It seems clear at this point that my film camera fascination is spinning slightly out-of-control. It seems nearly justifiable that I might seek out cameras that fill a gap in the collection, like Mamiya RB67 (with its 6×7 image format), or the Mamiya Press Super 23 (with its 6×9 images). But there are already multiple 6×4.5 cameras in the house, and yet, an M645 1000S had been in the back of my mind for some time now, and one finally joined my growing family of film cameras.
The Back Story
My interest in the 1000S started the first time I saw Max Heinrich of Analog Insights fame reviewing the camera on YouTube. I’d been trying to find reviews of the second generation M645 (e.g., Super and Pro), not the first generation (e.g., 1000S), but I immediately was drawn into their piece on the 1000S.
Max and his friends in Germany do an amazing job with their review videos, and I enjoy hearing their experiences. The M645 1000S was no exception. Their photo walk with the camera, which was shot early on a weekend morning, was beautifully done, and showed the great results that the camera produces. But there was just something romantic about it to me — probably a combination of the location, the way Max and his friends compose their videos, and seeing him use the camera that just made me want one, right then and there. Considering I already had a Pentax 645, and by this time a Mamiya 645 Super, there was no real reason to get one.
That, of course, didn’t stop me.
I hadn’t gone to Cameraworks in Colorado Springs (see our Vendor Directory for more info) to buy the 1000S, or indeed any other camera on a recent Saturday. In fact, I had brought along two cameras for repair; first, our Rolleicord Va Type 2, whose shutter speeds were iffy, and the Mamiya Press Super 23, which I’d just gotten from Japan via eBay, in a transaction that was disappointing (and which you can read about in the full review). But I couldn’t help noticing a pair of Mamiya cameras sitting on the shelf, and I did have to at least ask what they were. Sure enough, one was an M645 1000S, sold without a lens, and in really outstanding physical condition.
I was immediately smitten, and I knew the camera would be coming home with us. The second generation M645 Super at home had also come from Cameraworks, and came fitted with a Mamiya-Sekor C 70mm f/2.8 lens with a leaf shutter. On the M645 Super, that lens had been put aside in favor of a mint condition Mamiya-Sekor Zoom C 55-110mm f/4.5 lens as a sort of “standard” lens choice for routine use, given its great flexibility with some wide angle, through typical standard territory, to a bit of telephoto. Aside from the slightly-darker-than-ideal f/4.5 max aperture, it makes a nice, versatile, all-around lens. So with the 70mm generally sitting in a camera case, the 1000S would have something to use immediately — while the other five M645 lenses could be shared between the two. Since I’d be the primary user of the 1000S, I rather liked having the utility and function of a leaf shutter lens when I might want one, such as when I might want to use a flash and sync at any speed vs. being locked into 1/60th with the focal plane shutter.
The only disappointment with the 1000S is that it came equipped with a PD Prism Finder S. While that meant it also had a meter built-in — a potentially nice thing in a pinch — it also meant forfeiting my preferred waist-level finder, something I’d have to consider rectifying.
I also give my “new” used cameras and accessories a rather thorough cleaning and detailing, and the 1000S was no exception. While in great condition, it did shed quite a bit of dirtiness in the process. A little dot of touch-up paint here and there, and it was ready to use.
One disappointment was that the focusing screen has some scratches in it from poor handling or cleaning; I may eventually see if I can replace that, but in the meantime, it’s not too difficult to simply ignore. Focusing screens seem to be dust and crum magnets anyway, so it’s not like the view is ever particularly perfect even under the best circumstances.
The Camera
What I didn’t understand at first with the Mamiya 645 family is that there were numerous models carrying the “M645” name, but they split roughly into first generation, and second generation. While the generations share some things (namely lenses and film inserts), they are otherwise unto themselves, with most (if not all other) accessories fitting only one or the other type.
The Wikipedia article for the Mamiya 645 has a pretty thorough treatment of the camera, including the different models, lenses and other accessories that were produced, so I see little value in repeating much of that here.
One of the nicer parts of the first generation cameras is the build — and the build quality. The M645 Super is no slouch, but it is mostly plastic on a metal chassis, while the 1000S is all metal. The 1000S is also incredibly compact for a medium format camera; I can’t really see a way that Mamiya could have made it any more compact. This has some trade-offs I’ll talk about in a moment, but it’s tough not to look at the camera and think of it as “cute.” The M645 Super, in comparison, is a somewhat bulking hulk of a camera.
The Mamiya 645 1000S was manufactured over an amazing 15 year time period, from 1976 clear through to 1990. Unlike Yashica, Hasselblad and other cameras, there is apparently no reliable way to date a Mamiya camera. From what I’ve been able to research, the company readily reused serial numbers, had multiple serial number formats, and apparently to top it all off didn’t keep particularly good records that survived for camera historians to benefit from. (If anyone knows otherwise, do get in touch.)
Given my own age at the time, my camera could have been made when I was in primary school — or well after I’d graduated high school. Who knows, but I do know that whoever had the camera either didn’t use it much, or took exceptionally good care of it. But I tend to think that it’s merely a younger example of the series. Still, it could be no younger than 30 years old, and with barely a mark on it, seems to very much be in its prime.
The Experience
Using the Mamiya 645 1000S is as pleasant an experience as I expected it to be from the videos I mentioned earlier. It has an almost Hasselblad-like feel to it, with a crisp shutter, and a nice, satisfying hand crank film advance. Everything just feels right. It operates smoothly, it feels good in the hand, it even makes a lovely, satisfying sound when you use it.
To be honest, I just love this camera. I have a stronger affection for my Hasselblad, because… well, Hasselblad (not to mention the incredible Zeiss optics and peerless Swedish engineering of the camera). But, the 1000S is just an amazing bit of kit that’s fun to use, and delivers incredible results, and I hate to admit I like it better than my arguably more sophisticated Pentax 645 that came into my film camera collection well before it. My only complaint has nothing to do with the camera: I don’t have a chance to shoot the 1000S enough, because there are so many film cameras here vying for my attention.
But as much as all that is true, my first few rolls of film with the 1000S were an absolutely miserable experience. The reason? There is no place to hold the camera. The ergonomics, frankly, are horrible. I’d eventually figure out that this was the fault almost solely of the prism finder, but with the shutter buttons (there are two) on the photographer’s right side, the shutter speed dial either on the left side (if you’re going manual) or the right side (if you’re using the prism meter — or manual too if you prefer), there’s a lot of juggling and ups and downs.
First, you have to get your fingers and hands in the correct position to move the aperture ring. Then you hold the camera to your eye. Then press the meter button. Then adjust the aperture. If it’s not in-range, the camera is back down, adjust the shutter speed, and do it all again. Then you focus. Then you take a picture. Then you advance the film.
By the time I get all these steps completed, I could have metered a shot with my Gossen and taken a picture probably 4 or 5 times already.
But what’s worse? I kept hitting the damned shutter release buttons — usually the one on the front lower right, but I managed to hit the one on the top right a few times as well with the constant up to my eye, down to adjust, up to my eye, down to adjust movements. On my first roll, I ended-up with about four usable shots — most of which were due to firing the camera unintentionally. The second roll had fewer, but still several such shots. And even by the third roll, I ruined two frames the same way.
The other issue is with the Mamiya-Sekor C 70mm f/2.8 lens, with its lovely and useful leaf shutter. Using this lens with the 1000S, and with the PD Prism Finder S, means that there are no fewer than three places to set the shutter speed. As you might imagine, those three have to be coordinated in a purposeful way, or you will ruin your shot:
- If you want to use the focal plane shutter, the leaf shutter speed dial must be set to F, or you’ll lose your shot.
- If you want to use the prism finder’s meter, the camera shutter dial has to be set to 🔘 (that’s a circle in a circle if you can’t see the emoji character). Otherwise, the camera’s shutter dial takes priority, and you’ll lose your shot if it’s not set properly.
- If you want to use the leaf shutter, you have to set the camera’s shutter speed dial to 1/8 or slower, or you’ll lose your shot.
Let’s just say this: I failed to get it right, and I failed to do so time and again. Because I was switching lenses to a 45mm wide angle quite a bit initially, when the 70mm goes back on, it’s way too easy to get that shutter speed ring moved off of the F (focal plane) position, so the leaf shutter suddenly engages, and — you lose your shot, because you weren’t paying attention.
I pretty much need a printed checklist for this camera in order to use it properly, and indeed, I may yet actually create one — although in general, practice is making perfect better.
In the end, the solution was in part to get a waist level finder, and in part to get a grip. Which brings me to… Accessories.
The Accessories
Mamiya made a massive number of accessories for the M645 series, both first and second generation. Below is an M645 System Chart from a circa 1981 Mamiya brochure. You can click the image to view the full size version for a closer look.
The Wikipedia article I referenced earlier also has a pretty comprehensive list. I’ll cover the ones I’ve chosen so far, and both what and why I got them.
- Waist Level Finder (WLF)
Either you’re a WLF sort of photographer — or you’re not. Or, it certainly would seem that way. Perhaps it’s shooting too many TLRs (twin-lens reflex cameras), but I’ve come to really like setting-up my shots with a waist level finder. Part of is the heft of the cameras that have one as an option; it seems awkward to lift the entire beast up to your eye. But with the 1000S in particular, as I described earlier, there’s nowhere to hold the camera if you have to put it up to your eye. I really hated it, so it was an easy decision to grossly over-spend on a WLF. The one I got was in mint condition from National Camera Exchange (see my directory page), but I also paid nearly US$175 for the privilege, which was stupidly expensive. Alas, cheaper options were in really rough physical condition, and with the camera itself near mint, I didn’t want a trashed WLF mounted on the flawless body. The WLF on the 1000S is a little hard to open, but once you do, it’s easy to use, and it’s simple to pop-up the magnifier to get accurate focus. With the WLF attached, holding the camera becomes far less of an issue, and I’ve accidentally tripped the shutter release much less often.
- Left Hand Grip (“L-Grip Holder”)
There are many different grips available for the M645 1000S, and the one I got is a left hand model that affixes to the tripod mount on the bottom, and has an integrated mechanical shutter release trigger you can activate with your left index finger. Based on a Mamiya reference, they called the grip an L-Grip Holder. There’s a padded leather strap around it which is adjustable. I had hoped to use it with the WLF, but alas, the angle of the grip is such that it’s useful only with the prism finder. The up side? It gives you a way to hold the camera while you’re moving it up and down, without risking an inadvertent shutter release. And since holding the camera is way easier when you’re using the WLF, I’m fine considering this to be an accessory that pairs solely with the prism finder. The grip I purchased was from Camera Exchange out of Michigan, via eBay. (They’re on the directory page too.) One thing to note: There’s a threaded male connector on these grips, which is supposed to have a cap on it. The majority of the ones you find are missing that cap. What’s supposed to attached to the threads? The next accessory…
- Accessory Shoe Unit
This accessory, Mamiya #304720, is used with both the M645 L-Grip and the RB67 Multi-Angle Grip, and provides two cold shoes, 90º apart from each other. It allows you to rotate the entire thing laterally. It fastens to the male threads of the L-Grip, and considering that the prism finder has a shoe as well, it’s gives you a total of three locations where you can attach a flash or other shoe-based accessories. I found one on eBay in perfect condition in its box — for cheap. I got it for two reasons; first, I wanted to cover the threads since the cap was missing, and second, it would give more flexibility when using a flash, since between the flash’s own movement and that of the shoe unit, you could point it about anywhere for bounce flash shots. Win-win.
- Soft Case
By the time 30+ years has passed, OEM cases — if you can find them — are well-used and generally in ratty condition, or the material has physically deteriorated. I stumbled quite accidentally upon an eBay listing with a brand new, never used, in-the-box original Mamiya soft case for the first generation M645 cameras for just US$40, and I couldn’t not get it — even if I don’t plan to use it very often.
- Prism Finder Eyecup
From the same seller who had the case, I found an original eyecup for the prism finder, which was missing from my camera. Thankfully, it’s made of silicone or a similar plastic material, and not actual rubber, since the latter likely wouldn’t be in great condition after all these decades. One of the challenges of using the prism finder is that without the cup, bright sunshine or light from the side can really interfere with viewfinder visibility; having the cup in-place takes care of that rather nicely. They seem hard to find, but if you have a prism finder, I think it’s worth trying to track one down — although I did pay a premium for it.
- Lenses
Of course, Mamiya made a number of different lenses for the M645 series, and provided they’ve been well cared for, they still perform nicely today. I wouldn’t confuse the quality of the M645 lenses with, for example, the Carl Zeiss lenses made for a Hasselblad, but they nevertheless perform nicely. An added bonus is that they seem reasonably inexpensive, all-in-all, today. We’ve been really fortunate to track down a number of lenses, originally for the M645 Super which was purchased long before the 1000S, but since all can be used with both cameras, they both benefit. My only real complaint is that most of them don’t really open-up very far (I’m referring to the aperture here). Some thoughts about each:- Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm f/2.8
This is a nice, general purpose wide angle lens. Affordable it seems, as wide angle lenses go. - Mamiya-Sekor C 70mm f/2.8
This lens has become the standard one for the 1000S. This particular lens has a leaf shutter built-in, which several of the M645 lenses do. I consider it a plus, but see above for some of the challenges it introduces when using it. Regardless, it’s a good, solid performer, and unlocks the ability to use a flash at shutter speeds other than the 1/60 that’s required when using the focal plane shutter. - Mamiya-Sekor Zoom C 55-110mm f/4.5
While f/4.5 is not ideal, perhaps, this lens has become the sort “standard” lens for the M645 Super, providing a nice range of focal lengths and the flexibility in daily shooting that comes with that. And considering that most of our shooting is daylight, the max aperture is not really a factor. This lens was cheap, and in absolutely excellent (near mint) condition. - Mamiya-Sekor Zoom ULD C 105-210mm f/4.5
What a great lens! Another one that was a bargain for a lens that was in mint, no-signs-at-all-of-use condition. It too performs quite nicely, and it’s a versatile lens for vacation use and other situations where you need some telephoto along with the flexibility of zoom. - Mamiya-Sekor C 150mm f/3.5N
I wouldn’t have sought-out this lens, but when we were in Dallas, we had to stop by Don’s Used Photo Equipment (see the directory). Todd had this lens as brand-new old stock, still in the box with (now irrelevant) warranty cards and paperwork — one of several someone had brought in. This was his last. It’s not every day you get to buy a lens that’s brand new after a few decades, and given its price, I simply had to buy it — especially with two cameras now that could use it. As I write this review, the lens is still wrapped in its plastic and I’ve not managed to convince myself to get over it and use it. Once I do, it’s then officially used. It’ll happen; just not today. - Mamiya-Sekor ULD C 300mm f/5.6
Let’s be honest; by the time you get to this focal length, you’re dealing with lenses that fall into the specialty category, lenses that just don’t see much use. I think this lens has been shot perhaps 3 or 4 times since purchase, but it’s nice to have, and performs well. It was a relative bargain as well.
- Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm f/2.8
The Results
As I said earlier, Mamiya made some great lenses. Not as great as Carl Zeiss or Schneider Kreuznach, perhaps, but still great. As you just read above, we’ve been very fortunate to find a number of M645 lenses in truly remarkable physical condition, and between them, and the quality build of the Mamiya 645 1000S, the photographic results are, predictably, pretty damned good honestly.
Here are a selection of some of the images taken with my 1000S that I’ve had a chance to process at the time of this review. As always, I will augment these over time. You can also find these shots on my Flickr account, where they can be viewed in a larger size as well for additional detail.
The Specifications
Mamiya itself did not publish specifications that are particularly meaningful (in my opinion) for this camera. That being said, I’m including an image of the printed specs they did provide, from the aforementioned 1981 brochure. Click to enlarge.
