know how it goes!
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April 27, 2018 at 10:04 am
Okay good luck, you never know it might be the best thing for you! Incidentally, what TLR are you considering?
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April 28, 2018 at 3:37 am
A Soviet-made Flexaret. People seem to like them technically, and I love the look of it and am confident in the seller. Eastern-bloc-wise I’ve had very good luck with my Kiev 4A rangefinder and enjoyed (but not fully bonded with) an Ihagee Exacta.
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May 2, 2018 at 12:51 pm
Those look nice. Good that you have a trustworthy seller
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