Pentax 645--Tell Me About Your's

[abruzzi]

And when you run out of 220, you know how to convert it back!

 

[GRHazelton]

I have the 645n, along with the 35mm, 55mm, 75mm, 120mm, 200mm and the 80-160mm zoom, all manual focus. Watch out for the 35mm, it is stellar! Virtually no distortion and really sharp. The 120mm macro lens is also excellent, being able to focus continually from infinity to 1 to 1 really helps. Makes a good portrait lens. All these lenses are metal and glass, the way the lens gods intended, focusing smoothly and easily.
Other goodies include the 67 to 645 adapter, should I run across a really long 67 tele that I can afford! and the right angle finder, since I enjoy close up work of flowers, etc. For whatever reason this threads into the eyepiece fitting, rather than sliding into grooves as do the Pentax 35mm and digital SLRS. Be careful not to cross thread it! I also have a set of tubes, and a focusing tube, these bought before I scored the 120 macro. Seemed like a good idea at the time. I have several film inserts; when they were cheap I scored the 220 inserts and "converted" them to 120. See Pentaxforums.com for good instructions. Don't lose the little screw!
The 645n is a delight to use. The controls are intuitive, it handles like a big 35mm SLR. The focus indicator seems spot-on, the metering has never let me down. I have three flashes compatible with the 645n's TTL system; the AF 400 is a real paint peeler, but heavy. The 645n's dual tripod sockets are a stroke of genius, I mount a QR plate in each so I can change format quickly and don't have to worry about much change in view, or unbalancing the tripod.
What would I change? Interchangeable backs would be nice, as would be interchangeable finders. Either would increase cost and complexity - more things to go wrong. A fast normal, perhaps f2 or f1.9. Mamiya's 645 has such, why not Pentax?

 

[drmoss_ca]

I have a 645N and a 645NII, with 45, 75, 120 and 150-300 lenses. Rarely I use a 2x teleconverter with it, but it was meant for the original 645 so manual focus and stop-down aperture only with that. You can hand hold the 120 quite easily, even for macros, but I'll often mount the camera on a monopod and walk along with it on my shoulder. It's quite comfortable and certainly helps with slower film. One of my battery holders is getting unreliable - the metal contacts are loose and electrical contact is a bit hit and miss. So I tend to use the other battery holder in whichever camera I'm using. I prefer the controls of the 645N over those of the NII, but I did want to have a backup in case the 645N dies.