Hey guys! I was wondering if anyone could lead me in the right direction. I am trying to find a medium format film camera that works for me but I don't have a lot of money to spend right now either. Are there any cameras you would recommend me checking out?
Mamiya RZ67 Pro and Pentax 645 are pretty cheap options that both deliver the results. Pentacon Six is also cheap (actually it's cheaper), but It's infamous for having frame spacing issues.
If you need a pretty portable medium format film camera that delivers and has some digital features like exposure metering the original Pentax 645 is a good choice. If you want a 6x7 format body then get a Mamiya RZ67 Pro. I own both a Mamiya RZ and a Pentax 645. They are both fine cameras but I use the Pentax more since it's lighter and easier to grab along.
I have Pentacon Six TL also, two bodies actually, but rarely use the system after I bought Pentacon Six to Pentax 645 adapter. Carl Zeiss Jena 180mm F2.8 gives fantastic results with Pentax 645 but is much heavier than Pentax A 150mm F3.5.
These are all manual focus cameras. If you need or want AF then you need to invest more money.
Shot with Pentax 645:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVuv4WfF6qn/?taken-by=kalliomika
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVpgEIllOP6/?taken-by=kalliomika
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWhk4YolANy/?taken-by=kalliomika
https://flic.kr/p/VUoio8
Shot with Pentacon Six TL:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVgfk24FU6n/?taken-by=kalliomika
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVe-oJdFkwc/?taken-by=kalliomika
Shot with Mamiya RZ67 Pro:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLYuTVsjZLG/?taken-by=kalliomika
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLTTAXRjPTS/?taken-by=kalliomika
https://flic.kr/p/PqS2D4
https://flic.kr/p/US3wmN
Thanks a ton for this in-depth reply! Will definitely keep it all in mind
I have to Mamiya RB67 Pro. S. You can find it for fairly cheap (approx 150.00 and up on ebay with a 90mm lens). However, there is no light meter and it is fully manual. I absolutely love it, but I enjoy fully manually (including manual focus) camera operation.
As for tech spec, I wouldn't know how the RB is different from the RZ mentioned above.
Yashicamat. I used one professionally for years and it takes fine photos. If you look around you can find bargains.