So I'm thinking of picking up one of these as a secondary MF camera. I've been happy with my Hasselblad but the options for wide-angle lenses are fairly limited and prices are still an issue as well. Just wondering if anyone here has ever used one before and if there's anything I should be considering before picking one up.

Thanks.

A friend of mine has one and loves it. Says the lenses are very sharp.

The lenses are great and widely available. I have thought of picking one up. The price is right.

I gots one.

the one without mirror lock up though.

the 55mm lens is nice.

keh.com ended up being cheaper than ebay.

Yeah, I already priced one out with a 55mm on keh and I might go that route if nothing better shows up on Ebay.

Posted by micro Yeah, I already priced one out with a 55mm on keh and I might go that route if nothing better shows up on Ebay.

I got the body for $69.
and the light meter was about $100.
It was so worth it.

I kinda wish I got the 75mm lens.
I can notice some, but very minimal, distortion.

I think they are cute. From what I understand, which I am sure you have already read, you will need to use a very strong tripod and the MLU.

especially if you plan to shoot portrait.. thing is a beast.

I once asked myself the same question and decided to go for a Fuji GSW 690 III, the lens is a 65 f5.6 (around a 28mm on a 24x36 format). it is much lighter, more compact and far less shaky(leaf shutter) than a 6x7 Pentax . it's like a big leica but on a 6x9cm format.

http://www.camerar....cfm?camera_id=125

Yeah.. 6x9 is tempting, but I don't like the idea of buying a fixed-lens camera.

Don't be tempted by a fixed lens. You will certainly destroy the lens, if only because it is fixed.

Posted by argonian Don't be tempted by a fixed lens. You will certainly destroy the lens, if only because it is fixed.

you are too hard with your lenses! My fuji keep the pace. my canon 17-85mm lens doesn't.

So after doing a bit more reading (and handling of the camera in a store) I've decided that the Pentax isn't going to be the camera for me. It wasn't so much the weight of it that was a turn-off, it was that it seemed as though loading the film was going to be a real pain in the ass. I couldn't find one good opinion about that. The shutter slap didn't exactly help instill much confidence either.

So I'm thinking I might just get a 4x5 field camera with a rollfilm back instead. I know those cameras come with their own set of nuisances, but at least I'll get some movements and a bit of practice for when I actually make the jump to sheet film.

that is a solution I've been considering as well. I like the toyo 45cf.

Ha! I thought you were just going to buy another lens for your Hassy (I hate that phrase, but I always forget how to spell the damn brand). I would be very jealous if you started shooting 6x9 or even 6x12.

I'll probably go with a Shen-Hao. I just wish they were easier to find second-hand. I've looked into that Toyo model in the past but the reviews never really seemed all that favourable.

I'm concerned about using a wood body camera, but the shen hao looks sweet. Most concerns about the toyo seem to be that it feels plasticy, but not much in the way of concerns in how it functions.

what lens are you thinking of?

Posted by argonian Ha! I thought you were just going to buy another lens for your Hassy (I hate that phrase, but I always forget how to spell the damn brand). I would be very jealous if you started shooting 6x9 or even 6x12.

Yeah, I'm tempted to do that too, but I figure I can make do with what I have. I keep changing my mind though. As much as I'd like to continue using the Hasselblad for everything, the format just doesn't work well for the things I'm planning on shooting in the future. I feel as though I'm kind of hitting the end of the industrial stuff I've been shooting so I'm trying to plan ahead a little bit here.

Posted by yokes what lens are you thinking of?

Ideally a 70mm or 135mm. My budget's about $1,200 though so I don't know what quality (or brand) I'm going to be getting with that.