Going Medium Format!

[Ahmad Bhai]

Hey Rob just the right season for atmospheric photos with the Holga
(standing on head permitting

There was this delightful sales assistant in carnaby street tried to persuade me to take a 120.
Instead i was rather taken with her

 

[Rob MacKillop]

You guys are funny. I suppose if I'm doing portraiture, I could get the model to stand on her head...The Holga should be easy compared to the Mamiya! Certainly lighter... Free weekend ahead, so I should get a couple of rolls done with the Holga. Might be a couple of weeks before I get the Mamiya.

 

[David Mitchell]

I would suggest putting tape down the sides the camera, its a known issue where the clamps down each side decide to not hold the camera together anymore and will ruin the film, also you get light leaks lol

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I take it you are talking about the Holga? Aren't light leaks part of the fun of these cameras?

 

[Hamish Gill]

Light leaks are half the fun of a holga!

 

[Brian Moore]

I'd shoot a roll first, Rob. These cameras are known for light leaks--and celebrated for them by some people--but I have three of them and none leak light. Not yet anyway. I think I read that if you shoot with the masks removed (there should be two masks--one for 4.5x6 and the other for 6x6) there will be an enhanced possibility of light leaks. Also, as they age they are more liable to leaking.

Anyway, if it were me I'd simply shoot a roll and see what its like before I went to the bother of taping things up.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Agreed ...
also the metal clips can be manipulated to have a tighter grip

 

[Beth Anthony]

grats!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Yikes! My Mamiya RB67 Pro SD just arrived - a big scary beast!

Managed to disassemble it, and more crucially, reassemble it with help from this video Mamiya RB67 Pro demonstration - YouTube although the viewfinder isn't secured - can fall off. Must figure that one out. I haven't had much time with it, but have found an instruction booklet pdf online: http://www.mamiya.nl/client/mamiya/uploads/downloads/rb67_pro_sd_v7.pdf

I even managed to load it with film - Ilford HP5 Plus 400

Will try to find time over the weekend to take some shots - I'm fairly busy until then, and shooting film again will take some thinking about.

- - - Updated - - -

Got the viewfinder fixed!

 

[Pete Askew]

Excellent news Rob. You are going to have so much fun! And now I have visions of you crouched over a low table in a semi-darkened room, bandanna on, stripping and re-assembling the Mamiya until you do it blind-folded!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

A good idea - it's so dark in Edinburgh this week, and these new-fangled light bulbs don't help.

I have to admit I'm a bit scared of this camera, but the only way round that is to take it out and use it!

 

[Pete Askew]

Quite right but it is all relatively straight forward. How about doing a quick shot of the camera to show its components as I'm sure quite a few folks here won't be familiar with it. You could always include one of your Fujis in the shot to give the scale!

http://www.realphotographersforum.com/film-conventional-cameras/1863-hasselblad-503cw.html

 

[Hamish Gill]

Yeah ... My blad gave me the fear for ages ... It's fine now!
relish that fear though, for me it breeded care and contemplation when it came to every shot!

- - - Updated - - -

Ill second Petes idea!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Good idea. I'll get around to it soon.