November 2019 – Page 2 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Modular Medium Format: Mamiya 645 Pro TL, Part II

I am gonna keep the beast!

The image above has the waist level viewfinder, which I would like to have. I have the eye-level viewer complete with automatic exposure and a hand grip with film advance.

There is a really good review of this critter over at Emulsive, which is a great website for reviews on older cameras.

Everything worked out really well, auto-exposures and ones from reading of the Sekonic light meter, as well as my own guestimates! Totally happy! And what I like even better is the distinctive look of the 80mm f2.8 C lens that came with the beast. Add to that, the Negative Lab Pro has been a real worthwhile investment for post-processing.

In order to check out the camera, I loaded a roll of Fuji Pro 400H, a film which has great color and latitude. Its color is not as intense as Ektar, but it comes close with the brilliance of the colors. I just shot around the house and neighborhood. There is absolutely nothing outstanding about these images except to prove the camera works, and works well. The whole point was to learn about the various aspects of the camera, both automatic and manual.

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (1 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (2 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (3 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (4 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (5 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (6 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (7 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (8 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (9 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (10 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (11 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (12 of 13)

First Roll Throug Mamiya 645 Pro TL - Fuji Pro 400 H - 120 Film (13 of 13)

I handheld the camera for all these images. Friday I am expecting some of the proprietary Mamiya lugs to attach to a camera strap so that I won’t be as likely to drop it. The hand grip is a great handle, but I have read of people almost losing the camera from depending on the hand grip – somehow, the grip got disconnected from the body. At some point, I will get the waist level finder as I enjoy using so much on my Yashica D that I know it will be a good accessory. Because it is such a large camera, if I do get any other lenses, I am likely to limit myself to a macro lens. Other than that, at this point I don’t plan to accessorize it too much. I like the way it currently is, but if I want to go hiking, a lighter set-up would be good.

Altogether, I am happy with my decision to go with a modular medium format camera. However! G.A.S. is setting in . . . 6×7? 4×5? Oh, dear me!

Where’s the Water?

In California, we have been dealing with increasing drought over the years. Usually this creek runs with water falling from Nojoqui Falls in Santa Barbara County, but here it is dry. With the winter’s rainy season beginning, I want to return, perhaps after a storm, as this really is a lovely little creek when it’s moving along. Even dry, it’s nice.

As Day Ends

The blue hour down the street. It’s so hard to catch that glow in painting!

In the Underbrush

One thing nice about a TLR is that it hangs around your neck at waist level. Tilt it up, tilt it down, and the world and perspective changes. With my old, creaky knees, it’s really a pleasure to be able to get closer to the ground without falling over!

Stupid Camera Manuals

I am sure we have all come across stupid manuals. Manuals that are written in English – or your language – so badly they make no sense. Manuals on how to assemble furniture are notorious for this, and the cheaper the furniture it seems the worse the written instructions.

Camera manuals can be equally stupid. They might be written in good English (or French or whatever), but notoriously lacking in details or good illustrations. Even when you get one that is well-written, it can be so wordy it can be worthless. In written manuals I often find the type face is too small to even see – and this when my eyes were a lot younger. The illustrations can also be bad. There are so many reasons why manuals – and for me especially camera manuals – are just plain worthless. Hence, stupid.

I like my old cameras, but sometimes figuring them out is a real pain in the tuckus. A stupid manual leads to confusion and frustration. I have one that is a facsimile of a manual written in the 1930s, but someone annotated it, erased or otherwise obliterated details in the image, resulting in missing information. I was ready to throw the camera into the wall with frustration – but I didn’t!

So what is a frustrated photographer to do? I might just rewrite them, update the pictures, and see what happens. Maybe my literary career will get off to anew start and I will be internationally famous. Or else trapped by men with butterfly nets.