Mamiya 7II

[sashar]

Would I get the better quality photos (sharpness,colours) with Mamiya 7II then any 35 or

Digital camera? Is it difficult to use?I am using recently Leica minilux zoom.

Thank you.

[alex_medeiros]

Well...maybe

 

I have the 7II and it is a great camera. Not to repeat an overstated cliche, but it is still about the eye behind the camera.

It is definitely a different way of working.

The 6x7 neg is much larger than 35mm and this real estate affords enhanced detail and will make a significant difference in enlargements. Used properly, only the highest end digital cameras will rival it. I notice a modest difference in small prints and obviously more so as they get larger.

A rangefinder is a different style of camera. There is a learning curve although it is not difficult. There is also a learning curve with roll film if you have not done it before.

You may run into issues with developing if you are looking for a fast turnaround. Your shooting style will be more deliberate. It is a very quiet camera and the leaf shutter means no mirror vibration.

It produces big beautiful negs and the transparencies are a joy if you are used to looking at 35mm slides. I love it for black and white. The camera is reasonable sized and the lenses are of very high quality. The camera and lenses are expensive. Developing will also be more expensive per shot. It will definitely be very different from using a high quality point and shoot. You should definitely try to handle one if you can.

[stuart_richardson]

The M7II has potential to give you higher quality photos, but that depends on how you use

it. You will certainly get much higher resolution if you method of output is able to exploit

it. You will almost certainly get much better tonality (smoothness in the transition between

shades of grey) than you would with a 35mm film or digital camera. If you are shooting

black and white, are you going to print in a traditional dark room using fiber based paper?

If you plan to scan the negatives or slides, are you doing it on a flatbed, or something like

an Imacon? It's really about how you plan on using it. You will quickly notice a very big

difference if you make large prints, but you should be able to notice the difference on

8x10's without much trouble, assuming the same types of film were used. In any case,

unless you are only making tiny prints or scanning with a very poor scanner, you should

see a marked difference between the Mamiya 7II and the minilux. The lenses are better

than the minilux lens, but the biggest difference is that you have approximately 4 times

the area on the negative. That means that all else being equal, you should be able to make

a print 4 times larger with equal quality. That's not a subtle difference. <P>The camera is

easy to use if you are used to rangefinders, but if you have only every used a point and

shoot, it might take some getting used to. You essentially need to learn how to focus

using the rangefinder patch, which is done by turn the lens until the two images match up.

It is a very accurate focusing system (particularly for wide angles), but it may be different

from what you are used to. The camera itself is large, but not bigger than a pro 35mm or

DSLR. You only get 10 shots a roll on 120, so you need to plan your images a bit if you are

used to burning through film quickly. While the camera is somewhat large, it is extremely

quiet, and it is very good ergonomically -- it's ugly as sin, but it feels nice in your hands.

As I stated before, it is really all about how you plan to use it. You certainly have the

potential to get much more out of it than you could out of almost any 35mm film or digital

camera, but whether you can fully exploit it is another matter. By that I don't mean to

question your ability, just to stress that if you want to see the advantages you need to

have the best workflow, be that a medium format projector, a traditional darkroom with

quality lenses and papers, or a very good dedicated medium format scanner and high

quality inkjet. <P>I have a writeup on the lens <a href="http://

www.stuartrichardson.com/mamiya7ii.htm">here</a> if you are interested in reading

more and seeing some sample images. <P>Best of luck with your decision!

[Scott Ridgeway www.Scott]

Yes, the "quality" of your images will improve, if you define quality

as sharper. There are numerous disadvantages to using a

rangefinder camera, and especially this particular one,

compared to 35 SLR or digital, thoguh. The biggest

disadvantage fpr most is that you are very limited in your lens

choices (besides the expense of those choices.) All this said,

the Mamiya 7II is all I use.

<br><BR>

<a href=http://scottridgeway.net>ScottRidgeway.net</a>

[Spearhead]

The issue with buying a medium format camera now is the processing of the film. If you are going to be shooting black and white and processing and printing yourself, that's straightforward. However, commercial processing is drying up rapidly for medium format film. In the area I live in, we have gone from five labs that handle medium format film to one, all in the last four years.

 

Also, be aware that "quality" in a photo rarely ends up being determined by technical parameters. Most people would get better results by spending a year in a good photography program than buying equipment. Of course, buying equipment is much easier.

[sashar]

Scott,

Thank you for the advice.

I loved your photos!

[sashar]

Stuart,

Thank you very much for your detailed answer!

It's all very interesting. I was just wondering if it will be best solution as a camera to take

on one month trip to Himalaya. I like to take lot's of photos and seems like with the

Mamiya will have to do less and also is it really nessesary to have a projector etc.?

[stuart_richardson]

Sasha -- if you are going to spend a month in the himalayas, I think it might be a difficult

choice, particularly if you take a lot of pictures. Let's say that you want to take 500

pictures in a month (which isn't really that much at all if you are going to be

photographing every day), that means you are going to need to bring 50 rolls of film with

you. That's a lot of film both in expense and in bulk. I doubt you can easily find a place

that sells 120 film in the Himalayas, nor a place that processes it, so you need to make

sure you bring it with you. While the pictures you get might be phenomenal (especially

with the 43mm lens!), you will be lugging around a lot of equipment and film. In this case

you might find your life a lot easier if you bring a good digital SLR like a 20D, 5D or 1Ds.

<P>By the way, you aren't related to Admiral Rozhdestvensky of Russo-Japanese War

fame, are you?

[sashar]

Stuart,

Thank you for your message. I was also thinging of getting the d20 or wait for Sony DSC

R1(still don't know what is better from those two..) however medium format interest me

more and more,as I understand that the big prints will be MUCH better. If we talk medium

format camera,what would be your advice?Does rangefinder makes it worse than SLR?What

about Pentax 645?AF makes a big difference?Contax does not exist anymore..What is your

advice?

Every time I went to Japan,I've been asked the question about admiral at the embassy.I am

not his relative,but also russian.