I'm looking for a 6x7 rangefinder, need help choosing.

[BMbikerider]

I will go along with the Mamiya 7 too. Good build quality and damn good lenses. Who would have thought for 1 extra Cm along one edge would make all that difference over the Model6 version.

[David Allen]

I would also recommend the Mamiya 7. I have the original version and the meter is very much a spot meter. Not a problem for me as I use a hand-held meter. Also, it is quite capable of being hand-held at slow speeds when using the 65mm lens. Every image on my website was shot with a Mamiya 7 | 65mm lens | Delta 400 deved in Two-bath developer.

Best,

David
www.dsallen.de

[horacekenneth]

Oh also look at the Plaubel Makina 67 - it just looks nice

Quick off-topic question - why would you prefer the Mamiya with the scene-avg meter rather than the spot-meter?

[Katie]

I prefer a spot meter myself.

Ad me to the mamiya 7 list - I have the original and the 43, 65 and 150. Stellar lenses!

[StoneNYC]

Oh also look at the Plaubel Makina 67 - it just looks nice

Quick off-topic question - why would you prefer the Mamiya with the scene-avg meter rather than the spot-meter?

Well spot metering a scene I find tedious, it's personal preference but the idea for me about having a Mamiya 7 is that I can shoot fast and not have to meter every little detail, so the averaging meter works well and I've learned it's limitations and quirks, but it's just personal preference. I grew up using my Canon AE-1 with average metering and so I'm used to that. I do own a Sekonic with spot metering and incident metering etc which I use in studio or if I'm out shooting landscapes, but for a walk around "journalisticall" style camera like the Mamiya 7 I just find the average meter to be more useful.

Well anyway good luck, let us know what you decide


~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

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[Chris Giles]

Thanks guys, I'm leaning on the Mamy 7ii right now. The press cameras are nice, so is the price but there seems to be more support, general knowledge etc for the 7. Although part of me if saying just buy another H1 body.
From those with experience of 645 and 6x7 negs is there a big shift in scans?

[polyglot]

60% more film area, means about 30% more enlargement at a given quality.

It's half a stop. You decide if that's worth it to you in film cost/quality tradeoff. Persoanlly I shoot 6x7 but if I was more into chromes I'd probably get a 6x6 body for that due to affordability/availability of projectors.

[Chris Giles]

You're right, I'll buy one and try it.

[Ghostman]

Another Mamiya 7ii fan here. I have the 43/65 and 80mm lenses. I have to confess to being totally hooked on the 43mm lens. The Mamiya 7 is light and easy to work with. Changing lenses and film is easilz and quickly done. It's a little plasticky, but you can't have it all. I find the metering works well and the rangefinder mechanism is spot on. It is my only MF rangefinder so I can't make any comparison. I have several other MF cameras though, the Mamiya 7 is my default camera.

[StoneNYC]

Now if I could only find a cheap viewfinder for my 43mm... I bought my lens without one, I would even accept a 20mm (in 35mm terms) for some other system if it were cheap enough, trying to imagine the wide angle can be tricky.


~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

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