bohermann
Hello everyone,
Does anyone have any practical experience with a Seagull 4a-107? Many thanks for your feedback.
Best regards,
Harald
Gast
Hello forum,
Does anyone have any practical experience with a Seagull 4a-107? Many thanks for your feedback.
Best regards,
Harald
Hello Harald,
Well, if the camera were available for under 100 euros, I’d snap it up. But 329 euros for a new one is definitely too much! I’d rather buy something second-hand from Rollei/Yashica/Minolta!
Something like this, perhaps:
http://www.photohaus.de/typo3temp/GB/c40c66db0b.jpg#%3Ch1%3EYashica%20Mat-124%20G%3C%2Fh1%3E
Regards,
Wolfgang
bohermann
Hi Wolfgang,
Thanks very much for the clear explanation. I’ll have a look at the classics.
Best regards,
Harald
Gerrit
If you’re thinking about getting a twin-lens 6x6 camera, have a look at the Mamiya C220 or C330.
You can often find them on eBay, for example, as a set with an 80mm lens for around €150.
There’s a good selection of focal lengths, and the camera is extremely robust and very ‘creative-friendly’ (double exposure, long bellows extension, etc.)
Gast
If you absolutely must have something new: http://araxfoto.com/cameras/arax-60mlu/
An improved version of the Kiev 60 for around €250
Zeze
Experience: I took my first medium-format photos with this Seagull – I think/thought it was brilliant. For a starter, I find it more than adequate. Back then, I used it as a proper street camera and took it everywhere I could. I didn’t have any problems in winter either, no matter how cold it was outside. The twin-lens design offers a different way of seeing things, and it’s really great for giving that a go. You can’t change the lens, but that limitation actually spurred me on, and you just have to make do with what you’ve got :)
Thanks to the low purchase price, I had no qualms about ‘just’ using it. It was a bit different with the Hasselblad, but I don’t want to compare these two cameras now, because they’re apples and oranges and all that.
Two months ago, I happened to come across the Seagull ‘Brenner’ model, the B.I.G. Twin, in its original packaging and unused – for €150.
=)
So what did it turn out to be?
Best wishes,
Dieter
mattes
I had one sent to me during a trial promotion at Brenner, back in the pre-eBay days.
At first I was thrilled – a new, handy, fully-fledged medium-format camera. It’s very easy to take with you, and the results are excellent and well worth seeing.
The negatives from this camera can easily be processed into top-quality exhibition prints. In that respect, it’s a capable, fully-fledged camera. I then took a closer and more detailed look at it.
The camera didn’t entirely convince me at the time, because whilst inspecting it I found a few things that didn’t impress me. Firstly, I noticed that the leatherette, which is attractive in itself, was peeling slightly at the corners, the viewfinder magnifier was poorly fitted, and so on. All just minor issues. For the price, the camera was perfectly fine, but the quality was too poor for my liking. With just a little more effort, a much better quality could certainly have been achieved. Everyone sees things a bit differently. I found the expected risk of repairs too much of a hassle.
The Mamiya, often cited as an alternative, doesn’t suffer from such quality issues. However, the Mamiya 330 series is not only very robust but also considerably heavier. In that respect, it’s only a limited comparison.
If the price is right and the dimensions are acceptable, buying one isn’t a mistake.
Matthias
klaus123
Hello
First, I’d like to introduce myself briefly: I’m 54, have been taking photos for almost 40 years now, have mainly been using digital cameras (Pentax) in recent years, and at the start of this year I dusted off my Duka to get back into medium format photography.
On the subject: for the last 25 years I’ve owned the Yashica Mat124G described above – it really was a lovely camera that served me well over the years. In the course of this year I gave it away and bought a Pentax 645 and then a Pentax 67.
If I compare the three systems now, the 645 is the clear winner in terms of handling – and for around €250
