Order here. She'll like that for Valentine's day.
Order here. She'll like that for Valentine's day.
How about this, print the content of the thread in cards, get a nice gift box, and add the $400 at the end. Let her decide. That and a nice kiss cant go wrong. And say happy valentines from all of us!
Yeah. From what I've seen of fashion photography now, large format won't be good for that.
She was talking about the librations of digital. For a gift of a film camera (now) to be a good idea, the person should have to want to use film.
I would highly discourage large format unless you know she would want to use that. Even medium format, you have to deal with either photographing B&W and developing yourself, or sending it out, which will cost...probably at least $10 each for the smallest roll.
I would suggest printing this convo as somebody else said, and giving it to her, lol.
I'm armed with a Wisner 4x5 Technical Field and a lot of hope. I got this. Oh, and my name's Andrew.
I concur Jim Graves and Darin Boville..!
I shoot fashion and models are not the same as used to be (fast pace no patients)! End up wasting very expensive films!
Pentax has been my favourite (if it doesn't fail!), Mamiya RZ is great but requires tripod! 6x7 format is affordable but still not cheap and cumbersome to operate! Mamiya 645 is the ideal format and camera for the budget you have! Lenses are awesome and used by many known fashion photographers to the day! A system set up vey important from day one, once you start then you can build! She'd be very happy with this! Also, fits her hands perfect. There are few models as they been around many years! Auto focus option more expensive but manual focus I'd recommend to get it easily done on the spot as she won't be needing that fast movements.
I have a 5x4 Graflex, Polaroid 110b and a 10x8 camera! I used Pentax 6x7 (failed two bodies), Mamiya 6x7! 6x7 or 645 is the most suited format for the job, nice shallow depth of field and bokeh! 6x9 will NOT work. 5x4 is great (Graflex - wooden base up to 1/1000 seconds fast cloth shutter!) expensive film and developing costs (very) and too slow to work with with modern models. Not worth it!
"Auto focus option more expensive but manual focus I'd recommend to get it easily done on the spot as she won't be needing that fast movements."
Get the job done!Autofocus is not great on medium format cameras! Slow and miss!
I don't think it is a particularly good idea to "surprise' anyone with an item of such personal choice as a camera.
However, here's are a few things that have the lowest risk. Not 'a lot' of money and can be sold easily if unsuitable:
1. Speed/Crown Graphic, 4x5. 127-135 lens, four or five holders, 6x7 roll film back, changing bag, meter, tripod. So, it will need a Graflok back i.e. Pacemaker. A Busch could substitute here. $500 or less if you hunt. A stitching back for about $300 could attach her digicam on the back of it. It takes six shots by sliding back and forth and the shots are stitched in the camera.
2. Rolleflex, Yashica 124G. Could be shot handheld and looks kind of 'hip' which might work in the fashion studio. Easy to use, big negative, easier to get film than 4x5, easier to get processing- mail order or otherwise. Easier to get scanned- mail order or otherwise. If she is in the fashion industry, she probably can get someone to process and scan it for her (Many one-hour labs will do C-14 for 120, make prints and scan. If your area still has one hour labs). Needs a meter (Those old meters frequently don't work or use mercury batteries), maybe a tripod. $250-$500
3. Mamiya 645 Manual focus. Cheap and pretty good lenses. Built in meter available but I would get a meter, perhaps a tripod. $300-$1000 A body and a couple of lenses might go for $700. There is a 55-110 zoom which would work well for a single lens solution. Might get the body and lens for $500.
4. Hasselblad 500cm, 80, 60 or 120, two A12 backs, tripod. Since the digital change over, this stuff is pretty cheap. Yes, the V-Series may use a digiback but they are not particularly available on the used market (at least one that is not older than two generations old) $1000 for body, lens, backs.
5. Cardboard box made to look like a camera, when she opens the finder, it says, "Here's $500 towards a film camera". She could pick what she wants within that budget fairly easily.
6. Since she is artsy-fartsy, she might enjoy making and trying out a pinhole camera. This could cost from almost nothing to a few hundred dollars. There is a lot online on how to use and make these cameras. This might satisfy her 'traditional photography jones' in the cheapest and, perhaps, most fun way. "It's different".
Oh, yeah. In almost every case, she will need a meter. I haven't used it much yet but there are a number of light meters made for smartphones. I have an iPhone 5 and have three cheap/free ones I'm trying out. Will be easier to carry just the phone and not need an extra meter when I'm out with one of my old Leicas or 'meter free' cameras. These are available for Android, too.
Yes! Trust a woman's gift sense! (OK, maybe not budget sense, since $5,200 is quite a bit above £400, i.e., $675) Sam, I'm sure that your girlfriend will just love that camera!Originally Posted by VictoriaPerelet
The truth is that all LF cameras have, at one time or another, been used for fashion. The problem is that all of those shoots were done with a lot of film, which is now rather dear. And there were assistants, etc., and the models knew that it took at least 15 seconds between shots.
Are you expecting your girlfriend to be using the camera in a fashion shoot, like for a few shots, or is it just one of those, "I love you honey" gifts? For £400 you can get a perfectly serviceable press camera, lens, and a few holders, no problem at all. They pop up here in the For Sale section every once in a while. The MPP, as suggested, is quite common in your area, and is a fine camera. There are many of them about. If this camera would actually be used in a shoot, then I recommend that you also buy 50 darkslides (over here they're called film holders) as well.
Some of the guys here have done fashion shots with LF, and recently. The last time I read about it, the fellow had a stack of Graflex Grafmatic film holders, which hold multiple sheets and allow using a view camera almost as fast as a Nikon.
But do talk with here about it, in a roundabout way, and get her thoughts about what kind of film cameras she would like.
"It's the way to educate your eyes. Stare. Pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." - Walker Evans
Hey! If you really want to impress her, you are in luck. Best 4x5 camera ever made and the first one I have seen offered on eBay in years. Check out item number 231225506603.
Take a look at all the cameras suggested. Each and every one would be a good choice for someone. But see how different they are? How do you know which type of camera (let alone make/model) is what your girlfriend would want?
Large format has it's own set of complexities with need for more "piece parts" (lens, camera, film holders, meter) and (IMO) more of a requirement to do your own darkroom work.
But you get an A for effort. Please stop making the rest of us look bad to our wives/girlfriends.
Do not do this. Never buy a gift for someone else's specialty. She won't appreciate it -- it's you telling her that you know more about what she's doing than she does. This will not go over well.
Trust me, if she really wanted a film camera, she'd have one.
Bruce Watson
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