JamesFromSydney
James Morris
Mary Ellen Mark uses one for street.
What is a Mamiya 7II ideally suited to
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kipkeston
Well-known
Anything in good light. And who doesn't want to shoot in good light?
Benjamin Marks
Veteran
I used mine for environmental portraiture. The lack of ability to fill the frame with the subject's head made it less than ideal for head-shots. But if you were standing 10 feet away and wanted to show the subject in his/her environment, then it was great. Ditto outdoor weddings, but I never shot one professionally -- only for friends, so I don't have a sense of how one would fit into a pro work-flow. I think you'd want more than one and have a trusty assistant loading the one you weren't shooting. Ultimately I sold mine and bought a guitar. The guitar is good for weddings or street, but not portraiture. I would go with the ubiquitous square format for a wedding (Hassleblad in my case, but Bronica, Rollei etc. for those so inclined).
Ben
Ben
KenR
Well-known
Most weddings are shot with a flash - thus the slower lenses are not an issue. Plus with no mirror blackout, you can see if the bride blinked (without having to check the tiny LCD screen).
bigeye
Well-known
I've always wanted a 7 w/43mm, but it's kind of a 'tweener camera. Something like a big MF M7 or rangefinder SWC.
The lenses are considered the sharpest in the land, but Leicas are handier and have fine enough IQ for street genre and a SWC can use the 500's accessories for traditional MF work.
It's a great choice ("logical", if that plays into camera ownership) if you don't already have a Leica or MF system. It can cover both well (with some compromise, as mentioned). It's a good "if you had only one camera" choice.
- Charlie
The lenses are considered the sharpest in the land, but Leicas are handier and have fine enough IQ for street genre and a SWC can use the 500's accessories for traditional MF work.
It's a great choice ("logical", if that plays into camera ownership) if you don't already have a Leica or MF system. It can cover both well (with some compromise, as mentioned). It's a good "if you had only one camera" choice.
- Charlie
Dante
Digital Dragon Slayer
Great Travel Camera
Great Travel Camera
I had a reply that disappeared when I clicked the preview button and the "You're not logged in" message appeared ... when I'd just logged in before typing my reply. Annoying.
In any case ... I use my 7II (w/ 80mm and 43mm) for travel photography. The first time I traveled to Italy I used my RZ. As you know the RZ weighs a lot and takes up a lot of space. I like to travel light (carry-on bag and small backpack only) and the RZ makes that tough. So before I traveled again I looked for an alternative.
Not wanting to sacrifice the tremendous image quality of the 6x7 neg I looked into and eventually purchased my 7II set up. I've never had a moment of buyer's remorse!
Once I got used to using a rangefinder and learned the quirks of the 7II I found it to be an ideal travel camera. I'm very analytical so I bought mine well before my next trip and shot a lot of test slides so I could understand the metering, hyperfocal settings and general handling of the camera and lenses. Since then I feel very confident and come back with fantastic images.
That said, I know the 150mm lens has a long minimum focus which makes it far from ideal for headshots or similar portraiture. This is part of the reason I still have an RZ set up. I've seen fantastic group shots, environmental portraiture, landscapes, street photography, etc. from the 7II and would say that it works well for most types of photography. With that in mind I guess it's safe to say that like many things in life not everything is one-size-fits-all. The 7II is certainly not a niche camera but it does work better for some things and not very well for others. Just my 6x7 cents worth ...
Great Travel Camera
I had a reply that disappeared when I clicked the preview button and the "You're not logged in" message appeared ... when I'd just logged in before typing my reply. Annoying.
In any case ... I use my 7II (w/ 80mm and 43mm) for travel photography. The first time I traveled to Italy I used my RZ. As you know the RZ weighs a lot and takes up a lot of space. I like to travel light (carry-on bag and small backpack only) and the RZ makes that tough. So before I traveled again I looked for an alternative.
Not wanting to sacrifice the tremendous image quality of the 6x7 neg I looked into and eventually purchased my 7II set up. I've never had a moment of buyer's remorse!
Once I got used to using a rangefinder and learned the quirks of the 7II I found it to be an ideal travel camera. I'm very analytical so I bought mine well before my next trip and shot a lot of test slides so I could understand the metering, hyperfocal settings and general handling of the camera and lenses. Since then I feel very confident and come back with fantastic images.
That said, I know the 150mm lens has a long minimum focus which makes it far from ideal for headshots or similar portraiture. This is part of the reason I still have an RZ set up. I've seen fantastic group shots, environmental portraiture, landscapes, street photography, etc. from the 7II and would say that it works well for most types of photography. With that in mind I guess it's safe to say that like many things in life not everything is one-size-fits-all. The 7II is certainly not a niche camera but it does work better for some things and not very well for others. Just my 6x7 cents worth ...
1joel1
Well-known
Suffers from typical rangefinder shortcomings. I used one for a wedding and it was phenomenal, really. Just can't do macro and telephoto. The other stuff will depend on your talent, imagination and patience.
Joel
Joel
sebastian toombs
Member
ideal for chucking off cliffs, or so ive read...
JayC
5 kids,3 dogs,only 1 wife
TareqPhoto
The Survivor
This camera is great for blowing up your pocket from money.
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