🟡 Best 645 Film Camera? | My 11 Medium Format Film Cameras
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- Опубликовано: 2 мар 2022
- Best medium format 645 film camera? 11 cameras and a closer look at 4 of them + photos
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Video discusses the best 6x4.5 film camera and in cludes the Mamiya 645 Super, Hasselblad H2, Fuji GA645, Fujifilm GS645 folding camera, vintage 6x9 folding cameras with a 645 film mask, Mamiya RZ67 645 film back, Hasseblad 500cm A16 645 film back and gives a mention to the Pentax 645 camera, Bronica 645 RZ and Mamiya 645 AFD camera
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Excellent video, straight to the point and without any wasted bandwidth. As someone who shoots MF film, I would add the warning on purchasing some cameras, as they've been discontinued for many years, and spare parts are either exhausted or drying up quickly. For example, any of the Mamiya 645AF/AFD variants, while great film cameras, are done if they break or get damaged. As far as I know, there is no one in the U.S. that will repair them due to lack of parts and calibration tools. I hear the Contax 645 has the same issue. You can purchase a $4,500 paperweight in the blink of a shutter. That said, I think the Mamiya RZ67 line of cameras is still viable for years to come. Just be careful with any old film camera as they aren't makin' them any longer. The Nikon F6 may someday in the future be the last film camera to ever snap an image.
Thanks and yes thanks for the great warning. I sold my Contax (and Fuji) for this reason. I have my FM3a instead of the F6 now for future use!
Thank you for the run down on this hardware. So pleased you made the point about missing focus due to eyesight . . . . . I've been shooting my Hassy 503CW for decades and sadly - finding my eyesight is making doing so an increasingly compromised proposition . . . . .so, beginning to search used markets for AF gear.. Contax 645 and Hassy H series are on the radar but both have service challenges (while the "H" bodies are still being serviced - the film backs are not supported readily) . . . . Would appreciate the benefits of your experience re the maintainability AND reliability of Hassy and Contax used gear . . . or, any other AF MF suggestions?
Great video Matt!
Yes on the 6x6 video idea...just make sure to get the Hassy a lot of love on that one!!
Thanks and that goes without saying :D
Great presentation. The most info in the least time.
Thanks Zoltan!
Back in the 80s when I did a bit of wedding photography I had an early Mamiya 645. It didn't have a changeable back, rather a film insert you loaded inside a swinging door. I replaced it with a Bronica SQ and eventually a Bronica ETRSi which was 645. The ETRSi was a sweet camera with a massive motordrive module but made excellent images. I didn't even know Bronica made a rangefinder 645 - it would be cool to find.
Thanks regarding the ETRSi, it sounds like your Mamiya was the 1000S, I had the same one.
thank you for your review always great ,I have the Fuji GA645 super camera even do focus misses some time, the Bronica ETRsi also a super camera the PE lenses are tops similar to fuji and Mamiya lens , i have a collection of Fuji/Mamiya cameras
Thanks Pat! Yes the lens on the GA645 is stellar. I sold mine eventually after owning for years but still miss it sometimes.
great review of 645 cameras, a few years ago i brought a Mamiya 645j with 80mm lens ,fantastic results with this since.,have you ever used one Matt......
Thanks Michael, great. I had the Mamiya 1000s version which I think is similar.
My school allowed me to rent an electronic flash to make photos of the school Music Festival .
In the Sixties all electronic flashes had a "chopper" to cut the DC of the battery, to make a high
voltage AC of it. The bloody flash made an enormous noise during the solo singing, the chamber
orchestra and the flute playing. The audience almost lynched me.
Would be funny to see / hear Mister Bean in church with the Fuji GA plus my PMC flash..
Great memories Jaco! Yes the GA certainly is loud enough to turn heads :)
Still have my Bronica ETRSi... purchased it in favor over the Hasselblad I had because the in-the-lens shutters on the Bronica are all timed from the body resulting in constant shutter accuracy as one interchanges lenses... with Hassleblad, RB, etc... the shutter timing is a bit different for each lens; not a horrible problem with B&W but a major problem with color film 'in the day'.
Interesting point Stuart, i've never considered that. Thanks!
advantage 2.... Hasselblad lenses each have a flash contact.. so when changing lenses, one must undo the flash cord each time and reconnect on the next next lens.. ETRSi flash contact is on the body requiring no fuss when changing lenses.
advantage 3 ETRSi has a very nice 40 to 90 lens which worked well for me as a wedding photographer.
IMO the Bronica ETRSi is a superior 645 system camera compared to the Mamiya 645 models, The Mamiyas have some poor design and build problems by comparison, which leads to various problems, particularly with focus and shutter reliability. The last series of Bronica lenses for the 645 are outstanding' the Mamiyas are all over the lot in terms of lens quality.
@@randallstewart175 thanks!
Always been interested in the Fuji GW690. If I made an effort to shoot film again I think I would go GW690iii pro. Your thoughts.
Thanks William, nice! I'm not a fan of the 6x9 negative size but Fuji make great cameras for sure and that one is often cheaper than those with faster lenses.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom I believe the GW690 shoots all the MF sizes.
I'm very close to buying a Mamiya C330. Leaf shutter. Interchangeable lenses. And affordable. But it's heavy and TLR.
Nice Pete! I looked at those many times.
I don't own any 645 film camera, but I am using Zenzanon ETRs by Bronica on my Fujifilm GFX50R. Love them. 75, 150, 250 and even a monstrous 45-90 zoom. Together they cost me less than 1 Fujifilm GF lens...One small problem : I have to close the aperture by holding the DOF preview button. Or is there another way ? Pity you didn't have a Bronica at hand. Would like to hear your verdict. Nice work though, keep it up !
Thanks Harry! If I ever get to play with Bronica I will be sure to feedback.
Sold my GA645ai. Fun outside, flash metering inaccurate inside.
Have and love the 645GSW. FOCUSING SCALE ONLY IN METERS.
Sold my Mamiya 645J and lenses but kept my cheaper Mamiya 645-E and 2 lenses.
Bought a Mamiya Super 23 press camera but may have been a mistake. Too heavy to hand hold for an old man.
But I can shoot 3 different film formats with 120 film…
Thanks Michael! I use the Hasselblad H2 the most by far.
The 4,5 x 6 vertical mask of mr. Marcel Dechepper for his Hasselblad A12
has probably been made
by a private tinker on a sunday afternoon..
In which Hasselblad catalog can be found the 4,5 x 6 mask?
Ah thanks Jaco, yes i've never seen them either. I will keep a look out just in case!
Good video again.
The Bronicas are great and very affordable in compare !!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks. Did you get to the end of the video. I include Bronicas
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom yes of course I always do ;-).
I just wanted to state that the Bronicas are great and compared to the other brands more affordable.
You forgot the rangefinder Bronica ETR(Si), and the rangefinder Bronica RF 645; both fantastic cameras with dito lenses!
Thanks Les! Sorry I missed some of the cameras.
Nice video ... RF645 look nice but price are very high.... I'm using a mask 6*4.5 on my bessa 1 and I'm waiting for a A16 back for my H501. And I'll have to invest in a Prsim for vertical shoot ...
Thanks Jerome, you can do Hassy without prism but it is much easier with a prism. Focus is much easier too with prism.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom which prisme are you using on your 501 ??
6x6 review camera/lens would be good.
Thanks, this video wasn't so popular but if I get time I can do a 6x6 video. See the MrLeica.com blog for many 6x6 camera video links
Which one of the AF systems is the least noisy? Apparently the Contax is quite noisy.
The Hassy is quiet for sure, I love it. Contax is much better than GA645 (can't remember exactly vs Hassy)
You forgot to mention bronica SQ and etrs.. they produce sharp images as well
Thanks Andy, sorry I have zero knowledge on Bronica, I only know of their RF as it has a great reputation. The video doesn't include all 645s for sure, just some i've come across. (Their are more small Fuji too for example but I only showed 2).
Enjoyed this overview. I had a GS645 a few years back that had some issues and sold. I really miss it, but checked prices and it's beyond what I'm willing to pay now.
My favourite 645 camera is the Mamiya 645 Pro TTL, but like you I miss focus too frequently in spite of the clarity and brightness of the excellent viewfinder. So I ended up getting the Mamiya 645 AFD (autofocus) version and enjoy the same lens quality with the higher hit ratio.
It's crazy how prices on all of these lovely cameras have risen in recent years. Almost as much as crypto, haha.
Thanks, I’m glad it’s not just me mis-focusing these cameras. Yes the prices have gone crazy for sure.
Yeah it's weird isn't it. Just as digital cameras are getting really good, film is taking off. I suppose that's a natural consequence of everyone moving to digital too early. Those older cameras were so shit. A lot of them anyway.
@@Biosynchro So true. There are very few early digital cameras that are worth using today. The only one that comes to mind for me is the Leica Digilux 2.
Do you prefer Voigtlander 50mm 1.2 or Voigtlander 50mm 1.5?
1.5 for size and looks, 1.2 optically
Hi Matt I have the Bronica ETRS beautiful camera affordable good quality lenses spares seem in good supply and I have the SQ-A also just bigger layout the same too I can see why the call it the Japanese Hasselblad without paying silly Hasselblad prices approx 2/3 cheaper me I take the Bronnyblad every day without hesitation 👍🏻
Thanks Jonny, yes they was crazy cheaps some years ago when I bought most of my MF cameras. Glad to hear they work well.
Loving the Hasselblad H1 for all my film work right now.
Thanks Steve, nice! I shot 2 rolls in my H2 at the weekend so excited to develop the film.
I can confirm that the Bronica RF645 is an amazing camera to use! It's a shame that it came too late on the market and that the park of lenses couldn't be developed further as a result.
Thanks Simon, I will try to test one at some point. They do look nice. I kick myself that I didn't pick one up years ago.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom I may come to London for a few days in May. I'm happy to lend you mine for a few hours.
@@SimonGarnier thanks that’s a very kind thought. I’m not actually in London (3hrs to city center from my home by train) but I do go there to run workshops some weekends.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Don't kick to hard. Not buying into the Bronica RF645 was a graveyard you whistled by, thankfully. On paper, and just to hold, the RF645 looks like the best rangefinder 645 system every conceived. In reality, it could have measured up to that spec, but it failed to do so. Why? Because Bronica slipped into bankruptcy before the RF645 got past the prototype stage. Tamron bought the company and later put the RF645 into production and sales without de-bugging its several serious problems, which are detailed elsewhere. It's lenses are nearly impossible to find. The accessories for it, few as they were, are impossible to find. The dumbest problem, but illustrative of why you do not want one of these, is that the rangefinder was so poorly designed that it could not focus the longest lens made, a paltry 135mm. (Note that Leica and Canon from after WWII had no problem making 135mm lenses and rangefinders for their 35mm cameras, and those required a more exacting performance because of the smaller film format.) Tamron had no interest in the RF645 and issued it only to help extract cash out of its investment before it tanked Bronica as a whole. (It bought Bronica for its patents, not its cameras or lenses.) It had no interest in debugging the camera or doing anything for its problems other that minimum legally required warranty service until Tamron could bug out on the whole thing, and that is exactly what it did.
@@randallstewart175 wow thanks. Amazing info and I don’t feel as bad now! Thanks for that!
I had a Mamiya 645 with three lenses when it first came out in 1977. I soon realized I much preferred the 2:3 aspect ratio and happily went back to a Nikon F2, eventually FM2s and finally Fujica GW690 and Linhof 617s. If you're going to go Medium format, go in all the way. The 645 seems half assed and mediocre.
Haha thanks Linjica :) One mans half assed is anothe mans sweet spot! I really rate 645, a massive jump up from 35mm without the film waste of 6x7 / 6x9 etc. (I have those too but I prefer 2x more shots and half size negs). Agree different formats suit different people. I don't like 6x7 but happily shoot 645.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Agreed. 👍 It's fascinating just how different we all are. I've been shooting for 50 years now and still get excited to wander with my favorite cameras. I'm particularly thrilled to have returned to using a Canon VT Deluxe that I first used back in 1981. In part due to one of your reviews, I acquired a Voigtlander Color Skopar 21 f4 LTM and just love it. I bought another Canon VT with a 25 f4 Snapshot Skopar and have a Canon LTM 50f1.8 for when I want to go Super Telephoto (😂). In these strange times, the meditative nature of photography, especially with film, is a healthy way of stealing some joy in the midst of confusion and anxiety. Some of the most creative masterpieces were made under the most dire of circumstances. Like the bird making it's nest on a branch hanging over a thundering waterfall. Ok...my rambling is over. Peace brother. Keep the excellent videos coming. Peace to the Russian and Ukrainian people.(The leaders can go suck eggs)
It is 120 film in 6x4.5 Medium format Cameras 😉
Haha I was trying to make the title shorter :) Very true though!
500cm with an a16 back. Original 645 lol
Nice Carlos!
Plato: The lover becomes blind as to the object of his love.
In my opinion the Hasselblad is the standard for quality.
Applying a Hasselblad A16 or A16s cassette is a kind of
waste of the quality of the 6x6 system. I am aware that
making a 20 x 25 cm print from a Hasselblad 6 x 6 negative
is a huge waste.
"As a blind Hasselblad lover I prefer just square negatives."
The Bronica is the poor man's Hasselblad. The brochure
of the 1965 Bronica were not very impressive: a sery of
dull photos made with Bronica Nikkor optics and Komura
Zenzanon optics.
The SLR Kowa Six and Kowa 66 were the poor man's Bronica.
If the marketing of the brands of Bronica and Kowa would
have had more persuaviseness a lot more of these Japaneese
cameas had been sold. I think the Bronica was more popular in
the U.S.A than in Europe. The photographs made by American
Bronica owners were as beautifull as Hasselblad photograph..
Thanks Jaco. I like Kowa optics from those i've used and yes I skipped over Bronica years ago when buying Hassy. Agree some will prefer 6x6 and me too for some shots.
Those were the days. The KOWA 66; from 30 mm to 500 mm plus Pola back.
KOWA the poor man's Bronica.
Kowa had a point and shoot 24x36 camera with a fixed 28 mm lens in 1970.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom
@@jacovanlith5082 I have a Kowa66 TLR ..amazing lens