> I have been keeping an eye open for a reasonably
> priced medium format camera. Came across this on Yabe.
> Has a Zuiko lens. Item # 120094249328
>
Ali,
Are you a shooter or collector? This may be a good buy for a collection, but
as old as it certainly must be, a poor choice for a collector. It will at
the least require a CLA, and parts may be a problem. It all depends on how
much you want to use it.
If you are looking for a shooter, take advantage of the falling prices on
more recent cameras. The only TLR that has shooter potenital that isn't a
newer, more expensive Rollei, is the Mamiya interchangable lens TLR's.
In SLR's, look at Bronicas (some may present reliability problems), Mamiyas,
Pentax, and of course, Hasselblad. Other good options may be the Mamiya 7
and the Bronica 645 rangefinder. The Fuji rangefinders may be a good buy,
but some thing they are unreliable.
A real bargain, if you can find one in excellent condition, is the
Koni-Omegas. Regrettably, most were used by wedding photographers, and are
really beat up. A good one has fine glass, and is heavy duty.
Then, of course, there are the Yashica TLR's. They were cheap in the
beginning, but produced great results. They may have aged to a point where
they're not a bargain, but I can't say.
If you're a little more flush, I hear the prices on the Contax 645 cameras
are low. I would have expected the prices to remain higher, as they make
great cameras to use with digital backs, but I guess few agree.
I probably forgot some, so Schnozz should step in.
Bill Pearce
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