Mamiya M645 1000S

Every year at Thanksgiving, I think of the Mamiya M645 1000S medium format camera. Don't ask why. It is just so.

Although Hasselblad ruled the 6 x 6 market in the 70s, Mamiya offered a high quality alternative, in the rectangular 6 x 4.5 format. The M645 1000S, introduced in 1976, was an update of the original M645 that had appeared a year earlier. The new model added a 1/1000 shutter speed (part of the "revolutionary" Moving Coil Electronically Controlled Shutter - better than your standard leaf shutter, imho), depth-of-field preview and self-timer. Though the camera lacked interchangeable film backs (it instead had preloadable film inserts), it did have swappable viewfinders and focusing screens.

As the user's manual announced: "The Mamiya M645 1000S is a new improved model of the M645, a camera widely acclaimed for bridging the gap between small and large format cameras by introducing the medium format, the purpose of which is to offer the world of larger-negative quality to camera users who are accustomed to the handling ease and compactness of 35mm SLRs."

You can read about this great camera at Camerapedia, or download the user's manual from Mamiya.