Rollei 6008 ?

[xisbrat]

Optics have already been covered, so wanted to comment on handling. Bought into the 6008 system back in 2008, and think it is ergonomically one of the best MF SLRs to have. It is heavy indeed, and I wouldn't walk around all day with it around your neck, but in your hands it handles well when used with the grip. Because of its automatic exposure meter, it is very quick to expose, compose and shoot. And for those important shots, the mirror lockup and self-timer buttons are at your fingertips. I think the price for the basic body/80mm lens has actually gone down in price since 2008, so they are relatively cheap now, compared to yesteryear. However, the other lens in the lineup, and accessories, have gone up in price (in pace with other brands), so it may take a while to build up your lens lineup. You should determine if you need wide-angle, macro, or telephoto lenses to see whether they fit within your price range.

A comment on the film back loading: my friend bought a Hasselblad 500cm at about the same time, and when comparing his loading of a Hasselblad back to my Rollei 6008 back, there is no comparison -- the Rollei is a snap, the Hasselblad is fiddly (you can see many fiddly examples in Youtube).

[tnabbott]

I had one for about a year. Great camera because it incorporates AE without the need for an AE finder. I love the WLF experience and really enjoyed being able to use the WLF with the fully AE functions of the 6008. The downside for me was the ergonomics. It is much heavier than the hasselblad and felt boxy in my hand. I ultimately found that it was not comfortable for me to for walkaround use. I had not problem with the battery. Seemed to go 20-30 rolls between charges. Great camera and system.

[Noble]

I rebuilt one battery with success, but it was a real PITA.

Rebuilding the battery is a piece of cake. It is a battery of 8 2/3A cells. I just ordered 8 2/3A NiMH 1600 mAh on the internet for about $24. $10 of that was shipping. Then I went to a local battery plus and had them rebuild the battery for me. I think it was about $10. I would have gotten the cells locally but they only had something like 1100 mAh cells. Just be sure to get NiMH cells and make sure they are 1600 mAh. If you are going to rebuild it might as well go for robust capacity. I believe someone on the internet said he got something like 1,000 snaps on one charge before he stopped counting.

[RidingWaves]

I agree. Since I rebuilt the batter with Ni-Mh 1600 mAh cells I've never actually had the battery drop to an unusable level. 15-20 rolls easy, no drop, and then I top up the battery and keep going. I suppose at some point I'll figure out just how far they go.