Mamiya 7 macro kit?

[mrtoml]

I recently acquired a Mamiya 7ii and really like it and the 6x7 format. I used to do a fair amount of close up work in 35mm and I am toying with the idea of getting the macro kit to take advantage of the M7 lens quality. Has anyone here got any experience of this?

Alternatively a used RB67 might be better. I have a Bronica SQA which doesn't get much use, but want to move up to 6x7 now for this.

 

[AutumnJazz]

I don't think you can really do macro with a rangefinder...At least, I've never seen macro lenses or bellows for a film camera.

My ideal macro setup is an RZ67 Pro II with their macro lens and extensions to get 1:1 or bigger.

 

[mrtoml]

Well there is a macro kit for the M7ii. It looks kind of strange, but apparently it works. I just wondered whether anyone here had any experience with it.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I don't think you can really do macro with a rangefinder...At least, I've never seen macro lenses or bellows for a film camera.

There have been many such systems, usually involving a closeup lens for the camera, and possibly one for the viewfinder with a method of correcting for parallax error, and a table for converting the focus distance on the focus ring to the actual focus distance. It's a bit more complicated than using an SLR or a view camera, but it can work.

 

[keithwms]

The macro kit imposes a specific distance at which you can focus, and so people don't usually care for that. I saw the gizmo and just laughed, I honestly didn't even try it. But you may like it, who knows! When I want close focus with the 6 series I usually just crop.

I think the 6/7 lenses are at their best in documentary style work, in which most or all of the subject is in focus. IMHO when you start getting into situations that substantial portions of the image are out of focus, that is where this system isn't optimal and a MF SLR would be more effective. The OOF rendering can be a bit harsh and distracting with the 6 and 7. (Mind you, I adore these things for landscape)

 

[SuzanneR]

I've used it a little, and it's cumbersome set up. Not sure how close you want to get, but you can focus about 6 inches away from the lens. I had thought about using it with portraits, but in the end, decided the contraption to attach to the lens to figure out the focus was not really conducive to putting a sitter at ease, though I did like the quality of the portrait I got with it.

It's still not close enough to photograph, say a butterfly's wing. So, those lenses and system are better suited to the wider world, and the RZ or RB would be a better tool up close.

 

[mrtoml]

Thanks, Suzanne. I am thinking more of tabletop still life. Not outdoor macro so butterflies wings are not required. More likely flower studies and so on, but I am not sure whether the contraption is easy to use. It certainly looks cumbersome.

The price of the macro kit is about £230+VAT over here. I cannot get a good Mamiya RB or RZ for that price. They seem to go for around £300 up and then I would need a macro lens on top so it is tempting to get the M7 kit.

 

[SuzanneR]

Actually, I think it would be quite well suited for tabletop still life, Mark. It's not at all hard to use... you srew the macro lens onto your 80mm (and I'm pretty sure it has to be 80mm), then the framing thing attaches to an under plate type of thing that screws into the tri-pod hole at the bottom of the camera body. It has another screw in there for a tri-pod.

I got it at the time for the same reason. I didn't want to get another camera, but was interested in doing some closer shots with the Mamiya 7 and it seemed an economical way to go. Since then, I've added the RZ to my kit, and I would say I use the Mamiya 7 and RZ each equally, but really haven't found the need for the macro set up with the Mamiya 7 since getting the RZ.

All that said, it's a set up that is, I think, quite well suited to still life!

 

[mrtoml]

Thanks, Suzanne. That is really useful to know.

 

[keithwms]

Mark, from time to time, KEH has these for much less than £230... I mean, you could make the £:$ rate work for you...