Mamiya 645 Pro

This year I shifted gears after buying the Hasselblad 500CM and really focused on film. I sold my Fuji XT1 and went full analog. It was more of a personal choice rather than client driven. I love the 500CM but in all honesty I did miss shooting in other aspect ratios, and besides, who can resist buying another fun camera. I searched for a few weeks and landed on a pristine Mamiya 645 Pro from Japan. It got here and it was flawless. Popped in some batteries and film and I was off to shooting. I was initially interested in the 645 AF but for the price difference I don't mind manual focus, especially since this is mainly a stills and portrait camera. Plus I still like the challenge and connection I have with the camera when manually focusing. 

Mamiya 645 Pro with grip and wrist strap. 

The one accessory that does make this camera great and a touch modern is the auto winder. It winds the film and advances the film to the next frame after a shot. As it does add weight, it does provide a nice grip for the hand when shooting and the camera feels nice and balanced. It also allows for easier vertical shots, where as before it was a bit awkward. The second feature why I got this camera is it's auto metering viewfinder. This makes a world of difference and gives me a great balance between digital and analog. It has three metering modes and I must say they all work very well. They speed up my set up time which is a huge benefit over the Hasselblad. Saves me a lot of time especially when I'm just walking around and want a portrait of a random person or object. With the Hasselblad I need to tell them to hold on, take a meter reading then adjust camera then confirm and take the shot. So far with this auto metering I haven't yet had an under or over exposed image.  

Mamiya 645 with 80mm macro

The current lens on the camera is the 80mm F4 Macro and when I thought at first it wouldn't be ideal for most situations it was surprisingly versatile. I can get super close to subjects and it produces wonderful depth. It's razor sharp, although it does take a little getting used to with it's split screen focusing screen. However, I tend to just find a hard edge and line that up and I'm good to go. For wider subjects like street and landscape it is actually not terrible, although I will probably look for a wider lens in the future. Remember even though it's an 80mm it's almost cut into half to a 45-50mm considering the medium format film size. All in all this a great camera and can be had for a reasonable price if you hunt on Ebay. Most come from Japan and are flawless in their condition. I would definitely recommend anyone who wants a budget friendly medium format film camera to take a look at the 645 Pro.   

Here are some recent shots I've taken and developed with the camera. Enjoy! 

Analog Apex

The blend of analog photography & modern Motorsport...

I'm always up for a creative challenge, so I jumped at the opportunity to really test out the EOS 650 35mm camera during a IMSA race at Virginia International Raceway a few weeks ago with my trusty 50mm 1.8 and a rented 70-200mm. I also had my Hasselblad 500cm with me as well for some more static shots. Lets get right into it! For the Canon I was shooting Kodak T-Max 400 a Black and White favorite of mine and I'm sure many others, and I was also shooting some Fuji 400h Pro for the first time. For the Hassy I was shooting some expensive, yet sexy, and magical, Fuji Chrome Velvia 50, also for the first time. 

Rahal Letterman BMW M6 blasting down the back of the track...

As the day got underway I was pumped with how decently well the Canon auto focus held up and dealt with cars hustling around the track some places over 100 mph. It would sometimes go out of focus and not be spot on however I just made sure that I was 100% sure I nailed the shot, because well as we all know, you can't review your images! In total I had 48 shots of black and white and 72 shots of color. 120 shots is not a lot esp when you are shooting all day and want to capture all parts of an event but I made the most of it alternating between the track and the paddock. 

A gentleman's chariot, Mercedes AMG GT car getting prepped to hit the track...  

After I got the film back I was disappointed to say the least. More than half of the shots both black and white and color, however most of the color ones were completely blacked out and it was obvious there was a shutter lag issue with this camera, bummer!  However looking at the bright side and staying positive this was the first shots I've ever taken with this camera and it essentially was a trial run. If I would have shot a roll prior I would have caught it, oh well. 

Team Risi Competizione prepping the Ferrari 488 GT car for track time...

Out of the shots I got, I was pretty pleased that they were indeed in focus and offered some great images for the day. Since I did start with black and white, those turned out the most usable images. As it got hotter in the afternoon the shutter issue I feel became more apparent, hence the color not turning out so hot. 

The Ford GT speeding along full throttle...

All in a days work it was a fun time to shoot film at a fun event. I did also, get some weird looks, and struck up some good conversation with people who were shooting the latest high-end Nikon or Canon gear with 400mm glass and all sorts of gizmos. They were actually intrigued for the most part, and well when I pulled out the Hasselblad, some even turned away from looking at R8's or Porsches. 

Since then I have fixed the shutter issue for now, "crossing fingers" and still plan to use the camera for several upcoming events and travel, just need to maintain the shutter after each roll to ensure the sticking issue has ended. As a 25$ camera body investment for the Canon, I'm not too worried about it. If it breaks, I'll probably just buy another one. 

As far as the Hasselblad goes and that Velvia 50 Fuji film. Oh boy of course it is probably one of my favorite films I've shot on this camera. It sure is pricey though! At about 12$ a roll $55 for a five  pack it is not cheap, nor is it cheap to have developed, yet I want to buy a five pack and keep on hand for some awesome moments when I can put it to use. Forget really using this film in terrible light, however the dynamic range on it is fantastic, the grain is non existent and the colors are nothing short of Fuji fantastic. It uses an E6 processing method too, which creates a "positive" on the film once developed and in essence "slide film" The film itself once developed looks amazing holding them up to the light and once scanned looks brilliant. The images shown were not altered in Lightroom that much. I just adjusted the highlights and shadows a touch and some other minor dust removal ect.

BMW M6 of Rahal Letterman in the garage getting some tuning done before the race... 

Race Marshal looking on to the start of the race...

This film would be best in early morning shoots, and early evening and even mid day when you have great light. I would also be careful on exposure and if you can push 1/2 or a full stop in camera depending on the light and shadows or else the image could be too dark. I'm happy with my first set of images and can't wait to shoot some proper landscape with this film. 

The R8 sits in the Paddock as it gets prepped to get on the track...

A driver looking focused and ready to race...

Well that's all I have so far! Hope you made it to the end of this long post as it was sort of two or three posts in one. Get out there and keep shooting, and don't be afraid to try something new and expand on something you might not be comfortable with. 

Hasselblad 500cm... A timeless beauty.

When you are shopping for a used medium format film camera that is close to 40 years old one doesn't just walk into any old camera store and swipe the credit card and walk out. That being said, when your are shopping for a used Hasselblad, the processes can get even more tedious. I began my journey with research on top of research. I browsed forums, online groups, YouTube reviews, what to look for what to avoid and after a few months of searching I finally landed a winner! A beautiful one owner 500cm with original manual, and matching serial numbers. I frantically checked my phone for shipping updates hourly anticipating its arrival. 

I was lucky enough to find a great seller in the US to avoid having to buy from Japan or another country and having to deal with longer shipping times and possible customs headaches. The package arrived and I ripped it open to reveal an amazing example of a timeless beauty. 

Holding a Hasselblad in your hands is something that just has to be experienced. Better yet, looking through that amazingly clear waist level viewfinder is something of pure magic. It's a view that can under no means be recreated by today's technology. Needless to say I tossed a roll of film in it and got to work! I can't wait to enjoy this for many years to come! Stay tuned for a new page dedicated to some film work!

Never stop shooting!