Mamiya 6 - Pros and Cons?

[brian steinberger]

What's wrong with the 150mm lens for portraiture?

 

[shutterlight]

Maybe great for portraiture, but in my experience not that great for the long (150mm) lens, I`m afraid...

I've not used the 150, but I believe it's more demanding in terms of focus accuracy than the other lenses. Is that what you're referring to? It also has a long minimum focus distance, I think.

The 80/4 is a spectacularly great lens. I've used mine for the majority of my work. I get as close as I can with it sometimes, but only that much. Sometimes I'm a good distance away from my subjects.

 

[jose angel]

What's wrong with the 150mm lens for portraiture?

Well, the frame for 150 is a very small portion of the viewfinder, so framing is an issue. And it is somewhat hard to focus with accuracy. In general, I find RF Mamiyas specially good for hand held wide angle photography, but not that great with the longest lenses. For a long time I have been shooting with a 6, but I had to buy a SLR for that 150(180)mm shots. And a 250mm is also quite interesting for portraiture.

Other than this, I find the 150mm on the Mamiya 6 to be quite a good lens

 

[brian steinberger]

I understand what you guys are saying. I've heard all these reasons against the 150. Like every camera system there are pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses. I personally love my mamiya 6 system and wouldn't give it up for the world. I don't do a lot of portraiture but when I do I know that any lens in the system on a well aligned body will produce great results with a little effort as my photo above illustrates. If one did a lot of portraiture or couldn't take their time focussing a RF may not be for them.

 

[jose angel]

I personally love my mamiya 6 system and wouldn't give it up for the world.

Agree, me neither!

 

[mooseontheloose]

Well, I can finally say that I bit the bullet and bought myself a Mamiya 6 (with 75mm lens of course). It should arrive tomorrow, along with the 50mm lens I ordered from a different dealer. I'm very excited to try it out - I've got several rolls of Provia 400X waiting to be used. Once I'm comfortable with it I probably will finally get rid of my extensive Bronica kit, along with a number of other lens and cameras that I keep hanging onto but really never use.

(Matus - if you are reading this, I just noticed that you put your kit up for sale today on APUG. So sorry I didn't see that first!)

 

[RattyMouse]

Well, I can finally say that I bit the bullet and bought myself a Mamiya 6 (with 75mm lens of course). It should arrive tomorrow, along with the 50mm lens I ordered from a different dealer. I'm very excited to try it out - I've got several rolls of Provia 400X waiting to be used. Once I'm comfortable with it I probably will finally get rid of my extensive Bronica kit, along with a number of other lens and cameras that I keep hanging onto but really never use.

(Matus - if you are reading this, I just noticed that you put your kit up for sale today on APUG. So sorry I didn't see that first!)

Good luck to you with this "new" camera!

 

[SLVR]

moose you'll love it. I ended up trading my 7 with a member here in exchange for a 6 with all its lenses. Im impressed with it over the 7. There is a different quality to the build of the camera. The folding feature is really nice and theres some neat little features the 6 has that the 7 doesn't.

 

[mooseontheloose]

The camera was just literally delivered. It looks gorgeous - other than a few very faint marks on the body it looks like it was never used (indeed, the strap, hood, and manual probably never were). It's raining cats and dogs right now and I'll have to go and find some batteries for it, but hopefully I can play with it later today.

 

[rolleiLeicafilm]

Hi Moose...
I'm just wondering if you have a Mamiya 6 update? I'm about to look at a Mamiya 6, but i am nervous about the winder issue. How is yours?

thanks,

Mark

 

[mooseontheloose]

Hi Mark,

I like it a lot. It is a million times lighter than the Bronica system I used to carry around. The lenses are amazing and so small and light. I've shot over 100 rolls with it so far, the biggest issue for me was the rangefinder, having never used one before, but I'm guessing from your screen name that probably isn't an issue for you. To be honest, it isn't much for me either, focusing is fine, although there are times though when I wish I could know exactly what I'm framing, and/or get a bit closer. The winder isn't an issue for me at all, but I don't like the fact that it sometimes sticks out when I'm carrying it around in my bag - it feels a bit exposed to bumps that way. That said, I now carry it in a wrap to protect the camera and the winder so it's fine.

I did (or thought I did) have a few issues with metering, but I think that is more to user error (and possibly developing issues) more than the camera.

I guess the question is why you are looking at a Mamiya 6 and what you hope it will do for you that your current cameras are not.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Mark welcome to APUG

Since the Moose did not appear interested in the Hasselblad, I stayed off this thread.

 

[mooseontheloose]

Mark welcome to APUG

Since the Moose did not appear interested in the Hasselblad, I stayed off this thread.

 

[Ai Print]

I'm about to look at a Mamiya 6, but i am nervous about the winder issue. How is yours?

Depending on initial condition, the chance of getting one that needs either a CLA or a film advance re-build is about 50/50 I would estimate.

I put together a full three lens system last year and had a few issues to deal with so I paid top dollar to bring it all up to speed, including the film advance which was fairly worn according to the shop ( Precision Camera ).

I personally really like the camera but tend to use my Hasselblad system a lot more especially with getting a new digital back for it a couple months ago. So I am selling my full kit at what will likely end up being the biggest loss of investment in any camera equipment I have ever dealt with in my 26 years as a professional photographer...and that includes DSLRs.

I guess I'll chalk that up to bad luck and a piss poor seller's market.

 

[HiHoSilver]

In the words of a famous author - Get thee behind me...

One of my few temptations.

 

[destroya]

I have been using the system for 2 years. now. I have all three lenses and the results, when on, are awesome. I really really hate the meter. this is the camera that finally forced me to get a separate meter. otherwise its a great system.

 

[FujiLove]

Just adding a quick note to this thread.

I chatted with my camera repairer yesterday who is very familiar with Mamiyas, and he says that the Mamiya 6 is no more or less reliable than any other camera he has dealt with. Parts can be a problem, but as noted elsewhere they are often not required to fix a winder issue.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

A little background. I travel a lot, so most of my photography is travel-based, which often means shooting a variety of subjects. I started in MF with a Minolta Autocord, which I loved and used for years, but I found myself frustrated by having only one lens/one film to work with. So I upgraded to a Bronica SQ system, which I also love and have been using for years, but I have come to realize does not make for a good travel set up. Too many lenses and backs means a bigger backpack and more weight (since I also travel with a small Nikon set up as well). After doing some research, I think the Mamiya 6 would probably be the best "new" camera for me. I did think about going back to a TLR, probably Rolleiflex, or a Fuji GF670, but then I still have the problem of a fixed lens. While I most often use a 75/80mm lens, there are just times when you need something longer or wider (usually wider in my case). So having interchangeable lenses would be preferred.

Anyway, I have a few questions about the camera. First, I am interested in doing some low-light/night/star trail exposures with this camera, but I'm concerned about how long the battery will last for exposures lasting possibly hours. Research on the internet hasn't really yielded anything useful for me to go on. Anyone with experience using this camera for long exposures?

Second, is there anything I should be on the lookout for when buying a Mamiya 6 system? I'll be moving to Kyoto soon, which isn't great for camera stores, but it's near Osaka, which is, so I may be able handle it personally. Otherwise I'll probably be buying online from a Japanese dealer.

Finally, any other advice or suggestions would be useful. Thanks!

I have the Mamiya6 with a 50/75/150mm lens set.It's ideal for travel(compact and stunning lens quality) I used it in dark interiors with long exposures but nothing much longer than8s or so.If you stick to the '500' rule for star trails,you should be fine with the battery.my studio camera is a full Hasselblad set but it stays home during travels;the Mamiya is s much easier for that.BTW, I had to send mine to Mamiya in Munich, Germany to adjust the focus accuracy.After that, it was perfect;before that, infinity focus was off with 50 and 150 lens. The adjustment cost only $50!

 

[rolleiLeicafilm]

Update from me. I ended up getting the New Mamiya 6 i was looking at. It came with all three lenses. The 150 is slightly out of focus but i have learned to compensate if needed. Otherwise, I am glad i pulled the trigger on this one. Love the compact design for a medium format camera. I have taken it on many outings from walking around cities to scrambling mountains over the past year. While i love my Hasselblad 500 c/m i am in the same boat as Ralph; my Hasselblad stays at home for portrature/macro work and the New Mamiya 6 goes in my bag for travel.

 

[FujiLove]

I've also just bought an M6, having previously owned an M7ii. Very much looking forward to giving it a workout.

 

[TheToadMen]

I'm on the look out for a nice Mamiya 6 for a fair price. Don't know exactly why, but I prefer the M-6 over the M-7.

 

[quixotic]

If you go to Hokkaido in the winter, bring along a back-up camera. The Mamiya 6's are notorious for shutter failure in the cold (I found out the hard way).

 

[Colin Corneau]

I'm about to pick up a Mam.6 kit (3 lenses and even the metal suitcase) -- I'm used to rangefinder focusing on my Leica M6, so no worries there.

It seems to be solid and no issues (knock on wood) with the film advance lever...although any up to date hints on servicing would be appreciated!

What seems to be the going price for a kit like this, nowadays?

 

[iakustov]

I had to send mine to Mamiya in Munich, Germany to adjust the focus accuracy.

Did you send it to the address listed on mamiya.de site? May be you know if they have spare parts for e.g. film advance available? I know precision camera in Illinois do as I contacted them not long ago, but it is far away from me. I have a problem with a electromagnet, although there is a workaround, it is not good. I would like to align 150mm lens focus too.

 

[FujiLove]

I'm about to pick up a Mam.6 kit (3 lenses and even the metal suitcase) -- I'm used to rangefinder focusing on my Leica M6, so no worries there.

It seems to be solid and no issues (knock on wood) with the film advance lever...although any up to date hints on servicing would be appreciated!

What seems to be the going price for a kit like this, nowadays?

My Mamiya 6, 75mm and 150mm lenses arrived this morning and I'm very impressed with how compact it is. It feels a bit lighter than my old M7ii as well, although that may be because I've been lugging a Hasselblad around for a while ;-)

It has a couple of tiny scuffs to the body, mostly on the base and a minute hairline crack on the rangefinder illumination window (not the viewfinder). I'd rate the body in very good/excellent condition. The lenses are almost perfect and look close to new condition. It included the caps, hood, strap etc. (no boxes), and I paid £900 which is around $1100 at today's rate. This was via eBay from a UK seller.

I'd forgotten how comfortable these Mamiya's feel in the hand.

Now, what to shoot?...