C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Mamiya M645 Motor (~1980) designates the M645 1000S body configured with Mamiya's Motor Drive Grip accessory, producing a self-contained motorized 6x4.5 cm medium-format system. The grip integrates a battery compartment and film-advance motor, advancing the film and cocking the shutter automatically after each exposure. On 120 roll film the system yields 15 frames; on 220 it yields 30. The underlying body is functionally equivalent to the M645 1000S: aperture-priority or manual exposure, TTL CdS metering, a 1/1000s top shutter speed, and an interchangeable viewfinder system. The motor configuration was aimed at editorial, fashion, and sports photographers who required medium-format image quality with advance speeds approaching 35mm SLR convenience.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the — format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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About this camera
A refined M645 1000S paired with the Motor Drive Grip - the fastest-handling 6x4.5 system available from Mamiya in 1980.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 / 220 film (6x4.5 cm, 15/30 frames) |
| Mount | Mamiya 645 |
| Years | ~1980 – 1985 |
| Shutter | 8s – 1/1000s + B, vertical metal focal plane |
| Flash sync | 1/60s |
| Meter | TTL CdS center-weighted, EV 4–18 |
| Modes | Aperture-priority, Manual |
| Finder | Interchangeable (prism or waist-level) |
| Motor speed | ~1 fps |
| Power | 6x AA (motor grip) |
| Frame size | 6x4.5 cm (56 x 41.5 mm) |
Mamiya introduced the M645 system in 1975 as a compact professional alternative to the heavier 6x6 and 6x7 systems from Hasselblad, Bronica, and Mamiya's own RB67. The original M645 1000S was the flagship body; by approximately 1980, Mamiya had developed a Motor Drive Grip accessory that transformed it into a motorized system. This placed the M645 Motor in direct competition with the Bronica ETR-S with motor drive, and indirectly with Hasselblad's 500 EL/M series, which had integrated motorization since 1971.
The Motor Drive Grip was not a permanent integration - it was a detachable accessory, allowing photographers to use the 1000S body in either manual-wind or motorized configurations. The M645 Super (1985) succeeded the entire original M645 line with a substantially revised body that offered improved metering, a new AE prism, and better motor drive integration.
The M645 Motor occupied a practical niche: medium-format quality with the workflow efficiency of motorized film advance, at a lower price and smaller footprint than a Hasselblad 500EL/M or Bronica SQ-Am. For fashion and portrait photographers who needed to maintain subject rapport without pausing to manually wind between frames, the motor removed a significant friction point. The 6x4.5 format's 3:2 aspect ratio also made direct comparison to 35mm work more intuitive, and the resulting negative was large enough for high-quality 8x10-inch prints without the extreme expense of 6x7 or 6x9 gear.
The Mamiya 645 lens system, already well regarded for the Sekor C range's optical quality, was fully accessible on the motorized body. The 80mm f/1.9 in particular benefited from the motor configuration in available-light editorial contexts.
Mamiya 645 mount. Full Sekor C lens range: 35mm f/3.5 fish-eye, 45mm f/2.8, 55mm f/2.8, 80mm f/2.8 (standard), 80mm f/1.9 (fast portrait), 110mm f/2.8, 150mm f/3.5, 210mm f/4, 300mm f/5.6, Macro 120mm f/4. Extension tubes for close-up work.
Motor Drive Grip: attaches to the base of the M645 1000S body; houses 6x AA batteries and advance motor. The grip is the defining accessory of this configuration. Interchangeable finders: pentaprism AE prism (with aperture-priority coupling), waist-level finder, 45-degree reflex finder.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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