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Phase One 645AF (Mamiya 645AFD III) - Good or Bad?

haring

Member
Is there anybody who uses Phase One 645AF (Mamiya 645AFD III?)
Is the AF fast (relatively) and accurate?
Which digital back do you recommend?

Thanks!
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Autofocus speed/accuracy and body responsiveness:
AFD1/2 = OK
AFD3 / AF = Good
DF = Great

But this of course is highly subjective and dependent on what you're comparing to. It's also partly dependent on how you use the system - for instance one of the largest leaps the DF made over the AF was in low-light autofocusing. A hands on test is the only way to tell how good the AF will be for you.

Any number of dealers, ourselves included, can rent you a back with the rental cost counting towards purchase, or show you a body in person for free.

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
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Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
What Doug said, though I'd rate the AFD2 a teeny bit better on AF than the original. One other point is the AFD1/2/3 can all use film backs, the DF cannot. So my back-up back preference is one of the former.
 

haring

Member
What Doug said, though I'd rate the AFD2 a teeny bit better on AF than the original. One other point is the AFD1/2/3 can all use film backs, the DF cannot. So my back-up back preference is one of the former.
Thanks! I would use film occasionally... Therefore DF is out of question. The good backs are soooo expensive. My wife is going to kill me!!!!
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I think you need to determine what your frame of reference is for fast/accurate AF. Coming from Nikon Pro DSLRs & glass I'd rate the speed on all of these cameras as merely at best slow (AFD/I/II - haven't tried III/AF) to just about adequate (DF).

As regards accuracy, so long as it's on one of the three AF sensor points then you'll be accurate, although if the light isn't great or contrast high enough you may have hit two or more focus points to get the one you want. I'm not trying to follow motion with my 645 shooting so prefer accurate mode with just the single AF point - it saves a lot of frustration in so far as I know what to hit to get focus and then recompose.

I'm not sure if my expectations are too high or whether maybe I've just not drunk the /Phase One koolaid ... either way, I've definitely been spoiled by the excellence of Canikon DSLR response, focus points and accuracy.
 

Valentin

New member
I have the AFDII and compared with any of the current DSLR (Canon or Nikon) it's a lot slower.

It feels like the speed of the compact cameras. As far as accuracy, it only has 3 big *** focus points. If you are close to your subject, it will be good. Further away and you risk to pick up stuff around your subjects. At times, I have to switch to manual focus because of that. I don't use it the same way I use my DSLR so I'm not concerned with low light focusing.
 

topgreat

New member
I am still using AFD III. If you don't shoot moving object such as kids, it works ok and the accuracy is good. IMO, it is much improved from AFDII. My old AFD II always moves back-and-forth, while AFD III is more stable. However, it is quite clumsy anyway. For shooting kids, I use my 70-200VRII with D3, but for landscape, still portrait, and architecture, the combination of AFDIII and my P30+ are much better.

If you do not plan to use a technical camera, P30+ can be a good choice. Its used price is inexpensive now since its microlens is a major limitation, but it works great up to ISO800.
 
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