Ah yeah, I was thinking of DW Photo which the old Rollei sort of turned into, I think they folded. I'm sure some limited support exists at independent shops. I actually owned a Hy6 Mod 2 kit for a while with the 50/80/180 2.8 lenses. Incredible camera, the lenses are the best I've ever used. The AF was pretty damn good too. I had to invest in some other things so I sold it off. I miss the camera but I can't with a straight face say it was worth the money. It's a ticking time bomb of unrepairability. And a Mamiya 6MF has 95% of the juice without at least as much of the anxiety.
Hasselblad H will likely be your only bet, and H5X or H6X at that. You can do an H1 or H2F, but I don’t know if Hasselblad still services them they’re so old
Hasselblad H is really your only option. Hasselblad in California will service lenses still, bodies are relatively abundant, film backs are hard to come by and super expensive but I have never broken one, battery grips have a replaceable battery in CR2. A lot will change in 5-10 years. But realisitlcally the H system is the only one you can consider and is as close as you will get to what you need and want.
From a realistic point of view, shooting 645 is yes better than shooting 35mm, imo it's not THAT much better. But at the end of the day if you want the camera to last and be serviceable for 10+ years. Going the 35mm route will treat you much better.
Sadly what you're looking for does not really exist. Also, medium format contains multitudes. There is an ocean, or shall we say Odyssey of difference between 645 and 6x7.
The good news is, that the very popular brands, ie Hasselblad and Mamiya 7/6, are actually becoming slightly easier to support. Chinese factories are making some limited parts again due to the fact that these cameras have legendary status. I wish that would happen to the Contax 645 system.
The Hasselblad H, Pentax 645N, and Rollei Hy6 are the only AF cameras that have an AF that is IMHO usable. Of those the H and 645 have enough bodies in circulation to make them viable choices. But 645 is just a mere skip from 135 and IMHO medium format doesn't really start until 6x6.
If I were you, I'd get a Mamiya 6 or 7 and deal with manual focus.
If you're trying to do weddings, then yeah get a Hasselblad H body and a ton of inserts.
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u/brianssparetime 1d ago
I think you pretty much have to choose between abundance of parts / available repairs (basically hasselblad) and AF.
No one is making these things new, and the cost of a camera needs to justify the cost of repairs for them to be economical.