I shot a roll of 120 film today, using the equipment in the title above.
10 shots for the roll, 6 of them were keepers… I wish my yield with digital approached that ratio.
I’ll be posting some of the images later this week.
What I love about this set-up is that the output makes everyday life look like art. Or, maybe I should say that it reveals the art of everyday life.
—Peter.
Prosophos 
It’s really great Peter when you can become so passionate about something and describe it like this! It’s really what we are hoping for when we look to bond with the “tools.”
Nice to hear (will be even better to see) your passion bubbling away again. It’s been a little while. We some times have to go through a process to rekindle it.
I think you are there!
Thanks Andrew.
My passion for this camera and its 110mm lens I never saw coming. It’s one of the reasons I’m constantly trying to “reinvent the wheel” each year when it comes to my gear.
Out of all the equipment change risks I’ve taken over the years, there have only been two that have ended favourably for me: my abandonment of DSLRs in 2007 to move to Leica, and my purchase of a Mamiya RZ67.
When does your Mamiya 7 arrive? One of the reasons I’ve hesitated getting a 7 in the past is that same issue of rangefinder misalignment we intermittently experience with Leica rangefinders. In the case of Leicas, however, I know where to send them for repair.
It arrives next week. However I go into surgery on my back this Thursday for a disc fusion (not full) so won’t be using a camera for a few weeks!
We have one of Australia’s best repair and service centres here in Melbourne so confident I’ll be able to get it fixed if that does occur. I purchased it from Japan and they tend to look after their equipment very well.
At a fastest f stop of 4 (I have 80mm lens) and closet focus is 1m not a bokeh king type of camera. We’ll see…soon. However the MM is on the way out and a new chapter starting.
Don’t worry about the maximum f/4 aperture, or the 1 m close focus limitation. The first is plenty wide for 6 x 7 (in fact, I often shoot at f/4 with my RZ67), and the second will prevent you from getting distortion by getting too close.
I wish you well on your new photographic chapter — and your surgery of course.
Thanks Peter.
Can’t wait to see them, Peter. I would like to start with Medium Format too. Do you think that your RZ67 Pro II would be a good kit for a beginner….eager to spend time learning? Please note I shoot 35 mm film and develop it at home with your recipe. Thank you, Teresa.
Thank you Teresa!
Teresa, it’s difficult for me to know whether you’d like the RZ67. It’s a heavy piece of gear that does not lend itself well to spontaneous photography. You’ll probably need a tripod, or the optional bracket (like I use) to support the weight of it. But, if you can get past the size, weight, and limit of 10 frames per roll of film, it’s a camera that truly rewards.
And if you’re already processing 35mm film, you’ll have no trouble with medium format.
Thank you, Peter. Think will explore this possibility!!!. Teresa.
You could try a Pentax 67 with the 105/2.4 lens. Works really well for portraits (for me, at least) and it’s dirt cheap. You can get a body, wood grip (works well for vertical composition), eye level finder with built in meter, and 3 lenses for under $1000. Still heavy but works like a 35mm SLR. Only things I don’t like are: 1. you can’t change backs or put on a digital back. But fortunately it’s easy to go through 10 frames in 120 and 2. Slow X-sync (1/60s, fine for studio but lousy for outdoor fill flash), but there are 2 lenses that use leaf shutters that will sync to 1/500s. Good luck and have fun!
Peter – great that you feel this way about this setup. It’s a genuine thrill to find your sweet spot with gear that you feel you can really achieve something special with, and it’s very clear that you’re at that place with this wonderful classic equipment. I feel equally passionate about the Hasselblad / Zeiss 110mm f/2 lens I’ve been using for some months now, that it’s the beginning of something I’m really going to enjoy and keep for life. It yields such unique results that I’m itching to get out there and find the right occasions to use it (and I know what you mean about the bulk / weight making it prohibitive to use as a day-to-day tool).
Really looking forward to seeing more of your images.