Which camera should I buy.

[MP Guy]

Now that I have sold my TX-1 I am going to buy either a Mamiya 7 II wwith the 43 or a Fuji GSW690 III. I primarily will use it for landscape and scenic shots. My main concern is the optics. Which will yield sharper better contrast? the Fujinon or the Mamiya?

 

[jdos2]

Mamiya, from what I hear. It's the best out there right now, making it pretty much the best ever. Sharp from 4.5 all the way past 16, it won't let you down. I loved it, but it wasn't auto focus and the lens was dark (and I've already an amazing and sharp Mamiya Universal 50mm, just about as good!) all the way open, so I did indeed get rid of it.

Then again, they will BOTH give fantastic results. Do you have someone that'll give you the machine prints from the 6x9? I've moved to printing things myself (after scanning 'em) so I can get the 6x9 done very (VERY!) cheaply. That'd be MY consideration...

 

[back alley]

i thought i saw your enlarger on ebay!
afa the choice bwtn mamiya and fuji, well that's a tough one as they both get very high marks. what about the cameras themselves? is one more comfortable to hold and use. i like my mamiya 6 and one of the reasons is how it fits in my hands.

joe

 

[Doug]

I see on another thread that you've chosen the Mamiya 7ii... From what I hear that should be a great choice! Sort of a larger cousin to my Bronica RF645. While the big Fuji 690 would be great as well, it would be limited to its one fixed lens (a 65mm f/4?) which wouldn't give you quite as wide a view I think as the wide lenses on the Mamiya. I bet you're going to like this!

 

[mfs]

Good luck! I have a Mamiya 7-II, and use the 43 mm lens occasionally. It is a great lens, but use it with care since slight deviations fom the horizontal cause rather substantial distortion (bowing of the horizontal) particularly at the edges of the frame. I looked at the Fuji 690 III, but decided against it due to the fixed lens design, and lack of buit in light meter. The Mamiya is a great camera! I use it for street photograhy since it is quiet, and not all that large (considering the 6 x 7 film size. The light meter is very accurate. There have been some reports about difficulty in focussing the 150 mm lens, but I have not seen that problem.
I have found the 65 mm, and 80 mm lenses to be the most frequently used. Mamiya even makes a polarizing filter that resembles the Leica design.
Once you use it, you will love those huge negatives (or slides), and will have a hard time going back to 35 mm.
Best of luck in your choice.

Martin