Back to Film, a Day out with the Mamiya 645
The Medium Format Camera, I have read about these camera’s, the ultimate in picture quality, and in some cases the ultimate in price.
New medium format cameras start from around £1,800 for a film camera, to £30,000+ for the high end digital backed cameras. Alternatively you could have look on ebay and get an older model for between £300 and £600.
I was able to borrow an old Mamiya 645J from a friend, and armed with no more than a light meter from the same era and a roll of black and white film, I went out for a walk with my son to see what we could capute.
The day started off with a heavy overcast of clouds so we went to the local church to have a look around the grounds to see what we could find while we waited for them to clear up.
We wondered around taking note of some of the interesting features for while, then the clouds started to break so I pulled the camera out and started to set up.
The first thing I was really impressed with was the focusing method, having a small circle in the middle of the large viewer, splint in two, and as you turned the focusing ring the two halfs would eventually line up. Next was the actual waist level viewer, making it a doddle to work low to the ground where usually i would be on my belly looking through the view finder, I could just kneel and look down into the camera.
This model doesn’t come with any light metering built in, so I was relying on a light meter in my hand. This was a bit un-nerving with it being film, and I won’t find out the acuracy until the prints come back from the labs.
The next hour went pretty quick, and the film went even quicker. The Ilford 120 Black and White film on the Mamiya only takes 15 shots.
I then proceeded to Jessops to hand the film in and await the results of my first day out with the Mamiya 645J.
To be Continued….
