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Archive 2014 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II

  
 
m.sommers00
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


A local Mamiya popped up for sale and it's in exceptional condition. I had Mamiya RB67 before to try out medium format because I've heard/read that the overall tonality was still much better. But it was just too big at the end of the day to lug around and I barely shot it. The M7II is much smaller however and that really intrigues me. Also, it's lenses are limited and all supplied in the ad.

I have a higher end Epson scanner (V700) that I've used for 35mm film in my F100 and FM2n. I started shooting film out of curiosity, not that I specifically wanted to get anything out of it however I do like the look I get from B&W and some colour rolls (I like that vintage look, sometimes). I do know that film handles highlights much better than digital, but after scanning is this really the case? I have yet to scan the max resolution for print as I haven't printed any film stuff, just lower res things for uploading on the web.

Given my inventory, I'm not sure if adding a M7II would net me anything of great benefit. It's a considerable cost and I can't really give it a try, I either buy or not. But I can't tell if my curiosity is getting the best of me or if it's actually worthwhile addiiton. I suppose I wouldn't lose much money if any if I decided to sell.

What are you guys' thoughts? Any medium format film shooters around?

Cheers,
Matt



Jan 04, 2014 at 04:43 PM
the solitaire
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


With the D600 and D800 available I´m no longer that sure there is still much of a benefit in recording capability. One thing that speaks in favor of medium format is the lenses. Compared to smallfilm lenses the medium format lenses are in a wholly different class in terms of rendering, contrast and color.




Jan 04, 2014 at 04:57 PM
gugs
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


You could go for it but just for the fun. I use a Pentax 645 from time to time and scan the pictures with an Epson scanner. The feeling is nice, the viewfinder amazing, all in a very nice experience. but don't expect IQ to be better than with a D800. I did some comparisons, and I could not get more than 40M 'good' pixels with that scanner. A Medium format Coolscan might give better results. I chose the Pentax because I found a ridiculously cheap package with four lenses and flash for about $1000 in EX+ state and because the user interface was very similar to a modern SLR.

Guy



Jan 04, 2014 at 04:58 PM
BlueBomberTurbo
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


I don't mean to bring up his name, but Ken Rockwell has an 80MP scan of a pic he took with a Mamiya 7:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/images/Torino2-8bitsSH-10k.jpg

That's certainly DSLR quality at 100% magnification, scanned at 3200dpi on a Minolta Multi PRO.



Jan 04, 2014 at 05:58 PM
Jan Brittenson
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


I used a M7II for, what, 9 years. The camera and lenses are very small for 6x7, the lenses are extremely good -- all six of them. I shot it mainly with the 43, 80, and 150, on a variety of film stock and scanned on my Imacon. If you like shooting film, then you will love this camera. It's extremely easy to hand hold and the leaf shutters are virtually silent. IMO, if you're going to shoot film why bother with small format, shoot 6x7, 6x9, or get a 612 tech cam. 135 always felt like a waste of time to me.

On the flip side, while the camera is small carrying hundreds of rolls of 120/220 will take up a significant chunk of your luggage if you travel. You won't want to leave your film in a hot car while you stop for a bite somewhere. By comparison, digital is extremely liberating, and a D800E with a Zeiss 18 or 21 doesn't leave anything on the table relative to 6x7 film, in any way.

The M7 is tremendously well suited to handheld travel shooting, but is a fine landscape instrument. All you really need is an L bracket.








Jan 04, 2014 at 06:05 PM
m.sommers00
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


By the sounds of it, this $3,000 might be better suited elsewhere. The GAS is still strong - better sleep on it a few nights. Maybe he'll take my F100 as a trade

I agree with your comments about 35mm vs. MF film. It's still not very cheap to get into unfortunately unless I go really old like I previously did, which was not a good fit.



Jan 04, 2014 at 06:41 PM
Micky Bill
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


if you use it as a whole 'nuther camera I think you will enjoy the experience, but going head to head with the 800 I think most MF cameras will come up short in regards to quality, ease of use and final results.
After shooting you will need to get very good scans and they are not cheap nor is a high quality scanner. The example by Ken Rockwell was not impressive as it was a tiny internet jpg not the full 80 mb scan. it just seemed oversharpened and noisy...



Jan 04, 2014 at 06:55 PM
Two23
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


There are cheaper ways to get into film. A Voigtlander Bessa 6x9 will have a Heliar lens and is bigger than 67. It's an excellent folding camera. I have an Epson v750 and it does a good job, but not as good as an Imacon or a drum scan. A drum scan from 6x9 will edge out a D800. After 2005 I only shot digital, but then in 2010 started drifting back to film. I only shoot old gear though. My Bessa was made in 1938, my Leica in 1942, and my Rolleiflex in 1951. If you just want a great camera to shoot film, I can highly recommend the Rolleiflex, especially with f3.5 CZJ Tessar lens. I agree that 35mm seems like a waste of time compared to medium format. I mostly shoot 4x5 though.


Kent in SD



Jan 04, 2014 at 09:07 PM
m.sommers00
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


I went through Flickr and looked at a bunch of Rolleiflex images and I have to say that I really enjoy their look. Doing a very unscientific A/B comparison the Rolli seems less harsh and creamier than the M7II examples in B&W. Of course this depends on so many things it's hardly worth mentioning.

How does metering work with the Rolleis?



Jan 04, 2014 at 11:05 PM
Two23
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


m.sommers00 wrote:
I went through Flickr and looked at a bunch of Rolleiflex images and I have to say that I really enjoy their look. Doing a very unscientific A/B comparison the Rolli seems less harsh and creamier than the M7II examples in B&W. Of course this depends on so many things it's hardly worth mentioning.

How does metering work with the Rolleis?


With my 1951 model, I use a handheld incident light meter and then dial in the settings on the shutter & aperture. One thing I'll mention about historic cameras for those not familiar, before WW2 the lenses were all uncoated. After, they began to get single coating. The uncoated lenses give a softer, lower contrast look. It's super for portraits! One of the reasons I started shooting older cameras and film again was I just got bored with the "digital" look of contrasty, saturated images. Images from a 70 yr. old camera just have a look all their own.



Kent in SD



Jan 04, 2014 at 11:40 PM
SoundHound
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


I have a complete Mayima 7 kit (3 bodies 5 lenses). I also have the V750 scanner and wet scan. Hi Rez scans are much bigger than 80Megs. It is very, very quiet and the lenses, not reflex retro focus designs, are reputed to be sharper than Hasselblad's. It is terrific for certain kinds of photography especially ext B&W.

Most of my work is fast action (and ISO 6400) with lenses up to 200mm F2.0 (the longest, practical 7 lens is 150mm which is not much of a tele on 6X7). It is the kind of camera that you should use constantly because it is so different to than DSLRs. I don't use it much at all but it is, especially the lenses, so tasty that I can't bear to sell the kit.

I think that if you bought a kit you would enjoy it and could become and a better photographer for it.



Jan 04, 2014 at 11:50 PM
m.sommers00
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


Well I think I may have found a good condition 3.5E for a fair price (and a heck of a lot cheaper than the Mamiya kit anyways). Thanks for the assistance


Jan 04, 2014 at 11:59 PM
Two23
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


The Rolleiflex was one of the top camera choices for working pros from the 1930s into the 1960s. The lenses is excellent, the camera is easy to use, and they are very solidly made. Holding the camera at your waist does two things for you. First, it's much steadier than holding it at eye level. Second, it's great to do street photography with since you are looking down and not directly at your subject. Note that Vivian Maier used a Rolleiflex almost exclusively.


Kent in SD



Jan 05, 2014 at 10:38 AM
Mark_L
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


I had one for a while alongside my RB67 and couldn’t get on with it but ended up reselling for a nice profit. Most of the irritations were rangefinder related: I ended up wasting a lot of the frame due to the inaccurate framelines and grad filters were a pain to use. They feel rather plastic fantastic for the price tag too.

The main attraction for me was to use it handheld but given the very shallow dof from 6x7 I ended up having it constantly on a tripod anyway and could just as well use an slr. If you really like film and can work around the limitations perhaps it is a good option but a dslr will perform better in just about every area along with a great af system.



Jan 06, 2014 at 08:01 AM
lxdesign
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


Having shot medium format film for a long time, to me.... the D800 is the affordable digital alternative! The images I crank out of the D800 remind me so much of when I was shooting my Mamiya Pro TL and AFD. I do so much miss shooting film, but given the offerings today, I would stick with digital.


Jan 06, 2014 at 10:06 AM
m.sommers00
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


Just an update. I picked up a Rollei 2.8E from here on FM. Given it's condition and recent service, along with great feedback, it was a no brainer. Looking forward to playing around with it

I think if a D4X comes out I'll unload the D800. Until then it's doing very well for my needs & wants.



Jan 06, 2014 at 10:29 AM
williamkazak
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · D800 vs. Mamiya 7II


It is funny and great that there are so many camera choices and, over the years, we can have different cameras to enjoy. I have owned a Hasselblad 500CM, Mamiya C330 and Yashica Mat 124G. I started with a plastic twin lens in grade school. The main problem with those cameras for me was the viewing, which was mostly dark thru the finder and the navel eye view. I had the 90 degree prism for the Hasselblad. That system was expensive. I think a digital back on a camera like that would be nice. (Hybred).


Jan 06, 2014 at 12:41 PM





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