Mamiya 645-AFD III Medium Format SLR Autofocus Camera (Body Only)

Comments about Mamiya 645-AFD III Medium Format SLR Autofocus Camera (Body Only):

I stepped into medium format camera systems by purchasing a Mamiya 645 AFD III with a DM22 digital back from B&H. Since then, I am really really happy with the money that I spent on this beautiful system.

First of all, it delivers great dynamic range, color depth and depth of field not comparable to even high end 35mm DSLRs. Although I have been using Canon 5D MK II for almost past three years, I can see a clear difference of a larger sensor size, almost 2 times larger than full frame DSLRs. The biggest differences are, much more finer grain-like noise in shadow areas, thiner depth of field, higher dynamic ranger and much real to life colors and skin tones.

I also shoot 120 films with my Mamiya RZ67 PRO II and now that I have AFD III body as well, I can have a film back as a backup in case I need to go over max ISO of DM22 back which is 400.

The only issue that I have with this body is that I wish Mamiya/Phase One could have incorporated the new features of DF bodies into AFD III bodies as well so we could use the new leaf shutter lenses and synch flash at least by 1/800s second. Except that, I am super happy with AFD III and DM22 back.

Comments about Mamiya 645-AFD III Medium Format SLR Autofocus Camera (Body Only):

I have been using this camera for fashion, portrait and some landscape photography. I really like the way that this camera feels in my hands. Indeed, it may be heavier than a 35mm you may be accustomed to. I use this with a film back and it has delivered high quality negatives from the various film stocks I have used. The lenses I am currently using ( 80mm and 150mm ) help me to achieve my vision and are reassuringly sharp and well built.
Another point I would like to mention is the almost silent automatic focussing mechanism this camera has. I have no reason to use it in lower lighting conditions and so I cannot comment on how auto focussing works in low light.
I cannot find anything that I do not like with this camera or that I feel would improve on its design.

Comments about Mamiya 645-AFD III Medium Format SLR Autofocus Camera (Body Only):

It's a Mamiya so what more do you need?

Comments about Mamiya 645-AFD III Medium Format SLR Autofocus Camera (Body Only):

It's a Mamiya!

Comments about Mamiya 645-AFD III Medium Format SLR Autofocus Camera (Body Only):

I've shot Canon of several years but always wanted to step up to Medium Format. Scouring all the models and doing research led me to the Mamiya 645 AFD III and it's not just met but usually exceeded most expectations I had.

I decided at the outset that I was going to shoot the Mamiya like I would a 35 mm. Mostly that's possible as long as you're willing to make the effort to learn some MF "quirks" like how to load the film magazine (I shoot film with it for now, but being able to add a digital back was one of the main attractions for me) and the long strips your slides come back in from the lab. And yes, the camera is noticeably bigger and heavier than a 35 mm unless you're using one of the big, fast telephotos. All that said, in my view anyone complaining about things like that shouldn't be using Medium Format at all.

The photos are substantially sharper with this rig and that alone, for me, justifies having it because it will give me a definite advantage for some upcoming projects. On occasion it does show the traditional Medium Format slow autofocus in low light, but that hasn't been a major problem yet. I haven't shot it at night all that much as yet, though I plan to so soon, so we'll see how that goes.

Also the Manual says to keep this rig away from sea air and salt water, and I'm definitely going to test that rigorously because I have some work coming up that will take us on ships for extended periods.

Overall I love this rig and consider it one of the best purchases I've made. If you want to try Medium Format, this is the best stepping stone I can think of.