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  #21  
Old 19th July 2019, 07:46 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Marty -- good advice. Sounds like a later version with MLU would be the way to go. I do macro and longer exposures rather frequently.

Richard -- ran over it with an Escort?! Damn! Too bad Bronica wasn't still in business, or they could use that in their marketing. Remarkable. Well, I guess I shouldn't be too concerned about ETR durability then. Not wimpy cameras if they can survive that.
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  #22  
Old 24th July 2019, 07:29 PM
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CambsIan CambsIan is offline
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Hi Svend,

I know I'm a bit late, but all this talk about the M645 has made me get my M645j out for a clean.

It's a little gem of a camera, only down side is a top speed of 1/500th, however I've not missed the faster speed.

A bit of a basic camera, but takes great pictures.

Ian
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  #23  
Old 26th July 2019, 05:48 PM
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Hi Ian,

Sorry for the late reply -- travel and busy this week.

Yeah, the m645 models are appealing for exactly that reason - they are simple and basic, less to go wrong than the others I'm considering. They just seem so solid and well made. Have you had any issues with yours?
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  #24  
Old 27th July 2019, 11:48 AM
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Hi Svend,

Not had any issues with the camera what so ever, however I believe my metered prism is starting to suffer with oxidation of the mirror inside it, not enough to cause a problem at the moment but it is noticeable when using it.

Compared to my SLR's it can seem a bit awkward to hold, but I don't have a grip of any sort.

The battery is freely available, and not expensive.

A plus for me is that I have an adapter which allows me to use the lenses from my Kiev 60 on it.

Ian
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  #25  
Old 27th July 2019, 06:30 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Thanks Ian - that's good to know. If I recall, the J model is the one with fixed prism, correct? Not removable? I'm thinking that if I get the Mamiya it would have a swappable prism. I'm sure a wlf would come in handy at times for low level stuff.

I've read a few test reports of the m645 lenses, and they seem to be darn sharp. I still have an old German mag from the '80s that did a big test of MF lenses, and the m645 ones held up well against the best of the Germans. Bronica and Pentax did too, for that matter. Nice!
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  #26  
Old 27th July 2019, 07:58 PM
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Hi Svend,

The M645j has interchangeable WLF and I think three different types of prism finder.

There is a full user manual on the Butkus site
https://www.butkus.org

There is a section in there about the prism finders.

I'm not at home at the moment but when I get back I will post a couple of pictures.

Can't comment on the lenses as I only have the one and nothing to compare them to, but I've not been disappointed.

Ian
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  #27  
Old 28th July 2019, 02:22 AM
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Got it. Thanks Ian. I was mistaken. I thought the J model was a simpler version, fixed prism. I will look more closely at camera-wiki for the specs on that one.
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  #28  
Old 28th November 2019, 06:43 PM
Martin Rick Martin Rick is offline
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I've had problems logging in and so have only just seen this thread. I've just acquired a Mamiya M645 in virtually new condition with basic prism finder, 80 mm f2.8 lens and a 145mm f4 portrait lens. The trouble is that it is really excess to my needs. I've tried looking on Ebay, but prices there are for body separate body/lens prices mainly. Has anyone got an idea of how much it could be sold for?
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  #29  
Old 28th November 2019, 09:10 PM
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Sorry Martin (or is it Rick?), it's hard to help you with this question. A lot depends on supply and demand in your local area or even the country you live in. Also, there were quite a number of Mamiya 645 models -- from very basic all-metal manual focus, to modern plastic-clad bodies with autofocus and even digital sensors. The price variation is pretty broad. I would suggest checking your local online classified ads, and maybe setting an alert in ebay to ping you when a new one is listed....that should get you in the ballpark.

Good luck.
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  #30  
Old 29th November 2019, 04:47 AM
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It's the first model with metal chassis and 1/500 top shutter speed originally purchased in Jan 1981.
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