Leica M6 vs Mamiya 7

[Jubb Jubb]

I know this is a bit of a random question, but was after users thoughts (if anyone owns both?)

I shoot primarily with a Leica M8, and sometimes shoot with an Xpan.
I have been wanting to use film more and more, and have been looking at both these cameras for a while.

Pros of the M6:
• i already have a 35 summicron to go (so wont need to look for a lens and ill get true 35mm compared to my M8)
• shoots the same 35mm film as my xpan
• light and small.

Pros of the Mamiya 7:
• Big big negs
• Also light weight however much bigger
• Incredibly sharp lenses and fantastic optical performance.

Does anyone prefer one over the other?

Thanks

 

[Keith]

Big negs are a treat I agree but what is your final output going to be ... a scanned neg and inkjet print or traditional wet print.

You can shoot a lot of 135mm film for not too much money if you bulk load etc ... that option isn't available with 120!

 

[vnukov_pk]

I'd choose M6 over mamiya. my reasons - you already have the 35 cron, which is more than enough in terms of sharpness and optical performance. Big negs mean that you'll have to use MF enlarger or capable scanner to develop them. Xpan plus m6 is a great combo too.

 

[tj01]

I have booth and can not figure out how to give you advice !
However, personally, I prefer the smaller form factor of the Leica because it fits my style better. The Mamiya 7 is a beautiful camera, don't get me wrong, and the lenses render beautifully, but it's just not me, so I'm selling mine.
Good luck
TJ

 

[Keith]

Looking at your post I think you want the Mamiya purely by the way you've described it! 😀

 

[Jubb Jubb]

Hah. i actually want the M6, but the mamiya 7 keeps blowing me away from every shot i see online.

I don't care much for small apertures. I mainly shoot f8/11/16.

I mainly shoot street. but would like to make massive prints from them (if i get a decent shot!)

 

[Rogier]

There is no substitute for square inches off film.....

 

[tj01]

How massive is massive ?

 

[thegman]

I've had both at different times. It depends what you shoot really, if you like 36 shots without changing film, or you like very high technical image quality.

Personally, for me, it's an easy Mamiya. If you want massive prints, with minimal grain, obviously Mamiya. Having said that, I was in a Getty gallery, and they've got some 35mm shots blown up pretty big, and they still look great.

The Mamiya is not the pretty camera the M6 is, but I do think in every way that matters, it's a lot better. Leica shutters are quiet, Mamiya is practically silent. You even get AE if you want it.

 

[Archlich]

Another pro of the Mamiya: sync at all speeds. You can say goodbye to the Leica's miserable 1/50...

 

[Snapper_uk]

It's horses for courses. The Mamiya beats Leica for image quality, given the lenses and the size of negative - but this assumes you are printing, and not doing tiny lo-res pics for posting online. Even so, see the pics posted in the Mamiya 7 threads and you can still see a big difference (and by that, I mean a different character).

But, the M6 is more convenient - if you are shooting a lot, having to change a roll every 10 shots as opposed to every 36 shots is a disadvantage.

Plus the lens choice is limited on the Mamiya - but really, how many lenses does one actually need? A 3 lens set does it (for me).

Also, depending on what you shoot, M lenses have that extra speed. For landscapes or architecture, Mamiya wins hands down.

Having said all that, at the moment my Mamiya 7 gets a lot less use than my Bessas, but for special occasions or 'serious' work, the Mamiya comes out.

 

[craygc]

I have both and for me it really wouldnt be an easy decision to choose. The speed of the 'M' is nice and something the Mamiya cant keep up with but that big neg is really something. Last year I took my Mamiya into the Dharavi slums in Mumbai and as much as I liked what I got, I knew I had brought the wrong camera. 400 speed film, really narrow access and low light any time of day, the f/4 lens was struggling - I was wishing I had brought the 35mm Lux. To make the decision you really need to know what each system does and doesnt do well as well as what you want to shoot and the conditions that go along with that. Sometimes I start to think maybe digital (Nex 5n + RF glass) as a small format replacement and medium format for film is the way to go. As you can see, I have both systems, know what I want to shoot, and still cant reach a definitive conclusion :bang:
What I do feel is that if you get into medium format, you still need something for small format work, be that film or digital. Not everything can be or is worth that big neg effort

 

[k__43]

buy a Leica CL for the 35mm (using the whole VF or seeing outside the 40mm line works) save money and get the Mamiya 7!!
I have a Mamiya 7 and a Leica M2 .. I could not part with one of them: they are just different tools!

 

[nightfly]

I have both an M4-P and a recently purchased Mamiya 7. I originally sold a Mamiya 6 to fund the M4-P.

The Leica is a much better camera for street photography. It's small, lighter and faster. There's really no comparison if you are working quickly.

The Mamiya is a big camera, great for slightly slower but still handheld work where a big negative matters. For me this means streetscapes and landscapes. Also for me if I want exquisite tonality in either black and white or color the Mamiya is just amazing. I recently got back a roll of Portra shot with the Mamiya and I just love the color and quality of the image. I bought one again because I missed this after selling the Mamiya 6.

If I could have only one I'd pick the Leica because I shoot much more street than anything else. However the quality if the Mamiya photos are just incredible and if you could possibly swing both, it's well worth it.

Mamiya 7:

 

[Jubb Jubb]

^Incredible image there nightfly.
Maybe I should sell my M8 and then buy both an M6 and Mamiya 7!

Is there much difference between both a Mamiya 7 and 7 II?

 

[bobby_novatron]

+1 What Snapper_UK said above.

I own both. I use the Leica a lot more, even though I love the IQ of the Mamiya. The Leica is just much more convenient in the field. Far more lens versatility, too.

Doesn't mean I'll sell my Mamiya, though. 🙂

 

[ChrisC]

I sold my Mamiya7s to downsize to the M8 and as I have no interest in shooting 35mm film I have shot extensively with rollfilm 6x7 and 6x9 cameras.

For me, the shape of the Mamiya is significantly easier to hold, and to shoot hand-held with. It's shutter release is significantly better than the gritty, clunky, badly poisitioned one in my M8. The Mamiya7 lenses are superb, I especially found the 43mm lens a joy to use because [unlike Leica or Zeiss] Mamiya designed their auxiliary finder with variable diopter correction and an accurate 'bubble' spirit level in it. The Mamiya7 shutters are so quiet that outdoors I frequently couldn't hear them fire, but the rewind noise is horrible. The 6x7 images are stellar, the late, great, Geoffrey Crawley, reviewing them in The British Journal of Photography memorably concluded; 'one could hardly expect more'.

But on the downside the Mamiyas were film cameras, and after too many years of dealing with rollfilm I was happy to downsize into the clunky, cult ridden world of digital Leica.

If I needed to go back to shooting film again, I don't think I'd hesitate to start with a Mamiya7 and a 43mm lens. Don't know if any of this is of help to you.

............. Chris

 

[jsrockit]

Doesn't the X-Pan already do standard 35mm?

 

[MCTuomey]

Prefer one over the other?

No, they're for different things. All-around, anytime, anywhere shooting? M6. Large prints, need maximum detail/sharpness, on and off tripod? Mamiya 7.

If I could have only one, I'd take the M6 because I'd use it much more often given how and what I shoot.

If I were wed to film, and wanted both but was short funds, I'd buy the least expensive M-body I could find with just one or two lenses (older Leica, Zeiss, or even cheaper CV) and get the Mamiya 7 (not the II) w/one-two lenses.

BUT, in your case, I think I'd keep the M8, sell the M6, and buy a Mamiya 7. Fast efficient digi workflow for small format (think easy volume processing) and Mamiya 7 quality when you need it.

 

[Colin Corneau]

It seems it boils down to negative size.

Not just in terms of printing (although I've gotten terrific 11x14's and 16x20's from well processed 35mm negs)....but rather, if you wish to shoot street you're going to go through a lot of film.
That may be expensive with MF 120 film but I guess it depends on how and what you shoot.

Both seem to handle as easily as the other and both offer great optics and quality.