Mamiya 645afd or H2D?

[jason_mcgrew]

I was just wondering. i have noticed that a lot of professionals are using the H2D. i know that the next

comparable camera is the mamiya 645AFD II with a digital back. what are the pros and cons to each. i am

looking to do weddings and portraits and fashion. Please let me know.

[gan_esh]

This is strictly my own opinion....others may disagree.

 

If yur main interests are wedding/fashion/portraits, then the better choice would be the H2d, mainly because of tha leaf shutter lenses. I do a lot of fashion work for magazines and work handheld most of the time. This is why the leaf shutter lenses with their high flash sync speed would be better. On the Mamiya, you'll be limited to a max sync speed of 1/125th sec. For some people it may me enough with a 150mm lens, but not me, and I speak from experience.

 

Mamiya has recently had lots of financial problems, and I'm not sure of the situation with their products (tech support, parts, etc). They seem to be in better shape than they were 6 months ago, but their future is far from certain. There are some rumors about Phase One collaborating with them on future models, but I have no information on this.

 

But Hasselblad on the other hand has hinted at a fully closed system with their recent announcement. There's a recent article found on www.luminous-landscape.com which talks about the concerns many have regarding the direction hasselblad are taking with their current announcements. This may not affect the H2d, but you'll be investing a lot of money, so its best to gather as much info as you can.

 

I've personally have gone from a Mamiya 645afd + phase one 22mp digiback to a Nikon D2x and good interpolation software. Many of my clients/art galleries are more than pleased with the quality of my work. I still shoot medium format, but only on film with my Mamiya 6 & 7 rangefinders.

 

You may want to wait for the next Pro level dslr from Canon or Nikon whic will probably be out early next year.

[paulhu54]

I have both systems, the Mamiya 645AFD w/Kodak Pro Digital back, and Hasselblad H1D.

 

For the amount of dollar investment, Mamiya 645AFD is at a very, very low price(in the used market), and a used Kodak digital back is around $4,000 - $5,000. On the other hand, H2D is a substantial investment, and the return on your investment may take a longer time. It's true that the leaf shutter in the Hasselblad let you sync flash at any speed, especially for high fashion photo shoot. But for wedding and studio portrait, I think that the Mamiya 645AFD and a digital back should be sufficient. Instead of a Kodak Digital back, you can always invest in a Phase One, Leaf, and other digital backs for your Mamiya.

 

Choice is yours on whichever system you wish to purchase. Remember, it is not the tool that makes the image.

[stb]

Well, the most outrageous thing IMHO in the Hasselblad recent announcements is that 28mm

lens that will only work on the H3D! People who bought the H1D and H2D must feel very nice

now, full of trust in their supplier! That even beats the $2000 film back and I thought it was

the ultimate!

[mark liddell]

Does that mean the H mount is now doomed?

[stb]

No, but it sure feels like they never learn. There is a profitable niche where sensor area will

always give the quality edge that some customers demand and small format cannot deliver. It

looks more and more like Hasselblad now thinks they are alone in that niche. They might be

right. If they are not, the awakening might be unpleasant. Again.