New member - new to film - ? about Mamiya m645

[amyrose]

Hi!

My name is Amy, I live in WI and am currently a Canon DSLR shooter. I have been shooting digital since 200 and I am moving into film photography and want to use MF. I have been debating Contax (so pricey, yeesh!), Pentax 645 and Mamiya 645. I recently had an opportunity to visit the old studio of the father of a dear friend of mine. He retired in 2002 and his equipment has been sitting since then. He has a Mamiya RB67 and several lenses, a Pentax 645 and lenses and 2 Mamiya m645 systems with several lenses. He also has a Contax 139Q with a Zeiss Planar T* 85mm/1.4 (lens is pristine).

I have the opportunity to purchase any of this equipment and I am on a budget as to how much I can spend. Have any of you had any experience with any of the other cameras besides the m645? Is there a way to get an adaptor for the Zeiss lens to use on the Mamiya m645 system? I have to figure out prices for this gear since the family doesn't have any real clue about photography other than the difference between "film" and "digital" I have been looking at Craigslist and eBay for prices. Since this will essentially be quite an investment for me, I want to make sure I spend my $$ wisely. All three systems look amazing, but the m645 is the smallest of the three. I have been scouring forums and reviews for help, but have been having a hard time finding answers that will help me make a decision as to which camera to choose (don't want buyers remorse

Would love to hear any thoughts as to why you chose the m645, if you have upgraded or have stayed with the earlier model. I love to document weddings, births and lifestyle portraiture. Do you feel that the m645 would work well in any of these genres? Are the Mamiya lenses compatible with any other systems or are they only for the Mamiya? Wondering if there were adaptors to be able to use the Mamiya lenses on my current Canon 500D as well.

I love to read information, so feel free to share as much or as little as you like. I am sure there are other review sites and other film forums that I have not been introduced to yet and would appreciate any other groups you think may be helpful for a new-to-film shooter.

 

[JimO]

welcome to apug.... and to film....

i'm a mamiya fan, currently use a 645 tl and love it. i used to use a pentax 645 and its a great camera as well. i stayed with the mamiya because i like to use the waist level finder and prefer that "view" and not having to put a camer in front of my face and between me and the subject. the one drawback to the wlf is that the image is "reversed"... for my photgraphy either im used to it, or its never been a problem. you can add a prism finder but then your almost got a pentax 645! i find it klugee to use a prism finder on the mamiya without a winder, so now your identical to the pentax just with different (not better or worse) optics.

given your type of photography seems like the pentax wouldn't be a bad choice, although the mamiya 645 is not a bad choice, especially with interchangeable film magazine, great for shooting mulitiple types of film and switching mdi-roll.

it'll come down to what your comfortable with - it's the photographers eye that will make the photograph

i also have an rb but just don't find i "go to it" enough - not a lot of use. i like the bellows, and square fortmat, etc. but just to big and so i don't pull it out often enough. don't know anything about lens adoption.

all-in-all, it a tough choice, but you have options, and you won't go wrong!

jvo

p.s. you might see if the moderator can switch this to a different thread - medium format for instance, to get a wider response.

 

[bifcake]

Ok, let's narrow the choices down a bit. You have a choice between two formats: the 645 (6cm x 4.5cm negative) as offered by the Contax, (I assume it's a 645, not a 6x6), Mamiya m645 and Pentax 645. You also have a choice of a 6x7 format (6cm x 7cm negative) as offered by the RB67.


The 67 format gives you a considerably bigger negative, which you could easily enlarge to a 50x70" print, whereas the 645 would limit you to about 40x50" prints. The 645 cameras you get to choose from and the RB67 are completely different beasts. The RB67 is not really a field camera. You could use it in the field, but you certainly can't hand hold it. It's big and bulky and it's suited best for the studio or location shooting where you have the time to set up on a tripod and take your time shooting. The RB has some nice features such as a rotating back, so you can switch from horizontal to vertical simply by rotating the back, without moving the camera. The 645 systems, on the other hand are much more portable and you could hand hold them, especially with a good grip. They're much better suited for location and faster paced shooting such as a wedding.


As far as the 645 systems are concerned, there is a difference between the Contax and the M645/Pentax. The Contax offers you the ability to change backs and inserts, while the the m645 and Pentax have only interchangeable inserts. This means that Contax allows you to change film in mid roll to a different film by swapping a back back and forth without losing any frames. The Mamiya and Pentax don't have that options. The interchangeable inserts allow you to quickly change film once you finish the roll by preloading additional inserts, but you CAN'T change film in MIDROLL. This may be a big deal to you or not, depends on the type of photography you do.

Another thing to consider is that the Mamiya 645 manual focus lenses will fit the newer autofocus bodies (albeit with manual focusing and stopped down metering), which potentially allows you get a Mamiya Autofocus camera and a digital back (an expensive proposition) if you should so desire, while allowing you to use your existing lenses. Again, this may or may not be a big deal to you. I think you can also use Pentax manual focus lenses on autofocus and digital cameras, but I'm not 100% sure about that.


Now, as for the differences between Pentax and m645, Pentax has a built-in motor drive, built in metering prism, it's a more modern camera. The m645 is more modular. You can't change the prism on the Pentax, but you can on Mamiya. However, if you want a motor drive on a mamiya, that would be extra, a metering prism would be extra, even a grip would be extra. However, there are many more lens adapters and third party accessories available for Mamiya. For example, I bought a Pentacon macro bellows for a song and a Pentacon/Mamiya adapter. That allowed me to use my m645 for macro photography very cheaply, as the original Mamiya bellows was hard to find and very expensive at the time. You would have a much more difficult time finding a Pentacon/Pentax adaptor (I'm not sure if there is one, but if there is, they're much more difficult to find) So, I hope this helps. Let us know what you decide to do.

 

[CarolynArteaga]

I am fan of Mamiya. LIKE YOU