First impression of the Mamiya 645af

Not one for doing things the simple way I decided for my third film experience why not face the challenge of medium format, having only shot 35mm film I knew nothing about the format. A friend was selling a Mamiya 645af, it seemed like a great kit so he let me borrow it for the day to test.

First impressions of the Mamiya was that it seemed nicely designed, the ergonomic form factor of the hand grip and built in view finder was very different to most 35mm cameras I had seen before. The whole idea of the removable back is a great concept and very handy compared to 35mm, but with only 15 shots I wasn't convinced how useful it would be to me (something i now know is VERY useful). With the film back and the standard 80mm f/2.8 lens, the camera didn't feel heavy to hold, actually felt nicely balanced with the grip just right in my hand making holding it feel stable and a pleasure to use. The controls were easy to navigate even when using the camera for the first time and anyone with a little knowledge of a DSLR wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. Setting the aperture and shutter was just like my DSLR with an easy to read display screen and click wheel, so I instantly felt at home. One thing I like about some analogue film cameras this one included is the exposure compensation dial, something that would be nice to have on a DSLR without having to go through menu’s.

Photo credit: Simon Berry

The view finder was very bright and clear and was comfortable when holding to the eye as it was a little away from the body, that’s one thing that bugs me on my DLSR is that the view finder is so close that my cheek leaves smears on the LCD display. What I did find strange was the focusing, maybe if I had had more time with the camera there may have been a way to alter this, but there wasn’t the usual focal points that I am used to. The focus area was very large and sometimes when I thought I had a shot in focus, it actually focused on the foreground subject, but that wasn’t clear until I got my scans back. Like I said maybe there was a way to change this or even if not, knowing this next time I would use the camera differently. The Mamiya’s auto focus system was very quick and responsive though and apart from the focusing issues was a pleasure to use. The standard 80mm lens acted more like a 50mm on an SLR giving a wider perspective, but without any distortion. Overall the lens was crisp and rendered fantastic results.

My biggest issue and that was my fault for not knowing the camera was I wish I had loaded the film before heading out. Using the camera for the first time on a model shoot on top of a hill wasn't ideal, especially having never loaded a medium format camera before. I soon learned how not to load film on the take up spool, but thanks to modern technology and YouTube the shoot was rescued. It seemed I had loaded the film upside down, so after a couple of shots the film wouldn’t advance as it was too tight on the take up spool. Moral of that story, don't go on a shoot blind without testing or knowing your kit, this goes for any camera as knowing your kit is very important.

I think given my limited time and experience using the Mamiya it gave great results. If I was to use the camera system again there are a few things I would do differently, especially knowing the focusing problems I had. The images produced were rich and even though I shot at f/2.8 had a surprising depth to them as can be seen from the shot below.

Verdict: I would like to spend some more time getting to know the system, but I would be happy to own one and recommend to friends. Just at the moment the price tag is off putting as you can get similar systems for less but as film seems to be on trend at the moment these systems will be commanding a higher price in the not too distant future. One thing worth baring in mind it that the Mamiya 645af is only film compatible and they do offer an 645afd system allowing you to also tap into the medium format digital market for a very reasonable price point