choosing between the 6 and the 7. and the wide lens issue...

dragonx

dragonx

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the research, the shopping and the obsessing have begun. i have decided to sell even more of my old digital gear and save for a mamiya MF RF. i tend to shoot wide, so the issue of the wide lens is serious for me. i do enjoy the idea that the lenses will collapse some on the 6, and i prefer the metering on the 6.
does anyone here have both (or has at some time) cameras and can speak on the difference between those lenses?
does anyone have any links for me to see some side by side comparisons of shots taken with both the wide angles?
it would be nice to get the cheaper and (seemingly) easier system, but would i forever long for the 43mm?

any other advice relating to this choice is appreciated as well.
cheers.
 
dragonx said:
the research, the shopping and the obsessing have begun. i have decided to sell even more of my old digital gear and save for a mamiya MF RF. i tend to shoot wide, so the issue of the wide lens is serious for me. i do enjoy the idea that the lenses will collapse some on the 6, and i prefer the metering on the 6.
does anyone here have both (or has at some time) cameras and can speak on the difference between those lenses?
does anyone have any links for me to see some side by side comparisons of shots taken with both the wide angles?
it would be nice to get the cheaper and (seemingly) easier system, but would i forever long for the 43mm?

any other advice relating to this choice is appreciated as well.
cheers.
Click to expand...


Hmm... I am also thinking the same thing - I like the 6 x 6 format better however I like to use the panoramic format on the M7 also....
 
Make that three with same objective. I too prefer the features, format and meter on the 6 but I ran across a good deal on a user 7 that's starting to look very difficult to pass up. Zane, They make a pano adapter for the 6 as well.
 
I had a Mamiya 6 and wondered the same thing. I ended up selling the Mamiya 6 and getting Mamiya 7. The Mamiya 6 is appreciably more compact and portable. I agree about the metering too. I used to rely on the Mamiya 6's meter with good results. I gave up using the Mamiya 7's meter. It's not broken but just doesn't seem to be trustworthy. The Mamiya 6 also strikes me as a bit more robust.

What got me to change was simply negative size. I read an article where someone was talking about 6x6 negatives being kind of a waste since, invariably, when prints are made from 6x6 they end up being cropped to 6x4.5 for either landscape or portrait prints. Thus, as far as printing is concerned, my Mamiya 6 was really a 6x4.5 thereby making a Mamiya 7's real-world resolution 150%. Since I make a fair number of big cibachrome prints the logic appealed to me.
But as far as elegance, looks, the metering, portability and maybe even durability, the Mamiya 6 might be better.
 
You might want to look at the Mamiya Universal or Super Press 23. A little larger and no built in light meter, but a system camera nonetheless. I wrote a little about it in the 6x9 thread.

I also agree about 6x6 cameras. You do usually get a smaller camera, but unless you are into square photos, you end up wasting some negative space. Granted that can sometimes be an advantage when you can't decide in camera what you want the crop to be. But that should be rare.
 
There is one Mamiya 6 with a 75mm on its way to me now.
The only reason for me choosing mamiya 6 is the square format. I don't intend to crop any frame made with that camera. When rectangular pictures are wanted and when i don't care i shoot digital or 35mm.

I think a combo of a Mamiya 6 and a XPan will suite you perfect.

/Erik
 
wow, great answers. so many responses, so i will answer multiples here.
1. zane-what really is the pano adapter though? does it just cut off the top? it does not cause the camera to use two frames llike a stereo camera or the xpan, does it? i bet i could make one... or just do some post processing. though they did look cheap on the auction site of evil.
2. i like the compactness, as i often shoot in more dangerous conditions ( i have a thing for decayed structures, tunnels, and other off limits places) and any moment could need to scramble away. sturdy and small means i will still use it in those circumstances. the rb67 could not offer that. it is already being packed up to be sold.
3. julian-so the mamiya 7's meter was so bad you resorted to hand held? i keep one with me, as they are light and pretty small, but i do not enjoy being forced to use one. are the 7's known for this? i just checked your gallery, and yes, you do indeed crp it a lot. i don't think i will crop as much but i am trying to let this concept simmer. i don't have a huge taste of medium format yet to know exactly where my tastes lay.
4. revolution-go for it. if you don't let me know maybe i can snap it up. the savings on the 6 is a major part of my decision. but the 43mm lens issue will plague me, i believe.
4. oftheherd-i will look into those two you mentioned. and i have been craving a more square shape, but i am not yet sure if i am craving a more square shape or a completely square one. i find medium format shapes in general so much more elegant than 35mm. i wish leica would make a medium format RF....
5. eon-you are a bad influence. i was choosing this rig INSTEAD of the xpan. you are not helping matters. naughty.
 
am i remembering correctly that with the 43mm on the 7II, one needs to use an external viewer? maybe i read that the mamiya 6 does not need a viewer for any of the lenses?
does anyone know?
 
the Mamiya 6 has a parallax corrected viewfinder no externals are needed but there are only 3 lenses 50; 75; 150mm The 7II has several more in it's line up. However the 7 II uses viewfinders for many of the lenses
 
easy, you like it wide so get the M7II and the 43mm. I have an M7II with 80/4, I would like an M6 with 50mm cause I like the square and wide as well.

Godd Luck.
Todd
 
Hi again, the M7 pano format is just an adaptor which allows the camera to use 135 film and the neg size will be 24 x 65 like the xpan

Yes Revolucion i know M6 has it also, but it gives a neg size of 24 x 56 :(

If you want wide, the 43 lens on M7 gives you 21mm equiv perspective, the 50 lens on M6 is only about 28mm. You got to sell more of your digital gear if you want to go wide :)
 
I have purchased a Mamiya 7 with 80mm lens from another rff member a few weeks ago but it is still on its way till May. Craig, who sold me the camera, was talking about advantages of Mamiya 6 over 7. You can see his thoughts in classifieds section, look for Mamiya 7.

I had decided on Mamiya 7 just because I liked the 6x7 format rather than square. I think I will be very happy with my new camera.

Here are the three links you might find helpful. I cannot help out more because I haven't used the camera yet.. :)

http://www.kenrockwell.com/mamiya/6.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/mamiya/7.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/mamiya/6vs7.htm

Cheers, Ali
 
The first Mamiya 6 does not use the 35mm pano adapter. The Mamiya 6 MF does. The first Mamiya 6 has better framelines in the viewfinder.
 
zanef2.8 said:
Yes Revolucion i know M6 has it also, but it gives a neg size of 24 x 56 :(
Click to expand...

Yes, the same size as a Widelux panorama camera produces. Why the sad face? It is a great aspect ratio. The assumption the greater the aspect ratio the better is a false one. I personally perfer a 2:1 than a 3:1.
 
jan normandale said:
the Mamiya 6 has a parallax corrected viewfinder no externals are needed but there are only 3 lenses 50; 75; 150mm The 7II has several more in it's line up. However the 7 II uses viewfinders for many of the lenses
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, the 7 uses external finders for the 43mm, 50mm, and 210mm. The internal finder is used for the 65mm, 80mm, and 150mm, although you can get an external 150mm finder.
 
dragonx said:
julian-so the mamiya 7's meter was so bad you resorted to hand held?
Click to expand...

Either my particular camera's meter is unpredictable, which doesn't seem to be the case or, whatever it is the Mamiya 7's meter is metering, it doesn't jive with what my eye is perceiving it is metering or should be metering. All I can say is that I don't have this type of argument with other cameras' meters (whether average, weighted average or spot). So rather than continuing to argue with the camera's meter, I just use an external meter and then the camera and I can get along cordially.
 
I considered a 6 till I read many tales of broken cameras with no spares available - particularly winders. It may be more robust, but if it can't be fixed I'm not keen on it.
 
gdi said:
I considered a 6 till I read many tales of broken cameras with no spares available - particularly winders. It may be more robust, but if it can't be fixed I'm not keen on it.
Click to expand...


And they may just be tales. I have owned two 6s for over ten years with no problems. But since Mamiya is going out of business, there will be no spare parts for the 7 either.
 
Finder said:
And they may just be tales. I have owned two 6s for over ten years with no problems. But since Mamiya is going out of business, there will be no spare parts for the 7 either.
Click to expand...

They could be, I have no personal experience with the Mamiya 6. May be worth a shot for some folks, and a spare body can sometimes be had fairly cheap...
 
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