Portraits at Home on Film - Medium Format Film Camera Comparison

In this video, we wanted to show you how easy it is to create new and exciting images from the confines of your own home. Whether you're sheltering in place, or just don't want to leave the house, do what you can with the space that you have. During this shoot, we put a roll of Portra 400 through both the Fuji GW690ii and the Mamiya 645 Pro. At the end of this video, we discuss how each camera holds up against the other. Which camera is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!
Cameras: Fuji GW690ii & Mamiya 645 Pro
Film Stock: Kodak Portra 400
My Work:
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[@perkins4253]

She is so in love with you! Lucky man! All the best to you two!

[@BrandonEckroth]

That means so much! Thank you.

[@perkins4253]

@@BrandonEckroth Got GSW690ii also and I love it and use it the most, the other two being Pentax67 and MamiyaRZ67.

[@momoxh]

what amazing about medium format with a great lens is that it produces extraordinary images with such simple background setup

[@jakemico]

I thought my internet was buffering for a moment then when the Mamiya shots came up. But no, that Fuji is just so damn sharp!

[@Colombogringo96]

I'm truly amazed at the quality of the Fuji! That's been one of my "dream" cameras ever since I got into film but i've never had the chance to pick one up. Great video, just found your channel and already love it!

[@BrandonEckroth]

Thanks so much for the kind words, Juan! I love this camera so much. Although, I may be selling it sometime soon if you’re in the market for one!

[@Colombogringo96]

@@BrandonEckroth Yeah! I just finished watching all your videos, I can't wait for more! And maaaaan, if I wasn't a completely broke college student, I would go for it no questions asked! :(

[@jennith]

Wow this is great content, I'm glad i found this channel. Also this vid is so wholesome. It's so apparent how much you two are meant for each other and congrats on your engagement!

[@BrandonEckroth]

That means so dang much. Thank you!

[@okyeabuddyguy]

Agreed on the conclusion, hence 6x6 and 6x7 are the best option. Better image quality over 6x45, leaf shutter options and more shots per roll.

[@joshmcdzz6925]

Not true.. size and image quality have no relationship

[@okyeabuddyguy]

@@joshmcdzz6925 ... In the context of this comparison, all other things such as lens, scanning method, and focus being equal, larger format gets you more resolution and detail and finer grain. Generally people refer to this as image quality. Personally aesthetics aside, that is what I was gauging. I shoot 135 and enjoy that too. But there is a perceptible increase in resolution ie quality from 6x7 and up compared to 6x45.

[@Voltamart]

Brilliant that I found your channel I have both cameras expect my 645 is the 1st model and my Fuji is the 3rd! Love the work and can’t wait to use both of them in portrait work :)

[@BrandonEckroth]

Can’t wait to see the results! Thanks for watching.

[@orbigames]

Im really happy that i found this video. ❤️ You are amazing!

[@BrandonEckroth]

Thanks Filip!

[@shutterslaps4938]

You had me at “fujica690” 🤣🤣 but seriously great shots 👌and I love that the shots are classy and well composed

[@ratinthehat_]

The gw takes some dopeass pics. Definitely picking one up. Great shots

[@isaiahfilm9414]

The B-Roll MASTER!

[@BrandonEckroth]

The one and only!

[@callliemc]

Isaiah Film HERE IIIII AMMM

[@user-ew4uo1dl5m]

gorgeous couple! fascinating work!!..... dear friends do you have a reference of the fuji Gl690? I know this is interchangeable lenses... but that feature really makes it better what you think? I am undecided between one or another!!!! thx

[@tgchism]

Such a fun video! I enjoyed the comparison of the two cameras. I'm an old timer from the days of film only but made the switch to digital and love it. Still, I am thinking of picking up film again. I shot 35mm in the old days but now looking into medium format. The Fuji GW690ii is very appealing to me because of the size of the negative. I'm thinking of mainly shooting B&W because I still have all of my film developing equipment and can develop my own. I really liked all of the shots but of course Cali would look amazing in any format! Thanks again!

[@2ebedward25]

nice video man! simple yet nice photos :D

[@BrandonEckroth]

Means a lot. Thank you!

[@Trolleyfox]

Dude, underrated channel. Wow

[@BrandonEckroth]

Woah, thanks man!

[@callliemc]

Yes yes yes yesyeeysyeys YES!!!

[@BrandonEckroth]

The most fun putting this together with you!

[@fiuttello]

Say what you want but nothing beats old Hasselbald 500 CM :P

[@Theeuanshields]

Fiutello Teletombola Ive got a hasselblad h1 which blows that out the water :p

[@JamieMPhoto]

Awesome work! I love the idea of the Fuji rangefinder, but definitely find it hard to justify when I have a Hasselblad and RZ around. I dig the format, and I've subscribed!

[@BrandonEckroth]

Jamie Maldonado I can definitely see that! Although, I do love that there isn’t a single bit of electronics in the Fuji, so it’ll never have that annoying malfunction due to a wire being clipped or bumped, or batteries dying. Thanks for subscribing!

[@JamieMPhoto]

@@BrandonEckroth You're welcome, and that's a great point! I LOVE that about my Hasselblad. No batteries. Just nice springs and gears. They wear out, too, but not nearly as fast as modern electronics.

[@donaldhollister8430]

Glad I stumbled across the page! Love the photos can’t wait for more videos

[@BrandonEckroth]

Donald, so glad to hear! Excited to put some more together.

[@Markbanksy89]

I've just found out your channel and instagram accounts. The mood of your photos, editing.. I love it. More please. 🔥

[@BrandonEckroth]

Heck yeah, thanks Marco!

[@streetx4817]

Great video!!!

[@glowingeye]

The Fuji is amazing, I love it! But since I don‘t really have the money, 6x9 won‘t be an option for me anytime soon, I guess. Your portraits look great and I really wanna get into shooting portraits, so they‘re a perfect inspiration. And now I want pretzels.

[@theothertonydutch]

I just scored one for 200 euros but that was really lucky. I had money because I was supposed to go on a vacation but that fell through. The woman I bought it from had no idea what it was and told me she was selling off her grandfathers stuff who is suffering from dementia, and he's not able to tell anything about those things anymore, unfortunately. There was a roll of film in it that I'm gonna have developed for the people I bought it from.

[@Mulokaj]

Hey Brandon ✌🏼. We Need some new Portrait stuff from you and your beautiful fiancee. Please do some more Portrait Videos. Love the way you photograph.

[@BrandonEckroth]

Thanks Giovanni!

[@flojeune]

Great! Thanks to both of you.

[@BrandonEckroth]

Thank you!

[@certs743]

Just found your channel. Love the video and the photos are great.

[@SVcreations43]

I'm looki g for a range finder medium format. Thanks for the great video

[@Narsuitus]

For years, I have used the Fuji 6x7 rangefinder. I have never used my Fuji 6x7, with its fixed 90mm normal lens, for individual portraits. I have, however, used it for group portraits. I have never used a 645 SLR camera. I have, however, used 6x6cm cameras and cropped the images to 6x4.5 cm when necessary. For portraits, I use the Mamiya RB67 with a 150 or 180mm telephoto lens.

[@BrandonEckroth]

Great to know! I might have to try out an RB67 myself. Thanks!

[@PeterTsetsekos]

Thanks for this great comparison, I was on the fence on whether on not to get the GW690ii until I saw this video! Highly confident in this Fuji camera now.

[@BrandonEckroth]

Really glad to hear!

[@TonyWodarck]

Beautiful portraits. I’m looking at picking up that Fuji 690. You still liking it?

[@stevenpam]

The leaf shutter sound for the 645 Pro 😆😆😆

[@willf.5403]

Lovely portraits, mate. I love taking photos of my partner !! The simple color palette is nice too. How bright is the viewfinder on the 645 btw?

[@BrandonEckroth]

It honestly is not great at all! Hence the trouble focusing on this video.

[@linjicakonikon7666]

Love that Fuji. You're making rookie mistakes in your compositions. You're placing her head/eyes smack dab in the middle of the frame which leaves dead space above the head and each side. Raise the eyes to about a third of the way from the top edge to create the balance the composition needs.👍

[@Ego_Katana]

Nice comparison. I have the 645 1000s but with the 80mm 1.9 lens which is a bokeh beast for portraits.

[@BrandonEckroth]

I might need to pick that lens up!

[@jonnynoakes9070]

I'm really keen to get the Fuji, how do you find focusing and composing? I've never used a ranger finder before!

[@sophietucker1255]

I have one and it is easier than I thought it would be. It works best if the scene is bright and not very cluttered. The rangefinder area is rather small and in the center of the finder. Still I have way more keepers than out of focus images.

[@chan_serv]

Awesome portraits! I’m surprised your shots from the Fuji were so crisp because of the larger format’s shallower depth of field and rangefinder focusing. Any chance you remember what aperture you were using with it?

[@BrandonEckroth]

I believe I was at f/4.0!

[@fernandoenriquez2469]

Beautiful photoshoot, the pictures are so pleasant to my eye. What lens is that in the fuji? I know there’s two variants and im trying to decide what to get.

[@BrandonEckroth]

This is the version II, so it has the 90mm 3.5 on it! Thanks for watching.

[@kevin-taber]

@@BrandonEckroth Did you shoot wide open at 3.5?

[@kevin-taber]

Never mind... I think you mentioned f/4.0 in a comment below.

[@nobraidps]

Love it but do wish you had a speed light and a soft box

[@BrandonEckroth]

Same here! Just was trying to show people what they could do with minimal equipment.

[@GaIvatr0n]

Brilliant review, subbed! Which one have you kept out of the two?

[@BrandonEckroth]

Thanks so much! I still have both. Couldn’t get myself to depart with either.

[@GaIvatr0n]

@@BrandonEckroth No problem Brandon! I'm going to get one only, does the Fuji work nice for portraiture even at 1m? Thanks again

[@BrandonEckroth]

They both are a little further than 1m for their focusing range. But the Fuji is much cheaper. So if money is a factor, definitely go with that one!

[@GaIvatr0n]

@@BrandonEckroth Noted. Cheers again and thanks for the info!

[@Wyimaginowany-xx5eu]

good job! :D

[@BrandonEckroth]

Thanks so much!

[@rmrfboy]

SLR focusing sucks. Waistlevel finder is king. Not a lot of people realize this but on waistlevel, its pretty much what you see is what you get.

[@BrandonEckroth]

Yeah, I'm definitely in the market for a WLF for this 645!

[@stevenpam]

What do you mean? The Fuji is a rangefinder, and the Mamiya is an SLR, regardless of whether you use the WLF or prism finder.

[@rmrfboy]

@@stevenpam SLR and WLF focusing are different. WLF shows the image like in 3d. If you've tried both, you'll understand what I mean.

[@stevenpam]

@@rmrfboy I've been using both rangefinders, as well as SLRs with prism finders and rangefinders, for over 30 years. It seems like the reason I don't understand what you mean is actually that your terminology is a bit mixed up. I'll say it again: A Mamiya 645 Pro is *still an SLR regardless of whether you use a prism finder or the WLF*. Maybe what you're trying to say is that you prefer the experience of using the WLF to the prism finder?

[@rmrfboy]

@@stevenpam Sorry, might just be the terminology. I think I got where you come from where the WLF is still an SLR. I don't know the technical details on how the WLF is structured but if you look at the screen for WLF, the images that shows are like 3d- like. This is what I'm referring to. Its not like this on a normal SLR when looking at the image from a diopter. I'm not even talking about my preference. I'm stating a fact. If you want to know what I mean, try using a normal WLF accessory. Observe it. Then swap over a prism finder. Then check out how it behaves. Surely, you'll notice that those two render and focus the image on the screen differently. In terms of rangefinders, I only used a zorki a while ago and im pretty sure what I'm seeing is not the same as the WLF. NOTE: I own a hasselblad v series and a mamiya TLR as well as Pentax 6x7 so I know what it looks like.

[@AdamWilkoszarski]

Great pictures. Are those Fuji portraits taken wide open?

[@BrandonEckroth]

I believe I was at f/4.0!

[@Dncyx]

I do love a camera that gives me HUGE depression... i mean negatives

[@randallstewart175]

Brandon is one more YT video maker photographer who needs to either learn how to use an incident meter or buy a reflected light meter. Everything is overexposed a half to one stop.For those who do not know, you hold the meter at the subject (he did) and point it directly at the camera position, thus allowing the meter to balance/average out multiple light sources. (He didn't; he pointed the meter first, sort of, at the window light source, then to the left into the room, sort of. He didn't say what information he was collecting or what he did with it.) An incident meter is used to measure and balance the light ratios between multiple light sources in a studio setting, but in that situation, you replace the incident dome shaped cell cover with a flat panel cover. The high-end Sekonic incident meter allow the dome to be retracted down into the meter body to approximate a flat panel instead of having to physically exchange the covers.

[@BrandonEckroth]

Hey Randall! Thanks so much for your insight. A few things. 1. This video was by no means meant to show you how to do anything professionally. It was meant to show people what they could do with the little gear/equipment they have in order to try to do something creative during the initial lockdown. 2. I actually usually expose most of my shots by a half or full stop. But good to note that I should be calling that out in my videos. 3. I’m by no means a professional film photographer, so I appreciate your insight on metering properly with the right equipment. Thanks for watching the video and sharing your expertise!

[@ratinthehat_]

Okay meter police

[@filmniyom]

Like +1sub👍

[@alipat9272]

what were your settings on the fuji

[@BrandonEckroth]

I believe I had it at box speed!

[@barrydduggan]

where did you buy your 645?

[@BrandonEckroth]

On eBay!

[@Lesterandsons]

Beautiful, but I would not come back to film

[@merrilllangs]

You should

[@luissandoval2876]

Find someone who looks at you like she does at 1:19 Subscribing, very nice!

[@BrandonEckroth]

❤️❤️❤️