Seagull Medium Format Cameras
By James Grahame
Medium format photography was introduced by Kodak in 1898. It is a fantastic way to shoot awe-inspiring portraits and landscapes on a negative almost four times the size of regular 35mm film. You'll capture amazing detail, and enlargements will stay crisp and clear. Most people are kept away from this wonderful world by the lack of affordable cameras -- a Hasselblad 555ELD will set you back over $3,500.
Retro thing to the rescue! Check out the affordable Seagull line of medium format TLR (twin lens reflex) cameras. These Chinese-made devices produce respectable images and are priced from an incredibly affordable $140. The viewfinder is a nifty top-down Fresnel lens that's much more entertaining than a boring old digicam display. Beware, though: shutter speed, aperture, and film winding are all manual. You'll need more than a glimmer of photographic skill to take a decent picture.
If the price tag still seems a bit high, give the $15 Holga 120 S (on the right) a try. This plastic camera is definitely low-end, but it's a great way to dabble with medium format film.
Seagull GC-104 TLR Camera $139.95
Seagull GC-109 TLR Camera $249.95
(Adorama Camera, via Amazon)
