should I trade my leica m6 for a mamiya 7?

[perudo]

I have the opportunity to trade my leica for a mamiya.
I am very interrested in medium format for its quality but still fear to regret trading my m6. What would you do?

 

[thegman]

I'd definitely think about it. The Mamiya 7 is kind of a plasticky build compared to a Leica M6, but the image quality will blow the Leica away, or any 35mm camera.

The Mamiyas are nice to use, not that big for what they are, easy to load, and generally great cameras. I sometimes regret selling mine for a Hasselblad. You can always replace the M6 with a used Bessa if you still want a 35mm range finder, but to replace the Mamiya 7 is tricky.

Personally, I'd take the Mamiya. And I speak as someone who today will be spending his lunch hour looking at a Leica M6 to buy.

 

[Jamie123]

It depends on what the trade is. Can you be more specific? An M6 body for a Mamiya 7 body? In this case I'd say no.

Mamiya 7s are getting cheap these days. If you shop around you can get a Mamiya 7 + 80mm lens for around $900. Maybe you can afford to get a Mamiya 7 and still keep your M6?

 

[cosmonaut]

The price of M bodies seems to be rising. Plus MF color film is getting harder to get developed. In my area anyway. I would say no.

 

[pixelatedscraps]

Look for someone to exchange your M6 for a Mamiya 6. More interesting 6x6 format, features retractable lens mount system, does not need external viewfinders like the Mamiya 7, built of better composite materials...just...better!

 

[ChrisP]

7 is a larger number than 6. So simple math dictates you are better off by 1 unit of camera numbering should you accept the trade

 

[perudo]

thanks for your replies 😉
well, to explain a bit more:
I have a hexar af for 35mm which I really like because you don't have to think about it when shooting.
I only need a 35 mm lens ....for me this is just fine....

I also have a hasselblad for 6x6 .....

I would trade my m6 for a modern MD rangefinder because of the quality of bigger negatives, but what about cla? A leica is all mechanical and can easily be repaired, what about full electronic MD rangefinders like mamiya or rf645?

 

[Snapper_uk]

Yes, absolutely.

The Mamiya's lenses plus the huge 6x7 negative will blow the Leica away when it comes to image quality. But there are some drawbacks;

Positives
+ image quality
+ AE mode
+ almost silent shutter


Negatives
- bigger and bulkier
- only 10 shots per roll of film
- plasticky build (never had a problem with that personally)
- no fast lenses - ok if you are happy with f/4
- limited range of lenses (but again, not a problem, how many lenses do you REALLY need!?. The 80mm is superb, I could live with just that)
- 120 film processing is more expensive, but if you are doing your own b&w, then not a problem, I find 120 processing easier.
- top shutter speed of 1/500s

I guess it all comes down to what you want to shoot, your shooting style, and if you plan to print big or not.

If you can have both, then you have the best of all worlds.

 

[Jamie123]

Yes, absolutely.

The Mamiya's lenses plus the huge 6x7 negative will blow the Leica away when it comes to image quality. But there are some drawbacks;

Positives
+ image quality
+ AE mode
+ almost silent shutter


Negatives
- bigger and bulkier
- only 10 shots per roll of film
- plasticky build (never had a problem with that personally)
- no fast lenses - ok if you are happy with f/4
- limited range of lenses (but again, not a problem, how many lenses do you REALLY need!?. The 80mm is superb, I could live with just that)
- 120 film processing is more expensive, but if you are doing your own b&w, then not a problem, I find 120 processing easier.
- top shutter speed of 1/500s

I guess it all comes down to what you want to shoot, your shooting style, and if you plan to print big or not.

If you can have both, then you have the best of all worlds.

I disagree on the *limited range of lenses" point. There's a 43mm, a 50mm, a 65mm, a 80mm, a 150mm and a 210mm lens. That's a pretty wide range of lenses if you ask me.

 

[degruyl]

The Mamiya 7 is a dream camera to use. It has drawbacks (particularly the shutter release and the meter) but it is probably the best rangefinder for taking pictures.

It is about the size of a 35mm SLR, though.

 

[ZeissFan]

My comment is that you already are regretting parting with your M6, and you haven't agreed to the trade.

You might fall in love with the Mamiya, but I suspect that you'll miss the M6.

 

[Mablo]

I don't think you'll miss your M6 when you already have a Hexar AF. I would seriously think about the trade.

 

[Snapper_uk]

I disagree on the *limited range of lenses" point. There's a 43mm, a 50mm, a 65mm, a 80mm, a 150mm and a 210mm lens. That's a pretty wide range of lenses if you ask me.

Exactly. Which is perfect - unless you are the sort of person who wants to own 5+ 35mm lenses and discuss the merits of each.... There's six lenses, all made by Mamiya, and that's all there ever will be. That's why Mamya 7 users are quietly confident... what is there to discuss?!!

 

[maddoc]

I have borrowed a Mamiya 7II and the 43 + 63 (?) from Jon here last summer after I came to Tokyo. Having always used Leicas (and also having a 500 C/M and Rolleiflex 3.5E), I thought it would be the best of both worlds and it nearly is ....

The big problem is the rapidly diminishing variety of film, especially in 120 and even here in Japan .. 😱 Consider carefully, which film you prefer, where to get it and for which costs. 120 is considerably more expensive, especially in 6x7 compared to 135 and the Mamiya is a RF camera with quick film advance lever, four rolls of film (40 frames) can be quickly exposed 😉

 

[jsrockit]

I would say no. Unless you are used to and know you love MF and are willing to bring a bulky MF camera with you all the time, I think you'll regret it. I would try a cheaper Fuji MF rangefinder first.

 

[Snapper_uk]

The Mamiya 7 is a dream camera to use. It has drawbacks (particularly the shutter release and the meter) but it is probably the best rangefinder for taking pictures.

What's wrong with the shutter release?

 

[perudo]

I would say no. Unless you are used to and know you love MF and are willing to bring a bulky MF camera with you all the time, I think you'll regret it. I would try a cheaper Fuji MF rangefinder first.

Yeah, I actually thought about only selling one of my leica lenses to buy a fuji! As I said before, I am more a one lens/one body shooter and I think I could live with that.....at least, I could keep my m6 🙄

 

[Pherdinand]

YES.
yesyesyes

 

[evanbaines]

I own both, and both are very different animals. The negatives from the Mamiya are something to see, but as a daily carry camera or for indoor shooting, I will take the Leica every time. I will be taking both on vacation with me next month: the Mamiya for landscape-y photos (mostly with a tripod) and the Leica for faster street shooting. The Leica also has that je ne sais quoi when you hold it in your hand. They are both my two favorite cameras, but for different roles.

 

[PatrickT]

I own both the Mamiya 7 (plus 80mm) and Leica M6 (plus CV 40/1.4). I've had the 7 for a shorter time than the M6 by a few months.

To me, shooting a 7 is definitely a different experience than shooting the M6 and I feel as if they serve different purposes. While I am much more tempted to bring my M6 with me everywhere, the 7 is big enough that it is not as convinient. Having said that, the 7 is about as small of a system as you're going to get for 6x7. The images are stunning though...

As a point of reference, I also have the Pentax 67 and I am much more likely to take the Mamiya out for a spin than I am the Pentax. That thing is big and HEAVY.

So should you trade your M6 for the 7? To me, that would be a tough call. If you can, use both for a month and then decide.

If push came to shove, I feel as if I would keep my M6 over the 7. The lack of "fast glass" (f2 - f2.8) is a bummer for me on the 7 and prevents me from using it day or night. The image quality is stunning, the ergonomics are great, loading the film is easy and overal its a fantastic package. But then again, so is the M6 🙂