Mamiya M645
In the list of things that seem overwhelming, there's changing your own flat tire, making a souffle, buying your first nice suit, and medium format film. What each of these has in common is that once you try them, you wonder what the fuss is all about. This is especially true of jumping into medium format film with the Mamiya M645. Even though it's not an "entry level" camera, it's easily one of the most user-friendly medium format cameras ever made.
Taking its name from the 6x4.5cm aspect ratio of the image size, the Mamiya M645 was introduced in 1975 and is a true system camera in the mold of Hasselblad. Unlike the Hasselblad system, however, the Mamiya M645 uses a focal plane shutter instead of leaf shutters. Like the Hasselblad 500 series cameras, the maximum shutter speed on the Mamiya M645 was 1/500th of a second. In 1976, Mamiya released the M645 1000s, which had shutter speeds up to 1/1000th of a second.
The selection of lenses created for the Mamiya M645 cameras is long and varied. With twenty-eight prime focal lengths from 24mm to 500mm (roughly 14mm to 290mm equivalents to 35mm film), Mamiya created enough lens options to work in nearly any shooting situation. Additionally, Mamiya produced for zoom lenses for those times when modifiable focal lengths are needed. In the lens lineup, Mamiya created an 80mm f/1.9 lens, which is the fastest lens produced for any 6x4.5cm camera.
For viewing, Mamiya created seven prisms and finders for the M645. With options that include two waist-level finders, a non-metered prism finder, and several metered prism finders, photographers may customize their viewing options to fit both their eyes and their photography styles.
With interchangeable lenses and finders, the Mamiya M645 is a camera that is as comfortable in the studio as it is in the field. Even with all of those features and customization options, the M645 remains easily accessible and non-intimidating. As for the flat tires and souffles, well, Mamiya can't make everything simple.
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