jack_varney

<p>Open the back, put an empty spool in the take up spool position. Crank the handle a turn forward a turn or so and backward one. Fire the camera looking through the lens (back still open) at a light source. Memory tells me this worked on my old 3.5E and 2.8F Rollies of yesteryear. Watch the shutter at various speeds.</p>

Should not be a serious problem. Only two sizes are required for your lenses, 58mm and 67mm. If you go to a 35mm lens you will need a 77mm.

There are some older digital backs from Kodak, Megavision and Hasselblad (Iexpress models) that will work on your 645 Pro, They do require a cable connection between the camera and the back and a connected small data bank on the Iexpress. The Megavision uses a small OCQ Pc theathered to it.

When you loaded the film did you thread the film BETWEEN the two rollers just before it gets to the film plane? These rollers are forced to separate slightly when the film plus paper backing rolls between them. This is how the camera knows to start the counting process.

The AE finder has spot focusing capability.

Susan, the A is for average metering, S is for spot and A-S is for an automatic "best choice" determined by the camera.The +3 to -3 settings are used to bracket your exposures.

 

The diopter lenses fit on the back of the viewfinder lens. If a Mamiya diopter lens (they come in different strenghts and in + and - values for near and far sightedness)is not available try an older Canon one that fits the Canon A1. I have used these on my 645 Pro.

 

Do you not have a manual for this camera? If you can't find one at MAC Group email me I have the PDF.

 

jv-1gator@varney.clearwire.net

The 1000s AE finder has a strip of foam rubber to rest against the body. Perhaps yours has deteriorated and is missing. I had mine replaced along with the mirror foam on mine by Mamiya.

Try Beattie who has made focus screens for Rolleiflex cameras for decades. Yours may be one of theirs, I'm not sure. The Beattie product is now owned by Reflexite Display Optics. To see the Beattie Intenscreen page for Rollei go to -

 

http://www.display-optics.com/products_medium-format_rolleiflex.htm

 

Another possibility is Brightscreen at -

 

http://www.brightscreen.com/flash.html

 

They also make screens for various medium format cameras.

Your scans in 16bit mode will create files on the order of 500,000KB and can make great prints but processing in PS will be slow.

 

Jack

Les, I have the AE Prism Finder manual scanned and can email in the form of several .gif format documents. Send me an email at

jv-1gator@vareny.clearwire.net if you would like them.

 

Jack

Preston, I can forward a Mamiya publication with brief descriptions of the Prism finders, including the AE Finder, for the Mamiya 645 1000S. There's not much else to know once you put it to your eye. Unfortunately the 1000S manual has no information about the AE Finder and I have never seen a manual for it. I also have a system guide that may prove helpful if you should look for attachments in the future.

 

The Mamiya site has a download for the 1000S here http://www.mamiya.com/cservice.asp?id=3&id2=115&id3=117&id4=361 in case you need one.

 

Send me an email at jv-1gator@varney.clearwire.net and i will return the publications via email.

 

Regards,

Jack Varney

The waist level finders are the same for the Super and the Pro. This a Mamiya No. 211-310.

 

I have one for sale if you are interested email me at jv-1gator@varney.clearwire.net.

I have used the Canon manual focus camera diopter attachments from the Canon A1.

Having owned Mamiya 645 J, 1000S and 645 Pro models I can tell you that they all had multi exposure capability. I would bet a month's salary the other models (especially later models)also have it.

Or, put another way,there is only one type of film back for the Mamiya 645 Pro. With a 120 insert it operates as a 120 back and with a 220 insert it operates as a 220 back. The back's counter automatically changes to reflect which insert is installed, thus with a 120 insert it will advance to 15 frames only and with a 220 insert it will advance to 30 frames.

Very interesting indeed! As an audiophile I was, in the late sixties, an early adopter of transistor amplification. Big mistake, at least 30 years too early (I'm talking about reference quality sound reproduction here) and, even today, arguably a mistake. I adopted CD audio late and pat myself on the back. However, there is still magic when a good vinyl record is played. Not unlike the 4 X 5 photo's effect of depth and selective focus in the subject article.

 

Now if digital has equal or better resolution than film, what is going on here? Probably a lot of things.

 

One may be the way we sharpen images in digital. In the referenced article the digital photo was universally clearer, the 4 X 5 selective. I suggest that digital image sharpening is generally done across the entire image and that this conflicts with the selective depth of field intended in the exposure.

 

There is more to it than that, I think, and over time the other factors will be discovered just like the audiophiles and audio engineers discovered that CD wasn't, after all, "perfect sound forever" and got busy improving it. Over time digital will get better, much better. Keep being critical and we will all benefit from it.

It might be helpful for you to visit www.luminous-landscape.com who have reviewed film scanners. It is an informative site for digital photographers.