Mamiya 7 50mm vs Fuji GSW690III Decision?

Help me spend my money.... I'm consolidating. I've had a P67 system that went down to 45mm at the wide end. I didn't like the results for sharpness and switched to a 55 that was a bit better. I think I'll be selling the P67 and 645 Pentax gear that I've accumulated (the P67 to 645 adapter has made it a versatile combo system to maintain). I find that I don't use the P67 system much anymore as most of my projects are better handled by my RF systems (Mamiya 7 and Bronica RF645). I love my Bronica stuff and have the 45mm but don't have an optic on the wide end for the Mamiya.

It dawned on me that a GSW690III Fuji may be a great alternative to adding a 50mm for the Mamiya. I had an old folder 645 Fuji for many years and was very impressed by its optics. The Fuji would approximate the view angle of the Mamiya w/50 but I've heard of film flatness issues with them. I know it would make more sense from a coordinated kit perspective to simply add an optic to the Mamiya kit but was wondering if anyone has had direct comparisons of these two alternatives? I mainly do B&W work and have a good Schneider 90mm APO enlarging lens that is first rate but the only optic I have that would work for the 6X9 negatives is a Schneider 100mm that seems quite good but doesn't quite have the "sparkle" of the APO. Would the larger format make up for the film flatness and lens concessions that I would likely be making? It's likely a coin toss but I'd love to hear of any direct comparisons that you may have experienced and could share.

I would love to have a Fuji GSW690. However, in the situation you are describing it doesn't really make any sense. You have the right enlarger lens, the right camera, and the comfort with quality to add the 50 mm lens to your kit and go. But adding the 690 is a lot more hassle, you seem to have some question about whether it will measure up to the 50 in terms of image quality, and it leaves you swapping enlarger lenses for an optic you don't like as much.

By the time you run through all of this and still are thinking about the camera, it starts to sound like the forgoing is all the engineer-speak and the artist-speak is somehow inspired by something about the nature of the new tool. So maybe you need the 690 even though it probably doesn't make any sense. Maybe that is exactly why you need it. So you won't be as bound by sense.

Thoughts

I have both a full Mamiya 7 kit with all the lenses, and a GSW690III (had a GW670III too for a while). The only thing the GSW adds is 12mm of film width, over the Mamiya 7. The M7 is better in all regards, really. The GSW lens is fantastic, no doubt. Sharp to the corners, no problem with film flatness in my experience, and really just a great rugged camera body too. But the Mamiya 7 50mm is the sharpest lens in that system in many regards, has better contrast, even sharper into the corners, and you already own the Mamiya 7 so it makes more sense to get the lens. If you really want to up the ante on the wide end, skip the 50 and go for the 43mm. It's even better, if it can be believed. It's really *the* lens for that system, and in many ways, the 43mm is the reason to own a Mamiya 7.

I think the APO componon 90mm would cover the GSW negative, btw. It's only 58mm x 82mm, and that should be doable by that enlarger lens.

Still, bottom line, I'd say get the Mamiya lens.

-Ed

Thanks for the insights... I think the fact that I'd had one of the Fuji 690's in my mind for a number of years was just clouding the issue for me as a way of having one and covering a "need". I really am better off with the Mamiya glass on the wide end and only got focused on the 50 because the 45 on the RF645 has been wide enough for just about everything that I do. I suppose the 43 could add some extra versatility and I will need to consider that as I decide. Thanks again!

Get the Mamiya 50mm for the M7... it only makes sense. I have the Fuji GSW690 III and love using it, no problem with film flatness here. But if I had the M7, I would opt for the 50mm over another camera to lug around.
My $0.02 worth.

As much as I like the Mamiya 7 and 7II's, I think you might agree that changing lenses with them is a PITA. Also, I think you might like the Mamiya 50mm as well or better than the 43mm lens for the 7's since the 43 is such a wide lens.

Since the 50mm is considerably more available at much less cost, I would suggest that you consider the 50mm and another 7 series body. This would get you another body with a wider angle lens and, even if you do not shoot enough color to justify another body, the convenience of being able to have two focal lengths available without going through the usual doo-dahs required for changing lenses with the Mamiya 7 bodies. Also, when using the 50mm, you would not have to put up with an auxillary viewfinder as is required for the 43mm lens.

If, in the end, if you decide that the 43mm would be best, you would not lose much disposing of the 50 and, in the meantime, you would be in a position to be patient and only obtain the 43mm when an opportunity for a favorable purchase presents itself.

the 50mm does require the use of the aux. viewfinder, for most accurate use, really. people try to pretend you can do without it but even moving your eye around the normal viewfinder doesnt' cover what the 50 covers.

Price-wise the 50 is almost as much as the 43, and less available (more rare on the used market). 43s are usually about $800-1200 on ebay, 50s (when they show up) are usually at least 700-1000.

Both are excellent however, can't go wrong with either!

-Ed

No brainer for me: the 50mm for the Mamiya 7 you have. Its a tremendous lens, you already know the camera and have other optics. Why add another less flexible camera when you already have the 7? The quality difference between a Mamiya 7's 6x7 neg cropped to 3:2 ratio vs the 6x9 neg is likely to be neither here nor there and when the 69 neg is cropped to become more square the difference obviously vanishes entirely. You also have a meter in the Mamiya 7 and wont for the fuji.