Whats your favorite MF camera.

I guess I'm still one of the few people insane enough to use an RZ for street photography. Yes, it's heavy but one gets used to fairly soon. I usually have the 110mm or the 65mm lens on both of which aren't as heavy as the 180mm which I keep in my bag along with a second back and cable release. I recently rented a P67II and it too is a nice camera. The TTL meter almost swayed towards purchasing one, but I really just love my RZ. I suggest you rent a couple cameras and try them out. That's the best way to really find out what camera works best for you.

This is not for a shopping list. I am just curious. I have owned a RB pro s and a RZ so I am familiar with those too. Very smooth mirror action but a real brick.

Mamiya RB67 Pro S and Mamiya C330 S.

For studio - RB67 Pro SD. For outdoors - Mamiya 7II.

Bronica GS-1 for the optics, build quality, compactness, and overall design.

I've handled a few others of the more bricklike ones, but for me the Mamiya 7II wins the prize. It's so lightweight and easy to handle it's a joy to use. And the picture quality just never ceases to amaze me.<p>

Hakon Soreide<br>

Bergen, Norway<br>

<a href="http://www.hakonsoreide.com">www.hakonsoreide.com</a>

Plaubel Makina 67.

Troy,<br>

You say "Not which one should I buy", and then you add "I am stuck between Pentax 67II and Mamiya 7". I don't clearly understand what do you expect asking a question about favorites cameras. But that's your question ;>)<br>

You'll probably find as many MF cameras choices as photographers. That's an endless question. And many reasons to choose the "X" camera and not the "Y" are very personal.<br>

Something which is a drawback for one photographer will maybe be considered as a quality by another one. Endless, I say...<p>

Personnaly, I use Rolleiflexes : a TLR 2.8/80 and a SLR SL66-SE with 40, 50, 80, 150 and 250 mm Zeiss lenses.<br>

I can give you one hundred reasons why I choosed these cameras, most of them being of course totally subjective.<br>

First, I'm "in love" with Rolleiflexes, and I don't like Hasselblad. That's what I said : totally subjective.<p>

My 2 cents about Pentax vs Mamiya. Both are great cameras, but probably not for the same use.<br>

Handheld, the Mamiya 7 is easier to use, and with the Pentax, you will probably need a tripod. <br>

On another hand, the choice of Sekor lenses for the 7 or 7II is more restricted than Pentax lenses, and probably much more expensive.<br>

But keep in mind that both are excellent, referring to modern standards.<p>

I have been working (and I still work) with a Linhof LF camera for several years. When I decided to buy a SLR MF camera, I hesitated, and both the 67II and the 7II were on my list for a long time.<br>

But I was appealed by the "legend" and optical quality of Carl Zeiss lenses. There the choice narrowed : Rollei or Hasselblad, Hasselblad or Rollei.<br>

I used 25 years ago a Mamiya 645 1000S, and I consider it was an good camera, with excellent lenses (the 45mm was razor-sharp !). But now I need interchangeable backs, and neither the Pentax nor the Mamiya have one.<br>

I was also interested by the tilting possibilities of the SL66. (Probably a "deformation" inherited of LF cameras).<p>

I have a Rolleiflex TLR. It's a "faithful companion" for everyday's photography. I have a great pleasure to use it, it is light, discrete, ever-ready to use.<br>

It allowed me to make several beautiful pictures so I decided to continue "to live in Rolleiflex".<br>

As the SL66-SE is not manufactured any more, the prices seemed more accessible than those of Hasselblads, and the market is IMO "clearer".<br>

I recently bought a non-FLE Distagon 40mm, and I am always pleased using the SL66. Sincerely, it's a great camera.<p>

You must be certain of one thing which should soothe you : if you choose either Pentax or Mamiya, you will never make an error. both are great cameras, with excellent lenses.<br>

Good luck !<br>

When I say I am stuck between the two, I mean my favorite MF cameras are a Pentax 67II and a Mamiya 7.

 

Thats all.

Bronica SQ-Ai system. It's what I have. Not sure photography is about tools, anyway, as the saying goes.

Mamiya 7II or Fuji rangefinders for travel and urban landscapes, Pentax 645 for portrait, telephoto and macro, Rolleiflex 6008i or AF for studio, and Rolleiflex SL66 for lens hacking and the more unusual macro shot. In opposite to 35mm, the technical challenges of MF for camera manufacterers are more sizable and have resulted in fairly different solutions. Mirror slap and shutter curtain size as it affects X-synch are probably still significant issues. Thus, if you want to do it all in MF, it would be not unusual to have different favorite MF cameras for different photographic tasks. In your case, you might as well get both of them...

 

But I guess the one that surprised me the most with its performance and versatility was the Pentax 645, mostly because of its true handholdability and outstanding image quality. I got it as an add-on for travel with the Mamiya 7II, but it turned out that I am now mostly taking the Pentax... There's a favorite... :).

 

But they all are. I started with an SLX, which I never really liked, then I got a SL66E, which continues to amaze me to this day. And then I use a 6008i in the studio, which is a joy to use every time.

 

I guess the biggest disappointment was the Mamiya after all. It seemed so practical and lightweight, and the image quality is certainly extraordinary. But when it comes to taking pictures, I find myself often wanting the telephoto or macro capability. And the slides sometimes feel slightly amputated compared to the 6x9s of my Fuji GSW :) But it's still a neat camera system though.

I have a Hasselblad 500CM, a Rolleiflex E Schneider 1:2.8, a Mamiya C330 and a Pentax 645. Needless to say that the Hassel with the Palnar makes the better pictures, but I love the results of my C330 with its bellow and the quality and portability of my Pentax 645 system. Unfortunately I don't get real nice pictures out of my Rollei. The lens is clean but the negatives aren't so sharp. I believe there's some problem of alignement, because a Schneider Xenotar 1:2.8 couldn't be normaly the last one in this rank.