The Mamiya 645 PRO, a professional medium format SLR camera, was developed and produced by Mamiya, a Japanese company known for its high-quality cameras and lenses.
The Mamiya 645 PRO, introduced in April 1992, is a further development of the Mamiya 645 Super and is aimed at professional photographers. A key difference to the Super is the lack of a mechanical shutter, which means the camera is completely inoperable when the battery is empty.
The camera is characterized by its robustness, versatility and high image quality and is aimed at demanding photographers who want to use the larger 6x4.5cm film format, which offers a significantly larger negative area compared to the 35mm format and thus enables more detailed images.
Best use of the Medium format camera
The Mamiya 645 PRO is a versatile and powerful medium format camera suitable for a wide range of photographic applications, from portraits, weddings and landscapes to architecture and fashion photography.
Its robust construction, high image quality and wide range of lenses and accessories make it a popular choice for professional photographers and ambitious amateurs.
Camera features
The camera offers a choice of interchangeable viewfinders, including an AE prism viewfinder with integrated exposure metering, a simple prism viewfinder and a waist-length viewfinder for shooting from the hip.
The Mamiya 645 PRO is compatible with a wide range of high-quality Mamiya 645 lenses, ranging from wide-angle to telephoto, delivering crisp images with excellent color reproduction.
The optional motor drive enables continuous shooting at up to 2 frames per second and makes handling the camera easier during longer shooting sessions.
Exposure
Of course, all exposure settings can be made manually. For example, in manual mode you can choose shutter speeds from 1/1000 second to 4 seconds. If you use the AE Prism Finder FE401, an exposure of eight seconds is also possible. There is also a bulb mode. The aperture values depend on the lens used.
Other functions
The Mamiya 645 PRO offers a range of other functions, including a built-in self-timer, multiple exposures, mirror lock-up and flash synchronization. A flash can be connected to the corresponding socket or a hot shoe.
Size and weight
According to the manual, the body with the 120 film magazine attached measures 124 x 102.5 x 124mm (width x height x depth) and weighs 980 grams. However, it should be noted that the stated width includes the film crank, while the Super does not. In a typical configuration with standard lens (80mm f/2.8), 120 film magazine and AE prism viewfinder, the PRO weighs 1545 grams.
Films for the Mamiya 645 PRO
The Mamiya 645 Pro is a medium format camera that relies on roll film to capture images. The standard film format used is 120, which produces negatives measuring 6 x 4.5 cm. A single roll of 120 film typically allows you to shoot about 15 frames with the Mamiya 645 Pro.
Although the 220 film format is also theoretically supported by the camera and offers twice the number of shots per roll, its practical use is limited due to the limited availability and higher price of such films.
The interchangeable magazine system allows you to quickly switch between different film types, including 120 and 220 roll film, Polaroid instant film, and even 35mm film for panoramic shots.
A variety of 120 films, both color and black and white, are still available from various manufacturers. Popular options for color photography include Kodak Portra 160* and Kodak Portra 400*, while Ilford Delta 100* and Kodak TRI-X 400* are commonly used for black and white photography.
The choice of film ultimately depends on the individual preferences of the photographer and the specific requirements of the subject.
Batteries for the Japanese camera
Of course, you also need suitable batteries for the Mamiya. A 6V battery is needed. This can be a 4SR44 (eBay / Amazon*) or 4LR44 battery (eBay / Amazon*). These batteries are very easy to find online.
Comparison with the Mamiya 645 Super
The 645 PRO offers some additional functions that are not available in the Super. For example, it enables long exposures (T mode) by using the self-timer with the shutter set to "B".
When using one of the three leaf shutter lenses, the camera's focal plane shutter is automatically set to 1/8 second. The optional motor drive on these lenses not only tensions the camera shutter, but also the lens shutter automatically. In addition, the film transport mechanism has been improved compared to the Super.
Most of the Super's functions are also available in the PRO, although some are arranged differently. For example, the battery indicator light is on top of the camera body, and the release button for the automatic shutter speed is placed in the middle of the setting wheel, not next to it like on the Super.
A simpler motor drive WG402 was developed for the PRO. In contrast to the WG401, which automatically advances a newly inserted film to frame 1, this function must be triggered manually on the WG402 (via the "start" position on the shutter speed dial of the drive). The WG402 also does not have its own connection socket for an electrical remote release.
