How many of you own a Mamiya 7 or 7ii

[glt]

Hi,

I'm seriously thinking of getting into MF cameras and am considering to but the Mamiya 7ii.

Out of curiousity, i would like to know how big this community is in Sgp. My guess is that this is relatively small group of enthusiasts compared to other camera systems.

My point of asking? Well, this would help me gauge how easy it would be to buy or sell the camera and the lens. Sorry about being a bit practical here, as i've always been a SLR user, and am not sure if will take to RF MF cams well. So please vote away! Cheers

[kex]

i have a 7 and 65mm..

[yellowfinsg]

Hi, I have a 7II with a standard 80mm lens. And I know there is one guy with a 7II and have almost the whole range of lenses for the 7II.

[XXX Boy]

Originally Posted by glt Hi, I'm seriously thinking of getting into MF cameras and am considering to but the Mamiya 7ii. Out of curiousity, i would like to know how big this community is in Sgp. My guess is that this is relatively small group of enthusiasts compared to other camera systems. My point of asking? Well, this would help me gauge how easy it would be to buy or sell the camera and the lens. Sorry about being a bit practical here, as i've always been a SLR user, and am not sure if will take to RF MF cams well. So please vote away! Cheers

It actually depend on the user usage. I have a friend that likes to shot street photography and he bought a used Mamiya 7. After only a couple of mths, he complaint that it is too big and bulky and lazy to bring out. And somemore, the Mamiya 7 system does not have any fast lenses to shoot low-light.
I does not know what kind of shooter are you. If you like shooting landscape and studios and would do huge blown-ups, then a Mamiya 7 is for you. If you like street photography, I would suggest you to get a Leica M system.

[kex]

Or the Contax G system.

[XXX Boy]

Originally Posted by kex Or the Contax G system.

Yeah, the Contax G system is another good system for street photography and it is also compact and its optics are very very good too!

[glt]

Originally Posted by XXX Boy It actually depend on the user usage. I have a friend that likes to shot street photography and he bought a used Mamiya 7. After only a couple of mths, he complaint that it is too big and bulky and lazy to bring out. And somemore, the Mamiya 7 system does not have any fast lenses to shoot low-light. I does not know what kind of shooter are you. If you like shooting landscape and studios and would do huge blown-ups, then a Mamiya 7 is for you. If you like street photography, I would suggest you to get a Leica M system.

Well, i mainly shoot street scenes and sometimes still life. But my main intent on going medium format is that i want to do large blow ups like 12x16.

Don't flame me on this, but i think that despite the lens, a 35mm shot on a leica won't compare to a 6x7 shot on a Mamiya for large enlargements. Secondly, i'm told that leicas are more expensive if you take into consideration second or third lens.

[XXX Boy]

Originally Posted by glt Well, i mainly shoot street scenes and sometimes still life. But my main intent on going medium format is that i want to do large blow ups like 12x16. Don't flame me on this, but i think that despite the lens, a 35mm shot on a leica won't compare to a 6x7 shot on a Mamiya for large enlargements. Secondly, i'm told that leicas are more expensive if you take into consideration second or third lens.

I would seriously asking you to consider this carefully. I had a friend of mine who also think that a 6X7 format will beat the hell out of any 35mm camera so therefore he bought a Mamiya 7. Just after a few mths of use, he regret making the purchase and now wanting to sell it away. He feels that it is too heavy and the system don't have any fast lenses.
A 2nd hand leica m is not too expensive as you think. And there are some 3rd party lenses now for the system too!

[canturn]

Originally Posted by XXX Boy Yeah, the Contax G system is another good system for street photography and it is also compact and its optics are very very good too!

Mamiya 7 optics are grain cutting, esp when using a grain focuser in a darkroom. For weddings, I carry the Mamiya 7 for pano shots; Leica M + Contax G2 with 28mm as the main.

This combi Works very well for me, esp when you need the fast, hassle-free loading advantage of the G2 (loading film into the Leica M takes a bit of patience, and certainly not something you would like to do during important moments...)

The Contax G optics loses out when you blow to 11X14". Hardly noticeable at 8X10".

All 3 cams are really silent and non-obstrusive, and that suits my style of shooting.

[fantom]

Got a M645 from a CS member coupla months back....never looked back
just love the prints and slides

[kex]

Medium Format & above will produce best result when used with a tripod.
i personally find the mamiya optics very impressive,especially so when used with a tripod and correct techniques.
Sharpness and contrast of the lens are one of the best i seen.
I find the M7/M7ii size is very small if u consider the result it is able to give,F4 is not a big problem with me 90% of the time since i can safely handhold @ 1/15 with good result..
Another plus point about MF is i can finish off 10 shots easily and develop them immediately.
With 35mm,sometimes i take a few outings to finish off one roll,if at the end of the shoot,i load in another roll,it will take me weeks to see the result..
If u shoot B&W and do ur own D&P, the bigger negs will gives u alot of manipulation options like cropping,penciling,better enlargements and more detailed contact prints.

[glt]

Originally Posted by kex Medium Format & above will produce best result when used with a tripod. i personally find the mamiya optics very impressive,especially so when used with a tripod and correct techniques. Sharpness and contrast of the lens are one of the best i seen. I find the M7/M7ii size is very small if u consider the result it is able to give,F4 is not a big problem with me 90% of the time since i can safely handhold @ 1/15 with good result.. Another plus point about MF is i can finish off 10 shots easily and develop them immediately. With 35mm,sometimes i take a few outings to finish off one roll,if at the end of the shoot,i load in another roll,it will take me weeks to see the result.. If u shoot B&W and do ur own D&P, the bigger negs will gives u alot of manipulation options like cropping,penciling,better enlargements and more detailed contact prints.

I got a question based on your post. In the Canon 35mm world, it is highly recommended to not to shoot at the widest apperture (unles you have an L Lens). So most of us mortals need to stop down at least 3 to 4 stops. Hence with my 28-135 lens, i'm advise to shoot at 8 or smaller to gain optimal sharpness.

My question is : for Mamiya 7 system lens, can you shoot wide open at apt4 or should you stop down as well to get significantly better results. Bare in mind that i would like to enlarge my prints to 11x14 or 12x16.

[glt]

Originally Posted by XXX Boy I would seriously asking you to consider this carefully. I had a friend of mine who also think that a 6X7 format will beat the hell out of any 35mm camera so therefore he bought a Mamiya 7. Just after a few mths of use, he regret making the purchase and now wanting to sell it away. He feels that it is too heavy and the system don't have any fast lenses. A 2nd hand leica m is not too expensive as you think. And there are some 3rd party lenses now for the system too!

btw, has your friend advertised his camera here yet? If not, i'm interested in looking at his set.

[sfhuang]

Originally Posted by glt btw, has your friend advertised his camera here yet? If not, i'm interested in looking at his set.

lance is selling his Mamiya 7 on Offstone.

[kex]

Originally Posted by glt I got a question based on your post. In the Canon 35mm world, it is highly recommended to not to shoot at the widest apperture (unles you have an L Lens). So most of us mortals need to stop down at least 3 to 4 stops. Hence with my 28-135 lens, i'm advise to shoot at 8 or smaller to gain optimal sharpness. My question is : for Mamiya 7 system lens, can you shoot wide open at apt4 or should you stop down as well to get significantly better results. Bare in mind that i would like to enlarge my prints to 11x14 or 12x16.

If i'm going for large prints(16R & above),i will shoot at F11 at least to get the best result.

i'm very pleased with those B&W 10R enlargements i shot @ F4 with Delta100.
If ur comparison are MF@widest vs 35mm@widest blown up optically to 11x14.
It is quite obvious which one will gives u better results,isn't it ?
a 6x7 is almost 5 times bigger than a 35mm,it can achieve 11x14 with alot less magnification whereas with a 35mm,u are alrdy pushing the limits.
The Overall Tonality of the enlargements made by 6x7 will also win 35mm flat.
it is something like the OHP we use in school last time,the closer the lamp is to the screen,the more contrasty it is..

[yellowfinsg]

Originally Posted by kex If i'm going for large prints(16R & above),i will shoot at F11 at least to get the best result. i'm very pleased with those B&W 10R enlargements i shot @ F4 with Delta100. If ur comparison are MF@widest vs 35mm@widest blown up optically to 11x14. It is quite obvious which one will gives u better results,isn't it ? a 6x7 is almost 5 times bigger than a 35mm,it can achieve 11x14 with alot less magnification whereas with a 35mm,u are alrdy pushing the limits. The Overall Tonality of the enlargements made by 6x7 will also win 35mm flat. it is something like the OHP we use in school last time,the closer the lamp is to the screen,the more contrasty it is..

I totally agree with u kex. When I did a large print, I could not believe it at first. The detailing is fantastic~!

I've no regrets at all~!

[sfhuang]

Originally Posted by yellowfinsg I totally agree with u kex. When I did a large print, I could not believe it at first. The detailing is fantastic~! I've no regrets at all~!

yah lar friend. Can even see the man behind the hotel rm window ...

[yellowfinsg]

Originally Posted by sfhuang yah lar friend. Can even see the man behind the hotel rm window ...

Hahaha. That's why I love my MF. The detailing are So sfhuang, when u getting yours

[RaidenII]

Medium Formats are great when you what to blow up your pictures into poster sizes, such as those you see in shops like Guess, G2000, DKNY, etc. Pictures from MF are simply breathtaking because they tend to capture quite a lot of background because of the 6x6/6x7/645 film formats. That's why, you guys may be wondering why those pictures in advertisements (such as Guess) simply looks different, something which 35mm cannot do. BTW, there is little or no distortion when you use wide angle lenses in MF.

However, investing in MF is not cheap and you have to buy lenses, flash guns and accessories all over again...all these will cost you a BOMB. Buy it if you are filthy rich or if it is for business use. People who regret buying MF is simply because the equibment is too bulky and the users are hobbyist (tell me, HOW FREQUENT DO YOU SHOOT IN SINGAPORE??!!!). As I said, generally, MF is more for commercial use.

BTW, I may be selling a new lens that I have bought about 2 weeks back if Cathay don't allow me to change it to a 150mm wider angle lens. The lens is Mamiya 210mm ULD F4.0, for Mamiya 645 AFD body. Anyone interested? Not used at all.

[kex]

if u buy older MF models like RB or TLR,u will be suprised how cheap it is now.
Most MF cameras will be able to use the current flash u probably have now.
i shoot almost every wkend if i'm free with it,actually prefers it over 35mm becoz 10 shots is quite easy to finish in a day outing,unlike 36exp u get on 35mm..