the lens!

the photographer...you know what i mean...;p

one of the best...just try it...

Customer Service

no customer sevice

Similar Products Used:

Hasselblad 503 CW

Easy to use

Great Lens

All the benefits (and downfalls) of a rangefinder

Usual rangefinder quirks

Cannot get very very close to subject (not a problem ever for me)

I have been shooting with this camera for over 6 months and am more than happy with the end results. A great way to get a 6x7 negative in a fairly compact camera.

--A very quiet leaf shutter design that is as quiet (or quieter than) a Leica M rangefinder camera.
--Lightweight (for a medium-format 6x7, that is) and attractive body design.
--Build quality is exceptional. It does not feel cheap, as some have stated.
--Autoexposure lock (AEL) option; very accurate.
--Aperture priority exposure mode option; very accurate.
--Lens interchangeability
--The lenses I've tried (43mm & 65mm) are of incredible build quality; yielding exceptionally sharp images on black & white film. Because the camera is a rangefinder design, no compromises to the lens designs had to be made to accomodate a pentaprism as seen in single-lens-reflex cameras.
--Well-designed ergonomic grip.
--One roll of 120 film yields ten, big 6x7cm negatives (or positives).

--The lenses typically focus only as close as three feet.
--There are no mechanical shutter speeds. It is 100% dependent upon battery power.
--No provision to enable one to shoot 6x6cm format (12 exposures).

I've always wanted a medium-format camera without the inherent bulk, with the standard amenities like lens interchangeability; with some means of autoexposure, and at the same time, a control surface layout that is fairly uncluttered. Add to that, handling that is similar to a working photographer's SLR camera. In my humble opinion, the Mamiya 7II comes very close to filling out my criteria.

Customer Service

I have not had to call for customer service, and hope to never have to do so.

Similar Products Used:

Holga 120s; Diana (do these two count?)
Pentacon Six TL
Yashica Mat 124G

Faultless metering. Doesn't come any better. Rock-solid. Lots of hard falls, no scars. Unbelievable image quality. On a tripod or fastened. Small for a 6x7 system. Looks like an old russian design mistake.

Slow lenses: no low-light handheld photography. All the cons of rangefinders: framing, focus, no DOF preview, etc. Slow to operate. No instant action shots.

No camera can fullfil all situations, and for the use this camera was designed, it does very well indeed. It is not a very versatile nor very fast camera, but the main idea is to have a light-weight 6x7 camera for outdoor shooting. Using a rangefinder in a studio is ok but very approximative. The focusing is good, but takes some time. I use this camera mainly for landscapes, but I have used it for travel photography with very, very good results. Since it is horribly ugly, with a bit of black tape to remove the brands, it becomes virtually undesirable, hence theft proof! The "Champagne" version is a lot prettier, but more likely to be noticed and less discreet for street shots. Use it in unexpected places, fasten it on a dustbin, a car, a brick and take glorious cityscapes! Bottom-line: a very specific and slow-ish camera, but with stunning results.

Customer Service

Not yet

Similar Products Used:

Hasselblad 503 Hasselblad Xpan I

Image quality, weight, handling, size

none

A truly great camera! It produces high quality photos once you get used to it. Some people say it's not sturdy: mine fell out of my camera bag while riding a motorcycle at 100 mph - it still worked (I'm not kidding!) Sharpness and image quality cannot be topped. Especially with the 43mm lens, which is as good or even better than the biogon. Buy it in the UK at Robert White's you'll save yourself a lot of cash... And they will be there for you if you have any trouble with your equipment, I know what I'm talking about!

Customer Service

Robert White - really outstanding!!!!

Similar Products Used:

Leica M6 Mamiya 645 Linhof Technika IV

Light Easy focus and bright viewfinder Superb quality

Lack of close focusing - an inherent weakness of the system

I am continually amazed by this camera and the 65mm lens. The 80mm is also excellent but I like the slightly wider angle of the 65mm. With all of the digital hysteria going on people are almost giving these away on EBAY. What a deal. Digital can not touch this quality. I use a Nikon 9000 ED and the results are superb. I can tell a major difference in 8 by 10's between the 6 by 7 and 35mm/digital. I also had a Pentax 645 for a while and while the lenses were good they do not reach the level of perfection that the Mamiya 7 II does. My value rating is based on used.

Customer Service

Never needed

VERY portable for a 6x7. Superb lens (80mm). Easy and quick to focus - a 6x7 for street candids if ever there was one, and there aren't many of those! Super lens, meter very accurate. Support excellent - very quick reply from Mamiya when I asked if I could use my Canon auto flash with it (answer was "No problem." - and they were right!)

The shutter release is FAR too sensitive, and I've wasted a shot in each of the three films I've used. This is a serious problem. I won't use this as much as my 35mm and digital cameras, so it will take time to get used to it. Also, and I've not seen this one before, but the "AEL" and "A" indicators on the shutter speed dial are almost impossible to see in dim light, being dark red on a black background (I wear contact lenses, and can't even see these in bright daylight without putting reading glasses on!) Wish the lens was f2.8, but that would not assist portability. Can't use Velvia 50 because of this, but then the lens is so contrasty it isn't the right film anyway.

I have had several medium format cameras, and currently own a large format, and a couple of Leicas and Canons. Having only had the Mamiya a couple of weeks, I must say that it is probably the best I've had - for my kind of photography (landscape) only the Pentax 67II outrates it, and that is really heavy. See below for good - and bad - points.

Customer Service

With one example, excellent.

Similar Products Used:

Bronica RF645. Great build and lenses, but didn't like it - just didn't feel right. Pentax 67II (great), Mamiya RB67 (kept falling apart with film in, but a tatty example). Bronica SQA - my first medium format, and excellent.

Metering, selection and quality of lenses, weight and awesome rangefinder. Bright, clear, BIG. Quality, quality.

Rangefinder in bright sun. The red diodes disappear in the light. I use a diopter so I have my eye as close as possible to the eyepiece but bright overhead sun wipes out the diodes. They're there, just can't see them at times.

Beautifull, well constructed, laid out and easy to use rangefinder in 67 format. Used for its design purposes, nothing can touch it in 67 format. My chromes are perfectly metered. I carry a Sekonic for tricky or creative situations. Enlargements from 6x7 go without saying.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

In medium format; mamiya 645, rollei TLR (still having a long love affair), Pentax 67.

Well built, compact, lightweight, bright viewfinder, excellent focusing, lenses close to theoretical perfection

The normal restrictions associated with rangefinders in general still apply - inaccurate framing, no depth of field preview, no macro or even close shots possible, no TTL metering, metering area not well defined, lenses are extremely expensive

This is one of the best medium format cameras for landscape, travel, street, and documentary work on the market today. Most people who are considering this camera should mostly be looking for the increase in ultimate image quality over 35mm but without the proportional increase in weight and bulk. With that in mind, the Mamiya 7II fits the bill perfectly. Compared to a 35mm rangefinder such as the Leica M's or the Contax G's it is definitely more bulky. But compared to other medium format cameras it is a wonderfully compact and lightweight package. The camera feels very good in the hands, thanks to its ergonomic design and its construction of wrapping a rubber-ish skin over an aluminium-selenium inner body. The controls are very simple and well laid out, making the process of taking the photograph an intuitive and simple joy. The viewfinder is one of the biggest and brightest on any camera today and it makes viewing your image a pleasure. The replacement of the curtain shuuter by the leaf shutters on the lenses makes flash-sync possible at any speed but more importantly almost completely eliminates any vibration induced by the shutter. Battery consumption is not an issue because of the lack of fancy electronic functions (only the meter and the leaf shutter require electric consumption). As such, it is a very professional tool made for the advanced crowd and some might not appreciate its lack of automation.

Lenses, light weight, metering

none. Cost could be a negative- consider buying from UK- for some reason, the price is only 65% of US price, for very same products.

I had considered the Bronica RF645, but went with the Mamiya and have not regretted my selection. It takes very sharp photos. One has won a competition. Excellent camera.

Customer Service

Haven't used.