Polarisers aren't too hard. You just need to hold a regular polariser to your eye and rotate till you get the effect you want, noting the position of the edge markings; then screw in the polariser replicate that position on the camera. It soon gets to be pretty easy, though you possibly miss the finest control you can get with an slr via ttl viewing to some degree.
If you want to think about something difficult, think ND grads.
Polarisers aren't too hard. You just need to hold a regular polariser to your eye and rotate till you get the effect you want, noting the position of the edge markings; then screw in the polariser replicate that position on the camera. It soon gets to be pretty easy, though you possibly miss the finest control you can get with an slr via ttl viewing to some degree.
If you want to think about something difficult, think ND grads.
I agree on the grads: they are pretty much pure guesswork, but Mamiya make a special polariser for the camera with a repeater filter above the lens one so that you can see the effect with the filter mounted.
Has anyone used the 35mm panoramic insert? I'd be interested to hear what you think.
Has anyone used the 35mm panoramic insert? I'd be interested to hear what you think.
It's fine for me as occasional panoramic shooter, as I just do a few rolls from time to time. If you're thinking about heavy panoramic use, I'll say it will be better thinking about a dedicated camera like the xpan, horseman or linhof.
Location: Datchet, Berkshire UK- about 20 miles west of London
Posts: 280
The panoramic insert.
I ordered one when I bought my Mamiya 7ii several years ago. I returned it after a couple of weeks because.
First I found it a pain to use- very fiddly and its bulk seemed to get in the way of the camera back latching properly. I know they don't all do that, but I didn't seem to be alone either. Basically no matter how I inserted it, the camera back often sprung open mid-roll!
Second because it reduced the flexibility of the camera. Once you load a 35mm film you are looking for 18 ( or whatever) consecutive panoramics. If you see a shot for which you want to use the beautiful, full 67 frame, then tough. I wanted ( and still do) the flexibility to switch on the fly from panoramic to full frame and back. If I'd have wanted a dedicated panoramic camera I would have bought an X pan, which gives me a much better impression of what I'm shooting through the finder
Third because I find I can cut a perfectly respectable panorama out of the 67 frame and indeed I can decide the precise dimensions later. If I want to make a print from a 70 x 30 fragment, I can do that. If I want 65 x 24, I can do that too. I can be as flexible as I want and I can decide when is best for me. Further I can take the panorama out of the middle of the frame or from the top or the bottom to simulate a small degree of camera movement.
Concur fully with David about the cropping options on this and didn't buy one.
I've had mine a year, taken some decent shots, but just don't have the affinity for the images made with this compared to the 4x5.
Have used ND grads with it. The real pain is the blind arc formed by the Lee filter adaptor ring. Investigated idea of making a bayonet one, but looked quite difficult. Have since switched to using HP5 and Fuji Pro160S colour neg in it rather than tranparency film. The built-in meter is able to handle this better.
The Mamiya polariser adaptor works well especially when hand holding (annoyingly for me currently on special offer at Robert White!), but the Kenko polariser from Robert White was a close second and even cheaper. I've found fitting the bayonet ring a bit of a fiddle with cold hands.
Have used ND grads with it. The real pain is the blind arc formed by the Lee filter adaptor ring. Investigated idea of making a bayonet one, but looked quite difficult. Have since switched to using HP5 and Fuji Pro160S colour neg in it rather than tranparency film. The built-in meter is able to handle this better.
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I think the MF RFs come into their own with B&W film for 'walkabout exploring' type shooting where you may stumble upon some super shots but dont want to have to lug about a LF camera in case you dont!
Have used ND grads with it. The real pain is the blind arc formed by the Lee filter adaptor ring. Investigated idea of making a bayonet one, but looked quite difficult. Have since switched to using HP5 and Fuji Pro160S colour neg in it rather than tranparency film. The built-in meter is able to handle this better.
QUOTE]
I think the MF RFs come into their own with B&W film for 'walkabout exploring' type shooting where you may stumble upon some super shots but dont want to have to lug about a LF camera in case you dont!
Actually this is just why I want one. There are times and places I go where carrying either the 4x5 or 8x10 is not practical. Thank you again for all your opinions!
I have had an M7II with the 50-80-150 lenses for many years. No one questions the superb lens quality or the incomparable silence of the shutter. It is a very compact system compared to any other 6x7 system. I use mine for travel and hiking. The only issue I have with mine is the different style of rangefinder focusing. If you work well with a rangefinder, go for it. You'll not regret the purchase. I have strongly considered selling my system a couple of times, just because I do not use it often, but then whenever it comes close, I decide I really want to keep it. I have made all the classic errors, failure to remove the lens cap, forgetting to focus, because everything in the finder looks sharp... and others I am too embarassed to mention. But the bottom line is image quality and that is unbeatable.
I picked up the camera on Sunday. The kit even came with the polarizer and Mamiya CF pod amongst some other goodies. Also bought a 43mm lens because they had a nearly $300 off if bought at the same time as the camera. So far my initial impressions are its a great camera, I have only put one roll of film through it so far, but its sharper than I could have imagined.
At this point I am going to add a 150mm lens at some point, when the bank account recovers enough.
Thank you all for the help, it is greatly appreciated!
This is a very fine camera, it makes nearly no noise. In the beginning I was wondering it it worked. I have the 43mm and the 80 mm lens. Love the system, especially if you want to travel light. One thing I don't like is that you do no always see the measurement of the lightmeter very well. Handheld pictures under bad conditions come out well. This is a camera you can always take with you. The weight/size isn't aproblem. Get one if you can on ebay. You won't regret if it you like rangefindercamera's an have no problen changing film every 10 pictures.
Linear Mode
