Pentax 645 Love

[DanielStone]

hey all,

I checked out a Pentax 645 (non-af) from school today, and I have to say, I'm very much in love. Its a little small in my hand, but its not bad by any means. I was able to check out the 55mm as well as the 75mm, and I've been using the 55 all day. Very nice, bright viewfinder, but it took me a while to get used to such a small viewfinder window.

Just a rant an rave. I still prefer my Hassy H2, but if I hadn't bought it for the price I did when I did, I'd get one or two of these instead (af version though, version II)

anyone have similar feelings to me?

-Dan

 

[photomem]

You think the Pentax 645 is awesome? Try the Mamiya. I love the pretty huge viewfinder on it and it is just big enough for people to notice it isnt a standard SLR but not so big I cannot carry it into the field easily when I am alone.

 

[yurihuta]

Hi Dan,

I too love these cameras. I started with a 645 and then ended up with a pair of 645N and a few lenses. The viewfinder on the 645N is amazing, nice and bright. I have the 55mm f/2.8 - very nice lens.

Is the H2 much bigger and brigther than the 645 viewfinder?

Yuri

anyone have similar feelings to me?

-Dan

 

[DanielStone]

Hi Dan,

I too love these cameras. I started with a 645 and then ended up with a pair of 645N and a few lenses. The viewfinder on the 645N is amazing, nice and bright. I have the 55mm f/2.8 - very nice lens.

Is the H2 much bigger and brigther than the 645 viewfinder?

Yuri

to me, it is. I personally prefer the eyecup on the H2, but I still really like the Pentax. Nice an light, compared to the H2....
as stated above, if I had not gotten the H2 for what I did, when I did, I probably would have gone with 2 of these (af versions though), and a slew of lenses. They're pretty fast in continuous mode too .
great damper on the mf too!

-Dan

 

[DanielStone]

You think the Pentax 645 is awesome? Try the Mamiya. I love the pretty huge viewfinder on it and it is just big enough for people to notice it isnt a standard SLR but not so big I cannot carry it into the field easily when I am alone.

I have tried the Mamiya's (I'm assuming 645af/d?) They're nice, and they have great lenses (I have an RZ II, and the lenses are kick-ass), but somehow it didn't work in my hand as nicely as the H2 or this Pentax. Great build quality though, and once again, terrific lenses.

My main reason for getting the H2 though was this :d!g1+@l.... I'm a photo major, and with commercial advertising photography(my main target for my work during and after finishing school) these days, film is not common, if even existent, purely for economical and time contraints. I'd shoot film in a heartbeat if I could, but I still use it for all my personal work. And for when people allow me to shoot what I want. I use the hybrid method for color work though, darkroom for b/w( 75% of the time) and the gals at my local costco happily print my 11x14 glossy Crystal Archives all day for portraits and headshots I do to pay for classes...

price is good too for prints .

in the end, I used the Mamiyas, the H2's and the Contax 645's, the H2 was the clear winner for my uses right now.

-Dan