mamiya 7ii vs rz67 for landscape, environmental portrait and portrait

[andre_noble5]

<p>I'll bet you did not imagine 5 years ago that brand new Mamiya RB and RZ lenses would be selling (with MAC warranty) for $130 and $160 and $200 either.<br>

<br /> Or that brand new Mamiya RB Kits with the awesomely sharp and beautiful bokeh 127KL lens would be selling as low as $620 on Ebay from Asian sources.<br>

<br /> She should go with and RZ now (because it has the awesome 50ULD) and later get an M7 once the prices drop.</p>

[andre_noble5]

<p>I'll bet you did not imagine 5 years ago that brand new Mamiya RB and RZ lenses would be selling (with MAC warranty) for $130 and $160 and $200 either.<br>

<br /> Or that brand new Mamiya RB Kits with the awesomely sharp and beautiful bokeh 127KL lens would be selling as low as $620 on Ebay from Asian sources.<br>

<br /> She should go with and RZ now (because it has the awesome 50ULD) and later get an M7 once the prices drop.</p>

[archie_alcantara1]

<p>Not surprised by price drop of RZ/RB cameras and accessories. By the sheer volume of RZ/RB camears that lots of pros are unloading ----- price has to drop. But not true with M7. Not considered as a system used by pros like the RZ/RB ---- so the number of M7's in the used market not as plentiful. I wanted to get the M7 50mm a few years back.....disappointingly --- the price had gone up considerably since.</p>

[john_michael_swartz]

<p>I have a Mamiya 6 that I use extensively while travelling, and I basically carry it around with me everywhere I go in NYC. I use it mainly for manmade landscapes and environmental/candid portraits. Here are some observations that may or may not be relevant to your decision:</p>

<p>For me, it is ergonomically beautiful. It is extremely easy to hold, fits in a large coat pocket when collapsed, so it can go away and come back for use very spontaneously. That's a very important to me. It's not so light that you forget it's there, but not so heavy that it becomes a strain. Without a mirror or curtain shutter, it is also very quiet and doesn't shake, which means I can consistently handhold it down to 1/15 and 1/8 in a pinch (75mm lens), if I concentrate. It is a joy to use while drunk. </p>

<p>I have come to appreciate the abstract nature of the rangefinder. If anything, it has made me MORE aware of controlling DOF, and I often use the scale on the lens with great success, usually for hyperfocal stuff. Obviously it is easier to get a read on distances with the lens if you're not mounted to a tripod, since the rangefinder patch is just a small square in the center of the frame. I have never for the life of me found DOF previews particularly useful in SLRs because it usually gets so dark! Maybe it's more view-camera-like with the RB/RZs though.</p>

<p>As for framing, experience has shown me that the left and right frame edges are fine, and that the only thing I need to worry about is cheating up what looks like 1/4" in the viewfinder for foreground objects. Forgetting to take off the lens cap is still an occasional issue for me, but it is a vanishingly small issue in less spontaneous settings.</p>

<p>I am myself interested in an RB/RZ for the following reasons, given my experience with Mamiya 6: greater choice of lenses, tighter framing tolerances, greater imposed formality. This last bit is important, since I emphasized above my love of the joyous spontaneity of the M6, both for myself and my human subject. I would get an RB/RZ, in theory, exclusively as a studio/tripod-mounted camera, as a more affordable solution to a 4x5 view camera, which is what I really want for this kind of work.</p>

<p>Here are links to portrait-esque things I've done with the M7. Note that they are all handheld and available light.<br>

<a href="http://granary.tumblr.com/post/2993621040">http://granary.tumblr.com/post/2993621040</a><br>

<a href="http://granary.tumblr.com/post/3777637841">http://granary.tumblr.com/post/3777637841</a><br>

<a href="http://granary.tumblr.com/post/3778559464">http://granary.tumblr.com/post/3778559464</a><br>

<a href="http://granary.tumblr.com/post/2981341640">http://granary.tumblr.com/post/2981341640</a></p>

[john_michael_swartz]

<p>Sorry, one thing I forgot to mention is the usual "rangefinders are great because of the lack of mirror blackout." This has DEFINITELY sped up my eye, as well as making it more discerning, which is great for portraiture of any sort, especially candids I should think, and fast-moving urban landscapes.</p>

<p>Speaking of landscapes, I forgot you had mentioned them. Here are some I've done, again with the M6 and handheld, except for the last:</p>

<p><a href="http://granary.tumblr.com/post/4517087205">http://granary.tumblr.com/post/4517087205</a><br>

<a href="http://granary.tumblr.com/post/4447513751">http://granary.tumblr.com/post/4447513751</a><br>

<a href="http://granary.tumblr.com/post/4572560580/">http://granary.tumblr.com/post/4572560580/</a></p>