Pentax 645, anyone?

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kevin m

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I recently decided to get another MF film camera because I simply love the tonality of MF B&W, and I want to try out Ektar 100, too. I picked up a Pentax 645n/80-200 combo off ebay and have added a couple of lenses, including a 35/3.5 and 55/2.8 I got from KEH.

Concurrent to this, I discovered that my local film lab has closed its doors, so I decided to bite the bullet and send my film to RPL labs in Los Angeles. They offer developing and scanning services up to +/- 40mb file size.

While I'm waiting with baited breath, does anyone have any 645 images to share, or any Pentax 645 experience? :p
 
I have both the 645 and the 645N :)

I tend to use E6 films in it and then scan them myself using the Nikon 8000ED. The resultant images are wonderful. The 35 is a very good lens although I generally find the 45 slightly more useful. If you can get hold of one the 55mm MF lens is another good one. I do have a couple of short tele lenses but I tend not to use them. It's probably just me but I use 35mm and either the LX or MZ-S for such work.

The dedicated flash units also give wonderful results with the camera. ;)

Kim


kevin m said:
I recently decided to get another MF film camera because I simply love the tonality of MF B&W, and I want to try out Ektar 100, too. I picked up a Pentax 645n/80-200 combo off ebay and have added a couple of lenses, including a 35/3.5 and 55/2.8 I got from KEH.

Concurrent to this, I discovered that my local film lab has closed its doors, so I decided to bite the bullet and send my film to RPL labs in Los Angeles. They offer developing and scanning services up to +/- 40mb file size.

While I'm waiting with baited breath, does anyone have any 645 images to share, or any Pentax 645 experience? :p
Click to expand...
 
My medium format experience, Pentax flavor, is limited to the 6x7. Similar to your 645.
My color film goes to Walmart who sends the film to Fuji. Ektar 100 and anything else I find in my fridge including Ektar 25, Portra 160-400-800, Fujicolor, etc. The price to develop only for 120 film is $0.84/roll plus local tax. Takes a week or two from Houston, TX. I then scan the negatives myself. B&W gets processed in my kitchen in Xtol 1:3. If/when I get a negative that deserves a really good scan I will send it for a drum scan.
The Fuji lab that Walmart sends film to is in South Carolina. The negatives may return faster than going to/from L.A. Surely there are labs closer than L.A.

Good luck! Shoot lots of 120 film. It's fun!
 
I had the 645N + 45-85 zoom lens for about a week. A nice machine, very nice viewfinder and quite decent AF. I have returned it to seller (technical problems) and eventually got a Mamiya 6, but would not hesitate to add the Pentax to my camera club ;) It really handles like a BIG SLR.

I found it quite heavy with the zoom (2.2 kg or thereabout), but there are many lighter lenses to be had.

I would like to try out its big brother one day - the 6x7
 
Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm waiting to see the results, but I have to say that I like the way this camera handles. It has a brilliant viewfinder, intuitive controls and a fit and finish that remind me of my old Nikon F3. And the manual focus lenses focus so smoothly I don't think I'll bother getting any auto focus lenses for it.

Kim, is the 645d a crop-factor body?
 
Cool! Nice to have a digital option, should I want it. At the very least, it's good not to be buying into yet another dead system! :D
 
I have a good set of lenses which I got at some very reasonable prices. I'm glad I did when I did. Now that the D is coming out, I suspect the S/H will not be so "fruitful".

I did end up with a couple of MF duplicates if you ever need to expand on your range.

Kim

kevin m said:
Cool! Nice to have a digital option, should I want it. At the very least, it's good not to be buying into yet another dead system! :D
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I should be good for now. I just received the 35/3.5 and 55/2.8 from KEH. I'd bet the price will go up quite a bit on the 35/3.5 when the 645d gets to dealer's shelves.
 
I have an ETR-Si for my close portrait, but really like the Bronica RF645 for normal and wide angle shooting. Much nicer package to carry around.

I'm stretching the truth a bit in that I only have one lens for the camera and still pull out the Mamiya 7ii when shooting wider, or revert to 35mm.
 
The MF lenses are still reasonable in the UK but the AF ones are starting to creep up in price already.

Kim

kevin m said:
I should be good for now. I just received the 35/3.5 and 55/2.8 from KEH. I'd bet the price will go up quite a bit on the 35/3.5 when the 645d gets to dealer's shelves.
Click to expand...
 
I have an original 645 that I picked up recently. Some small teething problems fixed once I got the battery contacts cleaned. Great viewfinder. Bulky. The big camera at eye level rather intimidates subjects. I'm missing the lack of a waist-level option, and don't really need/want the motor drive. Fit and finish of the first one is kind of a strange mix - solid camera with somewhat cheesy electronics.

That said, great results, and apart from the weight, the handling is intuitive. And it's nice to have a MF camera with a good meter.
 
I've had the 645 for years - bought it new when I got out of college. haven't used it in a while but have some film ready for it. I have the 75 and 150 lenses
very sharp, great flash too. This thread is making me look around for 6 AA batteries...
 
I have so much fun with my P645N

I have so much fun with my P645N

kevin m said:
Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm waiting to see the results, but I have to say that I like the way this camera handles. It has a brilliant viewfinder, intuitive controls and a fit and finish that remind me of my old Nikon F3. And the manual focus lenses focus so smoothly I don't think I'll bother getting any auto focus lenses for it.
Click to expand...

I love the 35mm manual lens (21mm equiv). As you say the manual lenses are a dream to focus. The 75mm FA is excellent, and even the 200mm (135mm equiv) auto focuses easily.

The user interface is brilliant: Each function has a knob. Set all knobs to green and that mode is auto. At a glance you can see which knobs are set away from auto. I really want a 35mm film and an SLR digital camera with similar usage; I can't stand menu's.

The motor drive makes it so easy to pop-pop-pop, at $1 a shot with developing and scanning.

Heavy-ish camera, but with the almost-pancake 75mm lens no heavier than a Nikon D3, and the grip fits so easily in the hand that you can carry it all day. (Donning a flame retardant suit in a rangefinder forum).

I picked up a 645N plus some lenses when Pentax had missed yet another deadline on releasing a digital 645, so even the FA lenses were pretty cheap. The 35mm manual lens is somewhat expensive, but worth it; the 35mm FA is very expensive when it (rarely) comes up. The auto lenses have doubled since then, although manual ones are still reasonable.

You can find deals on Craigslist as wedding photographers finally get around to cleaning out their closets. It bites rocks to sell your $3,000 camera for $500.

These local listings are sometimes very underpriced because the seller can't easily find pricing information; KEH rarely has any auto lenses in stock for comps. The manual P645 with some lenses can be very reasonable.

Here is a shot of the Denver skyline on Velvia with P645N and 75mm lens. I love the colors.
1025079121_zimL7-M.jpg
 
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