AF or Manual?

sarahkate

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Hi all! I'm thinking about purchasing my first medium format camera. I'm interested in any of the 645's just not sure if I want AF or manual. I currently own a AE1 and a D300, however the D300 is going to be sold so I can further my adventure into film. I like to shoot landscapes, nature, interiors and some architecture, and family lifestyle.

I feel like my main weakness in my AE1 is I can't focus fast enough to get shots of faster moving objects like children and sometimes people. Do manual focus users just get better with time or due to is the subject matter I'm interested in would I be better off with AF?

I have a $800-1000 budget so I think I could find an AF body in my price range but manual focus would allow me to purchase additional items to add to my set up (light meter, film, lenses...).

Just curious is there a manual body that would work with an AF lens?

Thanks for all your help!
Sarah
 
I like to shoot landscapes, nature, interiors and some architecture,
For those purposes manual focus will be better as you can much more precisely control DoF. For fast action I don't know how good might be AF on medium format camera. You might look at Pentax 645N, I don't know how easy it will be to find, but backs and lenses are completely compatible with Pentax 645, which is manual. But there are also rangefinders autofocus cameras with fixed lenses from Fujifilm
Link to a small review of MF cameras:
JRP's FAQ'S What camera to buy - Medium format
There is also a little "Rolls Royce" from Fuji:
Fuji GX680III - Medium Format camera review
 
How's the mamiya pro tl? I found one that's local on eBay with 80mm and 150mm lens and 6 120 backs plus a few others odds and ends for $550. I was originally looking at the mamiya m645
 
I think first you should decide what format you want.

As in 6x4.5, 6x6, or 6x7. Those are the major formats that all take 120 and 220 film.

6x7 has the largest negatives which arguably means the most resolution. Now how much difference you see in actual practice depends on what you are doing.

6x6 is nice because you don't have to move the camera to switch from landscape to portrait. This is actually a really nice feature as MF cameras are big and heavy and not easily moved around.

6x4.5 is the smallest format and gives you more shots per 120 or 220 roll than the others.

I have a Mamiya RB67. It is 6x7 however the back rotates so I can switch back and forth between landscape and portrait without moving the camera. I get 10 shots per roll of 120 and 20 out of 220.

I don't know how many shots a roll you get out of 6x4.5 and 6x6
 
Ohh I'm sorry. Guess I should read closer. Hahaha

The one thing I do know after researching some stuff on mamiya 645s is the Super is to be stayed away from.

You can find them cheaper than the Pro, but the Pro is apparently made much more robustly.
 
You probably already know that a medium format such as 6 x 4.5 is not particularly good for fast moving subjects such as children playing or most sporting events.
But, of course they are super for the architecture, portrait, landscape type of shots you mentioned. Personally, I would go for manual focus. I have seen too many of my shots ruined by relying too heavily on auto-focus so I usually use manual even when autofocus is available to me. The camera doesn't know what I want to focus on so why should I rely on it ? I do use auto-focus sometimes under the right circumstances though,.

Also, I would look at a Bronica 645 if you can find one. I am picking up one tomorrow which has a 75mm lens, 120 back, speedgrip, AE prism finder, a tripod, and 120 film developing tank for $250. I am moving away from digital and back into film so I decided to go a little bigger than 35mm to get the bigger negative to work with. I don't know about the Mamiya you have referenced but the ones I have use in the past, including the RB67 have been very good cameras.
 
I was never terribly impressed by the Mamiya 645AF, it seemed kind of plastic to me. Rollei and Contax also made very good, solid AF systems, though they cost considerably more than the Mamiya. IIRC the Rollei shot in 6x6, with optional 6x4 backs. I believe all Rollei AF systems were compatable with 6000 series accessories. The Contax 645 is kind of the mother of all medium format AF, and like all Contax gear, i'm sure it weighs a ton. Kyocera liked to incorporate lots of brass alloy into Contax gear. You can also get some of the older Hasselblad H-series with a film back for less than 2k.

It may be worth saving a bit more for a better body, though while I'm not a fan of the 645AF, an awful lot of people have enjoyed the 645 series as their first pro level medium format rig.
 
\ I am picking up one tomorrow which has a 75mm lens, 120 back, speedgrip, AE prism finder, a tripod, and 120 film developing tank for $250. I am moving away from digital and back into film so I decided to go a little bigger than 35mm to get the bigger negative to work with.
Welcome back in the realm of film. I shoot myself ETR and I will be curious how do you like it. What model are you getting ? ETR, ETRS or ETRSi ? And the real question is what focusing screen are you getting with it ? On the other note, Bronica ETR has also 35mm back available in two versions: 24x36 and really hard to find 24x55, so it's possible to shoot both formats with one camera.
 
\ I am picking up one tomorrow which has a 75mm lens, 120 back, speedgrip, AE prism finder, a tripod, and 120 film developing tank for $250. I am moving away from digital and back into film so I decided to go a little bigger than 35mm to get the bigger negative to work with.
Welcome back in the realm of film. I shoot myself ETR and I will be curious how do you like it. What model are you getting ? ETR, ETRS or ETRSi ? And the real question is what focusing screen are you getting with it ? On the other note, Bronica ETR has also 35mm back available in two versions: 24x36 and really hard to find 24x55, so it's possible to shoot both formats with one camera.


Timor
The Bronica is the Zenza Bronica ETRS.. has factory box and manual
I don't know what focusing screen it has. I an seeing it tomorrow for the first time. But it does have the Zenza Bronica AE-II metered prizm finder with orig. manual
I suppose the Zenzanon 75mm E-II F 2.8 lens is considered standard on this format. I have a hunch that I will be looking to find a 150mm or larger telephoto in the future if I end up buying it tomorrow. If it is as described it's well worth $250 I think. you can pm me if you have some more suggestions or information about the Bronica

sarahkate, apologies for getting off track here. So you are getting totally away from digital with this move. A bold move ! The AE-1 is a nice durable 35mm camera. I've had one since they first came out. my daughter now uses it in her role as a teacher and yearbook advisor. I now use a Nikon N50 film and Nikon D80 digital combo. But I am excited to get back into the medium format. I hate to use my 60 year old Rolleiflex 6x6. It deserves a permanent rest I think.

I think manual focusing on a med. format would not hinder your ability to get great photographs. If you're taking photos of buildings or landscape there's no hurry. they're not going anywhere. take the time to carefully focus the way YOU want the final picture to look and you'll feel more in control of the whole process.
 

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