Pentax 645 vs Mamiya 645 for beginner vs TLR

[dimi3]

Dear all, I`m a novice in MF photography (just shot several rolls with

Rolleicord 2a and Moskva-4. And I feel that I`m excited with the results that

I achieve. Sometimes it seems to be even more three-dimensional than my Leica

R8`s Elmar produces. Of course, I understand that that is a magical power of

the MF. So, being a novice in this topic, I want to ask your kind attention to

my post. I`m looking for a not very expensive 645 or 6x6 system. I already

know what Francke and Haidecke is capable of and I can only suppose what

results will produce CZ Planar 2,8 or 3.5 or Schneider. BUT, I`m really

interested in 645 systems (1 - interchangeble lens, 2 - more shots per one

film, 3 - possibly Autofocus). Could you please ADVERTISE for me on of the

following cameras (with pros and cons, incl. price, size, picture quality,

etc.):

Pentax 645 N

Pentax 645 Nii

Mamiya 645 AF (why so much cheaper than the belowmentioned one?)

Mamiya 645 AFD

Rolleiflex TLR

 

Big thanks in advance...

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

So many choices . . .

 

I've owned TLR's (Mamiya, Minolta Autocord, Zeiss Ikoflex), a Mamiya 645, and a Bronica RF645. All of the medium format cameras that I've owned produced excellent results. But the system that I use most is the Bronica RF645. It's small, quiet, light, and the lenses are superb. Lense choice is limited - I own the 45mm, 65mm, and the rare 100mm. Probably the closet thing to your Leica that you'll find (unless you buy a Mamiya 7).

 

Lots of info available:

 

http://shutterflower.com/RF645%20review.htm

[stp]

I've always felt that Pentax was the best value in 645 format: relatively low price and high

quality. I have the Pentax 645 Nii, and it's my favorite system (among my Canon 5D and

Ebony RW45).

[vital1]

i also have a pentax 645n, it's a very good system!

[jacob_brown]

The best bargain today is Pentax's older MANUAL FOCUS 645 system. Great camera, great optics, dirt cheap. You can pick up a Pentax 645 for $100-$150 and pick up a manual focus 75mm f2.8 lens for another $50.

 

I even prefer the look of Pentax's lenses to those of the Mamiya, it has a slightly warm look and bokeh reminiscent of Zeiss lenses.

[dimi3]

Thanks a lot for practical advices