Mamiya M645/1000S

The Mamiya M645/1000S was the last and best variant of the long manufactured basic manual focus M645 SLR series, widely regarded to have been a workhorse in the industry. While this design is often described, in jest, as the “poor man's Hasselblad”, it is quite different in many key respects from the classic Hasselblad V series. The most fundamental of these is that the M645 uses the 6 x 4.5 cm format, rather than 6 x 6 cm format of the “Hassie”, the second is that the M645/1000S uses 120/220 format film inserts rather than the more flexible removable film back - a feature introduced on the later 1985 M645 Super series. On the other hand, the film crank, shutter control, and shutter speed dial controls are similar in position and style, just as the basic modular design and layout are. More recent Mamiyas, like the 645AF/AFD/AFDII/III series, are superb cameras and occupy a similar niche to the “Hassies”.

Critics often complain about the weight of the M645, the depicted configuration weighs in at 3.2 kg requiring a very robust tripod or well developed biceps. Other annoyances include worn film inserts which slip gears, and the unavailability of digital backs for this series. These in my opinion are outweighed by the availability of a wide range of Mamiya original lenses of very high quality, and the affordability of used equipment compared to Hasselblads and other mid to top end medium format equipment.

I procured an example in late 1984 from a Tokyo discounter in Shinjuku, for less than US$1,000, with the 80 mm f2.8 lens, 210 mm f4.0 telephoto lens, basic prism viewfinder, and motor drive. Since then I have acquired numerous other components, preloved, including some excellent lenses, mostly from very good US suppliers of used equipment.

This camera has been used since 1984 mostly to support my military analysis work, but has also been used on some computer industry projects, such as producing documentation and brochures for some of the computer products I designed. The lenses are always very sharp, and the ULD series lens design I have used is devoid of visually discernable chromatic aberration.

I have used a wide range of film types since 1984, but the best results have been produced with more recent media, such as Fuji Velvia 50, Fuji Pro 160C and Kodak Ektar Pro 100. Comparative film performance is discussed under Some Observations on Digital vs Wet Film Photography.

Download Mamiya M645/1000S Instruction Manual [PDF]