Mamiya 645 Review - An interesting choice

After a year of shooting medium format film with the Mamiya 645, I finally feel comfortable giving my thoughts and opinions on this very boxy camera.
It has many little quirks and charms that have made me fall in love with using it & I'd like to share with you why.
Stay till the end of the video if you want to experience shooting some portraits of strangers first hand with me & the Mamiya 😁

Timestamps:
0:00 - 1:10 [Why I chose this camera]
5:20 - 4:48 [Shooting some Portraits]

[foxmouth]

Great video man. Not only is the Mamiya talk useful but the way you spoke to the people you photographed was very inspirational. I've always wanted to go up to strangers and take pictures of them but felt too shy but you showed how easy it is. Can't wait to get a 645!

[cjmonksyoutubechannel]

Great video, I’ve been shooting Mamiya MF cameras for years and it’s great seeing younger photographers like yourself get into the magic of MF. Great photos too! Love the dogs

[kyleantonio]

love the video! bought the same 645 camera because of you and i’m very excited to start shooting medium format👍

[mrca]

The 645 pro tl is my favorite M F camera. I print large and although I can easily get a 16 or 20" print out of 35 mm, the resolution of the 645 blows it away. I shoot street regularly and it takes weeks for me to finish a 36 shot roll of 35 mm, even with auto wind. But with the auto winder on this camera, I can finish 15 shots in one shot or at most 2, especially if shooting color and black and white. I can change 35mm mid roll but it takes time to rewind, mark the canister with the last shot, reload, while here, just change backs. I have an rb67 that is a beast any disance from the car out of studio, and there is only a 30% increase in size/resolution of the negative 35mm to 645 is 300%. It's a huge step up. I have a 6x6 but hate the square. So for me, 645 is the perfect size. Now if I want to run and gun, shoot with auto focus, auto matrix metering, power film advance and 1/8000 sec, my newer 35 mm nikons are what I take. If I want slower and tiny, it's a vintage fm2n. It's horses for courses. My lenses work across all 5 film and 3 digital nikons and the auto focus on 3 of the film bodies. My usual destination for my work is print and rarely larger than 20" so the pro tl gives me all I need in resolution, tonal transitions. If I am working really slow with the camera carried in a backpack and often on tripod I carry on a sling, and want the ultimate film resolution in roll film, I lug the 67. That I can print to 24x36 easily, but rarely.

[RogerMunoz-ciit]

Really enjoyed your video. I can't wait to get mine. I also enjoyed the interaction with the people, dog too. God Bless.Roger

[teocrawford]

aww love the photo of the guy with the blue jacket - the separation of colours works so well with the simplistic composition!
Concerning your love for the 645 format: I have yet to try medium format, but I'm already pretty certain actually that I like the 645 format - I find it's such a balanced aspect ratio and it works amazingly for exactly the type of photographs you showed in the video (not that I take those kind of photos, but I noticed how well the format fits the subjects).

[RyanKorea]

This video was awesome! So well-made. Thanks for making it!

[smallcnclathes]

A good video of a great camera. Try a 35mm shot and the same shot with the 645, blow both of them up to 20x30 and see the difference! I think the area of the negative is about 3 times that of 35mm. Also more usable area, as the 645 is close to the standard photo sizes like 10x8 and 20x16. You lose a lot of the length of a 24x36 negative, as for a 10x8 the usable negative is 24x30. I used to use the camera with the speed winder and 6 AA batteries made it quite a heavy unit. Seriously thinking about and adapter to use my Mamiya lenses on my Canon digital camera. Thank you I enjoyed this video and subbed to see where you go next.

[douglascueva]

I have the same model and I love mine. The one I got didn’t have the waist level viewfinder, and I thought I was missing out, but now I realize that there’s a lot of flexibility with just a regular viewfinder. If I want waist level I can just remove the viewfinder.

[ReimannPembroke]

Really great review dude! I feel like I would love being able to get 15 shots instead of the 12 I get per roll with my 6x6 cameras haha

[irondiver]

Back in the mid-nineties I owned Nikon F5 with many lenses Mamiya 645 and RZ67 pro systems. What I had invested in photo equipment, I could have bought a really nice car.
To the point, the 645 system is what I ended up using the most, especially out doors. The Rz stayed in studio and the F5 I used for sports.
The old 645, a monopod with a strobo flip bracket a sekonic light meter and a cargo pocket full of film.
If you weren’t making murals but wanted more than what 35mm had to offer. Some pros used to say that 645 was a compromise format. I never saw it that way. Not when I look at my slides of airplanes from air shows or static displays.

[TKNORTH]

Really great video dude! Keen to see more :) keen to try this format as well!

[johnjeninga]

Great video, I enjoyed the pro and cons segment
You may want to look into a speed grip that Mamiya made
The grip adds a balance to the handling of camera.

[jaycielinh]

the crispy video! love the portraits, need to get around trying it on the mamiya 645 ahah

[JayRegular]

In the brief time I borrowed the mamiya 645 I was very tempted afterwards to buy one myself, sadly hesitated too long and now prices are not what they once were. great portraits man, and did that guy name his dog Appa?? he must be an airbender

[tomtafola]

Best camera you won't regret Ed you be shock with results

[joepardo]

Love your videos, good vibes all around

[vioet_tendencies]

I really love the energy and vibes you give off with this video, and I appreciate your candid and honest discussion about the pros and cons of the camera. Also, the street photography at the end was very cool and sweet. Do you think this camera would be good for a hobbyist? I'm into 35mm and I think I want to jump up to medium format, I like the idea of less shots and being more precise and having larger negatives. I kinda like taking pictures of all sortsa things, portraits, candid shots, nature, landscapes and just... Random junk lying around, a la William Eggleston style XD

So do you think this camera might be a good fit for me?

[margamagalong]

Why would you need another kind of focusing screen? I have a Mamiya 645 as well so I’m curious

[nightsbeatswitchgood]

having a friiend borrow one of thesse from their school to let me test out, and i'l buy one if i like it. i honestly think there are so many benefits to shooting 645, and this camera in particular is such a worthy choice. after looking at all the other 645 options, i can't see a better choice. hopefully theres nothing i hate about it and wont have to bite the bullet and get a 6x6 bronica or an RB67 haha