Tag: Mamiya

Gonna Keep It! (or, The Beast Can Stay)

Awhile ago I decided to move more into the medium format world of film photography. I have a Yashica D TLR (6×6) and a number of 6×6 folders from varying years, a 1930s 6×9 Voigtlander folding rangefinder, and now have a Mamiya 645 (6×4.5) and, the latest, a Pentax 6×7 beast with a 135mm f4 macro lens. This last one is the subject of today’s commentary. You can google it, as well as read about it here on Wikipedia.  It’s not something to take lightly – it’s quite the weapon!

Okay!  First, as the name implies, it takes a 6×7 size negative, which is big, big, big.  Not as big as a 6×9, but still bigger than a 35mm by a lot.  Here is a good article on the size comparisons, complete with images.

I would imagine that, as with digital, the larger the negative, the more important the quality of the image – focus, sharpness, and so on. Of course, film is not digital and has its own personality, but it still needs to meet certain criteria, I am sure.

The first roll of film I ran through the camera was basically a disaster. 3 out of 10 images were there, and all were under-exposed. For Portra 400 film, they were trash. This made me wonder about the camera – does it work, are there problems? Having read about the camera and the trickiness of loading the roll of film, I gave it another try with two more rolls.  The first three photos below are the first roll.

The one above was worked on in post, just to see if anything could be done with it. Not much could be to save it from its ugly self. The ones below are SOOS (scanner), and they are really awful, too.

To make the decision to keep or return the camera meant I needed to do some photography in a very controlled environment. I needed to check the aperture and exposure factors. Out came the tripod and the light meter. Bracketing and moving things around. I took about 20 pictures in about that much time – maybe longer – and documented what I did. In doing so, I learned a bit more about the camera and the lens, as well as had a rather scientific bit of testing.

The effort was worth it, and I think that this beastie is going to be fun, and a challenge to my normal scatter gun approach to things. Below are the results, taken using Lomography 100 Color Negative film (120), with some cropping and touching up in post. I didn’t check for spots, come to think of it, so I may need to do that, too. I did clean the negatives before scanning, and used Digital Ice in the scanner . . .

Pentax 6×7 – Lomo 100
Pentax 6×7 – Lomo 100
Pentax 6×7 – Lomo 100
Pentax 6×7 – Lomo 100

Altogether, very pleased with this camera and the lens. Lomo 100 did a fine job.  It’s doing quite well for a camera that dates from ca. 1969 (older than my husband!). I think I want to get a waist-level view finder for it and probably some shorter lenses. The Yashica TLR is a waist-level viewfinder camera, and I really enjoy that; hence, a waist-level viewfinder for the Pentax, and perhaps the Mamiya.  Unlike all my other medium format cameras, the Mamiya and the Pentax allow for lens changes and other bits that the Yashica and the folding cameras do not have.  That is for the future, though, as I think this camera has a lot to teach me in the meantime.

Light on the Border

I recently bought a Mamiya 645 Pro TL with a lens, grip, viewfinder, and film back. It’s a medium format camera. To test out that all parts were working as advertised, I put a roll of film in it and went to work. I tested the auto-exposure and manual exposure. The film advance in the grip, too. Everything worked. Focus was on the little lamp, leaving the flowers outside the field of focus. In post, I used Negative Lab Pro to process the images, but turned them to black and white in LR. Altogether, I am happy with my purchase. And I managed to get a few pictures that were decent out of all that play!

Modular Medium Format: Mamiya 645 Pro TL, Part I

I have a number of medium format cameras, all but one being a German folder, and that one is the Yashica D TLR.  What I like about the folders is their compact size when folded up, their vintage qualities (not so vintage in the 1930s through 1950s I expect), and in particular their beautiful lenses.  The ones I have range in size from 6×4.5 with and without a mask, to 6×6, to 6×9.  All take 120 film.  The Yashica D takes 6×6 images and uses 120 film as well.  However, the drawback to all of these cameras is the limitations of their lenses in length and focusing capabilities – fixed and immutable as they say.  Yes, there are attachments, such as magnifying filters, but none of them can produce the variations available in a system allowing interchangeable lenses.

As a consequence, I have long been contemplating a modular medium format system, and ended up by chance or luck coming across a Mamiya 645 Pro TL with all the parts present in one package.  Numerous YouTubers have really excellent videos, from short to long, from cursory to extensive detail.  The video below shows the bits and pieces I have – it’s long, it’s detailed, but if you are really curious, follow along.  I learned the most about this camera from it, and have watched a number of times.

Truthfully, I just dove into the purchase.  I figured it would be best to get one all put together rather than trying to figure out what I needed.  Searching around online, I found a Mamiya from a reputable dealer with all the parts that I knew a modular system needed for a reasonable price:  A body, a lens, a film back, and a viewfinder.  It has a grip, too, instead of a crank to advance the film.  It’s big and heavy with everything attached – nearly 4 lbs to take a 6×4.5 image.  Is it worth it?  I’ll find out when my first roll of film comes back from the lab next week.

I spent about 3 days reading about each part and watching YouTube videos.  I gathered PDF manuals from around the net.  I fiddled and putzed.  I got frustrated and annoyed, too, as well as learned so much . . .

The fact is, there are a lot of parts available for the Mamiya 645 Pro TL.  It can be simple, it can be complex.  It can be small, it can be big.  Truthfully, I rather like small and light myself, and if I keep the critter (30 day return policy), I most likely will look for a waist-level finder and a crank to advance the film.  I read about the body, the viewfinder with its auto-exposure, the film cartridge, the grip, the lenses.  Everything has to be coordinated to work.

And when it doesn’t work?  Pull out that dark slide!

When I take it out, I have to keep it safe in a camera bag as I have no camera strap is available that works with it with the grip in place.  The Mamiya has proprietary lugs, and that is a nuisance.  With a crank to advance the film, Op-Tech (my favorite camera strap) Style B attachments work, but when the grip is attached, they do not.

So, what do I think about it so far?  I rather like it.  The grip has that wonderful noise only a grip or automatic film advance in a camera can achieve – a click, a whir – just like an exhaust in a classic sports car!  That aside, I really like medium format film photography the more I do it.  Those negatives are beautiful.  Scanning and editing them is not too big of a deal, and the addition of Negative Lab Pro makes them even better.  I hope at some point to develop them using the Lab-Box, both black and white and color.

There are definite aesthetics in the images produced from this camera.  You can find them on Flickr.  You can also learn a bit about people’s reactions to the camera itself.  I always like Max’s commentaries on various cameras found on his channel Analog Insights.  He doesn’t go into how to use a camera, but the experience of using a camera.  See what you think.

So there we are. Once I get the film back from the lab, I will have a better idea if the camera is worth keeping as I will know if the bits and pieces all work. It has automatic exposure with aperture priority using the viewfinder. I can switch to totally manual techniques. The film back advance works well from the sound of it. The lens is bright and clear, as is the viewfinder. The shutter curtain is not wrinkled. All seems fine mechanically and electronically – but the film will have the final say.

Yeah, another roll or two will be worth running through the Mamiya.