Nevertheless the RF645 with the 65mm is quite compact (although not collapsible as the Mamiya). The Bronica is VERY VERY nice, but the separate finder for the 45mm is too much of a hassle, along with the short time the meter is on, I found the Mamiya much more convenient, for wide angle use in particular.
#Bronica rf645 flash alternative Patch#
The focusing patch is bright and well defined, a bit brighter than the one in the Mamiya (this may be due to the fact that the camera is still new, and mine has already a few years on it). The lens shades are very nice, fall inwards so there is no interference in the viewfinder, and they seem to be less fragile than the Mamiya ones. The auto light shielding mask when changing lenses is a very nice thing, no need to do it manually like the Mamiya (I lost more than a few shots because I forgot to open it back). Big advantage for the Mamiya, all lenses are covered by the frames in the finder, plus no need to turn camera over. According to the salesman when using the 45mm lens you must use the independent viewfinder to frame, I can't imagine handholding horizontal shots with it.
#Bronica rf645 flash alternative manual#
The meter in the one I tried was on only for 4 seconds, I don't know whether this can be adjusted, but in manual mode I just couldn't adjust exposure even once, MAJOR disadvantage. Viewfinder info is much better on the Bronica, but I found the position of the mirror that shows the LCD a bit awkward and had to move around to find the best spot. The quality of the exterior parts (I haven't seen the interior of any of these) is much higher, the speed selector in the Mamiya is a joke (as if it came out from a kinder surprise). The controls are very well placed on the Bronica especially the ones on the back are great, much easier to reach than on the Mamiya, plus multiple exposures possibility. However the Bronica as a much more solid feel when holding it. The RF645 is just a tad smaller than the Mamiya, not really significant. Since these 2 cameras are the most compact MF interchangeable lens RF cameras in the market and targeted to the same kind of photographers, I found the comparison very interesting. This month the first RF645's were received here in Madrid, so I played with one, although I didn't get the chance to put film trough it. I know that a lot of things were said already about the Bronica so I wont repeat, and only mention the most prominent and important things I found (some had been said, but I found them important to mention again). The idea of a more modern and featured camera and a few more frames per roll seemed good. Since it was first announced I looked towards this camera, as a smaller and lower profile alternative to the Mamiya 6MF which I currently own.