Ugh, I miss my Mamiya 645AF. Over the years I’ve learned to never sell the gear that I love because I always end up regretting it. Yes, I technically upgraded from the Mamiya 645AF to the Contax 645, but there is still something so special to me about the photos I took with the Mamiya 645AF while I had it. Maybe it’s because it was my first professional medium format camera or maybe it’s because something about the images just felt more “me” than my Contax 645. Don’t get me wrong, the Contax 645 is worth every penny and takes incredible photos. You can check out some sample photos I’ve taken with it here. But, because of it’s high price tag, I feel the need to be extra cautious with it when I’m traveling and shooting. In many cases, I just leave it at home because it seems like too much of a risk to be lugging it around haphazardly. With the Mamiya 645, I didn’t overthink, I just brought it with me and didn’t worry as much about the cost if something happened to it.
While I definitely notice a difference in sharpness and quality when it comes to comparing the Mamiya 645AF and the Contax 645, I still have an affinity for the dreamy and playful vibe I got with the Mamiya. The Contax 645 is really geared towards professional photographers and high-end luxury photography. It’s super, ridiculously sharp and quite a bit more reliable than the Mamiya 645. I always had issues with focusing when it came to the Mamiya. The Contax 645 is a workhorse of a camera and I’m never disappointed with the images. You can read my full review of the Contax 645 here, or check out my YouTube video featuring the Contax here! But for anyone just starting out with medium format photography, you will not be disappointed with the Mamiya 645AF. There are so many images I took with it that I still cherish to this day.
It’s on my wish list to pick up another Mamiya 645AF at some point, just because I’d like to have it back in my collection. Before I sold it, I took it with me on a cross country road trip and I still dream about the photos I took with it. We witnessed a sunrise over the Grand Canyon, the vastness of the Hoover Dam, and the empty, movie-like landscapes across the southwestern United States. I’ve included all of my favorite photographs from that trip below so you can decide if this camera is for you! I used Kodak Portra 160 and Kodak Portra 400 film for these photos, along with the 80 mm f/2.8 lens, which is the standard lens that most people use with it. I tend to shoot with the aperture wide open when I can, which gives me that dreamy, cinematic feel that I love. But, as you will notice in some of the images, sometimes the focusing up close just wasn’t quite right. I think there was an issue with my particular camera though, because I would have trouble with the autofocus and end up just manually focusing my images. That was another reason I sold mine, but I’m hoping if I pick up another one, that it won’t have that issue!
I also love that it is super easy to take multiple exposures with the Mamiya 645AF. I found it much easier to create multiple exposures with the Mamiya than the Contax. It’s easy to forgot that you have the multiple exposure setting on with the Contax, leaving you with triple or quadruple exposures every once in a while! The Mamiya multiple exposure function was nice because you can pre-set the number of images you want to take and that way, you won’t end up shooting more than you’d planned for. I’ve included a few examples of multiple exposures with the Mamiya below!
If you’re thinking of diving into medium format photography, the Mamiya 645AF is a great place to start. The Mamiya will make you fall in love with medium format photography. It’s also nice that it’s relatively affordable (around $1500-$2000), at least compared to the Contax 645 (around $3000-5000)! The Pentax 645 is also a popular medium format camera that runs quite a bit cheaper (around $700-1000) than the Mamiya 645AF and the Contax 645, but I don’t have any personal experience with that one. I’ve heard it’s great though and is on my list to try out in the future! If you’ve never shot with 120 film before, I’d recommend starting out with a Holga GCFN or Diana F+, which are toy cameras that are much more affordable (anywhere from $60-150). The Holga is my favorite camera in the world, and the one camera I never leave home without! You can read my full review with tons of sample photos on my blog here, or watch my YouTube video!
If you’re on the hunt for a pro level medium format camera though, here’s where you can find the Mamiya 645AF or the Contax 645. There are a few different models for the Mamiya 645, but I had the 645AF model. The AFD models are a bit more modern and have the potential to use a digital back, which could save you lots of money on film. However, I’m a film girlie through and through so I like to shoot with it the old-fashioned way. But the digital back would be a great place to start and could save you some money while you’re learning the functionalities of the camera. :)
WHERE TO BUY THE MAMIYA 645AF
MAMIYA 80MM F/2.8 AUTOFOCUS LENS
WHERE TO BUY THE CONTAX 645
WHERE TO BUY THE PENTAX 645
FILM RECOMMENDATIONS
Neopan Across 100 Black & White 120 Film
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<3 Myles Katherine
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