

Same goes for my 35mm gear: I've had so many and at one time had both Nikon and Minolta gear so, looking at unmarked negs, I have to make a best guess.Īuckland MX Champs by Michael J Breen, on FlickrĪndrew Stroud on the Britten by Michael J Breen, on FlickrĮdited by Idleidolidyll - 06 October 2021 at 04:12Īt the moment I am looking into the Mamiya 645 system as a possible smaller option next to my Fuji GW690 and Bronica SQ. The rider is an old friend, Andrew Stroud and I built a race bike in the Britten workshop using a Ducati motor.That specific model of Britten was the first of that shape and paint colour and, as you can see, was sponsored by Cardinal Freight.

I was racing motorcycles at the time and, if I'd crashed or broken don, I'd shoot my mates racing their bikes. After a couple of years, I opened a Photo Studio/Art Gallery in Lyttelton with a friend and I bought a complete Bronica ETRSi system.
#Bronica rf645 flickr plus
Plenty of people came back and gave me the exact event and date and place plus the name of the rider and exact model of the bike.įor the shot of the Britten, it's different, In 1989 I moved to Christchurch (where the Britten shot was taken). I knew it was in the 80's but not certain of the date. In these two, I wasn't sure exactly when I shot that red Honda so I put the images up on a New Zealand Classic MX site on Facebook. If I pick up one of my neg folders between the early 80's through to the late 90's and see a 645 neg set, I can only identify which camera I used if the negs are dated or I can identify the event. I rarely ever recorded what equipment I used to get a shot that wasn't important to me. Here's a couple of examples: the Red Honda MX bike was shot with the Mamiya 645 and its 500mm lens in 1988 (I wrote the date on the neg sleeve), the Britten race bike was shot with the Bronica and its 500mm lens in about 1994. I do recall that I preferred the Bronica system and also had a panorama 35mm back for it. In the 90's, I bought into the Bronica ETRSi system and had a similar range of lenses but I know I had a 40mm: perhaps that's what I was mis-remembering. Frankly, going back 40 years, with no exif or a shooting book, means I just have to look at the image and try to imagine which lens was used. The problem here and on so many other forums, is that other people want to know what lens was used. I know that, at the time (early 1980's), I bought the Mamiya 645 1000's and a range of lenses from the widest possible through to 500mm. I don't get giddy about equipment and tend to buy the best I can afford at the time by studying reports and reviews and then I let it all go and focus on shooting the best images I can. I'm, not, and never have been, a gear freak. Has there ever been a 40mm lens for the Mamiya 645 system? I only know 35mm and 45mm in that range.

Mamiya 645 1000s with 40mm lens on Ilford FP4 If I would change my setup to a single MF body it would have to be either a Mamiya 6, a Bronica RF645, a Plaubel Makina 67/67W or a Fujifilm GF670 (or its sibling, the Voigtlander Bessa III).

In terms of IQ I would prefer the A150mm F/2.8 - faster, better bokeh, sharp (but the leaf shutter 150mm is even sharper). But prices have started to go through the roof - for some lenses as well. The 1000s with its waist level finder (and no motor drive) may indeed be more convenient in terms of weight and compactness. If you add the motor drive, the AE prism and a standard lens to the Mamiya there is not that much of a weight difference, subjectively.
#Bronica rf645 flickr pro
I have both, a Fujica G690 BL (with three lenses) and a Mamiya 645 Pro TL. However, it is one of three leaf shutter lenses (55mm, 80mm, 150mm) that can have their shutter cocked automatically using a cable connection to the WG401 motor drive (fits Mamiya 645 Pro and Pro TL bodies). So the A 150mm F/3.8 should work on all MF Mamiya 645 bodies. On the other hand, I am also not aware of any changes of the 645-lens mount (of course, there is later on a change to AF lenses which made a change of the mount necessary - but the MF lenses are still working on the AF bodies, AFAIK). Unfortunately, I have no experience with the M645J and the 1000s.
