Mamiya 645 afd for first MF camera?

[supermarvin76]

I am moving from digital to MF. I have thought about buying a "classic" camera such as the Mamiya RB 67, but I am trying to be honest with myself... I don't know if I have the patients for one like that.

I am looking at a used Mamiya 645 AFD from KEH, and would like to hear thoughts about this.

Also, any other tips / info about entering MF would be great. Thank you!

 

[dxqcanada]

Ah, exactly what do you want from an MF camera.
I see you want to jump right into medium format.

The Mamiya 645 AFD offers auto focusing and digital ... I assume you are intending to use it with manual focus lenses and a film back ?

 

[tirediron]

There's really not much more patience required for an RB/RZ than for an AFD. As indicated above, it's really a matter of what you want from your MF gear. I went with a 645 AFD because I want the versatility to easily alternate between film and digital and because given the current state of MF digital backs, I would be wasting a lot of the area in a 6x7 camera.

 

[supermarvin76]

I was thinking the autofocus and meter would be nice to have. What are other good cameras that offer great meters, and modes?

 

[dxqcanada]

If you really want to see the other side ... get a Hasselblad 500C, waist level finder, and the standard 80mm.

No internal meter, no auto focusing, no auto anything exposure ...

Get a cheap Gossen handheld meter.

 

[tirediron]

Hasselblad 'H' series and the new Pentax come to mind. Don't lose sight of the fact that MF shooting isn't really meant for speed/action work. You have time to manually focus, to walk around with a hand-held meter and work out your exposure, stuff like that.

 

[tirediron]

If you really want to see the other side ... get a Hasselblad 500C, waist level finder, and the standard 80mm.

No internal meter, no auto focusing, no auto anything exposure ...

Get a cheap Gossen handheld meter.

Square negatives??? Ewwwwwwwwwwww

 

[jamesdfloyd]

Sorry to join the discussion late (just joined the forum).

Until very recently, I had cameras in the P&S, Full-Frame DSLR (Nikon D3), Medium Format (Mamiya 645 AFDii film & digital) and Large Format (4x5). I am selling everything for the Nikon & 4x5 and sticking to the Mamiya / Phase One digital back setup.

This has a lot to due with just wanting to cut down on the clutter in my house, but an equal amount that everything I need can be accomplished by Medium Format. I choice the Mamiya 645 AFD solution 5-years ago because it was not "Hasselblad" and at the time a full-frame Nikon was just a fantasy.

Now, I am staying with Mamiya because the "bigger, better pixel count" race is less of a problem with medium format. Unlike DSLR's, where you have a camera body that will be obsolete days after you buy it, medium format backs are only one part of a camera system. The resale value of Phase One backs is very respectable, as with the exception of the older 6-mp backs, every Phase One back made in the past 5-years still beats DSLR's.

One other thing...I gave up the wedding photography business after 27-years this past summer (too many entry level entrants into the game) and I exclusively do landscape work for personal collection. To me the medium format process "forces" a more contemplative approach to photography. Oh yeah, it only takes 30-seconds to switch between film & digital.

I would suggest Mamiya / Phase One over Hasselblad because of the "open system" approach. Hassleblad has closed their system to other digital backs.

J.D. Floyd

 

[compur]

I am moving from digital to MF. I have thought about buying a "classic" camera such as the Mamiya RB 67, but I am trying to be honest with myself... I don't know if I have the patients for one like that.

I am looking at a used Mamiya 645 AFD from KEH, and would like to hear thoughts about this.

Also, any other tips / info about entering MF would be great. Thank you!

Nothing wrong with any of the Mamiya 645 cameras. The RBs are fine too
but be sure you are prepared for the size and weight -- these are big,
heavy cameras.

 

[djacobox372]

To me the 645 format is too close to 35mm to be worth the expense of the system. Modern digitals like the d3x are already surpassing the resolution of a 645 system.

I'd look into a 6x7 or 6x6 system. A mamiya 7 rangefinder is a good choice, as is a mamiya c330 TLR.