Mamiya fool

[matt_tompsett]

Hi,

 

I have just bought a mamiya 6 with a 50mm lens on ebay and I am due to pick it

up next week.The foolish thing is that I won't really know if I'm looking at a

good camera or a bad one as I have only really used low end digital up until

now. Can anyone give me any tips on how to check the camera over and what I

should be looking for?

 

Thanks,

 

Matt

[bob_moore1]

The Mamiya 6 and 7 are great cameras due to the quality of the lenses. Camera itself is

adequate but again it mounts a series of excellent lenses.

 

Try this site for information about the seven...most of it is somewhat applicable to the six.

 

www.tomwestbrook.com/Photography/mamiya_7ii.htm

 

 

I just returned from Ireland/UK with 50+ rolls from a Mamiya 7 and the 65... all ultra

sharp. Any poor pictures I blame on my technique or lack thereof.

 

You will need a great scanner or drum scans to extract all of the information on the film.

 

To test the quality try Provia or Astia - tripod mount - F8 to F11 and view on a correct

Daylight balanced light box with a good 6x6 or 6x7 ( Schneider or Mamiya ) loop.

 

Bob Moore

[kparratt]

Take comfort in what Bob Moore says.

 

And a Mamiya of any model is not a fool's camera. Go easy on yourself.

 

Enyoy yourself, and welcome to the world of medium-format film.

 

Cheers, Kevin.

[matt_tompsett]

That's great. Thanks for the quick response too! I really am looking forward to the world of medium format. I was hoping to pick up some tips on what to look for when I pick up the camera from the seller. What basic checks should I look for on the camera and lens to make sure I'm not walking away with an expensive box that's going to cost me twice as much to get repaired.

[david_henderson]

Put a film in it while you're there. Aim, focus and fire. Wind the film on and repeat There is a known issue with Mamiya 6 wind-on mechanisms for which parts are apparently not now available. So make sure the film winds smoothly right through the camera. You could also check that the lens mounts/dismounts ok and that when set to infinity, infinity looks in focus. I'd personally be inclined to focus on closer objects too and check that the distance on the lens barrel is plausible. For example if you focus on something that looks about ten feet away and the lens barrel markings indicate six feet you don't need to be a genius to work out that there's a focus problem- which may be nothing more than you not being used to a rangefinder, so do it a few times to be sure. Other simple things- do at least some of the shutter speeds sound about right- you won't tell whether its 1.5. not 1 second but you can tell between 1 second and 0.5 sec/2 sec. Do the lens rings rotate smoothly?

[randall ellis]

This may help...

 

http://www.mamiya.com/assets/pdfs/rangefinder/Mamiya_6MF_v5.pdf

 

- Randy

[randall ellis]

Or, depending on the vintage, check this link

 

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/mamiya/mamiya_6/mamiya_6.htm

 

- Randy

[matt_tompsett]

Thanks everyone. I've downloaded the manual and I'll definitely run a film through it and check the lens on site. What a lot to learn! Matt

[ted_norris]

Let me add a few comments to the excellent advice given above.

First, also consider using color negative film, if you are shooting color. I get great results

with Portra. You'll find a bit of a learning curve on how to set exposure with this camera,

and the latitude of films like Portra gives you quite a bit of leeway. A high quality scan

(e.g. drum scan) will give you room to adjust contrast and saturation to whatever your

taste is.

Second, when out shooting, just leave the lens cap off ! Otherwise you might find you've

forgotten to remove it and you'll get some blank shots... Finally, be patient ! There are

times when out shooting you'll think, coming from auto-everything digital, that this is a

goofy camera and a challenging way to work, but you'll be very happy when you see the

results.

[justinblack]

I'll second Ted's comments about lens caps and shooting color neg as opposed to chromes

with the Mamiya 6. I don't even use lens caps and rely on filters to protect the lenses. This

avoids the problem of shooting the inside of your lenscap entirely. Also, since the built-in

meter reads through the viewfinder rather than the lens, it's difficult to use accurately with

transparency film. You'll almost certainly be underexposing your slides unless you really

spend time becoming intimate with its idiosyncrasies or bracket everything you shoot. I

have great results with it on b&w and color neg. On the early models (which is what I

have), the viewfinder baffling isn't as good as on later models, so I find myself shading the

viewfinder with my hand to eliminate the sky and other bright light sources when

metering. I also routinely rate color negative film one stop slower than its standard ISO

(and process normally). So, if I shoot 400 speed film, I set the camera to ISO 200. The

attached image was made earlier this month with the Mamiya 6 and 150mm lens on Fuji

Pro 400H rated at 200. Have fun! It's a marvelous camera, and I'll never part with mine.<div></div>

[carlos_ramos1]

Hello Matt,

 

I too recently acquired a Mamiya (7 II). I am very happy with the results I have gotten. The above members contributions are right on. I would add one other thing. Get an instruction manual on this camera. I did for mine, and learned some things I wouldn't have otherwise. The camera lends itself more to landscape photography due to the fact that the lenses dont focus up-close.

I shot rangefinders for a while using a leica and enjoy this photography style. Lets say that its just a little different. I have heard great things about the quality of the 50mm lens. Congratulations on your purchase.

 

Carlos

[jose_angel]

After a long use the bellows could have light leaks. Look carefully for bright spots on exposed film.

 

You must check also for the total aperture of the shutter blades. To do this, load the camera with film and set to B (bulb) and f4. With your finger pushing the trigger, look trought the lens for a perfectly round diaphragm as it is wide opened (this frame will be lost). You must not see the corners of the shutter blades.

 

This is my favourite MF camera. Congrats.

[jose_angel]

One image better than 1000 words... !<div></div>

[jose_angel]

Do not confuse the diaphragm with the shutter blades...<div></div>

[jose_angel]

I have experienced this on my first 50`. Luckily I still have the images on my hard disk...

[matt_tompsett]

That's great everyone. Thank you. I now know what to look out for. Very comprehensive. I look forward to maybe one day posting the odd image on photo.net myself once I've worked out what I'm doing! Matt

[kparratt]

Compliments to you Justin Black for that beautifully liquid photograph made at Canary Warf, London.

 

Cheers, Kevin.