Hello and thank you very much for the wonderful comment! I believe I mentioned it in the video, but I think one of these folders and a small digital camera is the way to go for travel or just walking around! It gives you the best of both worlds. A large film that is still easy and convenient with just enough exposures to make it count and digital for the rest haha! As far as the darkroom, I dont believe I had a chance to print from the Ikonta, but printing 11x14 or larger medium format is a very unique look that I have come to love. As an owner and frequent user of the more modern Mamiya 6, and all the praise in the comments of this video it is high on the list of cameras to check out. Right now, for me, a crisper image especially corner to corner will be more valuable than a fast lens and a lighter body/better ergonomics is definitely a plus. I remember the frame count being an issue that I read up on, but if memory serves I could get 12 exposures on my version. I did have some issues with nearly overlapping frames though. Yes... we've had some price hikes again making the waste of a frame feel that much heavier. It'll be interesting to see what cameras and tech remain from 2022, every so often one product stands out enough to keep a cult status but a lot of it ends up being e-waste. Digital moves so fast but I still have a soft spot for certain cameras like the Leica M9 or the original blackmagic pocket. I do plan to make some "retrospective" videos on them but it'll be interesting to see those through the lens of 2030 haha! Thanks again for the comment!

Thank you very much for the compliment!!

@@TheWholePicture my pleasure!

Haha! You could say both withstood the test of time despite it being an uphill battle! Thank you for the comment and I hope you liked the video!

Thank you so much for the continued support! It really means a lot and I'm committed to (at least trying to) put out a new video each week! I think you would really like an old folder from Japan then! Konica(konishiroku at the time), Fuji, Mamiya, Olympus and many more companies have several folders in 645 and 66 that tend to be in good condition here! They are solid well built cameras that feel more hand crafted than later cameras. Something to look out for are the bellows, if the camera was used a lot the constant folding and unfolding can create light leaks... There are DIY solutions to fix these problems though! Also a lot of older folders don't have strap lugs which can make things a bit awkward when actually photographing with them. Compared to even 35mm SLRs the 645 folders can feel compact and something like the Konica pearl is as pocketable as some larger compact point and shoots!

@@TheWholePicture thank you! Originally I was saving to buy a brand new Leica m6 for a personal project of mine that involved taking pictures in film, but after seeing Mamiya 7 ii shots I am gravitating more towards it. I really like the slightly larger medium format and the colors are beautiful. I’ve heard about some issues with it so I’m about weary, but luckily I’ve found a camera repair person in my city (Houston) and funnily enough she might be of Japanese decent. Japanese people truly master the art of keeping these machines running beautifully.

The Mamiya 7 is a fantastic camera for sure! My professor uses one and the results can easily leave you speechless. The selection of lenses is also great for a medium format rangefinder. I have the Mamiya 6 and love the 50mm f/4! It's one of the best travel cameras and technically a folder too haha it gets compact enough that I've traveled with it quite a bit. I also like 6x6 and wanted to keep the same format for consistency in projects. Knowing you have a local repair person that specializes in the equipment is a huge benefit for sure. I have made choices like that in the past and its worked out, rather than sending a camera away for weeks you can potentially get it back much sooner. It would be interesting to see if I could find some reasons why Japanese culture overwhelmingly leads to very well cared for items in second hand shops. Oddly enough you can also see the opposite with abandoned building and things throughout Japan. I'll add it to the list and try to get some factual research done one of these days!

@@TheWholePicture have you heard of any issues with the mamiya 7 ii being electrical? That’s what I’ve read at least and it’s what turned me off. That’s the benefit of other cameras that are fully manual like the leica 6. I think the US and other English speaking countries suffer with fast consumerism that renders anything remotely outdated to be abandoned. Makes me thing of each time I’ve upgraded my iphone, even if it’s slightly damaged companies here will try to sell it for a tenth of its price while the same iphone is sold for a decent price in other countries.

I haven't heard anything in particular but I'm sure it happens and I dont know if there is a counter on the Mamiya 7 that shows how many rolls were put through it. The bright side is most Mamiya 7 owners are going to be seasoned photographers and pros so its going to be in better shape than other cameras. It would probably be best to consult with the repair person you found as to what they can and cant fix to make a more informed decision on the Mamiya. Along with the consumerism, I feel like in the US people are always trying to one up each other with material things. It happens in Japan too but not to the same degree I guess. In some ways it can also be the ease to which you can sell something here versus the US. There are so many recycle shops and even specialty shops that you can easily sell your unused brand name products to. So you can dip your feet into a new hobby and if it doesn't work out flat out return it or at least recoup some costs. So there may be lots of people that get in over their heads on some equipment they got hyped about but don't use enough or cant use to its full potential and sell it while its relatively new. It an interesting topic and probably a good video too!

Thank you very much for the comment! It's nice to hear from other folding camera users! The Plaubel is an interesting camera for sure, new and old! The zeiss ikontas are a great choice for bringing to Japan!! You have a lot of 120 film options here both color and BW as well as many places you can pick up a new camera as a souvenir! If you have any questions about your trip to Japan please feel free to ask!

Glad to hear! You've really hit the nail on the head of why I love these old film cameras. They are often serviceable and repairable, even to this day, and will last for many generations!

Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked the video. Oh wow I didn't realize the olympus 6 was made with a 75mm f2.8!! I just assumed all the 75mm folders were 3.5. That is something I will have to look into as I really enjoy the 75mm focal length on 66 and having 6x4.5 as an option is also great. I appreciate the comment thank you for the info!

@@TheWholePicture I was lucky enough to find this faster lens version. I'm sure that you're going to be able to find more. Good hunting. 👍

Yeah that sounds like a great combo. Even one without a rangefinder at f/2.8 could be a great compact option. I'm sure you'll see a Olympus 6 video on the channel in a few months haha

That is another camera that looks excelent! I would love to compare it to the modern mamiya 6 one day just for fun.

Hello and thank you for the very in depth comment! It is interesting to compare this camera in the present to when it was released and what people would have done with it then. Now fast apertures gets people excited for bokeh but in the past especially with slower film I can see it being more utilitarian. Now many people shoot film to post online which is probably not far off from a contact print haha Overall I like to push film and go for a more contrasty look which probably helps cover up some of the flaws of this camera. I'm sure shooting ilford pan f plus or even slide film would show that this camera hasn't aged as well as others, but it was nice to always have this camera with me. With this size, fast film and f/2.8 I felt I could get away with photographing in more situations than other folders, but in the end I think I would prefer something like a Rolleiflex as a general walk around camera. If you have a bag its just as compact and even in lower light I find TLRs have such soft shutters and more stability, you can kind of get away with slower shutter speeds(again with grainy film hiding some imperfections). The focusing method is something I didn't recall but it is an interesting point that could affect image quality especially when wide open... After doing this video I did some follow up research and found a super ikonta with a T* coating which might be the best version of this camera, but if the focusing method remains the same image quality might still suffer. Another viewer mentioned the olympus chrome 6 which can also be found with a f/2.8 lens. With post war Japanese optics, coated models and a slightly wider 75mm lens I'm interested in trying one for myself! Something like the Chrome 6 iii or newer with a coated lens and improved film flatness should produce nice results. It also seems more compact but I'll probably opt for a separate rangefinder...

Hello and thank you for the comment! Do you mean the cameras at 00:49? That would be left Fujica 6 and the right is a Konica Pear iv I believe

@@TheWholePicture thanks I found it meanwhile

Haha no problem, let me know if you have any other questions!

@@TheWholePicture And both are better picture makers and easier to use than this Super Ikonta. The Fujica 6 is very nice, but a rare collectible outside of Japan, and priced accordingly. (I'd love to have one.) That's not a Pearl IV. It is a Pearl III, smaller format - 6x4.5 format. Nice optics, but a sometimes troublesome film advance mechanism, so check that if you buy one. (Or, spend $800+ for a Pearl IV, which is as perfect a MF folder as ever made.)

Ah yes, definitely a Pearl iii. I've only used it once so far and it was an interesting camera. The images were surprisingly nice if I remember correctly, for such a pocketable camera. The Fujica 6 is a beauty and it renders very nice images but along with fujis other vintage offerings the prices have gone up quite a bit. I really love this era of Fujis medium format cameras. Design wise the Fujica 6 and Fujicaflex are 2 of the most beautiful cameras ever made and thankfully they take some nice pictures too haha

Thank you very much for the comment! I had never heard of the certo six and with an integrated rangefinder and even a form of parallax correction this is another interesting folder I’m interested in using!