Lightweight for a medium format camera. Auto exposure modes. Excellent quality of lenses. Ease of use. 6x7 format. Easy to do handheld shooting. Double exposure (only on 7II)

Plastic body/parts can get damaged. Rangefiinder focusing can be problematic if not calibrated. Use of filters is problematic, requiring learning where to position GND, or CP filters as well as exposure compensation for said.
Wide angle lenses require "finders" for framing (can be "learned") and are expensive for a camera of this age. The longest lens, 210mm, doesn't have rangerfinder focusing coupled requiring zone-focusing technique. No interchangeable backs for switching film types. No teleconverters for lens-focal length advantage. Shutter release is a bit touchy, even compared to current DSLRs but with a cable release more reasonable.

After getting into MF cameras, I tried Mamiya RZ67 and Pentax 67 kits. Very nice tools but heavy to carry much, making hiking brutal. After realizing I wasn't getting any younger, a lighter camera was the obvious choice. I rented a body & lens and tried out some B&W to see what was possible. Very impressed with the results. I do mostly landscape, so still working on using filters. Not easy but doable. I love the results when I get it right. I do wish you could switch film types, but that just requires a different shooting strategy, maybe a second body. Even though it's a film camera, still protective of it in the elements as it does have electronics. I have the 65 & 80mm lenses. I want to get either the 50 or 43mm WA, but as mentioned, very expensive, even on Ebay. I will probably get the 210 & just learn how to shoot with it. The 150mm seems an odd focal length for me. Battery life seems good but I always make sure the camera is switched off after use. Changing film on tripod requires the Mamiya QR adapter, which I don't have so just have to unmount/reload/mount for now. I use a cable release 90% of the time so shutter release is reasonable. I do wish it had an electronic remote release.

Customer Service

Haven't need to but will be looking for a good shop for CLA service soon

Similar Products Used:

Mamiya RZ67 & Pentax 6x7

Rugged build, sharp lenses, accurate meter, fits well in my hands. easy to use.

I wish I could find a half case for it.

I bought this camera with ever intention of reselling it. I found it on Craigstlist for an awesome price. I got the 65mm lens with it and it is in very nice shape. After testing it out with a couple of rolls of Tmax I was blown away by the negatives and the sharpness of the 65mm lens. I think I will own the camera for awhile. I was wanting to get back into medium format but wasn't thinking Mamiya 7.
It is built like a tank and fits in my hands perfectly, like it belongs there. It is very easy to use. Fully manual and aperture priority. The meter is deadly accurate. The finder is clear and bright and easy to use. I am looking for a 6x7 negative carrier for my enlarger now. I can hardly wait to hit the darkroom with on of these negatives. I also plan to use a yellow and orange filter on it.
This is probably one of the best film cameras ever made and certainly one of the best lenses. It's like a Leica M7 on steroids.

Similar Products Used:

Leica M6, Mamiya 645

Not heavy, comfortable to handle, simple controls, wonderful optics, quiet shutter, nice rangefinder - easy to focus even in a dark, spot meter. It is just a very portable, simple, useful camera.

Not the most sturdy camera body. Quite expensive.

Mamiya 7 with its 80mm lens is a truly wonderful medium format camera. Once you know how to take incident light reading and about shutter speed and aperture relationship in regard to exposure - it is a joy to use. The body is comfortable to hold. Quick accurate focusing is easy even in low light (sometimes it can be useful to rotate the camera to vertical or horizontal position, depends what works best, when focusing in very low contrast or visually very “busy” scenes e.g. greenery). The shutter is quiet and does not create camera vibration, therefore very sharp image can be achieved even when shooting handheld at lower shutter speeds, like 1/30th or 1/15th of a second. The light meter, once you know how to interpret it - where to point or how to compensate, helps to easily achieve very accurate exposure. Seeing light meter reading at the bottom of the rangefinder might take a couple of hours to get used to. But I usually wear glasses and have absolutely no problem seeing it.

The camera body is not very sturdy or weather proof therefore it is, I think, a good practice not to bang it or get it soaked in rain. My first Mamiya 7, which I purchased five years ago, had light meter compensation dial stuck as well as after a couple of months of use it developed shutter firing problems - shutter speed would be wrong or sometimes it did not fire at all. I sold it back to the camera shop where I bought it and got another Mamiya 7. This second camera, after some time of use, needed a rangefinder adjustment for perfect focussing (I learned that for Mamiya 7s it should be done once in a while!) as well as it had a film curtain handle stuck and so I couldn’t take the lens off. Thankfully, these problems were quickly and inexpensively fixed by most excellent camera repair specialist in London Graham Playford. The camera has not had any problems since.

Its 80mm lens is very sharp, it has lovely blur in out-of-focus area. The closest focussing distance is one meter, therefore it will not be suitable for very close shooting.

Simon Roberts’ brilliant project “Motherland” was photographed, I think, using Mamiya 7.

Similar Products Used:

Bronica 6x6 SLR, Mamiya 6x7 SLR. 5x4 field camera.

A relatively small, lightweight package producing a large image size. The meter is amazingly accurate even when shooting slides in tricky light. All lenses produce top notch image quality on par with the best in medium format. With no slapping reflex mirror or focal plane shutter, competent users can handhold at very slow shutter speeds. Editing 6X7 images is far faster and easier than with 35mm.

The weaknesses are inherent with any rangefinder such as minimum focus distance, dealing with parallax, and slightly slower lens changing period. Slow speed lenses limit DOF effects and might need steadying devices. Viewfinder mechanics are subject to being knocked out of calibration.

For street, travel, and most landscape shooting for images destined to print in large sizes, the Mamiya 7 system is unsurpassed. You buy a medium format mostly for its rollfilm-sized slides and negatives. Having a camera about the same size and weight of a 35mm SLR but yielding a slide 4.5 times larger is a compelling driver and the Mamiya 7 doesn't disappoint. Its bright viewfinder, fast split image focusing nearly negates the advantage of autofocusing and the surprisingly accurate light meter provides the user confidence in catching the shot almost every time. For daytime street photography and journalism, getting those "right now" shots are easy. Unfortunately, the slow aperture range of all its system lenses make it less than ideal for shots in waning light and flash photography when less than wide apertures will limit range. A Mamiya 7 body and two or three lenses would make a great kit for travel. Also everything from day hiking to exhibition length treks are easily managed with the light weight of such a kit. Although some users have had problems with camera mechanicals such as that associated with the viewfinder, I've not experienced any. The Mamiya 7 (and it current production successor the Mamiya 7 II) is THE camera for 35mm outdoor and travel shooters who want to move up to medium format. Even as digital imaging increases capability, for now, no commercially available electronic imaging system at any price will deliver the image quality you get by shooting with with the Mamiya 7 system.

Customer Service

None required so far.

Similar Products Used:

Only previous experience shooting medium format has been with a TLR.

very easy to determine critical focus in rangfinder, beautiful ergonomics, near silent shutter, battery lasts forever, extremely reliable

can't really think of any!!

My 7II has become my "go everywhere" camera of choice. I got mine pretty cheap after trading in my RZ for it (YES, it was worth it!!), The rangefinder is easy to focus even in dim light, and the optics are absolutely outstanding! The camera is the lightest 6x7 in existence, and is still very well made (don't let the exterior fool you; it has a metal chassis underneath), and the simplistic finish helps to deter would-be thiefs (they'd never beleive that it is a $3000 camera!) I love how it is extremely simple to use, and yet produces very high quality images. And the shutter....almost silent!!! I only have one lens for it, the 80mm (They are super expensive, but you get what you pay for), but I like to keep it simple, so that's all I need. It has a max aperture of f4, but I've gotten very good shots handheld at 1/15" and even at 1/8"!!

Customer Service

Have never had to use them other than for the complimentary yearly checkup (free), otherwise very friendly and fast

Similar Products Used:

RZ 67II, Rollieflex, Pentax 67, Hassy 501, SQA

It's the smallest 6x7 format camera. Light weight, easy to take anywhere. The best optics I've seen.

Can't close focus without adapter and Price.

The Mamiya 7 is a great solid pro camera. It is simple to use so it won't get in the way of your art; Everthing feels right. The lenses are super high quality and the film format is so much bigger than 35mm. I hope they make a digital back for it.

Customer Service

Very easy to contact and friendly.

Similar Products Used:

Hasselblad, Mamiya RB67 & C330, Rolleiflex TLR, Canon & Nikon SLR's.

accurate focusing, Supports 43mm wide angle lens perfectly, very light weight compared to other medium format cameras, excellent battery life, for me a perfect fine art and travel camera

metering difficult to see for those of us wearing glasses, body does not come in black, near useless 35mm adapter (don't buy it), limited focal lenght selection (but I don't mind), some difficultly using 220 rolls if not started correctly (recommend 120 use only), 43mm viewing adapter does not have metering indicator (just a wish not a show stopper)

I purchased this camera in order to use the 43mm dream lens and I have had no regrets since. The M7 rangefinder provides excellent focusing under most lighting conditions that one will encounter both indoors and outdoors. The light metering is "good enough" for all film types. Have had no problems with this camera. In brief highly recommended.

Customer Service

excellent, free checkup once a year at local dealerships, also had M7 rangefinder optics upgraded to M7II level and had quick turn around, a matter of days.

Similar Products Used:

Leica M6 Mamiya RZ67 Mamiya 645 super various 35 mm SLR cameras

43mm ultra wide angle !

Slightly expensive

This camera is awesome. the lenses are really sharp. ( except when the 80mm is fully open)I even use it in the studio. I don't feel they could improve on this too much. When I drink I throw expensive equiptment through walls, once even through a window. I can honestly say I will never throw this fine machine through a wall or any similar material. You see, It is and always will be a good boy.

Similar Products Used:

mamiya c330, toyo 4x5, super foopa 3000, gurgle birdy, and the mochican master 2000.

optics size/weight ergonomics custom polarizer made by mamiya optics optics optics

custom polarizer is tough to mount due to set screw; not much else i can think of...

I spent many long hours researching medium format cameras to figure out which one I wanted. I''m glad I chose the Mamiya 7II -- the optics and (relatively) small size are nothing short of extraordinary. When I received my first slides back, I was astonished at how much more information/detail/etc. came through. It was much more of an improvement from 35mm than I had expected. Then when I had my first enlargements made (16x20), the difference was equally compelling. I am pretty much using the Mamiya exclusively now. I actually like only having 10 shots per 120 roll -- I can get them processed more quickly versus having to wait to finish a roll of film (e.g., 36 exposures). For landscape and street photography I cannot imagine a finer camera. For people shots where there is movement, I''ll stick to my autofocus slr and digital camera -- although I''ve had some amazing "posed" shots w/ the Mamiya.

Customer Service

web site is fantastic -- Mamiya online responses in user forum are thoughtful and fast

Similar Products Used:

olympus slr -- 35mm minolta dimage 7 nikon slr -- 35mm

Compact and lightweight (for medium format).
Very quiet in operation.
Easy to use handheld down to 1/30 sec, even with 150mm lens.
Lenses give outstanding image quality (very high resolution, very high contrast, very low flare).
Sturdy construction.

Limited range of lenses, as with all rangefinders.
Extreme closeups are not possible.
Lenses are f/4 or slower: they appear to have been designed for maximum image quality, not maximum aperture. Personally, I prefer this balance, but some may regret the loss of speed.

A camera that is a delight to use. It produces consistently outstanding images, yet can be carried around and used nearly as easily as a 35mm. If you are a 35mm landscape photographer, this camera is an excellent way into the far superior quality of medium format (but bear in mind the much smaller depth of field inherent in all medium format lenses).

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Fuji GSW690
Various 35mm cameras