However, wedding photographers, journalists, or anyone facing changing lighting conditions or the desire to switch between color or black and white will need two cameras, whereas a Mamiya or Hasselblad owner can just swap out the back with color film for the back with black and white film. For some purposes, this won’t be an issue. The Pentax has one major flaw, and that is the fact there are no interchangeable backs. It has a layout almost identical to that of a Nikon or Canon SLR, with the film advance on the top right and the shutter speed dial on the same part of the camera, aperture on the lens, and standard focusing on the lens like you would be used to. The Pentax may be a great option if you want something a little closer to your 35mm SLR. The Mamiya 7, which is a rangefinder, runs around $1,000 for the Mark I, or about $1,500 for the Mark II. One thing to keep in mind about the RZ/RB cameras is their incredible close focus capability without extension tubes or macro lenses due to the bellows focus system. The Pro II, which gives you more digital back compatibility, ends up around $1,000 for a full setup. RZ67s can be had for $400-600 if you get the Pro I. The RB67 (mechanical version of the RZ67) can be had for a few hundred dollars, but I never found the lenses to be as nice as the RZ lenses. These cameras get a little more expensive. It may well be the largest of the bunch, but the Pentax 67, Bronica GS-1, and Mamiya 7 aren’t far behind. My 6x7 of choice is the RZ67 from Mamiya. The only real downside of the format is the size of the cameras. This is a wonderful aspect ratio for headshots, portraits, and the like. This format is very popular for those doing a lot of published and print work because of the aspect ratio. Again, a weird format coming from traditional DSLRs. A Bronica or even the infamous Kiev 88 can be had for a few hundred dollars ready to shoot. While Hasselblad’s will be the most popular, Bronica, Mamiya, and Yashica also made cameras in this format. Camera options are readily available for this format. Composing square images is a little different from the standard 3:2 ratio. If you’re scanning, you may find yourself cropping frequently. While uncommon now (except for Instagram), the square format was found regularly and was the choice of many working portrait photographers. The next choice is 6圆, a format made famous by Hasselblads of the past. This will be a decent jump up from full-frame or APS-C cameras. The older Super and Pro models can be had for well under $400 for a full kit. Personally, I think that the Mamiya 645 cameras are the best options for this format. Nowadays, scanning these negatives or slides will allow great resolution and the look that many lust over. Medium-format film starts off at 6x4.5 centimeters, commonly referred to as "645." This allows for the most shots per roll (15), decent negative size, and very convenient and easy to use cameras compared to larger frame cameras. Much like digital sensor sizes, there are advantages and disadvantages to each. If, however, you’re looking for the magical look of medium format, here are some options. There are caveats to both paths, and conventional DSLRs have some advantages. Another option exists, however, and that is film. Regardless, I will cover them a bit in this article. The downfall of these cameras is their price: at well over $20,000, they are difficult for many photographers to justify, even those that do this for a living.
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