BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Medium Format Cameras

Medium Format Camera

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June 08, 2003

If priority is given to lenses, the Contax tops the heap with Carl Zeiss glass, but you will pay some $$$ for the privelege of having that name on the front of the lenses. Cannot judge too much on the other two. I use a Mamiya M645 ("j" and "1000-S"), but it's manual focus and the AFD lenses are different from those for the original M645 through current E and Pro-TL . . . an important note to remember . . . and Mamiya's lineup of AFD lenses isn't as extensive as for their manual focus 645's.

I am in the "over 40" presbyopia crowd who cannot focus their eyes as closely as those who are younger . . . a phenomenon of aging . . . and I'm still using all manual focus equipment. A possible alternative to an entirely new camera system is exploring dioptric correction lenses on the viewfinder. If you have myopia or hyperopia (near/far sightedness) without too much astigmatism, you might be surprised at how much this truly helps. You shouldn't need any for pure presbyopia; viewfinder optics place the effective distance of the focus screen several feet in front of the camera.

I started using viewfinder dioptric correction for mild myopia years ago and wondered why I hadn't done that many years before. It made an enormous difference in focus accuracy and allowed significantly better use of the microprism ring and matte area of the focusing screen. Before doing that I was relying very heavily on the center split rangefinder circle. If you have been using dioptric correction, then how much you need may have changed . . . and this is also "normal" with aging. The dioptric correction I use has changed over time. It's much easier than trying to look through a viewfinder while wearing glasses.

-- John

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June 08, 2003

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June 10, 2003

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June 10, 2003

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June 17, 2003

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June 19, 2003

Depends on what make/model and what lens. Also depends on how old your Vivitar 283 flash is.

First . . . about the Vivitar 283:
The very old Vivitar 283 flash units have a high trigger voltage; about 300 volts. These old ones will fry the electronics in newer cameras that trigger flash electronically. Even with older cameras (up to about the early/mid 1970's) that have mechanical triggering (using a relay), it's still not good for them. Depending on camera, it can eventually burn/pit the trigger contacts. Vivitar redesigned their 283 (and 285HV) flashes when camera companies started making cameras with electronic flash triggering. By comparison, most of them should not be subjected to any more than about 10 volts on the flash trigger contacts. All this also applies to the very old Vivitar 285HV flash units versus the newer ones. Both the Vivitar 283 and Vivitar 285HV have sockets on the side that allow connecting a cord from the flash to a PC socket on the camera body. On the Vivitar flash end, the socket and plug are unique to Vivitar. If you connect a Vivitar flash to a camera PC socket, you must have a PC plug on the camera end of the cord, and the unique Vivitar plug flash end. Plugging one of these into the flash disconnects the shoe contacts (to keep them from shorting out in an all metal "cold" accessory shoe).

About the Bronicas:
Depends on which model Bronica, whether or not you have a prism on it, and which lenses you are using with it. Medium format SLR's typically have focal plane shutters inside the camera body and most of the lenses are pretty much like 35mm SLR lenses. Flash sync is on the camera body, sometimes via a PC socket which requires a PC cord to run to the flash, and sometimes via hot shoe on the top of the prism (if the camera has a prism mounted on it). With some models, the optional hand grip will have a hot shoe on top of the grip handle. Others will have an accessory shoe (cold shoe) without flash contacts. All these have an X-Sync shutter speed, which is the fastest shutter speed at which you can use a flash. Again, it depends on the specifics of your camera, and whether you can connect a flash to it through a hot shoe, PC socket, or both. Your options in how to connect the flash to a "Bronica" depends on model, whether or not you have a prism finder, and whether or not you have the optional hand grip.

Special Case with Leaf Shutter Lenses:
Many medium formnat SLR makes/models have a few lenses made for them that have leaf shutters inside the lens, including Bronica, Mamiya, Hasselblad, Rollei (and others). With these special leaf shutter lenses, the focal plane shutter operates at a very low speed and the leaf shutter inside the lens opens and closes while the body's focal plane shutter is open to make the actual exposure. ***IF*** you are using a leaf shutter lens, the flash sync will be operated by the lens, NOT the camera body. The leaf-shutter lens will have a PC socket somewhere on it and the flash is wired to it in the same manner as you would connect a flash to a PC socket on the camera body. The reason for these special lenses is nearly all leaf shutter lenses allow a higher X-sync shutter speed (which is set on the lens, not the camera body).

Hope this helps you out.

-- John

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June 19, 2003