Need a help...buying 645 AFD 1

[boris_miljevic]

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am now in a position to buy Mamiya 645 AFD 1 from my friend. The camera is new (shot 5 rolls only), and i will also get 80mm AF Sekor lens, and two film adapters,...so my question is...is it worth buying.<br>

At the present i have Nikon D700 and D60, with AF 50mm f/1.8D, AF-S Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, AF-S 70-200mm VRII, 18-135mm...<br>

My job is to shoot various stuff, from model book shots, studio, to creative nature landscapes for big prints,...<br>

So can 645AFD help me to get some better quality and more wow shots.<br>

My plan is to get 645, get some 120 rolls, and a good 6x4.5 scanner so i can scan all negatives after filming.<br>

So what do you think is this a really bad move or...<br>

In the end we are talking about 600-700 euros for whole pack.<br>

p.s.1 Which scanner is good for the job?<br>

p.s.2 Sorry for my bad english :)</p>

[charles_wood]

<p>First, what is your total budget to acquire the camera and lenses, a scanner and a printer? You might want to consider upgrading your existing digital system to FF capabiity, getting a decent Canon or Epson printer, andforgetting the scanner and the Mamiya system. Just my opinion as a result of owning both a FF Canon system and a Pentax 645 film system.</p>

<p>Points to consider.<br>

1. 645 film format may not produce resolution that is significantly better, if even the equal, of files from a FF digital format, particularly if the scan is made on a consumer flatbed scanner. While flatbeds can be very good, they are still not state of the art and will not equal the results from a high quality drum scan. At the very least you will want a dedicated film scanner capable of handling 120 format. Long term, you will spend far more time and money shooting film than digital.</p>

<p>2. Medium format film presents depth of field challenges. While FF digital can be challenging in this area, they are reduced. This can be an important consideration for product and studio shots.</p>

<p>3. Transparency film, and to a lesser extent negative film, will not provide the dynamic range capability of digital captures. To extract the maximum quality from film you will require extremely high quality scans. Likewise, to maximize the quality of digital frames you will need to be expert in the processing of RAW files.</p>

<p>If you want to get a feel for film, I would suggest you rent a system first, shoot some rolls, scan and print some of your better efforts and then make your final decision.</p>

<p> </p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>"So can 645AFD help me to get some better quality and more wow shots."<br>

<br />600-700 Euros is not a bad deal for this camera given the mint condition. You could probably sell it for much more than that. I would check if it's a AF I, AFII, or AFIII. Starting with the 645AFII, you could buy an adapter to allow the Phaseone Digital Back to be connected(expensive) . If you are not interested in Digital, then any of those models is still a very good buy.<br>

As far as a scanner, I got pretty good MF scans with my Epson V750 it does a pretty good job with medium format and large format, but so-so with 35mm.</p>

[jmg1911]

<p>While I hate to discourage anyone from trying film, I really don't think you are going to be happy with any flat-bed scans. Here in the states I am lucky enough to be reasonably near a lab the supplies excellent scans at time of processing for a reasonable fee. Perhaps there is something similar within reach of post for you.<br>

As for depth of field, optics is optics, so there are no new difficulties there. (See a recent thread in, I think, the MF forum and the comments of Q G Debakker) Film has many virtues. I, for one, hope you make the effort if your chances of sucess are reasonable.<br>

And you need not apologize for your English. I wish I wrote a second language half so well.</p>

[ondebanks]

<blockquote>

<p>You might want to consider upgrading your existing digital system to FF capabiity</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Charles, the OP said he has a D700 - that's full frame.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Starting with the 645AFII, you could buy an adapter to allow the Phaseone Digital Back to be connected(expensive)</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Harry, no need to skip the original 645 AFD - it has the same digital-back interface as the AFDII and later models. Any model with a "D" in the name can be used seamlessly with the digital backs from PhaseOne, etc. And no adapters are needed - the digital backs in AFD fitting go straight on, like a film back.</p>

<p>Boris,<br>

Given that you already have a FF digital system, which covers you rather well for your professional work, I think there's nothing to be lost in also experimenting with 645 film, and the price for the kit you quoted is good. How much you pay for scanning will be the quality limitation, but even a good flatbed should equal your D700's 12.1 Mpix, if the flatbed's effective optical resolution is good enough (645 @ 1850 ppi= 12.3 Mpix), and it may surpass it a little.</p>

<p>But we are talking about only modest resolution gains, so I would think that the main justification for doing this is not so much quality (which most people equate with resolution), but rather "look" - the tonality and grain structure of various B&W films, the colour palettes of various colour films, the highlight handling of film in general, the thinner DOF for what is otherwise exactly the same picture (see the same depth of field thread that James mentioned above, but skip the confusion which permeated most of it and head straight to my response #99), the bokeh rendering of the Mamiya lenses. Some of these factors may contribute to that greater "wow" factor you are hoping for, if you know how to harness them artistically.</p>

[charles_wood]

<p>Ray, you're correct. I was thinking more in terms of a 20+ meg FF. You're also correct that Boris may like the qualities of film ( film look). But just as an aside, I know several photographers who have been in similar situations as Boris, with a desire to shoot MF film. Their goals were a bit more specific than Boris but in all three situations they went back to digital after a fairly brief flirtation with film. Part of that may have been lack of comfort factor with film, being young photographers they began with digital rather than film.</p>

[boris_miljevic]

<p>Thank you so much for your response.<br>

Like i wrote it is AF I mode (Mamiya 645 AFD I) with Sekor AF 80mm 2.8 lens.<br>

My budget is like this...<br>

1. is to buy a AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm F4 VR to complete my Nikon FF gear, and to buy R3880 Epson printer<br>

or<br>

2. to buy Mamiya 645 AFD kit, R2880 Epson printer and Epson V700 scanner.<br>

That is the thing that bothers me...same amount of money...two options...<br>

I must spend exact amount of money on Epson gear according to my business plan. And 1 Epson 3880 is same like R2880 + V700 here. For rest of money there are two options also 16-35 for Nikon or Mamiya kit...<br>

Hope you understand this post :)</p>