Mamiya 645 1000s Grip/Winder

Just picked up one of these units and the right hand electric grip winder was included. It definitely makes holding the thing less cumbersome, but I've yet to try it out with batteries.

I've read a couple of negative reviews of this accessory, so I'm posting to see if anyone has any first hand experience and/or things to watch out for?

Does it function well or is it easier to just crank manually?

I used one a long time back and found it very reliable and convenient. I was using a leaf shutter lens at the time and it was nice not to have to wind the film then cock the shutter.

If the one you have works as it should by all means use it, there are no drawbacks that I'm aware of, other than the additional weight of course.

JD

Rumour has it that they will also work with the much more modern Mamiya 645E.

I had one with the 1000s when I had it. I love it except for the weight. The "SLR" type shooting made running and gunning with the 645 great.

I have one for my M645J. A pain in the studio mode, but great when walking around. My only advise is to shoot with higher shutter speeds as it can cause a 'jerk' when you fire the shutter.

There is a lot to be said for taking the time to think between shots. But I was happy with the results taking the thing on my last vacation.

I am used to the Speed Grips on my Bronicas and have not yet learned to like the left hand grips for the Mamiya M645/J/1000S models. For this reason I also use the right hand power winder. It's so heavy I think I could carry a Bronica GS-1 and get a larger negative for the same amount of carried weight. Last August I spent a day lugging it around Montreal. My neck hasn't forgiven me yet but the shots I got were worth the trouble. The next day I shot with a Minolta X-700. Apart from the weight my only real complaint about the right hand motor winder is that getting the battery tray on and off can be frustrating. You need patience and shouldn't force anything but the design is not very convenient. With what 120 color film costs you can feel about forty cents slipping through your fingers every time the winder advances the film. Of course that doesn't include processing and printing. Medium format equipment has become a lot cheaper but using it hasn't.

Finally got around to using the motor drive. I really like it, but at the end of the roll it starts winding and doesn't stop until I turn the switch off. I took the last picture and let it wind for about 60 seconds waiting for it to turn off but it just kept going. That can't be normal.

Perfectly normal.

Ok thanks.