Moving to MF...probably Pentax...but 645 or 67??

[brian_c._miller]

I own both a Pentax 6x7 and Pentax 645.

 

Handholding: The 645 is exquisitely hand holdable, but the 67 is a beast and the shutter slap will require fast shutter speed. I would recommend using at least 1/500 with the 67.

 

Film real estate: I would only consider this to be an issue if you are going to be using fast film and large prints and you don't want grain. Otherwise, you are not going to see a difference between either camera with any of the modern asa 100 films. I have made a 4ft wide enlargement from a 645 frame with Kodak E100S. While the 67 would have been better, the 645 was up to the task.

 

Batteries: The 645 does not eat batteries, and I'm not sure how long the battery in my 67 has been in there.

 

Film loading: Since the 645 uses a cassette, you can have a couple of loaded cassettes ready to make a film change. Loading film is quick anyways.

 

Lenses: 67 lenses fit on the 645 with an adapter. I use my 67 lenses on my 645. Its one of the reasons I bought the system.

 

Noise: The 67 mirror slap is loud, while the 645's noise comes from the motor winder.

 

Reliability: Both are quite reliable. I have never had a malfunction with either of them.

 

The 645 allows for multiple exposures on one frame, it has an additional tripod socket on the side, and if the batteries run down then you can still wind the film with a little crank-wheel.

[enigmaphotography]

Errr, actually, yes...there are wide format ink jets available here, but I really prefer chemical prints, and have had nightmares with injet color gamuts in the red-orange area (hence my going back to chemical prints, the tones for color can be killer with inkjet, but have had so many problems).

 

And the solution just dropped in my lap in the form of a Bronica 645 with the 3 lenses I figured I'd need and film backs and viewfinders (waist level and metered prism).

 

The price is perfect, and I know the seller very well...about US$1000 including a (Minolta? I think?) flash meter.

 

As I look at how I work, I actually think I'm going to *LIKE* the 645 over the 6x6...

[tvih]

Ah, yes, I've had such troubles too with ink prints, when getting prints from my digital concert photos that have colored spotlights hitting the smoke on the stage, producing a large variety of shades of the spots' colors. Often less than optimal results on print, which really is a bummer. And using the print shop's own profile to minimize this totally screws to colors of the shot :( Talk about lame.