Quote Originally Posted by luvmydogs View Post
Ok, so after attending Nicole's workshop in Toronto, and feeling very inspired, I have decided to take the big leap and use film exclusively - not only for personal work, but also for my business (believe me, this is no small decision). I've been wanting to do this for a while but after attending Nicole's workshop I finally feel ready to really "shoot from the heart."

So...I currently use my Hassey for most of my personal portrait work. Now that I will be shooting film with my clients as well, I would like a non-square medium format camera as well. I do not want a 6x7 format as those cameras are simply too much for me to carry. I do have a Mamiya 7II but that is not, for me at least, an ideal portraiture camera.

After seeing Nicole, I am leaning towards perhaps a Pentax 645NII. However, before I make the leap, I also would love to hear of others' experiences with the 645 format - I also am considering the Contax 645 and the Mamiya 645 (the AFII or III).

I'd love to hear some feedback from those who have any one (or all!) of these cameras.

Thanks in advance!
I just recently acquired a Mamiya M645 Pro, and it's got the correct "feel" for me. After 30 years of shooting Rolleiflex 6x6, there are some things to get used to, but it's not that bad.

One think I noticed is that all the cameras you list are auto-focus. When doing weddings that can be alright, (the Mamiya is replacing my Nikon N90s which 35mm is getting harder for me to see in the darkroom, so now my wife will probably be using it).

With autofocus, you're letting the machine do the majority of film for you. I'm very old school with my Rolleis I don't even use a light meter, and different speeds of film all get processed the same way, same time, and turn out fine.

If you're not comfortable with manual controls, then go autoeverything, but give the Mamiya a look, there are a couple of little tricks I've already picked up to make shooting faster.

You can always go to pbase and check out actual examples. Plus there is an adapter for Zeiss glass I hear, which is great for me.