First Impressions of Mamiya 645

Making the jump to medium format was terrifying for me. I’ve only ever shot 35mm and digital but I figured it was time to move up. After a few months of looking around online and finding the best deal I could I found one and my god was I excited! I anticipated for the day that it would show up in the mail and since the seller was in Phoenix, Arizona it would be here in a matter of days!!!! It shows up and I rip open the box to immediately start playing with it, figuring out the settings, how to hold it, opening the back and loading/unloading film. Plenty of YouTube tutorials were watched lmao

My first test shots with this camera went… well, they were blank. I hadn’t figured out the settings so I wasted a roll, but it doesn’t stop there, oh no. I wasted ANOTHER ROLL because the first time around I didn’t learn my lesson and thought it was a fluke so the same thing happened. Thankfully on the 3rd try I got it right and there were actual photos on the negatives!! I shot a roll in Huntington Beach to test things out and the photos came out great which solidified my love for this camera

*Shot on Ektar 100 during a rainy day*

It’s easy to use, the photos have insane details, it’s heavy which is perfect for late night shoots and if I need to fight my way out lmaooo. All in all, I can’t wait to shoot more with my new baby, I already see myself getting some good photos with this beast.

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