Opinions on the Mamiya 7

[J Rollinger]

I have a small business (roofing,electrical ect,ect) and a customer has offered me a Mamiya 7 with a 65mm f4 in exchange for one day of work at her loft. After checking on the value it seems to be a deal i cant pass on. I have never held a rangefinder and have no interest in electronic cameras. I was wonder what fellow Apugers thought about this camera and lens. I did some research and found that the glass is outstanding! Does anyone know about the quality of these cameras and glass? the camera is said to be in ex condition and i will see it on Friday. I would appreciate any advice i can get. If the reviews are bad i thought of trading it for a Hassy or putting it on the auction site.

Thanks

 

[sanking]

I have a small business (roofing,electrical ect,ect) and a customer has offered me a Mamiya 7 with a 65mm f4 in exchange for one day of work at her loft. After checking on the value it seems to be a deal i cant pass on. I have never held a rangefinder and have no interest in electronic cameras. I was wonder what fellow Apugers thought about this camera and lens. I did some research and found that the glass is outstanding! Does anyone know about the quality of these cameras and glass? the camera is said to be in ex condition and i will see it on Friday. I would appreciate any advice i can get. If the reviews are bad i thought of trading it for a Hassy or putting it on the auction site.

Thanks

I own a Mamiya 7II system with all of the lenses (43mm, 50mm, 65mm, 80mm and 150mm) and one spare Mamiya 7 body. Great glass on fair body is the way many of us think of the Mamiya 7 system. However, the quality of the glass is so good that for pure image quality this system is capable of better results than any other MF system. All of the lenses in the system are capable of very high resolution, including the 65mm f/4.

Sandy King

 

[Richard Wasserman]

I have a Mamiya 7II with 43mm, 65mm, 80mm , and 150mm lenses and concur with Sandy's opinion–it is a great camera (well, great lenses and I would say very good body). If someone offered me a trade for a days work, I'd jump at the opportunity.

Richard Wasserman

 

[bill spears]

Tell her I'll do 5 days work on her loft for the camera

 

[Chris Nielsen]

Mamiya 7 is one of the greatest cameras ever made, apparently.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I have a small business (roofing,electrical ect,ect) and a customer has offered me a Mamiya 7 with a 65mm f4 in exchange for one day of work at her loft. After checking on the value it seems to be a deal i cant pass on. I have never held a rangefinder and have no interest in electronic cameras. I was wonder what fellow Apugers thought about this camera and lens. I did some research and found that the glass is outstanding! Does anyone know about the quality of these cameras and glass? the camera is said to be in ex condition and i will see it on Friday. I would appreciate any advice i can get. If the reviews are bad i thought of trading it for a Hassy or putting it on the auction site.

Thanks

Don't do it! But tell me her address.

Seriously, this is one of the best cameras ever made. The optics leave Hasselblad lenses in the dust. I measured up to 90 lp/mm with my Mamiya lenses and never got more than 60-65 lp/mm with any of my Hasselblad lenses.

(all measurements done with the same film and developer, resolution limit defined as a minimum contrast of 10% between white and black bar)

 

[J Rollinger]

Thanks everyone! She offered me this deal because no one will work at her loft due to the lack of parking. The loft is in the Loop (Downtown Chicago) and i would have to walk several blocks with my tools because my van would not fit in any of the parking garages. Im very excited about this deal and very upset also. My plans were to get a Hassy with a few backs because i was tired of not being able to change films mid roll with my TLR and now im going backwards with this Mamiya 7. I read one review and it stated if "if you want a good build get the Hassy, if you want a quaility image get the Mamiya" To me the image will win every time! How is the metering on the Mamiya 7? Right now i use a Pentax Digital Spot Meter with my TLR and would love to not have to carry around the TRL and meter anymore.

Thanks

 

[Steve Smith]

Do it.

If you don't get on with it, you can sell it for more than a day's pay!


Steve.

 

[L Gebhardt]

Thanks everyone! She offered me this deal because no one will work at her loft due to the lack of parking. The loft is in the Loop (Downtown Chicago) and i would have to walk several blocks with my tools because my van would not fit in any of the parking garages. Im very excited about this deal and very upset also. My plans were to get a Hassy with a few backs because i was tired of not being able to change films mid roll with my TLR and now im going backwards with this Mamiya 7. I read one review and it stated if "if you want a good build get the Hassy, if you want a quaility image get the Mamiya" To me the image will win every time! How is the metering on the Mamiya 7? Right now i use a Pentax Digital Spot Meter with my TLR and would love to not have to carry around the TRL and meter anymore.

Thanks

Sounds like a good deal. Bring a cart for your tools. The 65mm is my favorite lens on the 7. It is not a substitute for a Hassy in many situations where close focusing and exact framing are required. It's also difficult to use graduated filters on it.

The metering is not as good as the newer SLRs with matrix type metering. It is just ok for negative film, but not so good for transparency if the light is tricky. It seems I routinely get 1/2 stop variation from shot to shot if I use the built in metering. I still use my Pentax Digital Spot meter with mine.

You can pick up a second body to use as a film back. That's what I recently did.

Enlarged to 16x20 the Mamiya 7 looks as good (maybe better) than my 4x5 shots if fine grain film is used. It's a fantastic system. If this was the hybrid forum I would tell you that 4000dpi drum scans from the Mamiya 7 are still tack sharp.

 

[colrehogan]

Yes, the camera is great. I now regret selling my 80 mm lens which I got as part of the kit. I currently have the 50 and 150 mm lenses for the system. I also have a Hasselblad which I used while my Mamiya was in the shop. Both are great cameras in my opinion.

 

[hughitb]

A Mamiya 7 for a days work?? Oh my ..... that's a great deal.

I love my Mamiya 7 ... it get's way more use than any of the other cameras I own. If the lenses focused a bit closer and had lower minimum f-stops I don't think I'd ever use another camera ...

 

[photobum]

Only down side to this deal that I see is your going back to your van and finding all the other tools ripped off. What's that Clinton said about "Chicago Thugs"?

 

[MikeSeb]

I echo the Mamiya love flowing on this thread. It would be the one, if I could only own one. I have the 50-80-150 and they are all superb. I'm sure the 65 is also; I've even thought about buying it, since the 50 feels a bit too wide much of the time.

I guess it comes down to your desires, and the financial aspects of the deal. I think a Mamiya 7 plus the 65 in pristine shape might set you back at least $1500-1800 (blind ballpark guess) to purchase, so it has that much value. You'd know whether---value to value---that matches the work you're doing for her. The camera, however, is not very liquid; there are a lot of Mamiya 7's available both new and used, and you can't count on being able to easily convert that full value to cash as an individual seller. Take that into account in your decision. A trade for a Hassy might be more feasible, and return more value, than a subsequent cash sale. (As I'm discovering with my RZ67 system, love it though I do.)

I think Sandy said it well--great lenses, fair body. Some have knocked its "plasticky" feel, but it's solidly built withal. Ditto the metering: I find that the hardest part is learning to trust the meter rather than constantly second-guessing it. For me it's been rock solid and quite accurate, even with the wide-angle lenses where its small sensing "field" said to act as a "spot" meter compared to the area of the scene being photographed. I haven't found that to be the case.

Hope this helps.

 

[Greg_E]

I would say that if it is in good condition it will be worth about $1000, so how much is one day's work worth? You could probably trade it for a Hassy system if you do not like it.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Yes, the camera is great. I now regret selling my 80 mm lens which I got as part of the kit. I currently have the 50 and 150 mm lenses for the system. I also have a Hasselblad which I used while my Mamiya was in the shop. Both are great cameras in my opinion.

I fully agree with Diane. Both Hasselblad and Mamiya are great cameras and not really in competition with each other. I use the Hasselblad in the studio and the Mamiya for travel.

 

[SuzanneR]

The Mamiya 7 is harder to use for portraits than the Hassy, but it sounds like a good deal. I love mine. The rangefinder can take a little getting used to, and changing the film will take some practice. Remember, you will only get 10 frames, but I don't find it hard to finish up a roll, so I've never really missed the ability to change a rolld midway through. Great camera, and sounds like you have a great deal on it.

 

[Allen Friday]

I liked my M7 II enough to buy all the lenses and a back up body M7. After getting used to the 6x7 format, I sold off my Hassy and bought a RZ 67 for studio work. One day of work for the camera sounds like a great deal, but it may cost you more later on when you add to the kit. You will become addicted to the format and quality.

 

[J Rollinger]

Only down side to this deal that I see is your going back to your van and finding all the other tools ripped off. What's that Clinton said about "Chicago Thugs"?

Photobum, Thanks a lot! I never thought about that and now im worried. I was born and raised in Chicago but i keep forgetting how bad people can get here.

 

[J Rollinger]

Thanks everyone for so much input on this camera! I really didnt have this camera on my top five list but how can i pass on it. For my what it will cost me (6 to 7 hours of my time) i would be a fool to pass on it. When i go there on Friday to see the camera, as long as there is no fungus and so on i will make the deal. I will give the camera a few week to see how i adapt to it. If it dosnt work out, it will be in the classifieds. To be honest the rangefinder scares me! Im use to ground glass so i know where the image will be but this rangefinder thing bothers me. I was once upset about using the 6x6 square format but after a while i loved it. Time for a change!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[aparat]

I used to have a M7II but I ended up selling it. It is a great camera with great lenses, provided you enjoy using rangefinder-based cameras. For me, it had two "flaws" - close focusing and framing. I was always amazed by the sharpness and detail of the images, but I was never able to produce satisfactory portraits with this particular equipment.

 

[J Rollinger]

I used to have a M7II but I ended up selling it. It is a great camera with great lenses, provided you enjoy using rangefinder-based cameras. For me, it had two "flaws" - close focusing and framing. I was always amazed by the sharpness and detail of the images, but I was never able to produce satisfactory portraits with this particular equipment.

That is exactly what worries me! I know there is a 90% chance i will list it for a trade or sale. I wanted a Hassy with 2 backs, maybe thats what i will try to trade it for.

 

[thisismyname09]

Oh, if only I were paid in cameras.

Personally, i've never used one, but i've glanced at them on keh.com, and they appear to be rather pricey cameras.

 

[sanking]

I used to have a M7II but I ended up selling it. It is a great camera with great lenses, provided you enjoy using rangefinder-based cameras. For me, it had two "flaws" - close focusing and framing. I was always amazed by the sharpness and detail of the images, but I was never able to produce satisfactory portraits with this particular equipment.

Never been a perfect camera. If one places a premium on close focus and portraits a rangefinder camera, Mamiy 7II, Leica, etc. will leave something to be desired. For that kind of work a MF SLR should give better results.

However, for landscape work, street photography, and for most all kinds of photography where close focusing is not important it will be very hard to equal, much less beat, the quality of Mamiya 7. Framing has never been a problem for me with these type of subjects.

Sandy King

 

[Jeff Searust]

I am just wondering how far I would be willing to walk with tools to do a days work for a Mamiya7--- I think I might have to add something about willingness to walk those few blocks barefoot and over broken glass. LOL

Seriously do the job and try the camera before selling it if you are so set on the other system.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Never been a perfect camera. If one places a premium on close focus and portraits a rangefinder camera, Mamiy 7II, Leica, etc. will leave something to be desired. For that kind of work a MF SLR should give better results.

However, for landscape work, street photography, and for most all kinds of photography where close focusing is not important it will be very hard to equal, much less beat, the quality of Mamiya 7. Framing has never been a problem for me with these type of subjects.

Sandy King

I fully agree and it proves that one can't look for that ONE perfect camera. I was always amazed by people buying one camera and expecting it to do it all. After trading it in for the next to gain some functionality, they realize that they lost another. Some do this for a while and end up with the first camera they had.

As you say, the Mamiya is great for almost everything but the studio. The Hasselbald is best in the studio. Their overlap is probably landscape and architecture, which in turn, they both cannot do as well as large-format.

To J Rollinger

Do not compare the Hasselblad to the Mamiya or you will be disappointed. If your budget allows, get both. If not, take a look at Sandy's list and figure out what type of photography you do most and select accordingly. They are both extremely good cameras with very different spec sheets.