645 Camera Advice

[paula_berg]

I would like to buy a medium format 645 camera. I've read about

the Mamiya 645 Pro, Bronica ETRSi and Pentax and all get

mostly positive reviews. I plan to use it primarily for landscape

and close-up work. Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

[dale_dickerson2]

I recommend a Rolleiflex 6000 series camera. I use the 6008 Pro. I know it is a 6x6 camera, but Rollei sells a 645 back that you can turn v or h. You do not turn the camera on it side just the film back. The motor drive works either way, three types of metering, Zeiss and Schnieder lenses, plus if you want to shoot square, you change the film back.

 

Not a light camera, but well made, reliable and wonderful optics.

[britt_park]

<p>Buy the cheapest system that meets you needs Optically there is no system that is perceptibly better. The Pentax 645NII system is the least expensive 645 system around. If you can live without interchangable backs, and are not planning on using a digital or polaroid back the Pentax is the way to go. Otherwise Mamiya seems the next least expensive system. I'm assuming you're contemplating buying new, though the same logic applies, I think, for recent used equipment.</p>

 

<p>- <a href="http://www.sciencething.org/photos/photos.html">Blatant Plug</a></p>

[scott_fleming1]

I recently got the 645 bug as a way to prospect for 4x5 possibilities. Some of the salient facts that helped me make up my mind on which camera was that there are from 24 to 28 pages of mamiya gear on ebay at any given time.

 

You can get Mamiya fixed in several places. You can rent mamiya wherever cameras are rented. If I shot a lot of verticals I might have gone with a 6x6 but with a good tripod head going vert is no big deal unless you are a wedding photog. Then it would suck.

 

I picked up a helluva nice Pro TL system with three lenses and the top line power winder for $2500. I can use it for a while and sell it for more with a little effort. I find I really like the format. Slides are big enough to really look into and as a prospecting tool it's perfect. The 35 slides were just too small.

 

Dropping autofocus will save you a lot of money. It's over-rated anyway. The meter on the pro is spot on. Several lenses to choose from. Get the newer N line if possible but the older Cs are not bad lenses. Putting a diopter in the viewfinder helps unless you already have great eyesight.

[dermot_conlan4]

The Pentax 645 series is the most affordable and I feel best

"field " 645 camera out there. You've got a huge choice of used

lenses out there from 35mm wide to 600mm ED tele fixed and 7

zoom lenses form 33-55 to 150-300mm. A 1:1 120mm macro for

around $500 and film inserts for $100. The camera is like the

energizer bunny it goes and goes the battery to film ratio is

amazing. Look at the prices for the manual version P645 with

75mm lens and back for less than $750

Right now there's no digital back available, but do you need one

or better can you afford one. If you answer yes to the last

question then you need to spend a lot more money and look at

Contax and Mamiya.

[tree]

<p>Paula,</p>

 

<p>As with 35mm systems, you want to buy into a system that you can grow with. All of the bodies in the 645 line have interchangable lenses (I don't know if the AF lenses work on the MF bodies, but the MF lenses work with the AF body), and they are plentiful. Go to eBay and <a target="_blank" href="http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&from=R7&ebaytag1=ebayreg&query=Mamiya+645&query2=Mamiya+645&search_option=1&exclude=&category0=293&minPrice=&maxPrice=&ebaytag1code=0&st=&SortProperty=MetaEndSort">search for Mamiya 645</a> lenses and bodies: there is a huge used market. I've bought into the Mamiya family, starting with a 645E (the current packages and rebates make it a great deal). I've already picked up a 150mm lens and a 2x teleconverter, and got a 220 insert through the rebate. I've very happy with it.</p>

 

<p>All of the systems you mentioned, as well as Contax, Fuji, and Rollei make excellent cameras and excellent lenses. I'm a bit of a camera addict, and am also looking at picking up Bronica and Rollei bodies: the Rollei is particularly appealing because of its ability to take a 6x6 back (or to be more accurate I guess, it can take a 6x4.5 back) so you can experiment with the square format, and the rotating back is a plus. Also they recently released an AF body that looks <em>really</em> nice.</p>

 

<p>All in all, I think the Mamiya 645 Pro is a good place to start, if you can afford it: interchangable backs (including digital, should you want to go there), interchangable finders, and greate optics.</p>

 

<p>Good luck.</p>

[dan_sweet]

"I plan to use it primarily for landscape and close-up work."

 

How close? Do you mean macro or tight head shot?

I'm also considering a new MF camera but am finding it difficult to find much in the way of actual distances for close focus.

 

Can the original poster clarify what he means by close-up work?

 

Can anybody who responded list actual close-focus distances for the cameras you reccomend?

[scott_fleming1]

Well the scale on my 45mm 1:2.8 N goes to about a foot or maybe a tad less. My 80mm 1:2.8 N goes to almost 2 ft. My 200mm APO goes to 8 ft. Mamiya has nearly every possible extension tube or reversing adaptor one might wish for however.

[leica ron]

Any reason why you've decided on 645 ? If you're open to a slightly different format ...

 

An RB67 is great for close-ups because of it's bellows focusing system and has great glass.

 

If you were shooting weddings or needed 16 shots per roll I'd understand, 645 makes sense.

 

Just my tuppence worth ...