Lightweight MF camera recommendations?

Ardpatrick

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Sep 7, 2023
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143
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Ireland
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Med. Format RF

I would add in a Mamiya 7 & 80mm lens, which comes in at 1210g (2.6lbs). Cost aside, it’s surely the benchmark against which other options are judged in regard to the OP’s desired spec.

The optics are a match for anything for starters. Its weight is competitive, and although not as compact as a folder, it’s quite ergonomic & hand holdable. Other cameras might be 200 grams lighter, but may be fiddly. The 7 is a well laid out conventional camera body (okay maybe the 150/210 w/ separate finder not)

It’s also got its own 35mm pano inserts, which are not after market, and the pano adaptor works well. And unlike many of the other options on the table it has six different lens options to choose from. Oh and it’s actually a 6x7 as the OP specified.

The downside is it’s electronic (but so is almost every device I use) and therefore hypothetically can be hard to repair, but then again ever tried to repair a modern €2500 Mac?

The cost of the Mamiya 7ii is high, but comparable to a high end dslr. As an owner of both versions, I think the original Mamiya 7 is just as good as the 7ii at a significant discount.

I’ve traveled widely with a Mamiya 7 for 17 years, and combined with a light monopod and medium speed film it’s an incredibly portable and high quality photographic tool.

This is a fun thread with lots of great solutions. It’s ultimately about finding the right combination of cost of ownership / picture quality / functionality for one’s needs.
 
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destroya

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Jul 23, 2012
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Willamette Valley, OR
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The last 2 Europe trips for me has been my mamiya 6 and a contax g. the contax is small enough to fit in my pants pocket and the mamiya is the best mf travel camera. Both have great glass. I stick to 6x6 as I have a 6x6 projector. so its usually color slide in the mamiya and b&w slide and neg film as well as color slide in the contax. for me, travel cameras are all about keeping it small and simple

John
 
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