Landscapes and Seascapes (22)

After Sunset

Buller River upstream from Westport, NZ


Buller River by Michael J Breen, on Flickr
Minolta XE with 24mm lens on Fuji Velvia 50

Te Taihauauru o te Uru o Te Wai Pounamu


Te Taihauauru o te Uru o Te Wai Pounamu by Michael J Breen, on Flickr

Minolta XE, Rokkor MD 50mm f1.7
Agfa Ultra 50 Film

MichelvA wrote: That's quite a name for such a little house . Nice one Mike.

It actually just says "South Island, New Zealand's Wild West Coast"

At the moment I am looking into the Mamiya 645 system as a possible smaller option next to my Fuji GW690 and Bronica SQ. It seems there were 35, 45 and 55mm lenses - none that good. But there are adapters for some lenses to M645 - like the Pentax 6x7 (but Pentax also does not have a 40mm).
Edit: Fotodiox has a Bronica SQ to M645 adaptor and Bronica had a 40mm lens - as I have one

Anyway, I saw the pictures with the Mamiya A 150mm F3.8 N/L and am impressed. Does it work on the M645J or 1000s? You mention the Pro in the sample thread, but the pro is more expensive.

Edited by addy landzaat - 05 October 2021 at 10:58

waldo_posth wrote: Idleidolidyll wrote: A lingering salute to end of day ... Mamiya 645 1000s with 40mm lens on Ilford FP4 Has there ever been a 40mm lens for the Mamiya 645 system? I only know 35mm and 45mm in that range.

You're probably right. I'm, not, and never have been, a gear freak. 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 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.
The problem here and on so many other forums, is that other people want to know what lens was used. 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. So it would have been the 35mm then.
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. I do recall that I preferred the Bronica system and also had a panorama 35mm back for it.
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 rarely ever recorded what equipment I used to get a shot; that wasn't important to me. 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.
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. I knew it was in the 80's but not certain of the date. 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.
For the shot of the Britten, it's different, In 1989 I moved to Christchurch (where the Britten shot was taken). 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. I was racing motorcycles at the time and, if I'd crashed or broken don, I'd shoot my mates racing their bikes. 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. That dates it to aprox 1992-94.


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.


Auckland MX Champs by Michael J Breen, on Flickr


Andrew Stroud on the Britten by Michael J Breen, on Flickr

Edited by Idleidolidyll - 06 October 2021 at 04:12

waldo_posth wrote: Unfortunately, I have no experience with the M645J and the 1000s. 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). So the A 150mm F/3.8 should work on all MF Mamiya 645 bodies. 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). I have both, a Fujica G690 BL (with three lenses) and a Mamiya 645 Pro TL. 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. The 1000s with its waist level finder (and no motor drive) may indeed be more convenient in terms of weight and compactness. But prices have started to go through the roof - for some lenses as well. In terms of IQ I would prefer the A150mm F/2.8 - faster, better bokeh, sharp (but the leaf shutter 150mm is even sharper). 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).

Hmm, yep, I recall having leaf shutter lenses for both the Mamiya 645 and the Bronica 645 kits. That was for flash photography although, of course, they could be used for anything.
All the lenses with my current Fujica G690 are leaf shutter and all make for stunning images although I prefer the 50mm over the 65mm. They are, however, very slow by modern standards.

Idleidolidyll wrote: waldo_posth wrote: [QUOTE=Idleidolidyll] A lingering salute to end of day I'm, not, and never have been, a gear freak. 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. on Flickr

That sounds just about like me. I like taking the picture
Coast