Mamiya 7 vs. Hassie vs. Pentax 67

[tobycline]

I have to agree with John Clark. If you want super sharp images, then the 7II is the way to go. You rarely use a tripod? The 7II is going to be your best bet for hand held shots, hands down (No pun intended). The RF is easy to focus, so if you don't believe me or Mr. Clark, then go rent one and see! One last comment from the peanut gallery is this: The 7II has a meter - the blad does not. Are you going to carry a light meter? Are you going to sell your first born to buy a metered prism from Hasselblad? Either way, bulk and weight are adding up fast and making the 7II look pretty good. It is sharp, metered, and very light and hand-holdable. I'm not sure what you mean by portraits - in the studio or street photography portraits. Studio? Buy an RZ/RB. Street, buy an 7II or stick with the Nikon stuff . . .

 

Have fun deciding - sometimes that's the best part!

[l_a_k_h_i_n_d_e_r]

I think the way you decide camera systems is by priortizing your needs and then renting equipment. A lot of good advise has come up! I would have thought of a Bronica 645 or a Hasselblad Xpan also.

 

A few things to consider: Rangefinders are not easy to focus. In fact nothing is as easy to focus as a 35mm slr. M7 does not have TTL metering-- try Xpan for that and panoramics etc. You can buy its normal lens, and 90mm lens and the camera for less than 2500.

 

Please don't overlook a 645 system. They are the next best to a 35mm in terms of flexibility of handling and functions.

 

Bronica system--645, 6x6 or 6x7 --is very good option too.

 

You simply have lots of choices. I think a Hasselblad 503CW is a top notch system as well-- and the price of 2500 is great too. But if you want a day hike, take a M7 or even M6. I would take my Xpan-- awesome stuff.

[Rob F.]

I had a Pentax 67 before switching to Hasselblad. The Hassie is lighter, but not with the PME45 meter prism on it. The Pentax gave me the highest quality black and white enlargements I've ever done. Grainless 11x14's from Tri-X or TMY400, with serious gradation. That extra centimeter makes a helluva difference, because, for an 8x10 proportion print (rather than square) it doubles the available negative area! The Takumar lenses were sharp as anything, including Zeiss.