Hasselblad 500cm vs. Mamiya 7

[keithwms]

Veery different cameras. Apples and oranges, really. If you need the versatility e.g. to do tight portraiture and landscape, then you have to go with the hassy or a similar MF SLR. But for scenic, documentary, landscape, travel, the 7 is very hard to beat.

[postalman]

Where exactly is the hotshoe to go on cube where:
1. the front has the lens
2. the top has the finder
3. the back has the...back
4. the right side has the crank
5. the left side is where your left arm is
6. the bottom is where your hand is to hold it

I agree, it wouldn't fit on the current design. But that doesn't mean a shoe is a bad idea, it means the design is wrong

Although, to be fair to hasselblad, I'm not sure I'd want to have a flash hanging cantilevered off the side like a 6008, but it'd be great for my radio trigger. I'm just venting in frustration is all. Coldshoes are just so useful to have when you need one. (and yes, I realise the V series was invented way before radio triggers were). And my hasselblad is far too beautiful to deface by gluing a coldshoe on the side

[thegman]

I went from Mamiya 7 to Hasselblad, but I think for you, Mamiya is the choice. You're talking about low light and flash, which I think the Mamiya is *a lot* better for. I assume you're talking handheld, not tripod, so, for me it's Mamiya every time.

If you're shooting on a tripod, then I think Hasselblad is probably nicer. The ground glass works well on a tripod, and of course there is the accuracy of the SLR vs. range finder. Many Hasselblads have mirror lock-up, so camera shake is not a worry. For hand held use, which it sounds like you're after, Mamiya all the way.

If you're happy with a fixed lens though, check out GF670 from Fujifilm, it's probably a tad cheaper than a Mamiya 7II with lens, and folds up to be very portable. It's a beautiful camera with a fantastic lens.

[jhw]

"I've been googling around to try and find Mamiya shots at f/4 but it's really hard to tell if you are looking at the real thing. I suspect that the Hassey will satisfy me more in this regard but this could be the marketing devil on my shoulder."

Though I'll grant that the micro-contrast, 3d look, etc. are smooth butter happiness with my Hasselblad, I think the Mamiyas - though not wonderful - get somewhat of a bad rap on the background rendering. I was just looking at several rolls of the 50 & 80mm shot wide open, and was pleasantly surprised that the background oof areas were actually pretty nice. Now, there was a bit of distance between primary subject and non-busy background, so both those factors help...but we're not talking Etch-a-Sketch bokeh here; though meant for super sharpness, the soft parts aren't bad either.

[bdial]

I agree that the Mamiya's optics are razor sharp, that and the larger negative will do you well for landscapes.

OTH, if you can handhold the Mamiya at 1/15 or 1/30, you can handhold the Hasselblad at that speed and still get good shots (or not).
Either way, at such slow speeds, most people are skating on thin ice for getting really sharp results. Though there are almost always alternatives for bracing if you don't happen to have a tripod.

[jcoldslabs]

I shot weddings with a Mamiya 7 for years, and much of that was handheld using available light. I never had a problem with the look or feel of the images wide open or camera shake at slow shutter speeds. Attached are some rather poor scans but they should give you a sense of the 80mm wide open. Can't recall what the films or exposures were, though. Likely in the 1/8th to 1/15th range I would think.

EDIT: In case you can't tell from the image, the hairs on the bride's forearms are tack sharp in the negative.

[Katie]

I shot weddings with a Mamiya 7 for years, and much of that was handheld using available light. I never had a problem with the look or feel of the images wide open or camera shake at slow shutter speeds. Attached are some rather poor scans but they should give you a sense of the 80mm wide open. Can't recall what the films or exposures were, though. Likely in the 1/8th to 1/15th range I would think.

EDIT: In case you can't tell from the image, the hairs on the bride's forearms are tack sharp in the negative.

Wow! Weddings with a mamiya 7 - I am super impressed!! Makes me love mine even more!

[L Gebhardt]

I think the big thing that helps me shoot the Mamiya at lower shutter speeds is that nothing happens in the viewfinder as the image is shot. I am pretty sure I slightly flinch as the viewfinder goes black with an SLR. It's also so quite, that there isn't even noise to anticipate as you squeeze the button.

[Klainmeister]

Honestly, I hook up a cable release and handhold shoots. Works out wonderfully. I haven't seen that the mamiya is any better or worse than the has in terms of bokeh or anything. Im pretty well convinced the lenses are optically perfect in nearly every respect.

[Mark Crabtree]

The Mamiya certainly has advantages for low light. I don't remember if it has been mentioned, but focus will be quicker with the rangefinder. I was going to say "easier", but that is not so true with the waist level finder (w/magnifier) on the Hasselblad (but the lens focus is still one of the slowest around, at least on the old CM lenses-not sure about later ones). If you want eye-level viewing, I also think the Mamiya wins out (to me the Hassleblad is at its best with a waist level finder). And I agree they were a favorite of many wedding photographers (probably more the 6 than the 7 though for that use).

Still, I never quite warmed up to the look of the Mamiya lenses (I owned the 6, but also got to shoot with the 7); they are some of the finest lenses ever made, but I still like the look of the Zeiss lenses better. I also like waist level finders, so guess I'd be in the Hassleblad camp. It really is a wonderful and sold camera with great optics. And lately they seem to go begging at below rock bottom prices. I don't need any more cameras, so do my best to ignore the bargains I hear about.

BTW, I'll second the suggestion of a Rolleiflex w/2.8. I think they beat either of the others for low light, and still have that great Zeiss (or Schneider) look. The late models also take a wonderful prism; that is my favorite setup.