TLRs

[Keltic Knot]

I wonder if there are any other Medium Format TLR users here. I recently re entered Medium Format and wonder why I waited so long. Years ago I used an old Kodak 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 with an Ektar lens and I got great results but 620 film is no longer in use. I now have two Yashica TLRs: a Yashica MAT 124G and a Yashicaflex 635. Oddly I have been using the older 635 much more than the newer Mat 124G. I would love to hear from any other TLR users.

Tom

[lightleak]

Hi Tom,
After years of 35MM I just started using a TLR for the first time. I love it! I got a Mamiya C33 from a friend about 5 years ago and never used it.
I recently moved to a new place where I could set up a darkroom again so I decided to wipe the dust off the old 33 and just developed my first roll of film from it. I never realized how much better the larger negs would record the detail in a shot. I'm on ebay everyday now looking for new lenses and camera bodies, just got a Paramender to correct for parallax when shooting close up.
As a fellow New Englander, I'm looking forward to this fall to get some foliage shots. Can you recommend a good color film in 120, as I only shoot and develop in black and white, I haven't even tried color yet. Now that Kodachrome is a thing of the past, I'm not up on what's available in 120.

Steve

[photophorous]

I got a Yashica-MAT 124G off Ebay in December, as my first MF camera. The Ebay seller claimed it was in excellent condition, but the lens had some gunk inside it. I took a photo of the gunk and emailed it to the seller and to Mark Hama. Mark actually spoke to the seller for me, convinced him that I was telling the truth, and got the seller to give me a $50 refund. Then Mark replaced the lens, did a complete cleaning and adjustment, and recalibrated the light meter to use modern batteries, all for $130. It ended up costing me more than I had planed to spend, but I got a really clean camera with a new lens and all the accessories, so I'm happy.

I've only put 3 rolls through it so far, but I like it a lot. It takes really crisp, detailed shots, but you have to take your time with it. I'm slowly getting used to how everything is reversed in the waist level finder. I'm almost exclusively B&W at the moment, but I'll probably put some Fuji slide film through it when the time is right.

Nice to know I'm not alone.

Paul