Bronica vs. Mamiya vs. Pentax 645
Leslie Cohn
Also, which has the brightest prism viewfinder?
Which has the sharpest lenses?
SPECTRUM
<lc...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>Which should I buy for mild amateur shooting?
Pentax.
>Also, which has the brightest prism viewfinder?
Pentax.
>Which has the sharpest lenses?
Bronica.
CWood 7000
meet most virtually any amateur requirements -- and most professionals for that
matter. The new 645n is a great body -- makes it easy for 35mm SLR AF shooter
to make an easy transition to medium format with great results.
Blouin
Keep in mind the Pentax does not have interchngeable backs... and to me,
this is a must!! Interchnageable backs also mean the camera will take
Polaroids! Also the ETRSi has interchnageable screens, so you can get one to
make your finder a whole lot brighter...
I've been shooting with Bronica and wouldn't change myt camera for any of
the other two... What can I say, it's a great camera with wonderful
lenses...
Rick Schiller
In article <6prnl5$p...@dfw-ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>, lc...@ix.netcom.com
says...
CWood 7000
for interchangeable backs. For nature/landscape it is almost a non-issue and
bracketing the frames is cheaper than polaroid. The metering in the new Pentax
645n is pretty bulletproof: matrix or spot. It also alows interchangeable
screens but the factory screen is so bright it is also a non-issue.
SPECTRUM
(Rick Schiller) wrote:
I advise against this practice as what's usually
cheap isn't worth the price your paying.
Regards,
-----------------------------------------------------------------
John S. Douglas
Spectrum Photographic Inc. - http://www.spectrumphoto.com
Website: Portraiture, Wedding Photography, Darkroom Tech.,
World Field Photographers Association, FAQ's & More!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ThRainKing
>Also, which has the brightest prism viewfinder?
>Which has the sharpest lenses?
Keep in mind the Pentax does not have interchngeable backs... and to me,
this is a must!! Interchnageable backs also mean the camera will take
Polaroids! Also the ETRSi has interchnageable screens, so you can get one to
make your finder a whole lot brighter...>>
Well, ya can get a roid back for the pentax... about $1200....
I shoot mostly fashion, so I can't speak for the necessity of changing backs...
I tend to go out with one film... E100S, SW, or RDP. Sure won't go without some
polaroid though!
the 645 N for "mild amatuer shooting"??? at $2400.00???
Is that like a 35mm amatuer buying a Nikon F5?
"Mild amatuers' may want to start with used gear... there's a lot of it out
there.
Bronica seems to be pretty undervalued on the used market, especially with the
leaf shutter lenses for full flash synch.
CWood 7000
happier with the results of the 645n.
It could also be compared to a casual driver buying a Porsche Carrera or you
name the toy.....the writer didn't stipulate a budget limit.
The 645n will be easier to use for a casual user than an ETRSi.
Wai Lun Alan Chan
>>Also, which has the brightest prism viewfinder?
>>Which has the sharpest lenses?
>Keep in mind the Pentax does not have interchngeable backs... and to me,
>this is a must!! Interchnageable backs also mean the camera will take
>Polaroids! Also the ETRSi has interchnageable screens, so you can get one to
>make your finder a whole lot brighter...
P645 and P645N also have interchangable screen option.
regards,
Alan Chan
gordo
>
> >Which should I buy for mild amateur shooting?
> >Also, which has the brightest prism viewfinder?
> >Which has the sharpest lenses?
>
> Keep in mind the Pentax does not have interchngeable backs... and to me,
> this is a must!! Interchnageable backs also mean the camera will take
> Polaroids! Also the ETRSi has interchnageable screens, so you can get one to
> make your finder a whole lot brighter...
>
> the other two... What can I say, it's a great camera with wonderful
> lenses...
Once again, another uniformed post.......
A Polaroid insert is available for the Pentax...... Ok, it's a little
costly but it's the ONLY thing costly for the entire system..
The Pentax DOES have interchangeable screens........
SPECTRUM
Alan Chan) wrote:
>>>Which should I buy for mild amateur shooting?
>>>Also, which has the brightest prism viewfinder?
>>>Which has the sharpest lenses?
>
>>Keep in mind the Pentax does not have interchngeable backs... and to me,
>>this is a must!! Interchnageable backs also mean the camera will take
>>Polaroids! Also the ETRSi has interchnageable screens, so you can get one to
>>make your finder a whole lot brighter...
>
>P645 and P645N also have interchangable screen option.
And the Mamiya is a fully integral camera with
interchangeable everything !
But go with the RB as it's a much better camera than
the 645's. Any of them.
Steve1chsn
>
>A Polaroid insert is available for the Pentax...... Ok, it's a little
>costly but it's the ONLY thing costly for the entire system..
>
>The Pentax DOES have interchangeable screens........
The way you wrote that, I took it to mean your post was the uninformed one!
Especially after reading it!
While Polaroid is available, it isn't an insert - it's a BACK. Which means you
really have to dedicate a body to it.
And while the screens are replaceable, they are not interchangeable. Work must
be done by the factory or a qualified technician.
Steve Vancosin
------------------------------------------------------
"knowledge is good"
Steve1chsn
SPECTRUM
<go...@primary.net> wrote:
>The Pentax DOES have interchangeable screens........
Is this a remarkable feature or something ?_Every_
pro oriented camera has interchangeable screens.
CWood 7000
Pentax 67. I've used the RB and I own a P67, along with a 645n. Trust me, a
645 from Pentax, Mamiya or Bronica is easier to casually use than an RB.
SPECTRUM
wrote:
>The RB is also much heavier -- maybe even more awkward for casual use than the
>Pentax 67. I've used the RB and I own a P67, along with a 645n. Trust me, a
>645 from Pentax, Mamiya or Bronica is easier to casually use than an RB.
Of course opinions are like cameras, everybody has
one !
Personally I don't the weight or bulk of the RB to
be a problem. And actually I like a camera that shoots
verticals without having to be flipped on it's side as well
as giving me a 'roid that is big enough to actually look at,
a negative that's downright easy to retouch and when it's
enlarged to 16x20 looks sweet !
But that's my camera/opinion !
Regards,
-----------------------------------------------------------------
John S. Douglas - who will never own another 645 as long as
he lives !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CWood 7000
interchangeable screens.
SPECTRUM
wrote:
>No, someone had posted message indicating the P645 might not have
>interchangeable screens.
Can't AOL'ers ever quote the message that they are
responding to ? I get so tired of trying to figure it out
I'm about to put a filter in for the entire AOL server !
Regards,
-----------------------------------------------------------------
John S. Douglas
OptoPrism
but Pentax's WWW site it does say 'interchangeable', and B&H
advertises this camera as having interchangeable screens.
If the new camera does not have interchangeable screens,
Pentax kind of regressed with this particular feature since the
older P645 has interchangeable screens. Not that this feature
was a show stopper, since I'm rather attached to the P645 UG-20
grid screen, and I have only changed it twice.
G. Cheng
***
Be Seeing You.
** Note: this is a false e-mail address - DO NOT
USE REPLY. Substitute (at) with @ix. in
vorpo(at)netcom.com for e-mail
Steve1chsn wrote in message
<199808011331...@ladder03.news.aol.com>...
>gordo wrote:>Once again, another uniformed post.......
>>
>>A Polaroid insert is available for the Pentax...... Ok, it's a little
>>costly but it's the ONLY thing costly for the entire system..
>>
>>The Pentax DOES have interchangeable screens........
>
Steve1chsn
Steve Vancosin
------------------------------------------------------
"Brevity is the soul of wit"
gene
Having used professionally both the Bronica ETRsi system, and the Pentax
645 system, I can say that each has its place. I use the pentax for
aerials almost weekly, and find the 80-160 zoom invaluable. I didn't
have to wonder what to buy with the pentax as it came with everything
including motor drive and autoexposure. It's a practical system and
compared to its competitors its a bargain.
The Bronica is the only choice among the three if you need to do outdoor
fill flash, but other than that I found the system frustrating. The
batteries in the AE-II prism were always dead, the rapid wind grip was
always coming loose(not very pleasant if your sticking your camera out
the window of a moving airplane) and although the 150 was very sharp,
the 75 was acceptable, the 50 wide-angle was pretty lousy. I borrowed
another 50 with similar results.
I've never considered the Mamiya system viable as its just to expensive
these days , and although the lenses are reasonable as they don't
include shutters. The rest of the system rivals Hasselblad when it comes
to pricing.
In coclusion I would purchase the Pentax. Thanks Gene
ato...@ntplx.net
lens in the line, second to the 180 PE, according to the Bronica tech.
I am not crazy about the speed grip but the newest motor winder is
GREAT. The batteries seem to last forever on it and it makes the
camera handle better than some 35 mm cameras. I like the ETRSI, but I
also have all the latest add-ons and lenses. I have the AE III prism
finder on order so I can't comment on the battery life.
Andy
John Morley
: I can't disagree with prior posting although Pentax lenses are sharp enough to
: meet most virtually any amateur requirements -- and most professionals for that
: matter. The new 645n is a great body -- makes it easy for 35mm SLR AF shooter
: to make an easy transition to medium format with great results.
IMO the Pentax 645n is flawed by not having interchangeable backs or finders.
For my purposes that totally negates any of the advantages the Pentax might
have in terms of its advanced automatics. Instead of buying a body with
everything built in I chose the basic but modular Bronica ETRSi with its
excellent leaf-shuttered lenses and added facilities as I needed them.
YMMV, of course.
--
John Morley (jmo...@grafton.demon.co.uk)
John Morley
: And the Mamiya is a fully integral camera with
: interchangeable everything !
: But go with the RB as it's a much better camera than
: the 645's. Any of them.
For better read bulkier and heavier. The man said he wants a 645 for casual
amateur use! The RB is superb in a studio but a 645 is more practical for
outdoor use.
--
John Morley (jmo...@grafton.demon.co.uk)
John Morley
: On 1 Aug 1998 19:34:57 GMT, cwoo...@aol.com (CWood 7000)
: wrote:
:
: >No, someone had posted message indicating the P645 might not have
: >interchangeable screens.
:
: Can't AOL'ers ever quote the message that they are
: responding to ?
Personally, I find it less irritating than people who quote the entire
message, often with headers and sig lines. Quoted messages should be
edited down to the bare minimum without altering the context of what the
original poster said. Apart from spam I find postings where a hundred
lines worth of earlier posting is quoted followed by "I agree" or
similar the most annoying.
On the subject of the Pentax 645, it *doesn't* have interchangeable
screens. The screen can be removed and replaced but not in a usable way
that could be called interchangeable. I suppose it's a question of how
you define interchangeable. I take it to mean that it's a practical
proposition to effect the change repeatedly and between adjacent exposures
if required. By this definition, all the cameras mentioned clearly have
interchangeable lens systems but the Pentax clearly doesn't have an
interchangeable screen, though with some effort it *can* be replaced with
a different one.
Similarly the back can be removed and a Polaroid back fitted but not in a
darkslide-protected interchangeable way. You have to finish up your roll
of film before swapping over to Polaroid. The finder isn't replaceable at
all. I suppose you could switch over to Polaroid without shooting the rest
of the roll by simply wasting it but then again you could always replace
the finder by breaking off the original one with a sledgehammer and having
the camera repaired - it's within the realms of feasibility but it isn't
something you would choose to do, especially when there are cameras that
are *designed* to have interchangeable screens, backs and finders.
--
John Morley (jmo...@grafton.demon.co.uk)
CWood 7000
travel, nature and landscape, all chrome, no B&W. I carry an A2 for point and
shoot backup so going through the entire roll is not a trauma for me.
Lloyd J. Rabanus
> I've never considered the Mamiya system viable as its just to expensive
> these days , and although the lenses are reasonable as they don't
> include shutters. The rest of the system rivals Hasselblad when it comes
> to pricing.
That to Me was only option! I had a Hassy 500CM with the 80C T* and the 50
distagon. Prior to this I had used an RB67 and owned a ETRS with motordrive
and AEII prism. I now use (and may I say I love the exposures from this) a
Mamiya 645 Pro TL. Maybe some don't this, but the Mamiya 645 has
interchangeable backs that can use 120 and 220 inserts in same back. Yes it
has a focal plain shutter BUT there are three or four prime lens's that have
leaf shutters (still cheaper than Hassy). Consider that there are over 20
different lens's available. No other camera in medium format gives that
selection of lens. The Mamiya 645 may well be the most versatile camera in
medium format. Far under rated. It really is hard to go wrong! I have four
backs and eight inserts total. I shoot a variety of stuff and find it a great
camera system. Of course I only shoot around 20-30 rolls a week which is not
a lot. I also use My 35mm stuff.
SPECTRUM
(John Morley) wrote:
>For better read bulkier and heavier. The man said he wants a 645 for casual
>amateur use! The RB is superb in a studio but a 645 is more practical for
>outdoor use.
I don't have any problem with the RB outdoors.
Perhaps for the not-very-large of us it would be a problem
but even my wife admires the camera and she's only 120 lbs
at 5'8".
Of course the 645's are more "portable" but then
they are only a step above 35mm in format anyway.
As Johnnie Woodward says " Walk tall and carry a big
camera ! " and "Why bother with anything else! " .