The Light Touch
•Equipment
Touch the Light.....
John MacPherson
Landscape and Environmental Photography from Scotland
Having been a Pentax user for many years, and struggling with the P67 and its problems, I was delighted when the P645n was introduced. It improved on the older 645 model with many useful features such as data-imprinting between frames, better controls, and various metering modes. The shutter mechanism is butter-smooth and even during loooong exposures there is no shutter-induced shudder.
The lens quality is superb, and I regularly use the 45-85mm AF zoom, and the manual 80-160mm with a 2x converter. Quality drops marginally, but noticeably with the addition of the 2x, but stopped down can still produce very publishable work. I like the portability of the 645 format, and the number of frames you get to a roll; I particularly appreciate the much larger negative than 35mm but without the massive increase in body/lens size you get with the 67 format systems. This makes it a perfect outdoor/travel system where interchangeable lenses are a must, and film bulk is important. 120 & 220 film take up space, so the more frames you can get to a roll the better.
The 645n offers great value for money, as it has a lot of features built-in that you have to purchase as 'extras' with other 645 models from Bronica and Mamiya. The body is well made and ergonomically satisfying, and there is no feeling of flimsiness about it or the lenses. For outdoor photographers it is a terrific piece of kit that should prove sturdy enough for years of rough usage. In the short time I have owned this camera, and using it often during 2000 on the Beinn Eighe NNR photographic contract for SNH, it has proved itself to be reliable and accurate.
•645
