Mamiya 645 , vintage serial#'s, no.jxxxxxx

I recently inherited these two cameras, some lenses,and other accessories.

I'm trying to find out more about them,I only know 35mm, and haven't used anything but digital in years.

I used to work at a catalog company as a photo director, but I'm not really a photographer.

Now I'm a glass blower, and do my own photography for products, and art, again, digital.


Would this camera be better for color art/product photography, or should I sell /trade it?

If i decide to sell them here,, ill spring for the $2 and get access to the classifieds section, but i might keep it. Ebay is ok,but I prefer forums,I'm new here,but a member of bass guitar, luthier, and glass blowing forums, and selling thru a forum has a more "community " vibe.

But...medium format seems like something I could get into. Which camera and lens should I keep as a starter,? again, used for jewelry /art photography.

Is film and development still available?
Dead Link Removed

Dead Link Removed

Dead Link Removed

Is this worth anything, or should I keep it, it's not sentimental, but they are pretty cool looking.

welcome to apug.

i'm a mamiya 645 user and fan - great equipment, well-made, great optics, and reliable! you have 2 645J models, i believe - so for any instruction manual you'd look for that model designation. as an artist tool it is excellent.

for your product photography though i think your digital process would be better nowadays. you can do that with this equipment but the process is more laborious in that you would be using old analog post-processing techniques. (depending on the size of glass, you may have all you need for product photography, but likely would need extension tubes, macro lens , or close-up attachment, if small.) using a digital camera you're ready to shot, then you'd go to photoshop. (you can scan film negatives, and people do, but again your getting more into a more "involved" process.)

film availability... there is not the wide selection of film available as there was. i shoot only b&w and have never had a problem not having a choice. color is more limited and someone else can probably speak its availability. for processing the same is true, both available, color processing less prevalent. many (most?) on apug do their own processing, or use custom processors - a whole other endeavor.

having said all that, i'd say, use them.... load some film see what you think of them as art tools. they are excellent- you need to find out if they suit your artistry. it'll be fun.

keep posting and asking question, lotta people here who are very knowledgeable. there are also a number of members in your area... there's a groups that get together near doylestown - a little farther but worthwhile.

Nice outfit, but you will discover that it has a low marketability -- Mamiya 645 are good cameras but a glut on the market right now.

How low? If you get $300 for the whole mess I'd be surprised. Might be a good time to learn film photography.

These particular cameras and lenses are very serviceable. The cameras are quite old, and the more recent versions offer a number of advantages over them, while still remaining compatible with the older lenses and film inserts, so the camera bodies themselves don't sell for much.
Depending on condition and which lenses you have, the lenses may sell for more.

Thanks,

MattKing said:

These particular cameras and lenses are very serviceable. The cameras are quite old, and the more recent versions offer a number of advantages over them, while still remaining compatible with the older lenses and film inserts, so the camera bodies themselves don't sell for much.
Depending on condition and which lenses you have, the lenses may sell for more.

Click to expand...

Good idea, I'm trying to figure out which lens will be best for my needs, taking pictures of jewelry, and glass are, very tricky. A lightbox makes it easier, but reflective surfaces, dicro artwork, those are a bitch to shoot.

I'm hoping there is an adapter or a way to use the lenses with my mom's Nikon digital, so I can get an idea of them.

I have caught the bug for sure, came with 5 rolls of film and batteries, so I'm going to try both cameras out this weekend, there is a tree I want to shoot, my daughter, shop pics,etc.

I might keep one, I knew about large format, but medium is new to me.

I also got an enlarger, and a whole black n white darkroom, luckily my brother has had a darkroom since the 80's, he will probably be able to tell me if anything is worth messing around with, digital really screwed darkroom guys, huh?

I suppose I will spring the two bucks and get the supporting membership, and break up & sell everything individualy, (what I don't keep ), as opposed to ebay, I really hate ebay. Plus after a night of lurking looks like this is a great community.

I'll be looking for jewelry and art photo tips. I was an Adobe ACE, photoshop 7, but lapsed, I used to spend hours editing silver jewelry before I discovered light boxes, we basically digi airbrushed the entire piece, look at a rolex watch ad, things might as well be illustrations.

Thanks again.

Oh, and one probably stupid question, I've read the newer ones can be converted to digital, any possibility of that?

I don't understand why film replacement is still unavailable, the reception thing on an iPhone is tiny, it should have been figured out by now imo, by some smart person. Even if it was snapshot grade to start, I'd love to be able to use my old 35mm camera without film.

A 35mm piece of film is way bigger (50x~) than the sensor on an iphone 6: 36mm x 24mm vs 4.89mm x 3.67 mm, and the iphone 6 is over $1,000.00.
They don't make digital backs for Mamiya 645 cameras like yours. For a while there were backs that were compatible with the last series of Mamiya 645 cameras, but they were several thousands of dollars each.
There are new to the market medium format cameras digital cameras from Pentax and Fuji that have sensor sizes between 35mm and 6x4.5 size. They tend to be priced at $8,000.00 and up.
And by the way, I think the APUG subscription price is $24.00 per year.

MattKing said:

A 35mm piece of film is way bigger (50x~) than the sensor on an iphone 6: 36mm x 24mm vs 4.89mm x 3.67 mm, and the iphone 6 is over $1,000.00.
They don't make digital backs for Mamiya 645 cameras like yours. For a while there were backs that were compatible with the last series of Mamiya 645 cameras, but they were several thousands of dollars each.
There are new to the market medium format cameras digital cameras from Pentax and Fuji that have sensor sizes between 35mm and 6x4.5 size. They tend to be priced at $8,000.00 and up.
And by the way, I think the APUG subscription price is $24.00 per year.

Click to expand...

From quote
"A 35mm piece of film is way bigger (50x~) than the sensor on an iphone 6: 36mm x 24mm vs 4.89mm x 3.67 mm, and the iphone 6 is over $1,000.00."

Thanks for telling me the size of those things, couldn't find measurements.

That's my point tho, it's so small, it would fit in place of the film, with extensive modifications, such as removing the whole back door, I feel like it could be done, but a universal "drop in" 35 I feel like , challenging MIT against a rival,they could figure it out.

One other thing, sure an iphone is expensive, but the actual Component (what are the receptor things called), can be found cheap, not easily, but I've found similar components directly from china, I would guses thst piece can probably be found for about 50 bucks somewhere. Just a guess, I was able to locate a bass guitar electronic components, the "heart" of the onbard tone system, for >20$, in the us, that would be around $800.

Again, I can't make one, WAY past my tinker skills. I just know there is a huge market for them, whoever figures it out will be loaded. If I could, I'd prototype it if I could , and do a kickstarter.

My latest idea would be a remote wired type system where the iphone or other smartphone is part of the system, maybe ., or really sloppy version , something like an OCCULUS, where the phone attaches somehow to the camera physically. ..but these are ALL pipe dreams I could not build myself.

There was an April fools thing, lots of people tried to buy it.


As far as membership goes,
Yea, 24 a year, but it breaks down to two bucks a month, (I thought I could pay monthly), much cheaper than most forums with a trading rating system, my Bass Guitar Luthier forum is quadruple that, but it's a place where I can find interesting and hard to find parts usually cheaper than ebay, because you are buying from people who know (usually) what they are selling.***(****edit*****just tried to become a supporting member, looks like ,, member ship is about $12 a year right now, good deal, they dont take paypal tho)

But back on track, it's cool to me that some of these CAN BE converted to digital, I researched, the models newer that mine, but older than the ones you quoted can be sent t MAMIYA factory and they can update them to accept a digital back. The one person I read about who did it paid @$500, that also included a major tune up/overhaul in addition to the conversion. The newer ones must be expensive. Of course the conversion only made it accept the 2k $ thing you mentioned.
Thanks for responding.

For everyone else, I apologize for my ignorance, but

What is the traditional use of a Medium Format camera?

And
what is the preferred camera format to photograph jewelry and glass?

The digi backs for medium format needed the entire film magazine removed. As I remember
the earlier 645's used an insert.

GlassWorker said:

The one person I read about who did it paid @$500, that also included a major tune up/overhaul in addition to the conversion.

Click to expand...

That is just the cost to make the camera connectable to the backs. Those backs were $10,000 + or so when new. There haven't been any of those backs manufactured for several years now.

GlassWorker said:

What is the traditional use of a Medium Format camera?

Click to expand...

Everything from snapshots to commercial work to art photography. The cameras that the astronauts used (and left) on the moon were medium format film cameras.

Your cameras were quite popular with wedding photographers.

I've used my Mamiya 645 cameras for a variety of purposes. I do have lenses and accessories that are well suited to close up work, so I could, for instance, use the Mamiya 645 Pro I currently have to photograph jewelry and glass.

GlassWorker said:

And what is the preferred camera format to photograph jewelry and glass?

Click to expand...

That would depend on how you expect to present the results, and whether you wish to have the ability to closely control the plane of focus.

Would your photographs be used to make billboards, or entries on an internet catalogue that most people would access via cel phone?
Is the jewelry and glass the size of tiny earrings, or table centre-pieces?

Would you be darkroom printing the results, or just posting it to the web.

John Koehrer said:

The digi backs for medium format needed the entire film magazine removed. As I remember
the earlier 645's used an insert.

Click to expand...

Man thsts cool, thanks.

I would guess we see a 35mm film replacement in the next 5 years .... well..probably.

It just seems like there are tons of people with film cameras that collect dust now. It might seem like a long time ago to young kids, but around 2000-2005 ish 35mm film cameras were still the "it" method to photograph products, to us "persons of a certain age", that feels like it was last month. I just can't accept that only the lenses are still useful.

I derailed my own thread, probably a similar thread on digital conversion somewhere.

Btw, I dig this forum. It's getting me back into photography, dug out all my cameras, found nikon n cannon digital cameras that my brother and mother gave me, probably out of date already, the camera on my Galaxy 6 might be as good as them, neither is the type that use lenses.

I derailed my own thread, probably a similar thread on digital conversion somewhere...


Are these medium format cameras the ones used for studio glamour shots, (portraits, word escaped me for a sec)?. I feel like I remember seeing similar ones at picture day at school, and at sears.

I put the batteries and film in one of the cameras, don't want to waste the film. Put it on a small tripod, but my lightbox is at my daughters house. Kind of excited, have to read up on how to use it first, all those settings, filters, lens selection, I'm sure to learn a lot here.

MattKing said:

That is just the cost to make the camera connectable to the backs. Those backs were $10,000 + or so when new. There haven't been any of those backs manufactured for several years now.



Everything from snapshots to commercial work to art photography. The cameras that the astronauts used (and left) on the moon were medium format film cameras.

Your cameras were quite popular with wedding photographers.

I've used my Mamiya 645 cameras for a variety of purposes. I do have lenses and accessories that are well suited to close up work, so I could, for instance, use the Mamiya 645 Pro I currently have to photograph jewelry and glass.



That would depend on how you expect to present the results, and whether you wish to have the ability to closely control the plane of focus.

Would your photographs be used to make billboards, or entries on an internet catalogue that most people would access via cel phone?
Is the jewelry and glass the size of tiny earrings, or table centre-pieces?

Would you be darkroom printing the results, or just posting it to the web.

Click to expand...

Thanks very much for the info. Holy crap, 10,000$, not pesos or rubles?!?, my brother paid about that for a brand new car! So I guess 500 isn't all that much for people willing to pay 10k for the back.

how much are regular digital medium format cameras?

Mostly I make 1-4" marbles, very detailed. Crazy hard to photograph because they reflect, and the colors inside look best with daylighy,some transmit light,some reflect.

Also larger sculptures sometimes, I apprenticed under Josh openaker,and nate Purcell at Gallery 908 to get an idea.
Also studied under Paul Stankard,but I work mostly borosilicate, he works in soda lime. Still learned a lot from him. His tree of life/angel and demon paperweights are a major inspiration.

I make large tree of life, with double helix trunk, marbles for people after weddings, if Jewish, I incorporate the glass from the stomped smashed glasses.

I'm so glad I didn't take the $300 i was offered by the store I initally brought the kit into. They were the ones that told me about this forum tho.

When I waa a photo director / graphic designer, I specialized in 4 color printing. Big mistake looking back, i started in 1995, and I thought the Internet was a fad....oh well.
So yes, printing is something I'm planning on, nice paper catalogue, or at least brochure has no substitute.

Really glad I didn't sell this stuff, if for no other reason it has inspired me to get deeper into photography. Definitely keeping one camera, and whichever lens is best for my purposes. I found two more mamiya lenses that weren't In the case today, a very short one, and a telephoto sized in a leather tube.

every piece should be photographed, and it's too expensive to pay a pro, my mother and brother are both professional level photographers,but it takes a lot of time, setting up, lighting, coordination of schedules,etc. I'm missing out on the Internet market, right now I only get maybe 10% Shot.

I figured out which lens for products.
I suppose you mail medium format film off to get developed now? (Color).

Now I need to figure out what to do with the darkroom stuff. Only black and white. Especially figure out what chemicals are still good, and what's dangerous.

I have used photo emulsion on glass sculptures to mask for sandblasting thru multiple layers of colored glass, but I have a vynil cutter that does almost as good a job.

On the Internet, your artwork Is only as good as the pictures.

Where should I send the film to be developed (color)? I don't guess it's something I can just bring into Walgreens. Or could i?

GlassWorker said:

how much are regular digital medium format cameras?

Click to expand...

Here is the current Pentax body: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1045517-REG/pentax_16599_645z_digital_slr_camera.html

And this "budget" Hasselblad body will let you get your feet wet in the Hasselblad world: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...lad_h_3013740_h6d_50c_medium_format_dslr.html

Lenses are extra - a lot more extra.

GlassWorker said:

Where should I send the film to be developed (color)? I don't guess it's something I can just bring into Walgreens. Or could i?

Click to expand...

Walgreens may have a send out service for 120 film. But there are resources you can use mail order with. I'll let those closer to you give appropriate advice.