Mamiya 7/7II with 43mm or 50mm?

Mamiya 7/7II with 43mm or 50mm?

  • 43mm

    Votes: 116 59.8%

  • 50mm

    Votes: 78 40.2%
  • Total voters
    194
G

gerkshinobi

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Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Messages
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I'm debating on a new lens purchase and currently have a Mamiya 7II with the 80 f/4. If any of you with the 43mm or the 50mm could post up some shots you've taken with them that would be great.

Also, any thoughts on the different lenses would be awesome as well. Thanks in advance!
 
This was the 43mm...

3267155650_9c2645a417_b.jpg
 
43 or 50

43 or 50

hmm.. very personal preference. i have both but use the 50 much more often. just find it easier to frame quickly.

the 43 comes out for the ultra wide landscapes.
 
I do not own the camera system or any of its lenses, but the photography department of my school has a Mamiya 7ii and the 43mm, 50mm, 80mm and 150mm lenses, which I borrow on their weekly check-out system whenever I possibly can.

I haven't yet used the 50mm, but I can attest to the several pros that the 43mm has.

- very, very sharp
- at f/16, hyperfocal distance almost covers the lens' entire focusing scale, at f/22 hyperfocal distance covers beyond the entire focusing scale.
- increased hand-held ability due to short focal length, goes without saying
- easy to focus
- brightlines in the external finder are easily visible, built-in diopter as well

cons -
- awkward to use with external finder, but this is possibly just my general clumsiness when it comes to alternating between rangefinder and viewfinder
- more expensive

edit - give me a little more time, say an hour or so, and I should be putting up one of my scans from a print with this lens
 
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Here

Here

Recent shot, standing in the water with tripod, and the Mamiya 7 and 43mm lens w/ cable release.
 

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I have both lens. I brought the Mamiya 7 when it first came out and thought the 43mm (21mm on 35mm film eq) sold it to me. I use the camera for ~ 8 years with only the 80mm lens (sic). The 43mm was the last lens I purchased and have tried to use it more of late.
I love the 50mm lens - but as the 43mm is wider (and was one of the original reasons I purchased the 7) I am trying to use it more. My main concern is light fall off (even at f11?). It is not that big a deal, but some photos look slightly odd to me -edges OK but slightly brighter in the centre (rather than centre OK and darker at the edges??) I don't seem to notice/have this 'problem' with the 50mm.
 
I will buy 43mm as my best wide lens, just first i have to figure out my problem with Mamiya 7 then will go for 43mm, i was going to buy 80mm or 150mm first to test my camera if it is working, if it will work with one of those lenses then the problem will be with my 65mm lens not with camera, but i really want to buy 43mm first over 80 or 150.
 
I think unless you use 21mm on the 35mm format, then a 43mm lens is going to be an error on the 7.

I prefer the less exaggerated effects of the 50 / 24mm and thinking about my own picture taking over the years, almost never have call for a 43 / 21mm lens - it's too specialised and exaggerated, not at all suitable for many subject matter.

I too thought along those lines, buy the 43mm!, but at present I’m on the hunt for that all elusive 50mm lens to go with the 150mm as I changed my mind fairly early on about the usefulness of such an extreme wide angle.
 
I only ever had the 65mm for my Mamiya 7, but now use a 50mm on my Hasselblad. If it's your only lens, I'd say get the 50mm, as 43mm is extreme wide for an every day lens I think. If you've got the 80mm however, I'd definitely get the 43mm, as for non-wide, you're catered for. I love wides though, and I think you'll probably love either.
 
If you happened to have a 6x7 projector, you could shoot 6x7 slides and project them, and you would have a home version of IMAX!
 
43 for me, the 50 (for my use) is simply rather mundane (but I do own it, "just in case").
 
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