Well what would your choice be

[simonpg]

Thanks Clarkie!

{{it was as sharp as a fishwife's tongue}} - Fantastic!

Yes I saw Marc's comment and agree. That struck me at the time - the first thing I noticed and liked when I bought my M7.

John, I have noticed how "rare" the Mamiya ^s are in the market and remember reading that many Mamiya customers lamented the use of 6x7 in the next iteration - they felt Mamiya should continue to offer the 6x6 version beside the 6x7 version.

Wayne your comments are a great read. I have a backpack - Lowepro (large one). But I bought it 1 year too early. The current version has one major benefit - a special sewn in cover that zips closed over all the damn straps, pads etc.. When I carry around the backpack by its side handle, I grumble about how annoying it is to have all those straps etc hanging off it. I'm inclined to trade it in on the new version for that reason. It really is an issue that even makes me use the pack less that I should. The other annoying thing is (probably a necessary evil) is that its size versus its load capacity is very big.

You point about choosing how to carry the gear and support it in the field being so important is very true.

Your comment about 6x17 and panoramic opportunities reminds me that typically when I go into the bush say with the 6x6 kit, I always take my XPan with its 45 and 90mm lenses - very compact and light for the wide angle opportunities which I prefer to capture in panorama format.

Re your thoughts about the XPan, I had a Leica M6TTL and M7 - sold the M6 to help fund the XPan kit. So now I take the XPan with the M& or with the Hassy kit. The Xpan (built to the same quality of Leica M cameras) is the perfect compliment to both the 503/501 kit and the M7 kit.

Is your Leica 75mm the Summilux or the new Summicron? One day I hope to find a 75mm Summilux - love the way it "draws".

 

[bahngeist]

Peter:

Ever since I heard about the Nikonos back in the mid-seventies I thought it would make an exceptional all-weather camera -- but nothing is perfect, as one still has to be careful about watching-out for droplets on the lens when shooting

I also find that the brightline frame blanks-out easily all-to-often which can be a 'little' frustrating at times

Nowadays a Nikonos can be acquired quite cheaply: the 35 mm. I acquired from KEH set me back a mere $14 U.S. -- the used KR3 filter I regularly have mounted on it cost 3X that (not bragging here, just pointing out one of life's random yet poignant ironies). The 80 mm. can also be found used fairly regularly, the problem is finding the corresponding optical viewfinder. I bought the body new for $299 (not much more than what KEH charges for one in EX condition) since one can never be certain if a used one had been flooded at one time or another.

Simon: the 75 I have is the Summicron; my 35 is the current Summilux. I have found that both lenses well deserve their reputation, but in retrospect I often regret not having acquired the 35 Summicron instead as it is the more compact lens -- but then, once we are back to seven or less hours of full sunlight here come next winter I will likely think differently

I passed on the 75 Summilux in large part because of its size (pun not intended) and couldn't justify the cost of the extra stop as I could with the 35 Summilux which I use as my 'standard' lens. If you keep your eye-out it is not uncommon to find a 75 Summilux used online -- the primary drawback there is that M8 users are picking them off quite quickly (and, moreover, that scammers are becoming all-too-aware of that demand).

 

[peterbkk]

Quote: I also find that the brightline frame blanks-out easily all-too-often which can be a 'little' frustrating at times. :Unquote

Yes, the whole viewfinder on the Nikonos V could be a pain to use. Underwater, through a dive mask, you had to wobble your head up and down to be able to see any of the data displayed or the frame. It was such a nuisance that most people used it blind, relying on estimated manual settings, driven mainly by subject distance and flash power...

Regards
Peter

 

[jsmisc]

Hi Simon,

Yes, I was one of those who lamented the move to 6x7 but that was felt to be the more popular format at the time. It scuppered further development of the 6 and made me unhappy but I don't expect that I will part with mine and I think that most other owners must agree. When I do see 6 equipment for sale, it seems even now to command quite good prices.

Cheers,
John

 

[simonpg]

Wayne, my 35mm is the current Summicron - an outstanding lens. If I did add the 75mm it would be the Summilux since I have no other f1.4 lenses in the kit and its drawing is superb. I understand the 75 Summicron is wonderful and that the closer focusing distance has great advantage. I remember seeing an illustration of the close focus distance comparison with the 'lux and it certainly opens creative opportunities.

But my favourite is certainly the current 50mm Summicron - renders images beautifully.

Yes John I have noticed how the Mamiya 6 does still hold very good prices. Obviously very good reason for that!

 

[rir]

I do my hiking & mountaineering in Norway, often on ski's in winter.
You want great pictures, but everything goes on your back, often for 20-30Km, perhaps with c&ing equipment as well. Is this more or less your problem set up?
My choice, Hasselblad 500CM, Distagon 50mm. Perhaps the 80mm Planar,if this suits my mood that day, or the pictures I know I want. A white T-shirt is good as a reflector for softening. Also if every gram counts, the Planar. Profisix light meter, and perhaps an extra magazine, in winter allways, as fingers get very cold in snowstorms. I haven't experience of the digital back under these conditions, but have been told that under severe conditions, they keep working, anyway long after the competition's given up. In practice the Hasselblad V is no heavyer or bigger than a modern digital 35mm. The shape on the other hand, is much better for carrying. The camera itself is unique in the way that all functions can be performed with cold, tired, or gloved hands

 

[fotografz]

Hmmm, I never contributed to this thread, so I may be late ... but better late than never : -)

Were I to be hiking about the wilds, I would, without a blink of an eye, beg, borrow or rent a Mamiya 7II.

Huge 6X7 neg. aspect proportioned for standard print sizes (no substitute for uncropped real estate), rangefinder crisp lenses from a 43mm W/A with next to zero distortion ... to even an under-valued, infinity focusing 135 originally designed for critical arial photography. Add the ingenious flip polarizer (similar in design to the Leica M version) ... all which fits in a bag a bit larger than a Hassey with lens, prism and back. If I recall Mamiya even had a macro kit of some sort.

Horses for courses.

 

[wbulte]

David,

Sounds like what I would bring, 500cm plus C50. Not sure if I would bring the PME 45gr finder. Makes the camera quite a bit heavier and its shape is less fun for backpacking. But it saves you from bringing a seperate light meter.

Hm.. ho.. Sofar my hiking was just a couple of miles from the road side, that allowed a full kit of gear to be taken, incl. tripod. C80,C50,CF40,C150 plus a spare 500cm body. Good for physical exercise, unsuitable for any serious mountaineering of course. As for snow: no thanks, I prefer sun, even if that makes life extremely hot

Wilko

 

[simonpg]

Marc, interesting that you were the only one to suggest a Mamiya 7II or 7. I commented in one of my posts above that I was surprised no one suggested either of them.

My shooting buddy has a 7II with the 43 as well as the 80. But he does not use it enough. I shot it with the 43 and felt that the images were as good as the SWC's Biogon (I suspect that the lens design was a "copy" of the Biogon anyway!). There is little doubt that the Mamiya 7II is a wonderful option.

I have to wonder if Mamiya's sales suffered from lots of MF shooters wanting to hire 7IIs for special purposes, but much fewer buy them!

 

[fotografz]

Hi Simon, for awhile I had a brace of Black Mamiya 7-IIs and all the lenses except the long aerial lens. The 43 was a spectacular performer and quite well corrected as one would expect of a rangefinder type lens. Very compact kit relatively speaking.

I opted out of that system when it became clear that I would be migrating most of my gear to be dual digital capture and film oriented .... where the modular MF systems shine.

 

[amoxom]

I would also have to own up to carrying a Mamiya 6 and full compliment of lenses. I can get my Mamiya 6, all lenses, some filters, cable release, pentax digital spotmeter and 20 rolls of film into a Lowepro Orion AW hip bag with some room to spare. Which is ideal for hiking and quick deployments to get a few shots off in my spare time. If I move the filters and the spot meter to the detachable knapsack top bag, I can even fit a 500 c/m with 80 CF, WLF, and two A12 backs into the bag with the mamiya 6. Some may ask why. My main reason is that for some shots with the rangefinder, not being able to see whether verticals or lines are converging or keystoning is not the best to judge with the Mamiya viewfinder. The Blad removes all doubt and is deployed in those times. I love both systems though for their strengths. Without starting a flame war, I find the Mamiya lenses better as Ken Rockwell states on his website, and able to provide more resolution than the zeiss lenses. Even with that aside, I am in the process of acquiring two more lenses for my Blad so that I have the same focal lengths in both systems and give my mamiya some rest so I can retain it longer without the winder dying on me which is the weak link. I've had a blad in the past, but sold that in the early nineties to get into 4x5. Now I'm getting back into the Blad sysytem as it certainly does have a place in the work I do.