Pentax 645

The Pentax 645 is definitely a nice camera. I've never liked the apparent construction quality of the Mamiya (they feel like they are falling apart though probably they aren't). I seem to remember that the viewfinder on the 645 wasn't so wonderful for eyeglass wearers like myself.

My main argument against the Pentax 645 would be that it isn't a 6x6 camera with a waist-level finder. I have taken most of my best landscapes with a wasit-level finder and just seem to compose better with one. Also, I like the freedom from having to make cropping decisions at exposure time. Oftentimes I've pulled surpringly good images out of pieces of 6x6 negatives and I don't think the raw material would have been there in a 645.

If you like 645 and eye-level viewing then the only argument I can raise against the Pentax 645 is probably that it isn't a Fuji rangefinder and therefore it is overly bulky and expensive if you aren't going to really use the interchangeable lenses (though I don't like the rangefinder on the Fuji with the 60mm lens; I have the 45mm version now with scale focusing).

Medium format is great. If you've been limited to 35mm then you'll probably love whatever you end up with.

Your analysis is on the mark. The Pentax is an excellent package and a complete system. It has also proven to be durable in the 11 years I've had mine. The quality of the built in meter is a plus for the type of photography you mention. Larry.

Pentax is about to release an auto focus version of the 645 in the very near future (next few months). Not much is known about the camera, but rumours says that it is built on the current model and that it has a conventional shutterspeed dial. It also has multipattern, spot, and centerweighted metering. Don't know if it has Pentax hyper program and hyper manual modes, but it is not unlikely.

I had been a Pentax 35mm user (serious amateur) for nearly 20 years. After a stint as a school photographer (and in the process acquiring a taste for medium format) I purchased a Pentax 645 system and went on my own as a pro. Although the Pentax 645 has the drawback of no interchangeable backs, it is still a great camera with similar controls as the Super Program I had used for years. I shoot mostly weddings and the electonics have been superb. I am now saving my pennies to get a leaf shutter lens. Handling is very good though at times a waist level finder would be handy.

The San Francisco Police Department Photographic Unit, had beed using the Pentax 645 as their primary crime scene response camera prior to transitioning to the N90s system. During that time, the Pentax went from shooting scenes in rainstorms, fog (always alot of that), hot sunny days (not too many of those), smoke (arson scenes) and aerials. All without benefit of any covering. The camera NEVER broke down. It know sees service in the studio for Command Staff portraiture. A noble end after faithful service.

We had Mamiya 1000's, but they started getting tired after many years of good service. We had one Mamiya Super that gave us nothing but problems.

If those drawbacks you mentioned are not really important to you, you will find the Pentax a wonderful camera.

Good luck.

I can just say: "buy it you won't regret!".

I have been working in a Photo Store for some years and owned and worked with many many different cameras. From 1987 until 2000 I owned the Pentax 645 until it was stolen. It didn't break down for a second during this period, and delivered perfecly exposed slides and negatives.

From experience I know that the difference in a level of quality of optics between Hasselblad, Rollei or Contax is purely suggestion. Therefor I wanted the more cost-effective Mamyia or another Pentax again. I made the mistake to buy a Mamyia 645 as a replacement because I thought having different mags for B&W and colour film would be handy. . Indeed the Mamyia is very good, but I miss the quality of ergonomics of the Pentax. It handles like a (profession; so not too lightweight) 35 mm camera. If you don't need removable mags or Autofocus don't hesitate. The Pentax 645 is one of the finest medium format camera's on the market. Perfect metering, bright viewfinder with good information on AV and TV en compensation values. And best of all: the lenses are top notch. The character of the lenses is different from Hassy or Contax Zeiss lenses (the Pentaxes have a bit more contrast, no hot resolution spot in the center with softer edges but a higher average resolution; higher saturation of colours) but i.m.h.o. it's not less quality. The best lenses in the series are the 55 mm and the 120 mm macro. The 150 mm is a bit softer, but that fits with a character of a portrait lens. The weakest lens in the series is the 45 mm that suffers from astigmatism and and the fiels illumination is not perfect at open lens. At 5.6 the illumination is even, but the astigmatism doesn't disappear.

Personally I don't like zooms, but the 80-160 mm is one of the rare zoomlenses that I liked to use. The only thing you have to take care of is flare. But it hardly suffers from the common distortion errors and resolving power is fabulous (no worse than the 75 mm).

For birds the long lenses evt. with an extender are great. I never understood why everyone does cross off 645 camera's for bird photography and buys 35 mm equipment. 645 is hardly more expensive, with the long lenses you'll have to carry "something" anyhow (including 1 or 2 tripods). And with 645 you get either a better picture quality, or you have some "extra grain" to enlarge and reframe your birds in the darkroom or your scanner and Photoshop (like I do). So even for bird photography I wouldn't go back to 35 mm anymore.

All in all with a list of priorities as mentioned (no need for mags, or autofocus) I would highly recommend this "forgotten medium format camera". You will love the negatives / slides it's gonna produce!