I don't think I can justify in buying this used camera. I thought for a long time about going back to film on b&w. I got myself interested with that nostalgic feeling on film where I started with a 35mm with Praktica MTL5 roaming around the streets of Macau and had my first roll of film on a 35mm SLR camera. I am always fascinated with b&w film. Though it is much easier and perhaps economical to shoot digital, the b&w is never the same in digital as in film. And what troubles have I got myself into: another gear that may turn out to be infrequently used. That is not my first time. It happened before and it will happen again. I buy, try it, feel guilty and sell the film camera and go back to digital. I am hopeful that the experience will get me into learning mood once again. I consider the money well spent if I manage to reinvent my interest into b&w instead of doing the digital conversion in software.
Have I learned a thing or two about myself? I am always silly. Sometime I enjoy the past as much as I enjoy the present. I don't necessary go for the latest and I treasure some oddies that work charmingly. This is a medium format camera and I know very little about.I feel more adventurous in buying the Pentax 645N than getting the Pentax K-7. Is this a logical and rational step? Hell no!
When I first met this macho medium format camera, I go wow and that hunk of boxy body appeals to me in a unique way though it is not much bigger and heavier than the Pentax K20D. I would not go into detail measuring the weight and size for comparison as I find it very reasonable to handle. Why look at the figures that scare myself to enjoy the ride. The shutter noise is a bit of disappointment when I first tried it. I first thought of something similar to Pentax Pz-1 where the noise is loud but sweet in a sense of well dampened mechanically.
This baby takes 6 AA batteries and the cartridge is at least 2 to 3 times of a roll of 35mm film. It looks like a big part of the body once I place the cartridge into the 645N body from the back.
Hin's Big Camera
I hope that I will document my path with this medium format camera.
If you have interest, I find the article in Ken Rockwell on Pentax 645N a good overall review into this medium format camera.Relates:
3 comments:
Are you set up with a darkroom to develop the film? It seems like that would be a major challenge. Good luck and I hope it fulfills your desires and needs!
Darkroom is not in the plan yet. I have the excuses with children and chemicals storage. I will love to do darkroom someday but not at the moment. I did two classes in b&w film development and printing. I find it more fun in the printing part with enlarger. I am currently using Dwayne's Photo in Kansas and a local shop with Foto Express in San Jose for my development need.
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