Mamiya 7ii Medium Format Camera Review

Introduction

This review isn't meant to be a regurgitation of what you've probably already read online and elsewhere about the Mamiya 7 camera system and its lenses. What it is meant to be is the following:

  1. A direct comparison of the Mamiya 7ii camera and the Leica M6 rangefinder with respect to such points as handling, ease of use and quality.

  2. A comparison of the results produced on like films between 35mm and medium format (in this case 6x7) negatives. Basically I'm trying to see if it's worth the trouble (i.e. heavier camera, less shots per roll, more bulk, etc.) to shoot medium format. Are the negatives really THAT much better than what I can produce with my Leica?

I'm writing this review as much for my benefit as for yours. The reason is this: I currently own two Leica M6 rangefinders, the lenses for which are unquestionably astounding. However, the one drawback I've had with the these cameras is the 35mm film that they take. For a while, I've been somewhat dissatisfied with 35mm quality in certain situations. However, I love my M6's. Their handling is fantastic, and the viewfinder is perfect for the type of work that I do. I don't want to give up the handling qualities, viewfinder, and low weight of my M6's, period. So the question is, does the Mamiya 7ii have all these qualities AND produce a whopping 6x7 negative? Let's find out..

Overview

What is the Mamiya 7ii? It's the latest generation medium format (6x7) rangefinder from Mamiya, its predecessors being the Mamiya 6 and the Mamiya 7. I won't go into details about those cameras. The Mamiya offers several basic features, such as multiple exposures, 120 or 220 film and aperature priority auto exposure. There are several lenses available for the Mamiya. For the purposes of this test, I'll only be using the 80mm normal lens. The field of view on this lens is equivalent to a 39mm in 35mm terms.

What's interesting about the Mamiya is that the shutter mechanism is controlled by the camera body, but physically located in the lenses themselves. The shutters are leaf type, meaning, like my Leica M6's, there's no mirror to swing up like an SLR, hence they can be handheld at low shutter speeds and still provide sharp results. I've had good luck with my Leica's all the way down to 1/15th of a second depending on how much coffee I've drunk that day. I expect the Mamiya to provide good results down to about 1/30th of a second. Testing will tell the story. Also of interest is that the fastest lens made for the Mamiya 7/7ii is f/4, which is a full two stops slower than my Leica Summicron lenses. Will I be able to live with this loss of speed? Again, time and film will tell. Another possible limitation of this lense is the minimum focus distance of 3 feet. For many, this is an issue, but for me less so. I lived with the same mimimum focus on several older Leica lenses, and didn't find it to be too much of an issue, though my newer Summicron's focus to about 1.5 feet which is very useful at times.

Let's jump into the meat of things now...

First Impressions

Please note that I'm not using any sort of methodology to test this equipment. I won't be shooting line charts or anything ridiculous like that (and yes, I think shooting line charts is a bloody waste of time). Whether or not a camera suits your style and expectations is a very personal matter, so in that regard, my findings are probably only useful to myself. Never the less, I'll continue in the hopes that perhaps you'll find my experiences with this camera of some interest.

First impressions are very important to me, although they're not always correct. In fact, when I got my first M6 in the mail, I literally asked myself "I just spent how much on this?". My first impression of the Leica? Crap. Solidly built crap. It seemed so unwieldy. I got over that though, and found that the M6 was and still is the best camera that I've ever used for my style of shooting. So what's my first impression of the Mamiya 7ii?

Don't like it. It feels cheap, plasticky and not terribly solid in general. My fiance says it looks like the Holga, which should give you some idea of how things stand with this camera's build quality. Also, it doesn't seem to balance terribly well in my hand. Or, at the least, it doesn't balance like my Leica's. Change is always difficult....

Pros/Cons

Fast forward to the end of my first day shooting with the Mamiya on the streets of D.C. What do I think now? Well, it's still feels sort of cheaply made, but to simplify, I decided to just put what I like/don't like in a list. Here goes:

Cons:

  1. Cheap build quality. This ain't no Leica, nor is it up to modern plastic SLR quality.

  2. Balance isn't quite what I'd like it to be. The projecting lens mount makes it a little difficult to focus the way I'm used to.

  3. The metering system is horribly implemented. In AE lock mode, pressing the shutter button turns on and locks the meter setting, which is as I'd expect, but when you release the shutter button, the meter doesn't stay on. Major pain.

  4. The shutter button is a hair trigger. This thing will fire at the drop of a hat (or a finger nail). I blew about 3 frames accidentally triggering the shutter, and when you're shooting 120 roll film, this sucks.

  5. Lenses only have full stop detents, not half stops like my Leica lenses.

  6. Bokeh. I'm not so sure about the bokeh of this lens. It's definitely not 50mm Summicron style bokeh.

  7. Minimum focus of 3ft. on the 80mm lens. On paper this is a con, though in my day to day shooting I haven't found it to be a problem with other lenses I've used with the same limitation. I list it here only because the 50mm Summicron I use on my Leica has minimum focus of about 1.5ft., which has at times been useful.

  8. Not fully manual. If the battery goes, the camera becomes a plastic paper weight, unlike the Leica which will fire away without batteries.

  9. Only 10 shots per roll on 120 roll film, and slow film changes.

Pros:

  1. Handles reasonably well. It isn't heavy. In fact, it doesn't weigh any more than my Leica, which is fantastic. It is bulky, but I can live with it.

  2. The large hand grip lets me carry the camera in my right hand as I'm used to doing without too much fatigue.

  3. Aperature priority exposure. Comes in handy at times, and the meter is a center spot, which I like (although the exact coverage of the spot is a bit of a mystery).

  4. The rangefinder is fantastic. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to say that the viewfinder/rangefinder may actually be brighter than that of the Leica, with the exception of the framelines themselves, which are a touch more difficult to see.

  5. The 80mm lens is nice and light, and has a great manual focus ring that's smooth and precise.

  6. Film change is reasonably simple, considering the film used (you can only change roll film so fast, after all).

  7. Only 10 shots per roll on 120 roll film. Sometimes this is a pain (hence I list it in the Cons section as well), but a lot of my shooting is slow and methodical, and often I won't shoot more than 10 or 20 frames in an outing, so I actually like going through a roll or two of 120 rather than having to leave images on a roll of 36-exposure 35mm film until I go out again.

  8. Shutter. The leaf shutter in the Mamiya 7 lenses is phenomenal. I can barely hear it fire (yes, it's quite a bit quieter than the Leica shutter), and there is NO shake when the it goes off, unlike with the Leica, whose focal plane shutter torques the camera body a bit when it goes off, especially at higher shutter speeds. This lets me get decent results handholding a medium format camera at 1/15 of a second!

  9. Multiple exposures. It's there if I need it, although I tend to leave that type of shooting to the Holga. The Leica doesn't give me the option.

  10. The normal lens (80mm) has a field of view equivalent to about 40mm in 35mm terms. I wasn't sure how I'd like it at first, but it's fantastic! Not too wide, not too tight. It's really a fantastic lens for my type of street, still life shooting.

  11. HUGE NEGATIVE!!!

The Final Word

So will I sell my Leica's tomorrow and go buy a Mamiya 7ii? Hell no. Do I want one? Hell yes. The negative is fantastic, and after a day of shooting with the camera, I'm absolutely in love with the 80mm normal lens, and the camera fullfills enough of my most important requirements (light weight, great rangefinder/viewfinder) to make me think I could shoot with it on a day to day basis. In fact, the image above is a crop of probably one of the best shots I've ever taken, on the first day shooting with the Mamiya 7ii.... go figure. You can see that particular portfolio here.

Addendum

Having shot now with the Mamiya 7ii for almost a week, and having done some printing from the negs its produced, I'd like to write a quick followup to address some of my initial issues with the camera, by posting some counterpoints to my own "Cons" list:

  1. Cheap build quality. This ain't no Leica, nor is it up to modern plastic SLR quality.

    1. There's not really any going back on this point. The camera is what it is, though I've heard plenty of reports from people who use it on a regular basis, have travelled with it and abused it, and it still works fine.

  2. Balance isn't quite what I'd like it to be. The projecting lens mount makes it a little difficult to focus the way I'm used to.

    1. I've gotten used to it. It's no big deal after using it for a while.

  3. The metering system is horribly implemented. In AE lock mode, pressing the shutter button turns on and locks the meter setting, which is as I'd expect, but when you release the shutter button, the meter doesn't stay on. Major pain.

    1. Still annoying, but my exposures are spot on, so who cares.

  4. The shutter button is a hair trigger. This thing will fire at the drop of a hat (or a finger nail). I blew about 3 frames accidentally triggering the shutter, and when you're shooting 120 roll film, this sucks.

    1. Another one of those things you just get used to. No big deal anymore.

  5. Lenses only have full stop detents, not half stops like my Leica lenses.

    1. I recall reading somewhere that in AE mode, the shutter on the 7ii is stepless. If so, I could care less if there are half stop detents or not. Unfortunately, I can't seem to discover if this is actually the case or not. Update: I stumbled across this information on the Mamiya UK website: "The Mamiya 7 also has convenient and accurate built-in aperture priority AE (with 1/6 step increments)..." so the answer is in fact, yes, the shutter is stepless in AE/AEL mode.

  6. Bokeh. I'm not so sure about the bokeh of this lens. It's definitely not 50mm Summicron style bokeh.

    1. The bokeh is quite nice in most circumstances. Occasional it's a little odd, but I like it.

  7. Minimum focus of 3ft. on the 80mm lens. On paper this is a con, though in my day to day shooting I haven't found it to be a problem with other lenses I've used with the same limitation. I list it here only because the 50mm Summicron I use on my Leica has minimum focus of about 1.5ft., which has at times been useful.

    1. I think I already addressed this one.

  8. Not fully manual. If the battery goes, the camera becomes a plastic paper weight, unlike the Leica which will fire away without batteries.

    1. Well, what can you do? Again, just one of those things you have to live with. Carry extra batteries if you're worried.

  9. Only 10 shots per roll on 120 roll film, and slow film changes.

    1. I think I mentioned elsewhere that this doesn't really bother me, and in practice that holds true.

Other things I'd like to mention, specifically in regards to the 6x7 negative. In short, it's big. Really big. Huge enlargements are no problem, even from faster speed films like Tri-X shot at ISO 1600 and developed in Diafine (one of my favorite combinations). In fact, I've done several 16x16 prints of things I've shot with the Mamiya 7ii, and provided MY technique was good, the prints are incredibly sharp and grain free. Even 16x16's of things I've shot on Tri-X only exhibit a nice tight grain structure. 11x14's are visibly "better" (obviously somewhat subjective depending on your desired result) than enlargements from 35mm film. At 16x20 there is no contest.

So, if you plan on enlarging regularly to 11x14, 16x16 or 16x20, then medium format is definitely your friend.

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