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Equipment used
Feb 3, 2024 09:30:18 #
Feb 3, 2024 09:39:09 #
Kowa is not popular even in the film days. But I am sure there is someone besides you that use a Kowa. If you are the one and only you should be glad.
Feb 3, 2024 10:13:27 #
I looked at them in the 70's, when I was ready to "upsize" to medium format. Instead, I opted for the Yashica Mat 124G. Everyone I knew who used the Kowa was disappointed in its fragility. They were expecting the durability of the Hasselblad, but never got it. The film advance was easy to get out of kilter, and the lenses weren't as sharp as advertised.
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Feb 3, 2024 11:04:46 #
Feb 3, 2024 14:21:12 #
I used a Kowa 6 in college (mid 70's) and thought it was a decent camera and we must have had some good examples of there lenses (85mm and 150mm) because I thought the lenses were pretty good although at the time I was more concerned with making images than testing the sharpness of the lenses.
I believe that you may have a problem getting this camera and lenses repaired, but that can be true for any old camera.
I believe that you may have a problem getting this camera and lenses repaired, but that can be true for any old camera.
Feb 4, 2024 07:39:43 #
I had a Kowa 35mm in the 60s. Piece of junk. Gears jammed, locked up the winding mechanism. I threw it away and got a real camera.
Feb 4, 2024 07:52:32 #
Tedcritch wrote:
Anyone else currently using Kowa med format cameras or am I all alone?
Before our marriage, my then fiancé bought me my first brand new 35mm camera outfit to take on our honeymoon. It was a Kowa SETR2 with 50mm and 200mm lenses. Before that all of my 35mm cameras were used (Miranda Sensorex and Sensorex2 with a used Miranda 50mm lens). We took the Kowa outfit on our honeymoon in Bermuda and it worked flawlessly. I kept the Kowa and the Miranda 2 for several years before switching to new Canon cameras and lenses.
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Feb 4, 2024 09:38:45 #
I graduated from Yachicamat 124 to Kowa in1972 - I have no complaints. After about 5 years of heavy use I had to have it repaired - had the 55, 85 and 150, prism, and grip. Noisy and lots of mirror slap ! Lenses seemed quite OK to me, but eventually went to Mamiyaflex.
Feb 4, 2024 10:09:30 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
Tedcritch wrote:
Anyone else currently using Kowa med format cameras or am I all alone?
I owned a Kowa and used it for weddings but had to give it up because the shutter is extremely loud and I had blinking brides which was counter productive. Went quickly back to my Hasselblad's.
Excellent image quality, LOUD SHUTTER. Really loud. Have I mentioned the shutter is loud.
Feb 4, 2024 10:11:23 #
Tedcritch wrote:
Anyone else currently using Kowa med format cameras or am I all alone?
You're not all alone. But it has been some time since I've used mine. I have quite a stable of cameras, lenses and accessories. I love the IQ of this system.
Feb 4, 2024 10:14:37 #
pendennis wrote:
I looked at them in the 70's, when I was ready to "upsize" to medium format. Instead, I opted for the Yashica Mat 124G. Everyone I knew who used the Kowa was disappointed in its fragility. They were expecting the durability of the Hasselblad, but never got it. The film advance was easy to get out of kilter, and the lenses weren't as sharp as advertised.
I disagree about the lenses. My brother and I used to shoot weddings together. He used a Hasselblad and I used my Kowa. You couldn't tell which was which from the final images.
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Feb 4, 2024 10:17:29 #
HRPufnstuf wrote:
I had a Kowa 35mm in the 60s. Piece of junk. Gears jammed, locked up the winding mechanism. I threw it away and got a real camera.
The Kowa 35 was an entirely different beast. Kowa knew optics. They made some of the best spotting scopes in the universe.
Feb 4, 2024 10:36:53 #
mrozzoo
Loc: Illinois
I too played with the KOWA 6 .... a beast and loud for sure... switched to Mamiya for years... then Bronica ER then SQ. Paid all the bills with those cameras... 70's and 80's were among my best times as a working pro... retired 10 years ago but still doing side gigs... My camera of choice these days is Nikon Z8 with several lenses... and lighting.
Looks like my kids will have to sell my stuff when I'm gone. I'm playing until the end.
Whoever gets to the great darkroom in the sky... save me a seat! Next to the window if possible. ;-)
Looks like my kids will have to sell my stuff when I'm gone. I'm playing until the end.
Whoever gets to the great darkroom in the sky... save me a seat! Next to the window if possible. ;-)
Feb 4, 2024 10:47:42 #
StanMac
Loc: Tennessee
Tedcritch wrote:
Anyone else currently using Kowa med format cameras or am I all alone?
You would probably find more aficionados of the Kowa brand on photrio.com. It is a hotbed of film and vintage camera fanatics.
Stan
Feb 4, 2024 11:06:42 #
Alafoto
Loc: Montgomery, AL
Tedcritch wrote:
Anyone else currently using Kowa med format cameras or am I all alone?
My first medium format SLR was a Kowa. I think a "66 Super." It performed very well for me and the only complaint I ever had about it was the huge and cumbersome film backs which had mechanical dark slides built into them. As for sharpness, there are several 20x30 portraits hanging over local fireplaces and sofas that attest to that. My first wedding camera. It did eventually fail me and the difficulty of getting it repaired forced me financially to pick up a used Mamiya 645, lenses and film holders. A workhorse of a system. When I finally bit the bullet and opened my studio I bought RBs for use in studio because of the luck I'd had with the 645 system.
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