Hand-Holdable 6x6 - 6x9 with meter? (AKA, what should I get?)

[AutumnJazz]

I am considering getting into MF, so I want to see how much an outfit for me would cost. I'm looking for a camera that is at least 6x6, but the wider the better. It needs a built-in meter (the only meter I have is my Nikon F100, lol). TTL is preferred, but not required. I don't care if the rest of it is manual, I just want to be able to compose, focus, and get the right exposure through the viewfinder. I don't care if it has a waist level viewfinder or not. I need to be able to hand hold and walk around with it. I do have a tripod that I will use, too.

As for lenses...All I'm really looking for is a fast (how fast do MF lenses usually go?) wide lens, that is, a lens equivalent to a 35mm f/2 for 35mm. Or wider.

I've never used a rangefinder, so I have no idea if I would be as adept with them as I am with SLR's.

I really just want to know how much money I should save up, what my options are, etc.

I want to again thank the APUG community, everyone is extremely helpful and nice. Really, you guys are awesome. If APUG wasn't here, I would have simply boxed away my Pentax K1000 and not continued with photography again, and I would definitely not want to be a war photographer.

[jd callow]

Mamiya 7 is metered (not ttl) and is very handholsable. I don't know if the fuji RF's are metered, but they run the gamut 6x54 up through 6x17 and most everything between. The fuji's are out of production, but available.

[AutumnJazz]

The Mamiya 7 is a bit too rich for my blood. Plus, its wide lens is very expensive and requires its own viewfinder. the Mamiya 6 and 50mm lens seem to fit me better, but they're still pretty expensive. I suppose they're something to aspire to get.

Any other ideas?

[arigram]

An old Rolleiflex 3.5-something?

[AutumnJazz]

Aren't Rolleiflexes extremely expensive?

[david b]

The 50mm lens for the Mamiya 7 comes with the external view finder but it is not necessary to use.

[david b]

wait to see what the new Fuji range finder is going to be.

supposedly, it will be 6x7 with ttl and folds small. It's said to be available by December.

see THIS and THIS

[arigram]

Aren't Rolleiflexes extremely expensive?

New, 2.8FX, yes.
Older, 3.5 ones, no.
For example:
http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/Produ...&KW=rolleiflex
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...3.5&category0=

[Tom Hoskinson]

I am considering getting into MF, so I want to see how much an outfit for me would cost. I'm looking for a camera that is at least 6x6, but the wider the better. It needs a built-in meter (the only meter I have is my Nikon F100, lol). TTL is preferred, but not required. I don't care if the rest of it is manual, I just want to be able to compose, focus, and get the right exposure through the viewfinder. I don't care if it has a waist level viewfinder or not. I need to be able to hand hold and walk around with it. I do have a tripod that I will use, too.

As for lenses...All I'm really looking for is a fast (how fast do MF lenses usually go?) wide lens, that is, a lens equivalent to a 35mm f/2 for 35mm. Or wider.

I've never used a rangefinder, so I have no idea if I would be as adept with them as I am with SLR's.

I really just want to know how much money I should save up, what my options are, etc.

I want to again thank the APUG community, everyone is extremely helpful and nice. Really, you guys are awesome. If APUG wasn't here, I would have simply boxed away my Pentax K1000 and not continued with photography again, and I would definitely not want to be a war photographer.

I use hand held 6x7 and 6x9 Fuji Rangefinder cameras with no built-in meter.

For light metering I clip a Voigtlander VC Meter II into the camera's accessory shoe:

Voigtlander VC Meter II
Meter angle approximately 30 degrees
Silicon Metering Cell
LED meter read out, center round greed LED, red LEDs on both sides
ISO 25 to 3200 with 1/3 stop increments on the film speed dial
The ISO film speeds are now larger, and marked at 1/3 stops.
EV 1 to EV 20
Powered by two LR 44 alkaline or SR44 silver oxide batteries

[dpurdy]

260267653756
that ebay item looks like a beauty and is still very under priced with a prism with 2 hours to go.. less than 500 so far .... you never know