Mamiya 7 II

[richard_silfverberg]

Hi,

 

just read in a British magazine that Mamiya this month is coming out

with a Mamiya 7 II which will fix some of the complaints that the M7

have received. It will carry the same price as the M7 and come in two

colours - either champage or black. I only know that one of the

changes was that the hole for the remote is moved to one of the sides

instead of having it on the top.

 

I was down at a local camera rent store a few days ago trying to rent

a M7 to see if this is the camera to buy but out of the 2-3 M7's they

kept all were broken. The man said that the M7 broke all the time and

that 'there is a pin that you are not supposed to press in and if you

do something insides the camera breaks'. Anyone knows anything about

that vague description? He also mentioned that when changing lenses

you needed to lock up the camera and if you had the camera on a tripod

you needed to take the camera off the tripod and fiddle with something

at the bottom of it and then change the lens. Vague I know. Bad memory

from my side. Sorry for that.

Has anyone heard which problems the M7 II is supposed to fix and if

there is any MF site that have this camera mentioned?

 

Regards,

Richard

[ken schwarz]

Don't know about this "dangerous" pin. There are various mechanical and electrical linkages between the body and lens exposed when you remove the lens...I don't touch them and they don't break.

 

The M7II has a ratcheted dark slide which is a very nice improvement. When the M7 is tripod mounted, it can be hard to turn the old dark slide knob, especially if you're wearing gloves. If the tripod head blocks access to the control, you're out of luck with either. Choose your tripod head to fit and you're all set. Not a big deal.

[Robin Smith]

Richard

 

I think that the dark slide on the bottom is a bit of a pain when using on a tripod, however I don't think that is why there are so many secondhand. It may have some mechanical reason, but I doubt it. I suspect some of it is due to the increase in MF usership. The M7 is very attractive, but it is very different in style to a 35mm SLR and I suspect that quite a few new buyers find it awkward (RF versus reflex)and then then there are only 10 shots per 120 roll etc. etc. In the end I suspect that many people may trade it in for a M645 or even a new Contax645 or go back to 35mm. Then there is the lack of close focussing on the 150mm.

 

Personally, I am sorry that the new camera does not incorporate a 50mm frame as there is a new 50mm for the camera. It is a lovely camera otherwise.

 

Marketeers always need 'new' products to keep selling items, so I think you can often take some 'improvements' with a grain of salt. They are to make you part with your cash.

 

On a related point, I am always surprised to see how many Contax Gs and T2s there are available second hand (in NY). I wonder why?

[Spearhead]

The "pin" is probably the rangefinder cam. You have to be careful changing lenses, especially with the 43mm (and maybe with the 50), not to ding the rangefinder cam. You also shouldn't be poking fingers into the lens mount. My guess is that the store that rents them out doesn't tell people that.

 

The reason you need to use the dark slide is that the shutters are in the lenses. There really isn't any way to change lenses without a dark slide of some sort, that is why it is there. A friend just came back from Japan with a 7II and says that there is a fold down tab for the

 

Mamiya makes an adapter that makes it somewhat easier to operate the camera when it is on a tripod. It looks like you could make one of these with a few dollars of parts at the hardware store.

 

I would agree that a lot of people find rangefinders (and medium format) a bit difficult after using a 35mm SLR. It does mean an ample supply of used equipment in excellent condition is available. Otherwise, it's quite easy to use and operates pretty much like any other rangefinder.

[Spearhead]

<i>A friend just came back from Japan with a 7II and says that there is a fold down tab for the </i><p>

 

I didn't finish this sentence. It was supposed to end with the word "darkslide." <p>

 

Also, check out Mamiya's excellent web site at www.mamiya.com, which has a user's forum for the 7. Every manufacturer should have a web site like this.

[chris_patti]

I just held the Mamiya 7 II for a few moments today. It looks and feels somewhat "plastic" to me. It seemed significantly lighter than my Mamiya 6 (suggesting less metal) and seemed slightly lighter than an older Mamiya 7 body on hand. Perhaps the construction of the body is being changed. The viewfinder has some very odd looking coating but seemed very bright when looked into.

[john_hicks___]

> M7 broke all the time

 

Mamiya 7s don't break all the time unless they're abused by renters who don't have a clue and won't read the instruction book and just bang things around. These same people probably break Hasselblads all the time too.

 

> and that 'there is a pin that you are not supposed to press in and > if you do something insides the camera breaks'

 

Probably the RF cam. You can break a Mamiya 6 and any M or screwmount Leica or Canon RF by hammering and bending the RF cam mechanism.

As for lens changes, since the lenses are leaf-shutter lenses you have to roll out the internal curtain in order to remove the lens without exposing the film. The alternative is either no interchangeable lenses at all or a darkslide to lose, sit on and bend etc.

You can either use a tripod head that clears the recessed knob or use the spacer that Mamiya sells relatively inexpensively that's designed to deal with that problem.

Sounds to me that the salesman has never actually used a Mamiya 6 or 7 and would really rather sell you something else.

[raymond_tai]

If you try to unmount the lens without turning the dark slide lever under the camera then it will break. Renters without the benefit of an instruction manual wouldn't know this.

[larry_berman]

Which would be better and for what reasons. I am about to purchase a Mamiya 7. Should I get (when available) the Mamiya 711 instead. Price isn't an issue. I am going to use it for travel photography with the 80, 65 and 43mm lenses.

[anthony_presland]

Robert White, a dealer in Poole, UK are saying that the new Mamiya will be considerably more (not sure what considerable means in this context) and will offer little for the extra money.

[jeff_tse1]

Hi all,

 

I just make a very bold move in my hobby - switch from 35mm to a new M7-II with 65mm less. I though about buying the M7 some time ago but then M7-II model is in the news and I finally waited for it to arrive at my local shops.

 

The most important difference is that the II got a better dark slide mechanism, a new black color and 3rd strap hug. There is also some improvement in the metering window - it looks grey in I but shinning blue in II. Just strange shinning blue and it catch my eye rightaway.

 

Bad news is the 65mm lens 's shutter broke after 2 rolls and I have to exchange for a new one. The camera seems to be simple but there is 8 gold plated data-link % the lens and the camera. I wonder why some many is needed ?

 

Maybe a future USM AF lens ? That will be just to good to come true.

 

BTW, I test the metering - it's heavy concentrated in the lower right corner of the focussing rectangle. Sb. said it's a lower banana shape.

 

Anyone do a graphical metering test like the one in PP ?

 

 

Rgds,

 

Jeff Tse

[ken schwarz]

The 8 pins are 1) ref. voltage for aperture, 2) aperture control signal, 3) shutter trigger switch, 4) ground, 5) minus terminal for x sync. contact, 6) shutter magnet (open), 7) shutter magnet (closed), 8) plus sig. for x sync. contact).

 

The meter on my M7 is heavily center-weighted with respect to the full finder image. The most sensitive portion is just below the focus spot. Not sure if this is intentional, but it's reasonable since it reduces sensitivity to open sky. You can "map" your meter by scanning over a lightbulb 10 feet away or so and watching the readings change.