Debating over my Mamiya 7II or a Hasselblad

[brian steinberger]

I currently own a Mamiya 7II with the 80/4 lens. Such a nice combo and very

light for travel and the lens is super sharp. BUT, I like to photograph some

things close up (not macro), but closer than normal. Rangefinders are not

suited well towards close focus.

 

I previously owned a Bronica SQ-A and am starting to miss it. I miss the 6x6

format, being able to change backs, and being able to focus closely on things.

 

First question, is there any remody to the close focus problem with the Mamiya

7? And seconly, if I decide to go 6x6 SLR, should I spend the extra on a

Hasselblad system, or save my money and get the Bronica SQ-A with 50, 80 and 150

lenses for the same price as a 500CM with 80?

 

Thanks!

[russ_britt3]

Tha hassey goes a little closer....why not keep the camera you have and get a 35mm for close ups...they are real cheap on e-bay...the 7 has great optics.

[michaelging]

I found the hasselblad lenses to not focus close ehough for my taste without a extension tube.If you want to focus close , get a RZ67.

[db1]

Buy the Hasselblad and get the correct tubes with the 120mm Makro lens. Also remember, there are tons of digital backs available for the Hasselblad.

[stuart_richardson]

The Hasselblad focuses to .9m instead of 1.0 meters like your Mamiya 7II. You will not see

a difference... You can, however, use an extension tube. How close do you want to get?

Mamiya made a slightly crazy looking close focus system for the Mamiya 7...you could

probably find it on ebay. Otherwise, why not just crop? You have a 6x7 neg, which is huge.

Even if you crop it down to 35mm size, you will still have a great shot that will be much

tighter (80mm lens at 1m is a fairly good reproduction ratio). If you do decide to get a MF

SLR, I would dump the Mamiya 7 entirely because it is not much fun to carry both around (I

have done it). The suggestion of a 35mm camera for macros is also a good one. You will

get better depth of field, more sophisticated light metering (useful for higher reproduction

ratios) and it will probably be smaller and lighter than the Hasselblad with a light meter,

extension tubes and lenses etc. Something like an Olympus OM would be a small, light

camera with great lenses that would make a good compliment to the Mamiya for traveling.

[j_m32]

I'm not sure but I think the Mamiya C330's focus quite close and are rather cheap these days. But of course, they're TLRs.

[ashley_carr]

You are in a similar situation to me Brian. I have a Mamiya 7II which I bought after I sold my Bronica SQA-i. I too miss the close up capabilities of my Bronica 80mmPS and S36 Extension tube.<P>Although I use digital for most of my paid work and have close up possibilites there I do miss MF film for close up. In a practical sense and getting the most versatility for your money another Bronica kit with the 3 lenses you mention for the same price as a Hasselblad 5xx and one lens seems the way to go if you want more options. If money isn't really an issue or you like to show off now and again you could go for a more comprehensive hassie set up but really I suspect cost is a factor to you like it is with most of us and a 3 lens set up with a Bronica is only a marginal step down in image quality from the hasselblad lenses (if you go for the Bronica PS lenses and don't visit too many Hasselblad <STRIKE>fundamentalist</STRIKE> owner forums).<P>

 

If you have a dedicated 35mm scanner option then 35mm could be a possibility but if your scanning is flatbed and aimed purley at your MF work then I wouldn't really consider 35mm as an option.<P>

 

Let us know what you end up doing.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

I use a MF rangefinder (Bronica RF645) as a carry-anywhere camera. The entire 3 lens kit is compact and light. I would not lug about a 3 lens SLR kit nearly as often. All the same, a rangefinder has limitations. But at least it's with me most of the time!

[mark liddell]

I have an RB67 and mamiya 7. The RB is so much more flexible with backs, very close focusing, wlf, lenses etc. It really does make sense to have a second camera if you have a 7, it is not the most flexible camera ever made in may respects.

 

The RB/RZ are great but if you like 6x6 I guess a hassy would suit you well. Not used Bronica.

[david_henderson]

If the close view is really important to you then you can buy closer focussing lenses for either the Bronica or the Hasselblad. I have a Bronica 110mm macro lens that focuses to 2 feet and at that point coverage is 9". The lens is great for non-close-up work too. So whilst there may not be a huge difference in the close focus points of 6x6 slrs and the Mamiya 7 , the real difference is that with the slr you can do something about it and with the Mamiya 7 you can't, practically speaking.

 

The real issue here for me is whether I could cope without a slr system AND the Mamiya 7. I get precision, control, and great results on a tripod from the slr and the rangefinder gets me places I couldn't get with the slr. I rarely carry both, but the other is generally at my hotel or in my car. So in essence the issue is that you're trying to choose between cameras that have different strengths and are best used to do different things. I guess if I were forced to choose I'd take the slr because I can see dof rather than guess, I can use grads properly, and what I see in the finder relates well to what I'm going to see on the transparency. I also reckon that the cost of a variety of lenses would be a lot cheaper for a slr than for the Mamiya 7. But its not a choice I'd want to make, and only you can say how relatively important are the things that you can't do with one that you can do with the other. The only way you get everything is to own them both.

 

On Bronica vs Hasselblad, I've used the former for ten years and the latter for a few weeks on trial. I don't think you'd notice much difference between the photographs from each, but you might notice a difference between the cameras. I wouldn't personally buy an old Bronica, and would consider only the most recent SQAi and recent backs. On Hasselblad I might be happy to buy something a little older . The Hasselblad appeared to me quirkier to use, but many people say that its more satisfyingly solid. And let's face it, nobody's going to look at your camera and say "Wow, that's a Bronica". They're more likely to look at your Bronica and say "Is that a Hasselblad?" whilst you wonder how much bigger they could have made the name on the front. Its much cheaper to buy a range of lenses and accessories for the Bronica, but how important are they to you? I carry five or six lenses for my Bronica and I use all of them- but would you?

[leicaglow]

The 120mm Planar is a stunningly sharp lens that focuses a bit closer. Also, one great Hasselblad lens is more useful and entertaining than a suite of lenses for other systems<g>. Extension tubes are pretty cheap for Hasselblad's these days.

[paul_sauer]

I prefer shooting SLR-style with 35mm, but when it comes to medium format I find most

SLR's too heavy for the usual street shooting I like to do.

 

That's why I went with a Fuji GW 690. I considered the Hassy, had a Pentax 645 (a great

system), but at the end of the day I didn't want to carry a medium format camera around

unless it was a rangefinder.

[Ed_Ingold]

There's no easy solution for closeups with a Mamiya 7 because of the focusing and parallax issue. You could use a closeup lens and a focusing frame that attaches to the camera. You set it up with a few calculations and a ground glass at the film plane for fine adjustments. It's kinda' dorky, but effective. I did that when I was in Jr. High School.

 

Hasselblad lenses don't focus much closer than the 7II unless you use extension tubes (or closeup lenses). However, that's an easy and effective way to go. I have a Makkro 120, but seldom use it for closeups in nature. The 180 gives me better perspective and a longer working distance. The 80mm also works well with extension tubes. The optical quality is very good if you don't go closer than about 1:2 magnification.

[brian steinberger]

These are some great responses! I've thought about this all day today, and I'm really leaning towards a Hasselblad and an 80/2.8 lens with an extension tube. I'm not looking to do macro stuff, not even 1:2 or 1:4, but closer than 3 feet at some times.

 

I'm chosing the blad over bronica SQ-A because I've been reading alot of forums about problems folks have been having with thier bronicas, and they were the same problems that I had with mine when I had it, (inaccurate shuuter speeds at the high speeds, backs not connecting correctly to the body, etc.) These were all problems when buying used Bronica equipment. I would surely assume that Hasselblad gear is much more reliable.

 

Also, one major advantage that a hasselblad or the bronica will have over the Mamiya 7 is the advantage of being able to change backs. I shoot alot of black and white, and it is nice to have one back for normal processing, one for N+1 and one for N-1. Huge advantage! So I think this is what I'm going to do. I don't have my Mamiya 7 up on ebay yet, anyone interested? I might think about this decision a few more days, but I'm pretty sure.

 

Thanks again!

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Make sure that you know how to avoid jamming a Hasselblad:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000Fqk&tag=

[bobmichaels]

I have a Mamiya 7 with 50mm & 80 mm lenses and absolutely love it.

 

I have a SQA w 50mm, 65mm, 80mm (which never gets used), 110 macro, and 150mm (also no use). The 110 macro stays on the camera 98% of the time.

 

I couldn't do without either. I shoot everything with the Mamiya 7 but close up, then I drag out the SQA with 110 macro. Oh, I also have a short tube for it. You simply can't work close up with a rangefinder.

 

Oh, the Mamiya 7 two lens kit cost 2X what the Bronica five lens, two back, 2 finder kit did. Both were worth it.

 

Keep the Mamiya 7 if you like rangefinders for everyday use (like me) and then buy a cheap user SQA and 110 macro for close up.

 

If you haven't become a rangefinder fan, then sell the Mamiya 7 while prices are still up there and get a MF SLR.

 

The key is: do you like rangefinders or SLRs? Only you can answer that.