I'm getting pretty engaged with the 6x4.5 format -- I like the aspect ratio, 16 on a roll is just the right length, and the negatives are still a bit more than twice the size of 35mm -- small enough to get deliciously grainy if I push a 400 film to 1600, but big enough to be almost grainless in pretty good sized prints with a slow film.
I've got a couple folders that can shoot 645 -- a Wirgin Auta, 6x9 with masks, and a Daiichi Zenobia that has a very nice lens (but is completely dependent, for carry, on a case that needs the stitching redone in the worst way), and a 645 back for my RB67 -- but the RB is heavy and the lenses I have are long for the format (and the wider lenses are more expensive than the ones from 90mm up), plus the available lenses are comparatively slow -- I'd like to get to f/3.5 or f/2.8, if not faster.
I've been using separate metering for fifty years, I have both a Sekonic L238 and a Pentax 1/21 Spotmeter, both seemingly accurate, and I prefer a camera that doesn't require a battery to operate (i.e. fully mechanical), though I enjoy a built-in meter if the camera doesn't depend on it to work.
What options are there for a 645 "system" SLR that's light enough to carry around, doesn't require a battery to give all shutter speeds and apertures, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg (ideally, I'd like something in or below the same price range as the RB67 or Bronica S2/S2a). I prefer a dedicated 645, as 645 backs on larger format cameras inevitably come with extra weight and larger/heavier lenses than needed for 645 -- and the cameras often aren't designed to be turned on end for vertical/horizontal framing.
Seems like this might be a pretty short list -- are there any at all?
I've got a couple folders that can shoot 645 -- a Wirgin Auta, 6x9 with masks, and a Daiichi Zenobia that has a very nice lens (but is completely dependent, for carry, on a case that needs the stitching redone in the worst way), and a 645 back for my RB67 -- but the RB is heavy and the lenses I have are long for the format (and the wider lenses are more expensive than the ones from 90mm up), plus the available lenses are comparatively slow -- I'd like to get to f/3.5 or f/2.8, if not faster.
I've been using separate metering for fifty years, I have both a Sekonic L238 and a Pentax 1/21 Spotmeter, both seemingly accurate, and I prefer a camera that doesn't require a battery to operate (i.e. fully mechanical), though I enjoy a built-in meter if the camera doesn't depend on it to work.
What options are there for a 645 "system" SLR that's light enough to carry around, doesn't require a battery to give all shutter speeds and apertures, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg (ideally, I'd like something in or below the same price range as the RB67 or Bronica S2/S2a). I prefer a dedicated 645, as 645 backs on larger format cameras inevitably come with extra weight and larger/heavier lenses than needed for 645 -- and the cameras often aren't designed to be turned on end for vertical/horizontal framing.
Seems like this might be a pretty short list -- are there any at all?