Film Photography - 6x6 Cameras
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- Опубликовано: 1 май 2020
- I really, really like 6x6 cameras, they are my favourite format without question.
In this video I discuss some of the reasons why I like the format so much and also go through my collection of cameras from high end SLR to plastic toy.
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Email: steveonions1@gmail.com Twitter: Steve_ONions / steve_onions Instagram: steveonions1 / steveonions1
Steve's videos are really worth watching and learning from. There is no padding to fill the time. Everything is straight to the point and very relevant.
Thanks Bob, that's very kind of you.
Agreed. This is one of my favourite RUclips channels partly for this reason.
It’s hip to be square.
Ariston thank you Huey Lewis
And shoot from the hip
I was making photographs with a 6x6 camera, an Agfa Super Isolette, and found myself turning it on its side to seek better framing of a subject. It took me a while then it dawned on me.
Yes, easily done at first 😀👍
If I were asked, "Barry, you can keep only ONE film camera out of your collection, which one would it be?". My answer would be (Without hesitation!), "My Mamiya C-330 Professional F!" I love TLR cameras and the 6x6 format. The bonus with the Mamiya C-330 is, you have access to interchangeable lenses, and bellows focusing, (Allowing macro shooting.). The Mamiya C-330 is my "go to" camera, (And, much easier to use than lugging around my Mamiya RB67 ProSD!).
Thanks for the video, Steve!
Thanks Barry. I’d also opt for a 6x6 camera but probably one I’ve never owned - a Mamiya 6 with all three lenses.
The standard 75/80mm lenses on 6x6 cameras are so versatile. Wide enough for landscape and long enough for portraiture with a little cropping.
I agree, especially 75mm which is just that bit wider than the ‘standard’ suits me fine 😀
One advantage I always liked about medium format when I had my portrait studio was the ability to leave lots of room in the shot and crop as needed later when making the print. And still getting a high quality portrait. The square format is great for that. Now that I am retired and shooting Landscapes my Hasselblad is really having me love the square print.
THANK YOU! You've read my mind. Nothing beats the 6x6! The square is so utterly pleasing in its own right. Set me up with a Hasselblad 500 + the 100/3.5 planar and I'm good to go.
What a fantastic, down to earth and inspiring review of 6 x 6 medium format photography. Makes me want to go out and shoot! Thanks, Steve!
Thanks Daniel, I want to go out and shoot too but I’m not allowed 🙁
My Rolleiflex is 66 years old and still works perfectly. Love 6x6.
Testimony to the build quality Graham and when you look at the cost v use it is probably one of the best returns you could ever make.
@@SteveONions Agree 100% It is my favourite camera.
I’d agree I could live with just 6x6 quite easily, mainly as it takes away the decision between portrait vs landscape and you just seem to search for the perfect square, but which one, I’ve gathered around 15 over the years but it’s SWC/M vs Rollieflex 2.8F.
My Yashicamat is just over 60 years old and I love using it.
Nice choice to be faced with Adrian 🙂
Two thank you's :) First is thank you for always answering your comments on here. I know if is hard to keep up but it is appreciated. Thank you for also giving my weekends my usual dose of Steve on RUclips. I work in corporate America and you dont get much more of a stress than that and your video's are my connection back to the UK and relaxing out with my camera. All the very best to you and yours. Cheers
Jim
Thanks Jim, glad you are enjoying the videos too, I also use them as a way of switching off from the rigours of working in highly regulated environments with little scope for creative input.
Steve is one very few real photographers who actually use the gear! The brief intro. to 6x6 is stellar. The 12 exp is great! I once started a film in Canada finishing it in South Africa. A portrait of a world famous photographer. A 220 roll (24 exp) lasted 18 months! My success rate and i am cruel, was 23 perfect exposures. The Pentax 6x7 was a disaster. I bought it for the rectangular format and hated it! A superb camera and lenses more than equal to Hasselblad 500 series. Reason film in straight line, no bends.. A problem with TLR and Your Bronica. Only affects last exposure and only on older film and certain makes.. I loved 12 exposures for model shoots, larger contacts, extra contact sheet for model. Go 120..
Thanks Jason. Sounds like you can make a roll go a log way.
Great video Steve. Love your relaxed but very informative style!
Thanks Mark 🙂
Never could I have imagined the quality one can pull out of a Voigtlander Perkeo. Truly amazing
I know exactly what you mean 🙂
I was surprised how sharp and clear they were too.
Always wanted to try 6x6 format. The least expensive option for me at the moment is to add a 6x6 film back to my Mamiya RZ-67, which can also serve as a boat anchor if needed.
Haha, or an artificial reef!
Boat anchor!! :-D
I picked up a 6x6 back for my RB67. Can't argue with the incredible image quality those lenses produce, and the camera is a joy to use. But with the amount of weight I'm hauling around with that thing, my back is actually better off carrying my entire large format kit. Don't shoot the RB67 much anymore, but once in a while I like to pull it out of retirement to go on a (short) hike in the mountains, and when I do, it's always with that 6x6 back.
Excellent video. I used to shoot 6x6 and square format cameras, mainly twin lens (Yashica, remember them). You've re-awakened my interest, ebay here I come!! Thanks Steve.
Glad you liked it Rob.
Love the vid. I use a Mamiya C330 after having used many different 35mm film cameras. I Just love 6x6.
Great choice of cameras. Bronica, Autocord and Perkeo are hidden gems and future classics.
Totally agree with you on 6x6. Or medium format in general!!! Great job 👏 my man!!!!!!!
Thanks for the vlog, Steve. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm a Mamiya C330 shooter really enjoying the TLR camera with the interchangeable lenses. 6x6 has always been my favourite format for all the reasons you discuss and to add to your list I find it easier to compose square images. They just feel complete, satisfying, balanced. Cheers from Moray.
Thanks John, I immediately felt at home with 6x6 when I got my first Yashicamat over 30 years ago.
Yes! The first camera I bought was a Rolleicord Vb. I was just out shooting it today.
I purchased my Mamiya C220 in the 80's and still have it today. I like most photographers have progressed to digital and that's what I shoot most of the time. I still do however love the quality and output my Mamiya gives and still shoot with it regularly. Thanks for the excellent video. Great job.
Thanks Wayne and it’s good to see that you kept the Mamiya and still use it at times.
thank you Steve. the photo at 7:15 is truly a masterpiece.
Thanks for this "show and tell" video. 6x6/square format has always been part of my life. My mother made the first pictures of me with her 6x6 Agfa Isolette camera (and contact printed them). And my very first own camera was a Kodak Instamatic with 126 (square) film. Today I have a Rolleiflex in perfect working condition, which I really cherish. But I have to say that 6x6 is one of those things that I want to love but somehow not quite can. So I find myself nearly always cropping these pictures when I print them... You are therefore right about the flexibility of the format. I think it will stay being part of my life...
I think you either love it or hate it to be honest and I know a lot of photographers who have never got on with it at all. 🙂
You're right, great format! I keep coming back to it more and more... My 6x6 camera is a 1954 Rolleicord IV. I bought it 19 years ago and had it serviced a few years ago. I like it for landscape, (not too fast or anticipated) street photography, and especially for portraits! The advantage of this format is also the beautiful background blur that it can provide... 🙂
Thanks Luc, I also find that the depth of field drop off can be lovely at larger apertures.
Love the square, both the format and the cameras. Thanks for the video.
Thanks Stuart.
My feelings exactly! Wonderful presentation, and I for one agree with everything you've said. The square is so pleasing, so symmetric. Very few set-ups can rival a Hasselblad loaded with Tri-X capturing a scene through the 100mm/3.5! Just marvelous. I always wished that someone had created a 4x4 large format film holder for use on the LF cameras like Linhof or Toyo.
That’s true Joe, 4x5 is so close to square it makes sense.
i recently started emulating the 6 by 6 format on a hasselblad 907x with the f1.9/80mm lens. i'm loving my compositions. i'm loving the flow. i'm really enjoying the process of taking pictures
I just started shooting film about a year ago. Last winter I picked up a Mamiya C330 and I've fallen in love with it. There is just so much detail in the larger format! And 12 frames per roll is just enough; usually 2 frames per scene, so 6 scenes per roll, means I never have to leave film sitting in my camera waiting to finish.
12 is about right for me too. I really struggle with 35mm so it’s often reserved for longer days out when I can use it up.
Always a pleasure to listen to a Good ramble 👍😄
Glad you enjoyed it Stuart.
Really great overview of the format 6x6; Although I am somewhat a TLRaholic..also have bronica and zero image your thoughts are concise and spot on about the quality and utility of the 6x6 compared to view camera... I too am coming to your same point about 6x6 and thank u for reenforcing the advantages. As always, I look forward to your posts and wish u the very best! Thanks Steve.
Thanks Randy, glad someone else thinks like me :)
great subject. I shoot Bronica ETRS and absolutely love it - picked up a $20 Agfa Isolette V and after cleaning it up the first roll was an eye opener! That 6x6 is really a nice compositional boost. I the ability to have it your pocket is such a bonus too!
I used to have an Isolette III with 75mm Solinar and it was my favourite lens of all.
your comments on ansel Adam's is spot on you know love your work.
Love my 6x6 Voigtlander Perkeo II ... it does a great job at 6x6.
Terrific video channel Steve, very informative and a pleasure to watch.
I found myself composing many of my digital images with a square crop in mind. So I just added an Agfa Isolette II to my small collection of film cameras (Welta Belmira/Minolta 7000/Yashica Minister 700).
Shooting my first test roll now and will run one more through her before sending them off to the lab.
Fingers crossed everything is in order (no minor bellows light leaks or alignment issues) as I love this camera and this format. Could not believe just how small the Agfa is yet how sturdily it is built. I'll add a TLR at some point, maybe a birthday present next July.
Thanks Morris and I’m glad you are having fun with the Isolette. I used the Mark III for a number of years and got some very good images.
Fantastic video, like it a lot. Keep up your good work Steve...
Thanks Lars.
I appreciate your discussion of not only the image quality of each camera, but how those images fit with each other in body of work. I tend to get wrapped around individual system quality and composition, but not on how to create a portfolio--big pile of images... now what? That was a broadening insight. Thank you!
Glad you found it useful John.
Love your video's and your work. Learn so much from it. Many thanks!
Thanks Dirk.
I canot agree more. As the first format I used, my father's Flexeretta whitch was a cheaper version of the Rolieflex 3.5, this format is my favourite. Like you if I had to choose a format or single camera, it would have to be a 6x6 format. Thanks for the vlog Steve.
Great talk Steve, have used the Fuji GX 680 for plant photography for the last few years. It is like carrying half a concrete block around in a backpack though. However the tilt and shift option makes
it worthwhile. 120 film is also my favourite film. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Carl, you get brownie points for lugging round the 608!
Thanks for the great video Steve. I'm going back to film having shot digital for the last 20 years and its good to know I'm not the only one who wants to shoot 6x6. Brushed down the Bronco and dug out the Durst, so it's time to be square.
I’ll bet it feels good to be back 👍
Great stuff Steve, really needed this without even realising it
Thanks James.
Great video. Absolutely true. I have a Hasselblad 500 C/M, and Rolleiflex. Both are my favorites by far. Love square format. Easy to crop. Square looks great on the wall. Regards, Jerry LLanes...
Thanks Jerry, so many of us seem to have both the SLR and TLR options.
Just ordered a Minolta Autocord from Japan, very excited!!! Thanks for the video. This will complement my other 35mm film cams :)
Have fun, they are great cameras.
Love 6x6. Thanks Steve!
Thanks John.
I agree that 6x6 is the sweet spot format. My favorite film camera, and one where the quality of my images improved dramatically, was my Mamiya C220 with an 80mm lens. I use my digital cameras a lot in square format, not because of Instagram (yuk!), but as a holdover from those medium format days.
I started off with a Ricoh TLR that lasted for one roll of film and moved on to a Yashicamat (the shutter stuck on vacation once-had to hit it with a hammer) and finally the Mamiya TLR series in Mamiyaflex, and a bunch of C330's which I used professionally for awhile with full range of lenses. Favorite for all around use for portraits was the 135 but the 180 for tighter shots.
I've owned several TLRs including the Minolta Autocord. I usually find non-working TLRs and repair them myself - most don't work due to gummed up shutters or focusing mechanisms. Easily fixed and a lot of YT repair videos to help. I invested in some simple micro-tools to get the job done. Great video Steve.
Great point, some bargains to be had if you're willing to take the risk. I recently got a very nice FE2 for £35 in non-working condition, turned out it just needed new batteries :)
6x6 my favourite way to compose a picture as well. Last count I have six 6x6 cameras...pity I can't produce results like you. Super video during lockdown and something to look forward to.
Thanks Tom, looks like I need another 6x6 😀
I agree, the 6x6 format is the coolest!!!
love the shot @ 12:55! heck of an image m8
Great Video Steve....agreed re 6x6.....my SQAi is the go to for me.....the GS-1 just looks pretty on the shelf these days 😊
Was interesting & informative to know your reasons for loving the 6x6 format. I once took my friends Rolliflex (in near mint condition and its from 1960 something !!) out and he showed me how to use it etc, there is something about that square format that is so appealing. I particularly enjoy looking at the range of cameras you have and how you make choices which format you are going to shoot on your outings. Atb Alan
Cheers Alan, the square format is pretty unique, all others are just a variation on the same whether it is 16:9 or 4:5 - only 6x6 stops you thinking about horizontal or vertical compositions.
I couldn't stop watching! This guy is spot on when talking about the ideal format. Luckily I have a folding camera 6x6 and a Mamyia Press able to cover from 6x4.5 to 6x9, obviously 6x6 included!
Thanks Luis, I’d love to try the big Press.
@@SteveONions it is an interesting concept, very complete with lots of lenses and backs! I am planning to upload a few videos about the Mamiya Press and when using it outdoors!
I've always been around photography, whether it was snapshots on a vacation or a celebration of one's birthday or national holiday etc etc. I first took a more focused black and white class back in high school and I only had access to broken equipment and a teacher who wasn't really enthralled in teaching. So I was put off from the subject for the most part. a year later I had to focus on digital photography much more as I was a committee member of that years yearbook organization. I also had an old digital camera my grandfather gifted to me when I was in middle school. Right about my graduation from High School is when smart phones were beginning to find their way into the hands of teenagers. I used my phone almost exclusively for photos. I didn't have a "good" digital camera to use so that was that. Once in College I started a design degree and I was connected more and more to photography as more than a documentary tool and more of an expressive way to capture elements around you everyday. My final semester in my fourth year required that I take black and white photography class and lab. I wasn't extremely excited as I still remembered my previous class in high school and how it left me wanting. My professor completely hooked me, the very first day of class. He had found his father's old Kodak Autographic Brownie that he hadn't seen in fifty years. And on the first day he brought it with him to show us an example of photography's past. I was very honored that he, without even knowing this body of students, brought something as important as a camera he hadn't seen in decades. I went out that weekend to find a SLR for my class and found a good Konica FC-1. My grandfather then gifted me his Canon AE-1. My parents gave me their old cameras as well, a few Instamatics, a Canon Sure-Shot and a couple of others, thus my journey into a deep love affair with photography began, with a strong case of GAS to boot. That was three years ago, I have shot near a thousand rolls of film, and have acquired over 200 different camera models in various film formats and frames. I'd say my favorites are easily my 6x6 cameras, if I want to have quality negatives and a format that suites just about any situation, I immediately go for my 6x6s. Just yesterday I fixed my Mamiya C220. Truly 6x6 is my favorite.
I’m so glad that you found what works for you and it ignited a passion for photography. There are so many more ways to express what you feel than the latest digital camera, it doesn’t matter what you use as long as it inspires you to shoot. Enjoy the journey 🙂
I totally agree. I too love 6x6 format.
Thanks Christopher.
You didn't mention my absolute favorite aspect of many 6 x 6 cameras--the gorgeous chimney viewfinders. There is no better way to see and compose an image than those bright and detailed viewfinders. They make everything look great.
Good point Curtis.
Except that they reverse everything left to right, which makes it hell to pan with moving objects!
@@MalcolmBrenner Yeah! You should search for an Deardorf 8x10 camera that's make easy to pan with moving objects 🤔🤔🤔. Sir, Medium and large format cameras are not meant for sport photography. Reversed image has its advantage, it oblige you really slow down for an ideal composition. My thoughts.
My fav format too Steve. I also like the look of square framing. Most of the walls in my home are square frames. I also shoot 35mm and frame with square print in mind, where I enlarge 8x8 inch usually. Nice cameras. Oh that Bronjca!
Thanks Roger, I like making 7” square prints in the darkroom as they are big enough to see all the detail but not too big to store or transport (try doing this with a lot of 16x20’s). I also like to crop down large format as it is pretty close to 1:1 already.
This brings back memories.
I started, as a pre-teen, with two (2) formats: 35mm (Zeiss) and a 6 x 6 Yashica Mat. The Yashica was a bit fragile (file advance problems), so I graduated to a TLR Rollei (3.5 Tessar and then 2.8 Planar). The Rollei's were terrific: excellent build quality and a genuine revelation regarding photographic quality when compared to 35mm. Both were purchased used and never failed to perform, regardless of environmental conditions.
Make no mistake: I enjoy 35mm, particularly the new digital formats. However, the 6 x 6's taught me the value of the larger image and composition advantages, as opposed to the traditional rectangular 3/2 image. While sheet film (4x 5 and larger) is nice, I completely agree with the stated overall advantages of 6 x 6.
I would enjoy Steve's comments upon the current digital 6 x 6 equipment. The amount of data available in post processing would be quite a treat for an expert like Steve to play with.
Thank you. I had a few Yashicam Mat's and one (a later model I recall) used more plastic in the internals so it was quite fragile. Im always amazed at how good the image quality of the TLR lenses is even compared to modern optics but then again I have always enjoyed the older, less contrasty designs.
Steve! I travel back and forth between 6x6 and 35mm. I enjoy the former over the latter because of the amount of information that can be packed into the negative. What I dislike about 35mm is that the tiniest speck or scratch on a frame makes it fit only for the trash. My only cavill with your "modern" 6x6s is that each of them weights more than my tent. Hence, my Zeiss or Voigtlaender are my weapons of choice. For the Pentax 6x7 I would need a wheelbarrow.
I also waver between convenience and quality, there’s no right or wrong answer. A long time ago I settled on using a 6x6 system camera for all my static photography where the weight wouldn’t be a burden, leaving the 35mm for more dynamic work (and urban situations). Whilst the 120 system cameras aren’t light I can’t think of a better setup once I come across a scene that cries out for greater detail in the final print.
Can't imagine why the popularity of pinhole cameras has gone up - could it be your videos featuring them [grin]?! Great video as always - love the emphasis on 6x6, and you really made some great arguments for this format; not the least of which is the full use of the lens, something I don't think a lot of digital shooters think about. Cheers!
It's certainly an efficient design and if you can get on with the aspect ratio the removal of that initial decision - portrait or landscape - makes finding compositions easier.
Great video Steve! I’ve been thinking about incorporating some 6x6 into my work and on my RUclips channel as well! I’ve got some cool ideas for square format!
It’s a great format Reimann, never having to think about camera orientation is a blessing.
My first 6x6 camera was a Kodak 66 model ii, for £10 from a charity shop and it got me hooked on old 6x6 medium format folders especially when you can get some of them for not much more that the price of a fish supper, that's good old British fish and chips for anyone not from the British Isles reading this.
There are indeed many cheap old folders out there, a bit of a lottery though in my experience!
I bought a Minolta tlr new in the sixties. The winding crank broke within a few weeks.
The focus lever system was taken from the Flexaret tlr.
I used 2 Yashica Mat Tlrs when I was a working wedding photographer. Very reliable and fast to load and use. The results were great.
I still use a 1957 Yashica Mat with a 75mm 3.5 Lumaxar lens which is incredibly sharp.
I also like the Yashica TLR’s Neil, I’ve had a few of the later 124 models and been very pleased with the results 🙂
My first camera was a Rolleiflex 2.8F, which I still have. I need to send it off somewhere for a good cleaning and adjustment, and have some lens fungus removed. In spite of that, it takes gorgeous pictures. I picked up a Yashicamat somewhere along the way too, and I have a bag of Nikon 35mm bodies and lenses. I came into the digital age about ten years ago, but I still shoot and like film. I agree with your points about medium format. I have printed full-frame and cropped to suit many times. If you crop 35mm and want to enlarge it to 8x10, you get a lot of grain in the final print. Not long ago I picked up a 4x5 view camera. I've always wanted to get into large format photography. There seems to be no end to this madness.
Join the club Lex, there's never a time I stop thinking about another camera or format. It does keep things interesting 🙂
Hi Steve! I share your reasons for loving the 6x6 120 film format. I found my dads Yashica-A camera recently and shot a roll of Portra 800, and love the results! Wanting other 120 cameras on a budget, I picked up a few Kodak Hawkeye and Duoflex cameras, and am testing one now with Ilford Delta 100 film. Can’t wait to see the results. I know the lens quality is not up with the Yashica, but love the format just the same. Thanks for your great video and inspiring me to do more with this format. Cheers from USA 🇺🇸! Anthony.
Thanks Anthony, the results with old cameras can be surprisingly good even when they have very basic lenses. The very large negatives from something like a 6x9 means enlargement factors are quite low and the tonality is superb.
I love 6x6, and bought myself two Rolleiflex cameras three years ago. First I bought a 3.5 Tessar from the early 50s, and I got so hooked I bought a mint condition 3.5 F Planar from the early 60s two months later! God I love shooting with them! I also regret selling my old Hasselblad 500CM workhorse about 13-14 years ago, but the Rolleiflexes are so much fun.
Cheers,
Eivind
I’m jealous Eivind, just don’t tell me you’re getting a 2.8f anytime soon 😡
Steve O'Nions Hahaha! I’ll do more than make you jealous Steve, I’ll try and shock you. :p After doing tons of research and talking to many Rolleiflex users of both the 2.8F & 3.5F around the world, I decided I didn’t want (gasp!) a 2.8F. I actually like the look of the images from the 3.5F better. But I do love the look of the 2.8F camera. Hmm... Now you’ve made me lust for a 2.8F after all.... 😃😛
Absolutely brilliant.
Thanks Darren.
Very well explained. There is something much less aggressive in looking down the waste level finder as opposed to looking through a prism of an SLR or DSLR when pointing it at people. The square format also concentrates the mind on the composition without the usual distractions of the 3:2 aspects ratio formats.
It is indeed less intrusive and I never feel self conscious working with a waist level finder.
The yashica 124 G is so light and easy to carry with a large negative. Fixed 50 mm lens is fine for street as that is what I use.
My first 6cm camera was a Mamiya twin. I always crop my images and the 6x6 format allows croping either way. The format also taught me economy of images. I don't waste film! When I moved to the RB67 I found the 6x6 backs to be cheaper. I own 16 backs in 6x6 2 in 6x7 and 1 645. Thanks for mentioning pinhole, I removed the huge heavy RB lens and submitted a Kodak brass pinhole shutter mounted in a front camera cover. It has 4 different diameter holes which allow some exposure latitude. Your videos are a source of information and pleasure for me. I'd love to meet you someday and show you my shop where I rebuild my old finds. My old beauties never miss drawing crowds where ever we go. Digital owners are shocked to hear something that doesn't have a battery can produce up to 180 mega pixel images.
Thanks David and I’d love to see your collection one day. Having variations on pinholes is a good option as often the typical super wide is too much - body cap versions work well.
Whilst digital offers so much it doesn’t inspire me, there’s a fascination with film that never seems to fade.
Thanks Steve! As a photographer you're awesome! As a human being you are a godsend! I enjoy your tutorials so much, your love of craft and warmth as a person stun me!
Great video about 6x6 medium format Steve. 6x6 used to be great fro composing family groups at weddings. Charlie Waite uses the 6x6 format to great effect in landscape photography. I sold my Yashicamat 124G a few years ago. I still have my Seagull twin lens made in China. I looked at the Minoltachord. Boy they are expensive second hand, but beautiful. I had the chance to buy a mint Mamiya C330s recently. A bit too bulky for me, but what a piece of kit.
It’s only a matter of time Simon, you will end up getting one. My Autocord was supposedly in excellent condition but needed a full CLA when I got it and it still has a problem with the bulb setting. No chance I’ll be selling it soon though as the lens is absolutely beautiful.
Not a format I use on a regular basis Steve. However, when the C330 comes out, an enjoyable shoot usually follows. I usually use it for close ups with the paramender and (unusual for me) Pan F. The bellows extension compensation marker is a very useful feature. I really like the format of close ups when the enlargements are quite big. A great Vlog Steve and I am sure plenty of folk will take up the format.
Cheers
Diz
Thanks Diz, I used to have a closeup filter set and it worked surprisingly well. I’m on the lookout for another now 🙂
Another great video Steve. I first tried a Diana as a first cheap step in to medium format. Struggled with the shutter speed / aperture, so it sits on the shelf. Went looking on eBay and found a very affordable 6x6 folder in an Olympus Chrome Six. It has a very nice Zuiko lens and is more portable than my OM-4T.
Sounds like a very nice camera, not one I’ve come across before.
Great video Steve! You’re work with square format film inspired me to buy a Holga and a Bronica SQ-Ai. Thank you!
Thanks Chris, I need to be on commission!
Totally with you on this! I have Rolleiflex, Yashicamat and my most portable is my Zeiss Ikon Nettar, the images from that are just great and weighs next to nothing! I never seem to crop my 6x6 images, always printing in square format, maybe I should give it a go!
Me too, if I do crop it’s often still 1:1 or occasionally something panoramic.
In my youth I shot weddings with the combination of a Yashica 635 and a Mamiya C3. They were brilliant before I moved on to a succession of Rollei SLRs (SLX, 6002, 6006, 6008 ) with which I made a good income in the 1980s/1990s - the SLX and 6002 being my favourites for studio portrait photography. That said, I still love and regularly use my Pentax 67...........
I always wanted one of those Rollei’s.
I couldn't agree more. I got hooked on 6x6 after discovering John Gay's work, and own quite a few now. I sold some of the most expensive after realizing that many of my favorite images were taken with Lubitel TLR's.
I also love the soft images Jon, so much emotion.
As always, Steve an education!
Thanks Roy.
Outstanding video. Clear and to the point. I too love shooting with my Yashica 6x6 cameras from the very basic models all the way up to their last model the Mat-124G (1986). I like the challenge of shooting in squares and having to compose carefully to pull off a high-quality image. Another favorite of mine is the Fuji Fujica GW690 Professional. It's a huge camera but it feels lightweight in your hands, and IMO a breeze to use. It's much more user friendly than the Asahi Pentax 6x7 which I love but it's a pain to carry around. The Fujica can be had for a reasonable price since it's not a system camera like the Asahi Pentax, your Bronica, and the Mamiya RB67. Regards, Chris
Thanks Chris. I’ve often though about getting one of the big Fuji’s, possibly the most impressive looking film camera ever 🙂
One thing worth a mention, the system models and lenses, need to be checked periodically. Due to lens getting stuff growing inside.
Something that I like about 6x6 is the fact that it has helped me a lot to improve my understanding on image composition, for some reason I find it easier to get better at image composition in a square format.
I also find 1:1 the easiest aspect ratio for composition, there is no decision on camera orientation and everything feels balanced.
Rolleiflex sl66 . The best 6x6 imo
Has bellows tilt for depth of field
Can reverse the lenses without adapters and do super up close macro and even add tubes for extreme macro.
Excellently said. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Really enjoyed that Steve, some good info there, been looking at some of these options lately , nearly got a Zeiss ikon nettar (think that's right) a few weeks ago.
you should buy a nettar I have one.
Excellent video very informative.
I have a Kiev 88 TTL and a fujica 6x9 & mamiya c3 tlr they are extremely good
Thanks Alan, nice collection you have there 👍
Very good video, as always, on a fascinating subject. I take advantage of the confinement to review everything you have produced on YT. Hours of pure pleasure. 😉🤝
Thanks Hervé and well done for sitting through all the videos 😀
One thing you might add to the compelling reasons to use 6x6 is how easy the negs are to handle in the darkroom. They just fit the hand so perfectly, the odd spec of dust is negligible, and they’re easy to inspect. You’ve got my juices going with this video, because I have every flavour of 6/6 camera and I need to dust one off and shoot a roll. :)
Very true Joseph, I hope you get out with one of your many 6x6’s soon 👍
Wonderful video Steve. I started ahooting medium format recently, first with a Rolleicord then a rolleiflex. Insane image quality in these cameras. Rivals my Nikon dslr.
They are so underrated Jonathan, lens quality is right up there.
RIVALS! far exceed I should have thought :-)
Great video! It is refreshing watching any photography video that I learn from and don't feel like there was an agenda of sorts. Thank you for taking the time to make that video. By the way I will like and subscribe but I'm sure I had been subscribed to you before. Who knows, it may just be me.
Thank you, I don’t anticipate any sponsorship from Minolta or Bronica any time soon 🙂
Pretty interesting admission stating your favorite format. I agree with your choice more so now than when I was younger. I didn't like the square format back then but that has changed. I shot with the Pentax 67 for years because I could get standard sized enlargements (in America) without or with little cropping thereby taking advantage of all the films real estate afforded by that format. Large prints looked phenomenal with the 6x7 and since I was all about "The quest for the best", that was my choice. Silly young mind. I gave up a lot for that. The interchangeable backs being the number one sacrifice followed up by flopping that beast on its side for verticals. My main area of photography was and still is macro. Then of course switching from horizontal to vertical radically changed the carefully set up perspective. Resetting it was a pain and upon occasion, I disrupted or completely ruined the scene by knocking it out of whack with the tripod legs during repositioning. If I were to go back to shooting film and had the choice today, it definitely would be the Bronica SQ or Hasselblad for certain!
Thanks Bradley. I use to do a lot with the Mamiya 645 but hated flipping it over and needing to fit the prism finder - everything just felt wrong and this inhibited my compositions. Never needing to change the camera orientation is liberating, same goes for the large format gear too.
"Square is a square" many thanks Steve ;-) A really great video (again) ! I absolutely need to stop shooting with a square setting (?) on my Fuji X100T... and your pictures are the best arguments for the 6x6.
Thanks Nicolas 🙂
I am 72 years old. Got a Brownie Hawkeye in 1958. I like the film loading process of medium format and the small no. of exposures on a roll of film. I seldom need to take more than 12 shots of any one subject. Currently have a Yashica Mat 124 and Mamiya C330. Last summer I purchased an Agfa Isolette. Lens could use cleaning and not sure of shutter speed accuracy. Shoot sunny 16. At f16 not too concerned with focus setting. Some of my favorite photos have been taken with this camera.
Wonderful information! Thank you!
Glad you liked it Kellee.
My 6x6 camera is a 1954 Kodak 620, modified to fit 120 film. No filters, no meter, one speed, but built like a brick. I love shooting with it, so simple, images are ~ sharp, but when I’m out and about, it’s always a conversation starter!
I bet you get stopped all the time Shaun, I can’t do pinhole in busy places as everyone want a to talk about what I’m doing 🙂
Steve seems to like my personal camera types. Luckily I bought many when they were available before prices went up. My digital photography never grabbed my interest. Have a few.Never liked how they went out of date b4 the next model was out. Film, luckily will never die,(hope). One opinion worth a mention, RUclips videos have very good instruction ones. compared to the old earlier ones. many thanks S Onions.
Thanks Donald. I should have held onto all my film and darkroom equipment instead of having to buy it back at inflated prices 🙁
My first serious camera was a Minolta Autocord that I purchase in 1959, High School, for about $40, 2 weeks pay. Still shoot regularly on a Mamiya C330.
That’s impressive Michael, quite a lot of money back then.
I use a Kiev 6c 6x6 slr with a 90mm 2.8 Vega lens. I have a waist level finder and a prism finder. I get 13 images on it.
I make my own enlargements in my windowless bathroom using a Gnome Alpha Rangefinder condenser enlarger.
The enlarger lens is a 100mm Schneider Componon S 5.6 lens.
I also have a 1957 Yashica Mat with a 75mm 3.5 Lumaxar lens.
Excellent quality lens.
Sounds like a setup that works well for you Neil.
I've been taking photos for 65 years and the best camera has been my Bronica EC-TL that I bought in Japan in 1977 !!
I have taken 1000's of photos over the years and i wouldn't trade it for any digital !!
A 20x25 pic is easily made with this and You manually adjust the shutter speed, f stop and focus- manually to Your liking !!
Sounds perfect 😊
@@SteveONions ...that's my opinion, too !!
I've been thinking of a Hasselblad SWC for the mantel. Maybe now I'll even use it!
In the day, I skipped 6x6 and got a Pentax 6x7. What a beast! With lenses it became problematic for my handheld shooting, though the quality was wonderful, esp. with transparency film.
I love the look and feel of the big Pentax but that shutter was just too much for me 🙂
at first i wanted to get a 4.5X6 formate but seeing the folding voigtlander camera, that really peaks my interest . a couple days ago seeing it recommended as well and quite affordable but still need to watch out for any defects or light leaks as i've heard.
They are excellent cameras but it is worth paying more for one which has either been serviced or comes from a dealer.
Another great, informative video, I use a YashicaMat EM which has a pin sharp lens, in fact I prefer it to my blue dot 80mm and Mamiya C330. If anyone is looking for a budget option any of the the Yashica TLRs are great, including the three element versions like the Yashica A. The experience of looking through a TLR is also hugely enjoyable as everything looks good! Thanks again Steve 👍
Thanks Simon, I’ve also had a few Yashicamats and they are hard to beat.
I got done shooting my first wedding with the C330f and I immediately went on a trip but only took my Yashicamat as I didn't want the risk taking the C330. Was up in the mountains of Colorado at Bear Lake one evening and some pro photographers came up from a Denver convention. They threw me some new pro 400 film. I loaded it up in the Yashicamat and they took some pics with it of my wife and I sitting on a rock. The shutter locked up in the colder weather. I ended up taking the camera under my sleeping blanket and removing the film and rolling it back up and reused it (turned out ok) and fixing the shutter with a hammer.
Try using that approach with a modem camera Keith 😀
Completely agree Steve, 6x6 all the way. Biggest regret was selling my Bronica SQ system a few years ago when we were told "film was dead, digital is the future"......However, I did keep my Rolliflex which gets a workout now and again.
We've all done it Marc, I sold all my Hasselblad gear and so much more too - just spent the last 5 years buying it all back again at inflated prices :(