Medium Format camera -> start?

[PaulMD]

My recommendation is that you will really not like the fixed normal lens of a TLR indoors. I would get something in the 35mm-equivalent focal length, as it can be used for environmental portraits as well as landscapes. The Fuji GS645S is really nice. Fuji makes great lenses, I have an original GS645 and the lens is quite good on that too. Their large format lenses are known to be sleepers as well. Just be careful with the lens mount - that cowbar is there for a reason. Try not to bump the actual barrel of the lens. The Mamiya 645 is a nice camera too, and the 80/1.9 is one of the fastest lenses around.

Don't be afraid of the fragility of a TLR, they are quite solid. They are more inconspicuous than a SLR, as you look down into them rather than pointing them at people. On the Yashica vs Rolleicord question, the Rollei may be softer especially in the edges wide open. On the other hand, it is a really good triplet so it may not be that far behind, and if the Yashica is miscalibrated or out of optical alignment, it's possible the triplet would win. Cleaning the mirror will help visibility either way.

[clayne]

Not all TLRs are fixed lens. The Mamiya TLRs have a variety of interchangeable lens groups and are awesome cameras.

That being said a fixed lens can instill discipline and increase creative thinking by reducing superfluous options.

[PaulMD]

Not all TLRs are fixed lens. The Mamiya TLRs have a variety of interchangeable lens groups and are awesome cameras.

That being said a fixed lens can instill discipline and increase creative thinking by reducing superfluous options.

You eventually need to learn to use focal length to your advantage though. Without the option of perspective compression/distortion, your toolbox is not complete. I agree in principle on the single lens philosophy, but I think 35mm is a more useful range for a single lens than 50mm. You can still do environmental portraits, you have the option of a little perspective distortion, it's wide enough to use indoors, and it can do landscapes more easily. It's my usual one-lens kit.

[clayne]

You eventually need to learn to use focal length to your advantage though. Without the option of perspective compression/distortion, your toolbox is not complete. I agree in principle on the single lens philosophy, but I think 35mm is a more useful range for a single lens than 50mm. You can still do environmental portraits, you have the option of a little perspective distortion, it's wide enough to use indoors, and it can do landscapes more easily. It's my usual one-lens kit.

Paul, well, personally I have no issues choosing a particular camera/lens combo based on what I anticipate. However, I am mostly versed with wide-angles and can adapt them to most situations when needed.

I couldn't imagine using a zoom-lens with any kind of seriousness. I just don't think that way, or have the desire to be flexible about FL - as I treat the lens in combination of "seeing" through that particular camera and pick a particular FL based on it's characteristics I desire.

I do not agree that a zoom lens is required in the toolbox and 1000s of classic photographs taken on prime lenses shows no huge bonus of zooms, so I don't miss them at all. Either way, it's not like there's a huge market for zooms on MF bodies anyways so if you weren't talking about zooms, my apologies.

Atleast with the Mamiya TLRs one can swap out lenses based on what they need to use for a particular roll and that makes it quite flexible in the FL department. They're also extremely quite and built well.

[PaulMD]

I was not, in fact, talking about zooms. There's very few available for medium format anyway. I meant that primes force you to think about what perspective you want and why. Given that this guy's budget and needs, I think a fixed slight-wide lens would be good for him.