Mamiya 7 best price

LMNOP · Sep 14, 2014

I am on the hunt... NOT in a hurry, as I'll have to save a bit more, but I am looking around at Mamiya 7 prices. I just found a full kit on eBay for what appears to be a great deal. >$1k seems rare.

How much did you pay for yours and with which lens?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mamiya-7-Me...454?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f3cf1394e

jp80874 · Sep 14, 2014

Buying from someone with so few feedback is often a risk. They have little to lose if you have to give them a bad reference.

John Powers

LMNOP · Sep 14, 2014

jp80874 said:
Buying from someone with so few feedback is often a risk. They have little to lose if you have to give them a bad reference.

John Powers

Good point

JackRosa · Sep 14, 2014

$900 for the Mamiya 7 with 65mm lens is a good price, but do notice that there are some things not quite right with the camera. The Seller is also selling as is and will not accept returns. If I were you, I would ask many questions of this Seller, in case you decide to call upon eBay or PayPal to file a claim and get your $$ back. Get all the info in writing. If I were you, I would pass on this one.

I own a 7ii and love it. I think you are going to enjoy a 7 or 7ii - just need to find the right one. In my opinion, you probably will have to dish out a little more than $900 - $1,000 for a good unit with a clean lens.

7ii in good share are going for $1,800 - $2000+

I believe the 7s are going for $1,400 (but don't hold me to this).

Hope this helps.

LMNOP · Sep 14, 2014

JackRosa said:
$900 for the Mamiya 7 with 65mm lens is a good price, but do notice that there are some things not quite right with the camera. The Seller is also selling as is and will not accept returns. If I were you, I would ask many questions of this Seller, in case you decide to call upon eBay or PayPal to file a claim and get your $$ back. Get all the info in writing. If I were you, I would pass on this one.

I own a 7ii and love it. I think you are going to enjoy a 7 or 7ii - just need to find the right one. In my opinion, you probably will have to dish out a little more than $900 - $1,000 for a good unit with a clean lens.

7ii in good share are going for $1,800 - $2000+

I believe the 7s are going for $1,400 (but don't hold me to this).

Hope this helps.

Thanks Jack, I think you're right, this is a pass. I am patient, and have two other Mamiyas to keep me busy! The 7ii seems ideal.

shutterlight · Sep 14, 2014

Skip the 7II and get an original 7. It's a better value.

I was very fortunate when I got my 7-- I got it privately from someone that I had no way of knowing anything about one way or the other. It was at a great price-- $550 in nice condition.

Jim17x · Sep 15, 2014

In the description the seller says that the camera needs repairs. :The ON/OFF button is a little sticky but it works fine. The shutter/mode dial is hard to turn (my local camera estimates $150 to fix it but I don't have money and I need money so I have to sell it AS-IS). I purchased it like this and since I've owned it, the dial has loosened up substantially.

JackRosa · Sep 15, 2014

7 vs. 7ii

shutterlight said:
Skip the 7II and get an original 7. It's a better value.

I was very fortunate when I got my 7-- I got it privately from someone that I had no way of knowing anything about one way or the other. It was at a great price-- $550 in nice condition.

> I do not know about the 7, but the spot meter (in the 7ii) is a must for me. I don't want the camera's meter averaging my scenes; rather, I want to be able to pick my Zone III.

> I do not use the multiple exposure feature to actually do special effects, but I find this feature useful if I wish to pre expose the frame (to a Zone I).

EdSawyer · Sep 15, 2014

The meters are the same between 7 and 7II.

good prices for a 7 would be $500-750 for the body.
Good prices for a 7II would be $550-900 for the body. The black ones sell for more. I had a mint champagne 7II I got for about $500, that I later sold. I kept the regular 7 instead.

JackRosa · Sep 15, 2014

Did not know the meters were the same. I would then suggest the 7 (if one can get it much cheaper).

I have seen both, the black and the Champagne (yes, with my own eyes). Before I actually saw both cameras, I thought I was going to hate the champagne one. In "person", it is not a bad looking camera. I say get either (champagne or black) for the right price.

LMNOP · Sep 15, 2014

Color is not a concern for me, but I get why one is more expensive than the other. I held a 7ii with an 80mm the other day, seemed ideal, but 1300 for the body seemed steep, pretty well used.

LMNOP · Sep 15, 2014

JackRosa said:
Did not know the meters were the same. I would then suggest the 7 (if one can get it much cheaper).

I have seen both, the black and the Champagne (yes, with my own eyes). Before I actually saw both cameras, I thought I was going to hate the champagne one. In "person", it is not a bad looking camera. I say get either (champagne or black) for the right price.

This looks like a decent deal, and I trust Adorama's used dept. ever since me E- condition RZ67 90mm 3.5 turned out to be mint condition.

Dead Link Removed

I'm not ready to buy this week, otherwise I may jump on this, who knows, it could stick around.

JackRosa · Sep 16, 2014

Mamia 7ii boby only

LMNOP said:
Color is not a concern for me, but I get why one is more expensive than the other. I held a 7ii with an 80mm the other day, seemed ideal, but 1300 for the body seemed steep, pretty well used.

Ouch! . . . $1,300 for body only and pretty-well used seems high to me. I would have expected this figure to be associated with a mint or exc+ body.

JackRosa · Sep 16, 2014

7 vs 7ii

LMNOP said:
This looks like a decent deal, and I trust Adorama's used dept. ever since me E- condition RZ67 90mm 3.5 turned out to be mint condition.

Dead Link Removed

I'm not ready to buy this week, otherwise I may jump on this, who knows, it could stick around.

A couple of things to consider:

1. The 7 was discontinued some 15 years ago (give or take a few years) whereas the 7ii is still being manufactured. Having said this, one could find a 7 that was manufactured in 1999 and a 7ii that was manufactured in 2000 . . . . no big difference between the 2;

2. I strongly suggest you make absolutely sure that the rangefinder is perfectly aligned at all focusing distances, from a few feet all the way to infinity. There is nothing more nerve-wrecking than a rangefinder that is mis-aligned. The first rangefinder I purchased was grossly misaligned and it drove me crazy. Fortunately, the store had a 14-day return policy and I was able to return it for a full refund.

3. Two other things to consider:

3.1 that the meter works well;
3.2 that the light curtain works well and is light tight

I would not buy a 7 or a 7ii without a full-refund return policy. 14 days is more than ample time for one to receive the unit, play with it, and even shoot a roll or two or film and test everything. That's what I did.

These cameras are great but are temperamental . . . . a bad meter, a bad rangefinder, a bad light curtain and you will hate using it!

My advice: don't focus too much on saving $100. Focus instead on getting a camera with everything working the way it is supposed to and a lens free of blemishes and fully operational. Remember ... if you like this camera, you will probably own it for many years. What's $100 or $200 after 300 rolls of film and 5+ years of use?

Hope this helps.

shutterlight · Sep 16, 2014

I've held both the 7 and 7II and I prefer the original 7. The 7II seemed off to me-- perhaps that was a function of using my 7 on a regular basis. The major advantage of the 7II is the better focusing prism (which can be upgraded in the original 7, as mine was).

I doubt the 7II is still being manufactured-- I think it's more likely that any new bodies are from existing stock.

EdSawyer · Sep 16, 2014

hardly anyone in the US buys these new, they are just too overpriced. The difference in the finders between 7 and 7II is the II has polarization on the rangefinder window. I kept the 7 over the 7II also. I found the multi-exposure switch too easy to hit (and I had no use for it) and the darkslide wind lever is much better design on the 7. That one @ adorama seems like a good price, and they have a good return policy.

JackRosa · Sep 16, 2014

EdSawyer said:
hardly anyone in the US buys these new, they are just too overpriced. The difference in the finders between 7 and 7II is the II has polarization on the rangefinder window. I kept the 7 over the 7II also. I found the multi-exposure switch too easy to hit (and I had no use for it) and the darkslide wind lever is much better design on the 7. That one @ adorama seems like a good price, and they have a good return policy.

I have not had the opportunity to get my hands on a 7. Could you please tell me how the 7's darkslide wind lever is much better than the 7II's??

wy2l · Sep 17, 2014

I attack the problem differently:
1) Select the seller first, and then the equipment.
2) Don't buy junk.
3) I have a small list of reputable dealers, and will not buy anything of high value from Ebay from an unknown seller.

Others may differ... but that's what life is about. This formula works for me.

Mamiya 7 best price

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