[fennecfoxen]

Old-school medium-format film cameras are reasonably accessible -- you can get a Mayima 6x7 and a meh-okay lens for around $400, and even with a damned good lens can find lots of stuff in the sub-$2000 range. It's the digital medium-format rigs that break into five-figure territory -- and it takes a good little amount of film / processing costs to make up for that expense for the hobbyist.

Myself, I'm using my grandfather's old Canon 50mm/f1.4 on a Canon Model 7 rangefinder (essentially the last battery-free Canon) for film and the same lens on a (used) Leica M8 for digital. Nice fast lens, but still in 35mm-land.