Mamiya 7 - Reliable?

nickstreme · Oct 28, 2009

I am considering buying one of these cameras, but i have heard that they are poorly made and break down a lot. Can someone vouch for these cameras?

tim elder · Oct 28, 2009

They're wonderful cameras and very well made - maybe not as well made as they could be, but pretty solid. One thing is that you have to be careful when changing lenses or you can knock the rangefinder out of alignment. The correct way to do it is clearly stated in the manual.

MikeSeb · Oct 28, 2009

Great camera. It's not a hockey puck, nor is it a crystal vase. Only issue I've had is twice having to get the rangefinder adjusted after jarring the camera pretty hard: flew off the car seat and ricocheted off the dash during a sudden stop.

Otherwise it's a tough camera and a superb imaging instrument. Lenses are stellar--best I've ever used. It would be the one camera if I could have only one. It does just about everything well except tight portraiture and maybe fast action sports.

Go for it, unafraid.

Allen Friday · Oct 28, 2009

I have been shooting a Mamiya 7II for 10 years. I liked it so much that I bought a second 7II body and picked up a 7 when I found one at a great price. They are very well made cameras, but, not the most robust cameras in existence. Of my three cameras, I broke one beyond repair when I dropped it quite hard on the floor of an elevator. Mamiya replaced it with a new one at their cost, but it was still an expensive lesson to use the strap when carrying the camera. I doubt any SLR would have survived the fall unscathed, but the plastic body on the Mamiya cracked. A metal body might have sustained less damage.

The Mamiya is a range finder camera, and all rangefinder cameras require care and maintenance. I now send in my cameras every three or four years to get the rangefinder adjusted. I also send my Leica MP in for adjustment at the same time.

I still think the Mamiya is the best travel and general shooting camera I own. I bought the Mamiya 7II to use, and I use it none too gently. When I travel, I generally carry one body and 2 or 3 lenses in a small shoulder bag. I leave a back up body in the hotel. The camera gets bumped and jostled quite a bit, and holds up well. As long as you don't mistreat it, like dropping it on a tile elevator floor, i will provide years of service (and great negatives to boot).

keithwms · Oct 28, 2009

nickstreme said:
...but i have heard that they are poorly made and break down a lot.

Who said that??!

SuzanneR · Oct 28, 2009

I have found mine to be generally well made, and have held up to a lot of use. That said, I had one that got jammed, and there was some little part in there that became loose or something. At the time, I was using a lot of 220 format film, and I think that film might be a little more strenuous on the camera than 120 film. So, yes... it will need to be cared for, but they don't just break down for no reason, and are well built.

DannL · Oct 28, 2009

Have we ever seen a dolphin try to cough up a Mamiya camera through it's blowhole? Nor have I. Have we viewed the semi-exposed innards of a dead sea cucumber that swallowed one of these things? Nor have I. Chances are if thrown into the sea these cameras would sink to the bottom preventing the sunlight from reaching the corals.

These are just a few of the reasons I haven't invested big bucks in a plastic camera. Their reliability takes second place to my worries about the true harm they "might" cause. And also what Ken Rockwell said about the Mamiya 7's. http://www.kenrockwell.com/mamiya/7.htm

Plastic is just evil. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrAShtolieg

How much do these cameras generally cost?

John Koehrer · Oct 28, 2009

You planning to drop yours in the sea?
Since every camera today has some plastic used in it's construction, what's the point?

eclarke · Oct 28, 2009

Mine is and I carry it in the car 24/7...Evan Clarke

DannL · Oct 28, 2009

John Koehrer said:
You planning to drop yours in the sea?
Since every camera today has some plastic used in it's construction, what's the point?

Satire. It was not a direct attack on third rate cameras.

I updated my post above to include one review. I'm sure it was also meant to be taken as humor.

John, I'm originally from Illinois. I never heard of Montgomery. I had to look it up. I hope your winters are warmer than mine were. Another plastic problem . . . it gets brittle at 32 degrees below zero.

Terence · Oct 28, 2009

Be careful mounting the lens, and always be smooth with the film advance. Other than that, don't smash it on anything. Generally good advice for all cameras, but a bit more critical with the Mamiya RFs.

The color images from mine blow away most of my other medium format cameras/lenses, and rival many of my stuff in 4x5. I like my Hasselblad better for B&W, but it can be a pain to take backpacking.

J Rollinger · Oct 28, 2009

Nickstreme, Are you the guy from Chicago who smells like fixer? If so, i have a mamiya 7 for sale $1000. If you want we can meet tomorrow and you can run a roll through the camera to see how you like the negatives from it. Bring a roll with you! Im on the south side by the I55.

sanking · Oct 28, 2009

I own two Mamiya 7II bodies and one 7. I have taken the outfit on several extended trips to China and Mexico where the cameras were given lots of work, i.e. several hundred rolls of film). I have never had a camera break down or malfunction, but I did break the bottom of the 7 when I dropped the camera bag on a hard concrete step.

In my opinion the Mamiya 7 is as reliable as any other MF camera. Treat it right and you will be rewarded with image quality that can not be had with any other MF camera.

Sandy King

nickstreme · Oct 28, 2009

J Rollinger said:
Nickstreme, Are you the guy from Chicago who smells like fixer? If so, i have a mamiya 7 for sale $1000. If you want we can meet tomorrow and you can run a roll through the camera to see how you like the negatives from it. Bring a roll with you! Im on the south side by the I55.

Maybe some other time, i've got the flu.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

coriana6jp · Oct 28, 2009

I had two M7s with all the lenses and sold them a few months ago. They were very reliable and the images they produced were stunning. The only problem I had was I found that is was fairly easy to knock the ranger finder out of alignment.

Gary

nickstreme · Oct 28, 2009

How much does it generally cost to re align the range finder? And why does it happen so easily, and under what circumstances does it happen?

sanking · Oct 28, 2009

nickstreme said:
How much does it generally cost to re align the range finder? And why does it happen so easily, and under what circumstances does it happen?

I personally have not had the need to have the rangefinders adjusted on any of my three Mamiya 7 and 7II cameras so I don't agree that they go out of alignment that easily, but I guess one were to drop the camera or bang it hard on something it might lose alignment. However, I don't think it is something that just happens with normal use.

My suspicion is that because the quality of the optics that go on the Mamiya 7 is so incredibly high one is more apt to notice even very small mis-alignment that might go unobserved on another camera with lesser optics.

Sandy King

keithwms · Oct 29, 2009

Just to add a little to what Sandy said, it is also very easy to judge whether there is misalignment. You can fire the shutter with the back open. So you can put a piece of ground glass there and check.

I have two old mamiya 6es and have had no need to have either re-aligned... after many years of use (and they were well used before I bought them too).

For whatever reason, the mamiya 7 has less a reputation than the 6/6mf and the 7ii... could just be web parroting of complaints from one person who had spurious trouble, who knows. Any way you slice it, the mamiya RFs are photographic tools of the very highest order. Not plasticky or cheap. Anybody who thinks they are plasticky has probably never shot one... the bodies are very ergonomic, solid, well designed, stable, reliable... and the lenses, well, most of them literally cannot be beaten. Some of the best lenses ever.... just a stop or two too slow for some purposes, that's the only rub. They are not portrait cameras IMHO. They are far better suited to landscape/scenic/documentary styles.

Muihlinn · Oct 29, 2009

I have had mine for several years now, they have seen extreme heat and up to -20C (or more I wasn't in the mood of measuring the temperature), no problem either way. They have seen a lot of rolls, the rigors of several rucsac trips by the mountains with rain and snow, the salty & sandy (no pun) wind of the beachs. It felt the ground (althought it was softer than concrete) due a strap failure in the field and still works like the very first day, no mechanical problems, zero problems with elements and sealing, no misalignments, no funky or cranky happenings with lenses, no cracks in the plastic coverings... so I won't pay too much attention to Mr. Rockwell review about third rate construction, I have experienced nothing of what he says during my years with the camera and those lenses.

Said that, name a camera and you'll find a good deal of overgrown problems and lots of hype among the internet. Cameras are precision devices, they expect some care to perform well, but even if you do sometimes they fail. I also use some of those cameras 'made by gods' which have seen the repair shop due a mechanical failure, but not the mamiya 7II, yet.

john_s · Oct 29, 2009

Plastic is often better than metal anyway. I've had heavy metal cameras display extreme fragility when dropped (my fault). Quite often the metal is an illusion: it can be very thin and when it dents, something behind it gets moved,..., and that then pushes something else,...

Joe Grodis · Oct 29, 2009

The Mamiya 7 is an awesome camera that very well may produce the best images for it's class. Frankly, I'd say it could only be beaten by large format cameras. Unfortunately... construction is kind of weak so you must be careful with it.

rpsawin · Oct 29, 2009

nickstreme said:
I am considering buying one of these cameras, but i have heard that they are poorly made and break down a lot. Can someone vouch for these cameras?

Not my 7II...as others have said it is not the most robust camera available but it is well made. I use mine for shooting landscapes, seascapes and urbanscapes and have had no problems. I am used to shooting with rangefinders and take reasonable care not to drop it or bump it hard.

I find it a great camera with top notch lenses.

Best regards,

Bob

Kerik · Oct 29, 2009

I have a 7 and it's been a great camera with outstanding optics and I've had no mechanical issues. I especially like the 43mm lens. However, I've found I much prefer the ergonomics and results I get from my Hasselblad, so the Mamiya is likely to be moving on to a new owner soon.

Mike Reyburn · Nov 1, 2009

I've owned my M7II camera for over 6 years and it has been very reliable (50, 80, 150 mm lenses). Although I prefer to use my 4X5 system whenever possible, I often find myself using the Mamiya because of poor shooting conditions (wind, rain, rapidly changing light, etc.). The new TMax 400-2, Xtol @1:3, and the Mamiya lenses make a great combination thats hard to beat.

Rolleijoe · Nov 2, 2009

I used one for portraits & wedding on Maui for 3 years. While competent, it just wasn't for me. I was still using one of my Rollei TLRs for personal shots.

When it came time to chuck 35mm, I went with Mamiya M645Pro. Have only had to buy new backs for it, while the Mamiya 7 did give me QC issues when loading the film.

Mamiya 7 - Reliable?

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