My first post in this forum. I have been looking for a good walk around camera (Hard to carry around my 8x10 or 4x5 all the time) for the last few months, tried a Fuji GA645zi and a Mamiya 220(which will head to auction shortly) Both are fine cameras, but not exactly what I am looking for. I borrowed a friends Mamiya 7II, this past week and loved it. Mamiya is currently running a special here and I get get a Mamiya 7II with external battery pack, 80mm lens, hood and soft case for about $1500. Eventually, I am thinking of adding a 150mm and a 43mm lens.
My initial impressions are quite good. But I am just curious what others think of the camera, and what their impressions are!
With that said, it took me a good six months of shooting with it to get really comfortable with the angle of view, and the focus. Of course, I moved "up" to it from 35mm. Not sure how different it would feel going "down" from 4x5.
The best part, I get great negs with it, and love printing them! $1500 for that whole package sounds like a great price, too.
Have a few Mamiya 645 bodies and an RB67. Got my Mamiya 7II with three lenses in a trade. I find the camera wonderful to carry, and easy to use. The meter is excellent and the exposure lock feature great. The lenses are extremely sharp and the camera and lenses fit nicely in a small pack. Great choice for 6x7.
I love mine as well, but remember it is a RF for focus and framing. The camera is light and small for a 6 cm X 7 cm camera. All of the lenses are outstanding performers. They are some of the finest medium format lenses ever designed. I have the 65mm, 50mm, 43mm, and the 150mm lenses for the camera. The 65mm lens is the shortest lens for the camera that does not require the use of an external finder for framing.
For the price quoted it is an outstanding price. I plan on taking this camera on my next trip along with my Toho FC-45X 4X5 camera.
I have the Mamiya 7, not the II. Love it. I shoot about 100 rolls a year with it. A great camera. Especially with the 43mm. Also have the 80 and 150mm. 150 doesn't see much use, but the 80 does. I take the M7 everywhere. I had a Fuji 690 before. No meter and LOUD. You wouldn't think you could make a rangefinder that loud. And no meter is a drag. M7 is self contained and ready to go. Fast. see book Photo du Jour by David Hume Kennerly -- all taken with M7 and 43mm.
As a comparison, I have the Rollicord; too slow, no meter, and a Pentax 67II; good for closeups but a real pig. P67 doesn't get much action.
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I bought my 7II in November 2006. I bought it with the 65mm & 150mm lenses. I have since added the 43mm & 80mm. I just love this system. The lenses are fantastic and the big negs are a joy to work with. It's quickly become my favorite system. It gives me the best of rf photography, outstanding lenses and big negatives!
The package you are looking at is a great deal for $1,500. Best luck and keep us posted.
My primary camera is a large format view camera, but when I am doing street photography and moving around a lot I use my M7ll. It's quite and easy to use. I have the 43mm, 80mm, and 150mm, and they all get equal use. The only draw back is the lenses are somewhat slow. F4.5, so you need to stop down to get good depth of field. Except for the 43mm lens, I am forced to use a tripod in many situations if I want good depth of field. You will be happy with the system, just remember to fill the entire frame to utilize the 6x9 format.
Mamiya 7II any opinions? 
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