m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
I've been thinking about an upgrade to a K20D, D300 or D700... Instead of wading into the madness that is high tech, my Anna got me a Mamiya 645 - looks like the original to me, with a penta-prism finder - I don't really know a lot about it, but I'm excited to try it out. It seems to be in great working order. It came with an 80mm f/2.8. Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need a light meter, I guess, although I *imagine* that I can use my *istDS to give me an EV. Is there anything I should know about moving to a 6x4.5 format? The viewfinder is beautiful, and makes me think that I might actually be able to take a manually focused shot. It also makes me wonder at how dependent I am on technology these days. Happy Holidays to all. j On 25-Dec-08, at 12:15 PM, David J Brooks wrote: Erin gave me a rather HUGE Lowprowe Pro Trekker II AW. I bought my self an SB 800 flash. New 4 Gig jump drive from Liz. Dave -- Equine Photography www.caughtinmotion.com http://brooksinthecountry.blogspot.com/ Ontario Canada -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
Yeah...I used to kid about my $700 light meter (the cost of the DS when I got it in 2005) for my Mamiya 645 1000s which has a broken CDS prism finder. That would work :-) Bong On Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 10:28 AM, Jon Paul Schelter wrote: > I've been thinking about an upgrade to a K20D, D300 or D700... > > Instead of wading into the madness that is high tech, my Anna got me a > Mamiya 645 - looks like the original to me, with a penta-prism finder - I > don't really know a lot about it, but I'm excited to try it out. It seems > to be in great working order. It came with an 80mm f/2.8. > > Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need a light > meter, I guess, although I *imagine* that I can use my *istDS to give me an > EV. Is there anything I should know about moving to a 6x4.5 format? The > viewfinder is beautiful, and makes me think that I might actually be able to > take a manually focused shot. It also makes me wonder at how dependent I am > on technology these days. > > Happy Holidays to all. > > j > > On 25-Dec-08, at 12:15 PM, David J Brooks wrote: > >> Erin gave me a rather HUGE Lowprowe Pro Trekker II AW. >> >> I bought my self an SB 800 flash. >> >> New 4 Gig jump drive from Liz. >> >> Dave >> >> -- >> Equine Photography >> www.caughtinmotion.com >> http://brooksinthecountry.blogspot.com/ >> Ontario Canada >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> PDML@pdml.net >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. > -- Bong Manayon http://www.bong.uni.cc -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
If it's a Mamiya 1000S model, that was my first medium format SLR which I owned in 1981-1983. An excellent camera with good lenses, focal plane shutter, etc. Try to keep your hand-held exposures shorter than 1/60 second. The older Mamiyas would bounce a bit from mirror shock, you need a good solid tripod for good results at slower shutter speeds. While you can use the *ist DS as a light meter, I'd recommend buying a small, simple ambient light meter. I like the Sekonic L-208 Twin Mate: simple analog readout scale, very accurate, sensitive enough for most hand-held work at least. It costs around $100 and does a great job. (I've owned and been using one for a decade or so, so this is not just a "pick the cheapest out of a catalog" recommendation. ;-) If you've got more to spend, the digital Sekonic L358 Flash Master can do it all. It's about $260, is still compact but larger than the L208, and has more sensitivity, features, etc than you can shake a stick at. It will meter for ambient and flash, and combinations. Well worth the money. My flash meter is the earlier model L328 Flash Mate, which I've also had for a decade or more, and it produces perfect reference calibration for any camera's built in meter. Good luck with it. Godfrey BTW: If anyone else wants to enjoy learning/shooting medium format film, I have my Pentax 645 kit up for sale. Body, two lenses, two film magazines, caps, etc, a few other small accessories. Write me if you're interested. On Dec 25, 2008, at 6:28 PM, Jon Paul Schelter wrote: I've been thinking about an upgrade to a K20D, D300 or D700... Instead of wading into the madness that is high tech, my Anna got me a Mamiya 645 - looks like the original to me, with a penta-prism finder - I don't really know a lot about it, but I'm excited to try it out. It seems to be in great working order. It came with an 80mm f/2.8. Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need a light meter, I guess, although I *imagine* that I can use my *istDS to give me an EV. Is there anything I should know about moving to a 6x4.5 format? The viewfinder is beautiful, and makes me think that I might actually be able to take a manually focused shot. It also makes me wonder at how dependent I am on technology these days. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
Great camera, I had an M645 before moving up to my Mamiya 645 Super with all the toys (winder, AE prism, 4 lenses, 3 backs). You can use the DS as a meter for the most part. Mirror Lockup is your friend below 1/60th (and put it on a tripod at those speeds), although if you have an M645J, you won't have Mirror Lockup (it's on the M645 and 1000s models only, of the original M645 bodies). The lenses are excellent and cheap. I recommend the 55/2.8 and 150/3.5 as good companions to your 80. The 80/1.9 is cheap and drool-worthy as well. -Adam On Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 9:28 PM, Jon Paul Schelter wrote: > I've been thinking about an upgrade to a K20D, D300 or D700... > > Instead of wading into the madness that is high tech, my Anna got me a > Mamiya 645 - looks like the original to me, with a penta-prism finder - I > don't really know a lot about it, but I'm excited to try it out. It seems > to be in great working order. It came with an 80mm f/2.8. > > Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need a light > meter, I guess, although I *imagine* that I can use my *istDS to give me an > EV. Is there anything I should know about moving to a 6x4.5 format? The > viewfinder is beautiful, and makes me think that I might actually be able to > take a manually focused shot. It also makes me wonder at how dependent I am > on technology these days. > > Happy Holidays to all. > > j > > On 25-Dec-08, at 12:15 PM, David J Brooks wrote: > >> Erin gave me a rather HUGE Lowprowe Pro Trekker II AW. >> >> I bought my self an SB 800 flash. >> >> New 4 Gig jump drive from Liz. >> >> Dave >> >> -- >> Equine Photography >> www.caughtinmotion.com >> http://brooksinthecountry.blogspot.com/ >> Ontario Canada >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> PDML@pdml.net >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. > -- M. Adam Maas http://www.mawz.ca Explorations of the City Around Us. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
Jon Paul Schelter wrote: I've been thinking about an upgrade to a K20D, D300 or D700... Instead of wading into the madness that is high tech, my Anna got me a Mamiya 645 - looks like the original to me, with a penta-prism finder - I don't really know a lot about it, but I'm excited to try it out. It seems to be in great working order. It came with an 80mm f/2.8. Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need a light meter, I guess, although I *imagine* that I can use my *istDS to give me an EV. Yep. That's what I do with my Pentax 67 with non-meter prism. I use a DSLR as a light meter. Since I usually shoot slide film in the 67, the "expose to the right" histogram technique for setting digital exposure suits my style well. It's quicker and infinitely more detailed information than I could get from any light meter (unless I did lots and lots of readings with a spot meter, I suppose). -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
Jon Paul Schelter wrote: > Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need a light > meter, I guess, ... Voigtlander make one that fits in an accessory shoe. $175 at Cameraquest. Looks good, but I have not tried it. -- Sandy Harris, Quanzhou, Fujian, China -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
I have a metered prism on my 6x7, but I rarely used it when I was shooting a lot with that camera. I used a handheld incident meter, which is quick and very accurate. Paul On Dec 26, 2008, at 8:04 AM, Mark Roberts wrote: Jon Paul Schelter wrote: I've been thinking about an upgrade to a K20D, D300 or D700... Instead of wading into the madness that is high tech, my Anna got me a Mamiya 645 - looks like the original to me, with a penta-prism finder - I don't really know a lot about it, but I'm excited to try it out. It seems to be in great working order. It came with an 80mm f/2.8. Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need a light meter, I guess, although I *imagine* that I can use my *istDS to give me an EV. Yep. That's what I do with my Pentax 67 with non-meter prism. I use a DSLR as a light meter. Since I usually shoot slide film in the 67, the "expose to the right" histogram technique for setting digital exposure suits my style well. It's quicker and infinitely more detailed information than I could get from any light meter (unless I did lots and lots of readings with a spot meter, I suppose). -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
The M645 is a delightful camera. The original only went to 1/500 shutter speed, but that was boosted to 1/1000 with the introduction of the M645 1000S. The ultimate, IMO, was the M645Pro which had interchangeable backs so you could swap film in the middle of a shoot. The battery spec is a silver oxide, but there is an alkaline substitute for it. If the battery dies completely, you can still keep shooting with the mechanical shutter at 1/60th. The film inserts are labeled for 120 or 220. Be sure to use the right film for the insert - the film plane is a little different for each one as the 220 insert compensates for the lack of a paper backing that runs the entire length of the film. You might also look at the Shepard/Polaris light meter. It's not as fancy or well known as Sekonic or Gossen but does the job measuring reflected and incident light - both ambient and flash. It's accurate and consistent - basic model is on sale at B&H for about 160USD. -p On Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 9:28 PM, Jon Paul Schelter wrote: I've been thinking about an upgrade to a K20D, D300 or D700... Instead of wading into the madness that is high tech, my Anna got me a Mamiya 645 - looks like the original to me, with a penta-prism finder - I don't really know a lot about it, but I'm excited to try it out. It seems to be in great working order. It came with an 80mm f/2.8. Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need a light meter, I guess, although I *imagine* that I can use my *istDS to give me an EV. Is there anything I should know about moving to a 6x4.5 format? The viewfinder is beautiful, and makes me think that I might actually be able to take a manually focused shot. It also makes me wonder at how dependent I am on technology these days. Happy Holidays to all. j On 25-Dec-08, at 12:15 PM, David J Brooks wrote: Erin gave me a rather HUGE Lowprowe Pro Trekker II AW. I bought my self an SB 800 flash. New 4 Gig jump drive from Liz. Dave -- Equine Photography www.caughtinmotion.com http://brooksinthecountry.blogspot.com/ Ontario Canada -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.0/1864 - Release Date: 12/25/2008 9:40 AM -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
Couple of good articles from the "old" T.O.P. web site: http://theonlinephotographer.blogspot.com/2007/04/light-meters-c-2007.html http://theonlinephotographer.blogspot.com/2006/06/best-flash-meter-ever.html -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
On Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 8:54 AM, sandyinchina wrote: > Jon Paul Schelter wrote: > >> Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need a light >> meter, I guess, ... > > Voigtlander make one that fits in an accessory shoe. $175 at Cameraquest. > Looks good, but I have not tried it. > > -- > Sandy Harris, A good choice, but the metered prisms for the M645 are much cheaper. -- M. Adam Maas http://www.mawz.ca Explorations of the City Around Us. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
I used to carry a Gossen incident + variable angle reflected adapter with the 6x7 and the hasselblad (no metered prisms), but in my last days of medium format I started using also a digital PS from Canon to get a little closer to where I wanted to go. mixing a good incident reading with digital preview would be my choice if I ever return to medium format. I used a borrowed M645 once and liked the camera very much. but the Hasselblad was chosen due to changeable backs and leaf shutters. Very good camera, post us some test pics... Luiz Felipe luiz.felipe at techmit.com.br Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:22:19 -0500, PN Stenquist escreveu: > I have a metered prism on my 6x7, but I rarely used it when I was > shooting a lot with that camera. I used a handheld incident meter, > which is quick and very accurate. > Paul > On Dec 26, 2008, at 8:04 AM, Mark Roberts wrote: > > > Jon Paul Schelter wrote: > >> I've been thinking about an upgrade to a K20D, D300 or D700... > >> Instead of wading into the madness that is high tech, my Anna got > >> me a Mamiya 645 - looks like the original to me, with a penta-prism > >> finder - I don't really know a lot about it, but I'm excited to try > >> it out. It seems to be in great working order. It came with an > >> 80mm f/2.8. > >> Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need > >> a light meter, I guess, although I *imagine* that I can use my > >> *istDS to give me an EV. > > > > Yep. That's what I do with my Pentax 67 with non-meter prism. I use > > a DSLR as a light meter. Since I usually shoot slide film in the 67, > > the "expose to the right" histogram technique for setting digital > > exposure suits my style well. > > > > It's quicker and infinitely more detailed information than I could > > get from any light meter (unless I did lots and lots of readings > > with a spot meter, I suppose). > > > > -- > > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > PDML@pdml.net > > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above > > and follow the directions. > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. > > > > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: m645 advice - was Re: Any one get any photo stuff from under the tree
Thanks for all the tips everyone, I'll be sure to post a couple shots soon if any of my first roll turn out. jp On 26-Dec-08, at 11:54 AM, Luiz Felipe wrote: I used to carry a Gossen incident + variable angle reflected adapter with the 6x7 and the hasselblad (no metered prisms), but in my last days of medium format I started using also a digital PS from Canon to get a little closer to where I wanted to go. mixing a good incident reading with digital preview would be my choice if I ever return to medium format. I used a borrowed M645 once and liked the camera very much. but the Hasselblad was chosen due to changeable backs and leaf shutters. Very good camera, post us some test pics... Luiz Felipe luiz.felipe at techmit.com.br Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:22:19 -0500, PN Stenquist escreveu: I have a metered prism on my 6x7, but I rarely used it when I was shooting a lot with that camera. I used a handheld incident meter, which is quick and very accurate. Paul On Dec 26, 2008, at 8:04 AM, Mark Roberts wrote: Jon Paul Schelter wrote: I've been thinking about an upgrade to a K20D, D300 or D700... Instead of wading into the madness that is high tech, my Anna got me a Mamiya 645 - looks like the original to me, with a penta-prism finder - I don't really know a lot about it, but I'm excited to try it out. It seems to be in great working order. It came with an 80mm f/2.8. Does anyone have advice or pointers for a novice? I'm going to need a light meter, I guess, although I *imagine* that I can use my *istDS to give me an EV. Yep. That's what I do with my Pentax 67 with non-meter prism. I use a DSLR as a light meter. Since I usually shoot slide film in the 67, the "expose to the right" histogram technique for setting digital exposure suits my style well. It's quicker and infinitely more detailed information than I could get from any light meter (unless I did lots and lots of readings with a spot meter, I suppose). -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
