My dive into medium format film was hard and fast. Less than two months after I started shooting film again, and after buying a Leica M3, I found this beauty of a Mamiya M645 set up on eBay. It originally came with the 80mm f/2.8 but I wanted to go a little wider. The 55 f/2.8 offers a full frame equivalent of about 36mm. This lens has barely left the camera, and allows me to hand hold most shots at 1/60th of a second with ease.
The lens itself is small and decently light for being mostly metal and glass, where as the body weighs at least two and a half pounds with the metered prism attached. It’s a honker, that’s for sure. The body is solidly built, the mirror is massive and claps loudly when either of the shutters is pressed. The 1000s has a mirror up lever (highly suggested for slower speeds) and a multi-exposure opposite of the mirror up. I haven’t experimented with how many exposures are possible, but I imagine it could go on endlessly if necessary. Shutter speeds range from 1/1000th of a second to 8 seconds. The multi-exposure lever could be utilized for astrophotography if need be. It’s not my favorite camera to lug around, but it certainly gets used the most.
It produces 15 images when 120 film is used, 30 with 220. Each negative is 56mm by 42mm, so not quite 6×4.5. Since the shutter button located on the front of the body is rather touchy, I would highly recommend locking it after each carefully curated shot. Film in general slows you down, but medium format does so even more.
Here’s to making those 15 shots count.
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Isa Maidan on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
David on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Aivaras on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Dennis196 on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Anthony Oresteen on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
I use the 35mm with a waist-lever finder as I never use it for a vertical shot. Reduces the weight of the 645 kit a lot. Down side is that the waist-level finder is a bit scarce and sells for $100 or so which is more than a prism is usually. I recently bough a 55mm - 110mm f/4.5 zoom as they are so cheap. I haven't used it yet but if it is a s good as the other M645 lenses are it will reduce my standard kit to the 35mm & the zoom.
Keep a spare PX28 SILVER oxide batter on had at all times. It powers the camera AND the metered prism heads. You usually have to ordered them or pay a huge price difference to buy it locally, if they have them in stock. While an alkaline PX28 will do in a pinch if fresh, you really want a silver oxide spare battery in your kit bag. I keep two spares on hand at all times.
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Charles Higham on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Flavio Colker on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 21/12/2018
D Evan Bedford on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 22/12/2018
Taylor on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 26/12/2018
Comment posted: 26/12/2018
Lori Brooks on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 27/12/2018
I rotate between this and my Bronica SQ-A when I'm in a medium format kinda mood. I like both camera's but this one is a lot less complicated to use -- probably because there is less faffing with dark-slides and camera backs
Comment posted: 27/12/2018
William Parker on 5 Frames with the Mamiya M645 1000s and Mamiya-Sekor C 55mm f/2.8 – By Wyatt Ryan
Comment posted: 22/12/2019