I love this workhorse. After years of shooting everything on the market, I find it the only tool I need anymore. While people spout the virtues of digital, you are not going to beat the quality of a virtual drum across a 6x7 chrome in the near future.
I often shoot hand held for hours, sometimes with a profoto ringflash attached. see: http://testshoot.com/portals/0/images/personal/tim/ringflash.jpg
Strengths:
-Bellows focusing means black stays black.
-Few glass elements, few elements means sharper images.
-Precision, precision, precision.
-Dropped from a 15 foot ladder and continued to shoot with it all day (though some teeth on the focusing rails stripped off)
-Partick Demarchelier gave me my first, and I never put it down.
-Pro fashion shooter's choice.
-Sturdier than if Volvo made tanks.
-No need for huge lots of lenses. 90mm and 180mm are all I ever need.
-You can blow out details while keeping subject sharp up close while a 35mm with 200mm lense you'd need to stand a block away to get the same effect.
-My biceps make the models salivate.
-Don't cut up your knuckles while using ringflash.
-Bellows lens shade allows use of inexpensive gels.
-Uniform barrel width of eiter 72mm or 77mm making filter purchases easy.
Weaknesses:
-Some people complain about weight.
-Not gonna win any beauty contests.
-Often forget and accidently lock lense so shutter becomes a 'bulb' mode. "oops"
-Cross threaded lenses while mounting will require Herculean strength.
-Quality digital backs cost more than most people's cars.
-Not for light pocketbooks because you'll want to shoot a lot.
What is there left to say. This is a leviathon of a camera, Far too heavy to backpack with, needs a massive tripod, lenses are heavy; but I love this camera. It may kill me one day lifting my fully laden Lowepro, but thie camera is worh it. Fantastic results, awesome ability, rotating back, superb bellows, incredible close focus results, if only it weighed half as much!
Strengths:
Built like tank, fantastic revolving back, quick change of backs, quick set-up, bellow focussing. Simply knicker wetting lenses.
Weaknesses:
Weight, weight, weight. That said I would take it anywhere just to get those gorgeous trannies back form the lab.
Similar Products Used:
None; i'm not that stupid. I own a Mamiya RZ67, why would I want anything else, except an Ebony 45.
Offers exceptional performance with the drawback of the excessive weight. Extremly durable.
Strengths:
Extremly durable,
Sharp optics,
1/2 exposure increacements in manual mode,
Presice AE Prism II finder in 1/6 increacements exposure.
Great accessories,
6x7 Revolving Back,
Mirror Lock Up,
T Shutter,
Leaf shutter, fast flash sync,
Bellow design,
Numerous safty lock fucntions & audiable alarm.
Durable construction although not good for outdoor weather conditions
Weaknesses:
Heavy & Bulky
Not Weather Resistant
Use 6v silver oxide batteires somewhere is hard to get
I love the camera, although i don't spend a lot of time using it i still love it. The studio i intern at uses these cameras and i know the photograpgher there loove them, it is an awesome camera for studio work, why else would a studio use it if it wasn't awesome
I like it and hate it at the same time. Just the last weekend - a hike in Colorado, but I had the equipment with me in my backpack. 15 pounds of camera equipment....sweating like crazy but then, when I got the negatives back from processing - I knew why I dragged this beast around and why I love it. My lenses (50, 65, 90 and 180mm ) are super, crisp and contrasty, and the exposure is dead right. I only wish it was a bit lighter....
Strengths:
Optical performance, changeable backs, accurate exposure
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