A reflection on my Ricohflex Dia TLR after two years, and my feelings about medium format in general

Unintentional double exposure. Rocky Butte, 30 May 2024. Ricohflex Dia/Ilford XP2

You may have noticed from my recent Mount Tabor , Rocky Butte, and Powell Butte posts that I’ve pulled out my Ricohflex Dia for these rides. I got my Diacord just about two years ago, when I wanted to finally get a “good” medium format camera. I had played around with a few 120 film cameras, but they were all mediocre at best. Getting a good 120 camera meant spending the most I had on a camera, $130, a figure I still have not bested.¹ I really dug it a lot and used it quite a bit. It made my year-end top 3 list in 2022.

But 2023? I rarely used the Diacord. Looking back on my flickr stream, I pulled it out exactly twice: once for the Tweed Ride and once for my Bikes and Film Cameras Ride. That’s it. So I made the conscious decision to use it more this year. So far I’ve brought it out for my Oregon Coast trip in February, the sakura bloom in March, Tweed Ride in April, and the two rides mentioned above.

If it’s a camera I dig so much, why don’t I use it more often? Well, it’s the least automated, most “process” camera I own. There’s no built-in meter, and the funky design and placement of the accessory shoe means I can’t use my Reflx Lab meter. I either use my phone app or a Gossen Luna-Pro SBC meter that I recently acquired. All the controls and readings of them are on the front, so I always need to check the front before I shoot.

But the bigger reason is because it’s a bit bulky and doesn’t lend itself to easy bicycle transportation. Taking photos on bike rides is the primary way I photograph. Keeping it strapped around my shoulder is more awkward than even my largest SLR, so I keep it in a bag. So if I want to shoot something with it, I have to stop, take it out of my bag, get it ready, etc. Compare that to my Olympus XA or XA2, which I leave in a convenient stem pouch. Pull it out, slide the cover, quickly check the focus and shutter speed readout (if XA) or not (if XA2), fire, slide cover back, put in pouch. Easy.

I’m sure some of you readers will simply suggest to me that I should buy another camera. But which one? If I wanted to go smaller, there’s folding cameras and Holgas or other “toy” medium format cameras. I didn’t gel with the one folder I owned, and maybe someday when I want something lo-fi I’ll get a Holga, but am in no hurry. Going bigger brings me into the world of rangefinders and SLRs. These are nice cameras, but they’ll break my budget, and in some cases, break my back. The only one that tempts me is the Lomo LC-A 120, which features a compact size and autoexposure. But new ones go for about $450, and I’ve heard that either people get a working one and love it, or have frustrations due to build quality.

But really, buying another camera is not an option on the table. Medium format remains something I only use occasionally. It’s hard to resist the features, compactness, and thrift (36 exposures to a roll) of 35mm cameras, especially since I can get great results from machines that literally cost $10 or less. When I want something special, or when I want the detail and the depth of field, I’ll grab the Ricohflex.

One thing that I’ve found liberating with having just one 120 camera is that I’ve simplified my film preferences. It was easy to buy a bunch of different stocks that I wouldn’t end up shooting, so from here on out I’m going to stick to Kodak Gold 200 for color and Ilford XP2 for black and white. My reasoning is thus: Gold is cheap (the cheapest color 120 you can buy), and produces great results.² XP2 isn’t cheap (though it’s not truly expensive), but I like the look, and more importantly my local lab can do a one-day turnaround since it’s C-41 process. Going with Kentmere 400 would save a few bucks per roll, but since I don’t have a way to develop or scan 120 at home, I’d have to wait over a week to see the results. And I’m an impatient boy. 😉 I may treat myself with some other color rolls from time to time (like Portra 800 for night shots), but Gold and XP2 will be my on-hand stock.

As the summer rolls on I’ll have more opportunities to pull out my Ricohflex Dia. I hope you’ll like the results.

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1. This does not count the cost of servicing or repairing any of my cameras. ↩︎
2. The ironic thing: I don’t care much for Gold in 35mm, but like it in 120 ↩︎