I got into a conversation with a guy who told me he's shooting medium format on B&W film, developing it himself with Dektol and then scanning it at high resolution for manipulation and printing. I'd love to give it a try -- it's been years since I did any black and white or developed my own film, but I miss it.


I know that medium format is going to give me staggering sharpness, etc. I don't mind putting a little bit of money into some equipment, so I'm looking for advice. I'd like to shoot portraiture (preferably natural light) and landscapes. I think I'd prefer a prism than a look-down viewfinder, to make focusing easier. Built-in metering would be nice, as would DOF preview.


Mamiya 645 models seem to be available in decent shape used. Anyone know anything about their lenses or have any advice? I'd also need a decent scanner -- probably can pick that up used, right? -- and I'd appreciate suggestions on that too.


Thanks,


Jeff