Getting my Bronica 645 RF TODAY

cheuwi · Jan 27, 2010

Just want to share my excitement... did one of those "best offer" things on Ebay last week on a Bronica 645 RF. According to Fedex, it should be arriving this afternoon .
Already downloaded the instuction manual, bought the battery, took a roll of 120 out of the fridge... you guys/gals know the drill.
I am hoping this will be my light weight and less bulky solution to my Mamiya 645 system. Always wanted to carry a MF to hiking/photo trips but ended up doing 35mm because of weight. Heck... I am thinking that I can even carry this to family vacation now to go with my SLR.
Cheuwi

Joe Grodis · Jan 27, 2010

Sweet camera and I wish I had one. I take it the lens was included? Anyways, do enjoy!

cheuwi · Jan 27, 2010

Thanks. It comes with the 65mm (standard) lens.

Richard Jepsen · Jan 28, 2010

Cheuwi

I still have the RF645 bought just after they came out. I have a 3 lens kit with the difficult to find 100mm. The sharpness and tonality of B&W 6x8 inch enlargements is much better than a 5x7 enlargement vs Mandler Leica optics. The camera has great features and a quality feel. Hopefully you're processing your own negatives. The RF645 is the last full featured MF camera with modern design advantages while being straight forward (simple) to use. Its a shooters camera and cult classic. Also, the three lenses draw with a smooth OOF rendering.

cheuwi · Jan 28, 2010

Got it last night... Fired a few shots to test it out... loving it so far.
Nice and heavy, feels solid. Will update everybody once I developed the film. Unfortunately I don't process my negatives as I have no idea how... and nobody that I know of are into it to show me.

craigclu · Jan 28, 2010

You'll grow to like it more and more... Great people rig with the vertical format and fast focusing. If you can find the flash for it, you may enjoy it, too. It's small and perfect for automated fill in harsh light and can cover for light duties as a primary flash (I don't use it that way, though). I normally do everything manually with most of my equipment but there's something about the RF645 system that gives me just what I'm expecting in exposure and especially with the fill flash in program mode for fill.

Treat the winder gently as I've heard of issues with the ham-fisted among us but I've had no issues with mine after many years and many rolls. I just had to have a Mamiya 7 a few years back and while it's a fine and capable camera, the Bronica gets used at least 5 times more. I'd put the optics in the same category/league with each other with the larger-format Mamiya starting to show its format advantage at about 11X14.

brian steinberger · Jan 28, 2010

Congrats! My RF645 is probably my favorite camera along with my Mamiya 6's. It's a great camera to shoot handheld and is a pleasure to use. Have fun!

olleorama · Jan 29, 2010

The RF645 is one of my dream cameras! Sincerely jealous!

One day...

Steve Smith · Jan 29, 2010

olleorama said:
The RF645 is one of my dream cameras!

It was (is) one of mine too. I was looking at them a few years ago when I wanted something light and compact (relatively) to take on walks. Somehow I ended up with an RB67 instead!

Steve.

cheuwi · Jan 29, 2010

I am with you Steve (ending up with something else the first time around).
I started looking into the 645 format about 4 years ago and ended up with the Mamiya 645 Pro. Being able to "see" what I take from an SLR was the deciding factor.
This time around, I opt for light weight and hopefully I can get use to RF camera. I have already had a mis-fire... leaving my lens cap on while taking a picture through the view finder!!

olleorama · Jan 30, 2010

Steve Smith said:
It was (is) one of mine too. I was looking at them a few years ago when I wanted something light and compact (relatively) to take on walks. Somehow I ended up with an RB67 instead!

Steve.

My route was H'blad 500CM to D80 to RB67. We all end up there, don't we?

cheuwi · Feb 4, 2010

Got my roll of film back and I am glad to let everyone know that both meter and shutter appears to be accurate. Prints comes back nice and sharp.
Next test, use a real slow film (either Ilford Pan F or Velvia) and make a bigger prints to see how the lens performs.
One question though, how do you use a polarizer on RF?
Cheuwi

Robert Budding · Feb 4, 2010

It's a nice camera, but I sold mine because of winder issues. The first repair was done under warranty, but it started to act up about a year later. So I sold it and now I have a Mamiya 7 II.

cheuwi · Feb 4, 2010

Can you tell me what I need to watch out for regarding the "winder". I think it is a common thing as I have heard it before.

Richard Jepsen · May 23, 2010

I bought a RF645 when they first came out. I had the body re-calibrated for the 100mm. Lots of film has gone through the camera without one winder issues. Be advised 220 film is harder on the transport system and I advise people to be gentle on the film advance. If the previous owner avoided 220 and was did not ham fist the winder one should have no problems.

This is my favorite camera. It is so easy to carry and use. Results in B&W are stunning. To top it off its the last and best Medium Format RF built.

Getting my Bronica 645 RF TODAY

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