cam question

[Ms. Leah]

Hi. I'm considering buying a Mamiya 645 AF and I'm hoping that I can get some feedback on this camera. Does anyone know anything about this camera? Can someone also let me know their opinion on which flash I would want for this camera? And please let me know if there is something I should know about this camera. All info is greatly appreciated. I know nothing about medium format equipment. Thanks!!

 

[Alpha]

You're talking about the older one? Not the 645 Pro?

 

[Ms. Leah]

I'm not sure. Info on both or either would be appreciated.

 

[Alpha]

The older one has lots of cheap lenses available on the used market. However, it's fully manual, including lack of meter. In my honest opinion, that defeats one of the biggest reasons to buy a 645; you can run around snapping photos with them as if they were 35mm's. One camera you can, on the other hand, do that with, is the Pentax 645. If you don't mind paying a little more for lenses, and can stand the use of inserts instead of film backs, then I think it's an amazing little camera. However, it only flash sync's up to 1/60. On the other hand, there's the Mamiya 645 pro. Great camera. Uses backs instead of inserts, lenses are good, metering is pretty good, etc. The body, however, will probably cost you more than a full outfit for either the Pentax 645, or the older Mamiya 645. Also, the finder in the pentax is much nicer than either of the mamiyas; much brighter view.

I'm in the same market as you rt now. If i can scrape up the cash for the Mamiya 645 pro, then i'll probably do that. Otherwise, I'm personally gonna go with the Pentax. Unless you count Bronica (which you shouldn't lol), the older Mamiya 645 would be my last choice between the three.

 

[Alpha]

psh...wish i had noticed that edit

 

[Alpha]

Anyway, it's somewhat of a tossup between the Mamiya AF and the Pentax NII. They're both great cameras. The Contax AF isn't worth the money, and unless you have a serious bankroll, something like an H1 is out of the question. Anyway, the Pentax still has brighter glass than the Mamiya. However, the Mamiya does have slightly better autofocus, and adaptability for digital backs. If you don't need the digital possibilities, i'd say you can't really go wrong with either.

 

[ThomThomsk]

Unless you count Bronica (which you shouldn't lol)

Why not?

 

[Alpha]

Because the company doesn't exist anymore. If something breaks, you're screwed. At least with the mamiya and the pentax there are replacement parts available.

 

[ThomThomsk]

Tamron owned Bronica, and service is still available. The former importer here has a Bronica factory-trained technican, although parts will be more of a problem as time goes by. I bought two mint ETRSis just in case though...

With Mamiya apparently selling its camera business to Cosmo Digital Imaging it could be that Pentax is the only 'safe' buy.

I was reading about the Mamiya disposal on APUG, and someone pointed out that Robert White have an amazing deal on the 645 Pro TL kit at the moment. Prices on the website are exclusive of VAT, but buyers outside Europe wouldn't be paying that anyway. It works out at $1,370 including body, lens, prism and winder. According to the thread I was reading, it is £2,999 at Adorama. Sounds too good to be true.

http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/mamiya.htm#Label645Pro

 

[ksmattfish]

Pentax just made it official that they are dropping all of their film based medium format camera systems.

Ms. Leah, can you tell us what you are going to be photographing? Why do you need AF? And why do you want 6x4.5cm format?

 

[Ms. Leah]

Thanks for all of the replies so far! Well, I will be photographing weddings. I've done some for friends and they really like my work. My problem, I was using 35mm and I'm much too picky to continue shooting weddings this way. While I'm pretty good at getting the best picture possible, I know nothing about equipment. I've never used medium format and I just want the easiest way to go. Which I've heard 6x4.5 is. Please inform me if I'm wrong. I just want the best quality picture possible. Thanks.

 

[Alpha]

Jesus christ. MF is literally disappearing. Who's still in business? Contax, Hassy, Fuji. Anyone else?

 

[ksmattfish]

Whatever anyone thinks of digital today, there is little doubt that medium format quality and better from an affordable DSLR is arriving in the near future. It's too obvious for the companies to ignore that the market for medium format film is going to shrink to a niche market of people who just like to use film. Film isn't going anywhere, but most of the big film business is trading it in for something new. Those of us who continue to use film will be dealing with smaller companies.

 

[ThomThomsk]

Jesus christ. MF is literally disappearing. Who's still in business? Contax, Hassy, Fuji. Anyone else?

Alpa if money is no object. I'm quite interested in using the bigger end of the 120 formats on a large format camera, giving me the flexibility to do something like 4x5 as well. There is a kit you can buy for £150 to build your own LF camera that will take MF backs.

 

[Dave_D]

Just about every wedding photographer I have seen in the last year has gone full digital. There has been only one I saw using MF and it was only for the formals. There was only one Canon user and the rest were using Nikons. A pro body for the main and a prosumer body for the second shooter like a D70. Just my observations.