Nikki Devereux

I just bought a Mamiya 645 Super. It is a marvelous piece of equipment. And I do mean EQUIPMENT. It’s so robust and heavy that my Nikon D300 feels like a point and shoot in comparison. I still LOVE my D300 though, don’t get me wrong.

I am still getting to know my new friend. The Mamiya is so foreign to me, a medium format camera with film backs and hand cranks and all kinds of interesting buttons and levers! One of my favorite things about it is the way the shutter feels and sounds when it clicks. It is strong and sturdy, and it almost announces itself with the opening and closing. You cannot ignore that sound.

And the lenses!! Oh the lenses! A gorgeous 90mm fisheye is my favorite, with a piece of beautiful convex glass that looks exactly like a crystal ball. I also have a 45mm f2.8 and a 120 mm f2.8. Pretty sweet. When I look through the viewfinder I am brought back to photography classes years ago, when the old manual cameras still used the circular viewfinder in which you have to match up the lines before the subject is in focus.

It is difficult getting used to not being able to see my image directly after I’ve shot it. I have discovered that with digital I rely on my first shot almost as my own light meter, where I eliminate the need for an actual light meter by taking a test shot, then looking at it, looking at the histogram, and determining what needs to happen with shutter speed, aperture, ISO. Now, my ISO is set for a given roll of film. I cannot see my shots, so I have no idea what’s happening with them. I used my D300 as my light meter, doing my normal course of test shot and histogram check, and then used the results to determine the settings for the Mamiya.

I have used the Mamiya on two fashion shoots thus far, and I am looking forward to seeing the results. The suspense is almost too much for me – I feel like a kid at Christmas time! I’m so eager that I can hardly sleep (it’s 5 a.m.!). I will share the photos when they are processed.

Next stop: HOME DARKROOM… I will be like a mad scientist in my lab 24 hours a day processing photos!