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MP or Mamiya 7ii?

Vlad

Member
I'm in a bit of a pickle. Being a relentless gearhead, I've been seeking to "complete" my collection of cameras over the past few weeks. Only thing that's missing is a solid RF film body. Now, I have an assortment of Leica glass, so the natural selection would be to snatch up a black MP. The feel is second to none, it's small, accurate and legendary. It would also complement the M9 well.

I've been tripping pretty hard on the MF bandwagon lately though, and I am debating to add a Mamiya 7 to the mix. Yes it's bigger, probably a bit lighter (if not mistaken) and I'd be limited to whatever lens I'll choose with it (likely the 80).

What say you?
 

woodyspedden

New member
I'm in a bit of a pickle. Being a relentless gearhead, I've been seeking to "complete" my collection of cameras over the past few weeks. Only thing that's missing is a solid RF film body. Now, I have an assortment of Leica glass, so the natural selection would be to snatch up a black MP. The feel is second to none, it's small, accurate and legendary. It would also complement the M9 well.

I've been tripping pretty hard on the MF bandwagon lately though, and I am debating to add a Mamiya 7 to the mix. Yes it's bigger, probably a bit lighter (if not mistaken) and I'd be limited to whatever lens I'll choose with it (likely the 80).

What say you?
This is a bit of apples and oranges. The 35mm is hard to compare with a 6x7. If you print large images, the Mamiya is a no brainer choice. It is not large, extremely quiet, and the lenses are just superb with the 43mm being a stunner.

If you are doing stealth work, and do not need to print at 24x36 inches or larger, then the MP is a good choice. The overall package will cost (much?) more than the Mamiya 7II however so that may be a consideration as well.

I now have the Leica S2 so I am selling my Mamiya 7II with 43,50,64,80, and 150 lenses. (I am not willing to break up the kit however.) This gear is in mint condition and i have tried to sell it several times before and always withdrew it as I couldn't bear to part with it. Now with the S2, I seriously doubt that I will shoot film again. So if you have any interest, give me a shout at my email address, [email protected]

Woody
 

panda81

New member
if you were to go with a film rangefinder, have you thought about the zeiss ikon instead of the MP (or any of the other Leica offerings)?

the zeiss isn't as heavy as the leica, but personally i think it's just as well made. many people also feel the zeiss viewfinder is superior to the leica viewfinder too.
 

m_driscoll

New member
Vlad: I keep looking at getting an MF camera, also. I have an M7 and I've concluded that sticking with it makes the most sense because of all the excellent Leica glass that i have. Get a Mamiya and i'd have to (have to!) start getting another lens system. :eek:

Get an MP.

Cheers, Matt

http://mdriscoll.zenfolio.com
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Tough call. As Woody said, apples and oranges comparison.

That said, I'd never be without some form of Leica M ... film or digital. Ever. IMO, Leica M is rangefinder, and represents that form factor in any collection.

I can say that the MP3 I owned was the finest film camera I ever used, including a mint M3 ... the MP3 is pinnacle of rangefinder development IMHO. It is simply a gear head's dream come true ... not to mention a great shooter's tool.

I had a complete Mamiya 7 kit for many years ... but sold it off to further build my Leica M system. However, I also moved to MF Digital ... and once there, only shot MF film with the same camera as the digital back fit ... switching back and forth between digital and B&W film.

The Mamiya 7-II is a great camera, but limited in application. The lenses are relatively slow aperture, and all the rules of MF apply ... like higher shutter speeds for hand-holding, etc. Plus, it'll never be digital "able" should that bug bite you ... so any lenses collected can't be used on a digital body.

I can honestly say I never missed the Mamiya, but truly regretted having to let go of my Leica MP3. I would say if you are going for the Leica get the best ... a MP3 chrome (black lenses look fine on it). Lots of cool "retro" lenses available as well as 3rd party stuff to diversify the shooting experience.

Here's is some camera porn that few true gear-heads can resist: :ROTFL:

Marc (the Leica pusher) Williams ;)
 

Chris C

Member
Vlad - Hi.I had two Mamiya 7s and did a lot of work with them. The lenses are fabulous, the in-lens shutters are whisper quiet [a few times when shooting landscapes I thought the camera was jammed because I hadn't heard the shutter fire], and the ergonomics of the camera mean you can hold it safely in the 'crooked' fingers for lengthy periods. However, whilst the shutters are quiet the rewind isn't. The hot-shoe finder for the 43mm lens is properly designed with a variable dioptre correction and an illuminated circular bubble to be aligned in the centre of a circle to gain camera level. The 43mm lens and finder was my favourite and most used lens, followed by the 65mm --- I didn't have the 80 but I know it is also a good lens.

If you want another alternative, look into the previous generation Mamiya6 with it's square format.

............ Chris
 

Cindy Flood

Super Moderator
I have had them both and I think that it depends on the kind of photography that you shoot. If you are a street shooter, then the MP will probably serve you better. If you shoot landscape, the Mamiya 7 will deliver a file that will knock your socks off. Keep in mind the close focus distance of the Mamiya 7/7II is 1 meter. You can't go wrong with either.
I have M9, a Contax G kit, and Mamiya 7 and 7II.

Mark Williams, it isn't nice to show that camera porn.:ROTFL::ROTFL:
 

PeterA

Well-known member
i think we need a dedicated camera porn forum and Marc can be the moderator !

I rarely shoot film thee days or anything else lately..but I woudl never sell my MP or my M3. These cameras I hope to pass on to my grandchildren ( if I am ever fortunate to be blessed and get them!) ...you can add an XPan11 system and a Mamiya711 system to the family heirloom collection...

Woody don't sell the stuff! or if you are serious - make some pretty shots and PM me!

So I guess what I am saying to the OP is - you need Leica and Mamiya7 in your collection of the best film cameras ever made - but it wont be complete without the XPan11.:D
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
In my opinion, the Mamiya 7 is the second best in film landscape work only to 4x5 or bigger field cameras and can serve as a people camera in a pinch. It's without doubt the best 6x7 camera out there for landscape use. It's also handholdable at surprisingly low speeds - I have shots made with the 43mm handheld at 1/8 second. (Here's an example: http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=2647064; I was standing on a rock surrounded by muck too deep for a tripod.) Yes, a technical camera will add movements, but the optics won't keep up.

In my opinion (better qualify this again lest I create the wrong impression) the MP is the absolute best in people film work and like all 35mm film cameras largely a waste of time for landscape work.

On the other hand, the MP can be complemented with an M9! :cool:
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I went through this same dilemma a short while ago and wanted an MP as my (final keep forever) film camera to go with the rest of the M gear. However, having been a Mamiya 7II shooter in the past, I also had a strong desire to get another because the 6x7 slides/negatives are simply stunning and it's a very practical handheld camera too so long as you recognize that f/4 is as fast as you're ever going to get. If you're going to shoot film you might as well shoot large IMHO.

In the end I sold my MP but kept the M7II & 65/4 and I don't regret it. I still have the itch for another XPAN though ... Damn :rolleyes:
 

Chris C

Member
..... missing is a solid RF film body....
Vlad - To add some more confusion, there are other candidates for you to consider amongst fixed lens cameras. My first rangefinder was a Plaubel Makina 6x7 [there are two focal length variants; 65, and 8] the custom made Nikkor lens is a corker on each variant and the camera lens folds inwards to make an astoundingly compact camera. Only consider getting one for making lots of good pictures, please please don't collect cameras without working them. Also, consider the Fuji fixed lens RF rangefinders; they are all good --- I had the 6x9 65mm version and the image quality from that was stunning; scan files or exhibition prints look wonderful.

................ Chris

EDIT : P.S. - I agree with Jan about low speed hand-held shooting with the Mamiya 7. After downsizing to digital 'M' it was a bit of a shock to realise that the ergonomics of the 'M' tradition served me rather poorly as a photographer.
 
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K

kipkeston

Guest
If I could only have two camera bodies into the unforeseeable future, I would pick the M9 (or some digital body) and the 7ii. The 7ii makes 35mm film RF seem redundant, especially if you have a digital body for fast whimsical photos.
 
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