Mamiya 7 II Medium Format Rangefinder Camera

Is film dead?
Here it is in the Spring of 2007. Some photographers may ask is medium format dead? Has double-digit megapixel SLRs made 6X7 rangefinders irrelevant? Is roll film just a remnant of a long-lost era of photography?

One simply has to look upon a perfectly focused and exposed transparency produced in a Mamiya 7 with the naked eye to know clearly that the answer to each question above is "no." Today, no digital camera priced under $12,000 can come close to the image resolution that the Mamiya 7 can create in a package costing anyone less than one grand with lens in used condition.

Not dead by a long shot
As one who has used a number of cameras including film and digital for more than 30 years, I understand and appreciate the merits of each. As most serious hobbyists and professionals would say, my favorite camera is the one that's right for the job. I've shot a number of camera types including 35mm, medium and large format and digital. Each has advantages and disadvantages and each can claim itself superior in a photographic niche that no other format or type can contest. And absolutely, not yet, digital imaging has not fully displaced film. If anything, advanced digital photography has more fully defined medium format photography and, for the M7, placed it on the very short list of ideal cameras for superlative outdoor and travel photography use. For me, a few years of shooting digital has made me appreciate better the merits of transparency roll film. Few cameras create a finer image in nearly all measurements. But before I discuss that, let's look at the camera itself.

What is the Mamiya 7?
The Mamiya 7II is a mildly updated version of the Mamiya 7 model. A brighter viewfinder and minor bodywork are notable changes. The camera is an interchangeable lens, medium format rangefinder able to accept both 120 and 220 roll film. It is capable of aperture-priority auto-exposure. Known affectionately as the "Texas Leica" for its bigger size if not similar shape, it rivals that namesake for ease of handling and talent for superlative image quality. The Mamiya also uses shutter-lenses which give it a number of significant advantages over SLRs and all focal plane shutter equipped cameras including the Leica. More about that later. Considering that the camera with 80mm lens is about the size of my digital SLR with lens and weighs less, yet delivers an image more than four times larger than a full 35mm frame, the Mamiya makes a compelling case in fitting the applications for which I use.

The exposure meter measuring area is "center weighted" according to Mamiya. However, my experience shows that area has a hard edge and I prefer to use it more as a spot or, at least, a very center, center weighted meter. Regardless, for my use, the meter is highly accurate which is important for the unforgiving film I normally use which is Fuji Velvia in both ISO 50 and 100 formulations. And because the battery is only used to drive the meter and readout, it lasts a long time.

Because of its 6X7 "ideal" film format, very little cropping is needed to fit popular frame sizes such as 8X10 so more of an already large original image is useable.

As typical with rangefinders, turning the focus ring manually focuses lenses. An indexed viewfinder shows the approximate resulting image within a bright frame. Lenses run from focal lengths ranging from 43mm to 210mm. I own the very popular and highly performing 80mm (see my review at http://www99.epinions.com/content_180011568772). I also have used the 43mm, a wide-angle equivalent to about 21mm in 35mm format. Both lenses produce fabulously sharp shots with little to no noticeable distortion. Indeed, some would argue as would I that the entire Mamiya 7 lens line is superior in sharpness than that of any other medium format camera of any type for the ability to create a sharp and distortion-free image.

Here's why. Cameras using a reflex mirror such as any SLR and cameras depending on focal plane shutters require complex optical designs to position the lens away from the swinging reflex mirror and focal plane shutter. The problem gets worse with wide-angle lenses. The optical solution is always a compromise that limits its ability to deliver a perfect optical image to the film. On the other hand, within the Mamiya, there is no reflex mirror nor is there a shutter between the exit lens element and the film. This allows a relatively simple but near perfect optical design. Other medium format camera makers and their users might claim superior lens performance but unbiased lens tests put the Mamiya 7 class of lenses above the rest. Another advantage of Mamiya's built-in, leaf-shutter lenses is that they offer flash synchronization to 1/500th of a second which allows more creative flash control than cameras with slower synchs such as those with focal plane shutters.

In the field
Technical points aside, the camera is nearly perfect for my applications. For backcountry landscape, travel, street, and casual architectural photography, it's ideal. Personally, I find carrying the camera and two lenses, the 80mm and 43mm, a part of a liberating photographic journey. Add a lightweight tripod, and I will bring back very fine shots from nearly every hike. For street grab shots, the near silent leaf shutters never announce my shooting. As important, the low mass shutter doesn't upset the camera like a focal plane shutter does. I have a whole number of images shot handheld at 1/15th and even 1/8th of a second that are keepers. Kids, don't try this with your SLR. The bright real image in the viewfinder allows quick composition. The quick focusing rangefinder method never leaves me wanting for auto-focusing. Both lenses are as free from distortion as I can ever expect and images from a carefully planted camera will provide images rivaling those shot from a 4X5.

My last trip with the Mamiya was during a hike along the "greatest meeting of land and water" Point Lobos State Reserve near Carmel on California's Pacific coast. I carried the camera and one prime lens. Being no more a burden than a point-and-shoot, I was able to get both grab shots and more carefully composed images among the Monterey Pine and jagged coastline. I missed some wide-angle possibilities but I was forced to see in 80mm and found images I may have ignored by carrying my usual quiver of lenses and DSLR. On a stay on the eastern flanks of California's Sierra Nevada, I carried the Mamiya around my neck (instead of a backup point-and-shoot) along with a massive DSLR kit in my backpack. Upon my return to the Bay Area, I sent the film off for developing and spent hours fiddling with the digital images in Photoshop to get them "just so." Guess what? The film came back trumping what I could attain after my fiddling. God bless Mamiya, Velvia, and dumb luck on my part as a film shooter.

A medium format camera one can wear on a neck strap speaks to the camera's compactness. The original M7 was carried vertically while the M7II is carried horizontally – a feature "upgrade" that to me was a step backwards. Changing lenses requires a number of steps including closing a built-in dark slide to shield the film from exposure, replacing the lens and opening the dark slide. Mechanical restrictions keep you in sequence during the procedure. The process becomes second nature after a few lens changes. Film changing is also a bit more involved than it is in 35mm and one must remember to adjust for 120 or 220 roll film and setting the appropriate film speed. Finally, as with all rangefinder cameras, remembering to remove the lens cover to take the shot is something that must be instilled into your workflow.

I enjoy the way the camera feels in the hand and during operation. It comes to the eye naturally and controls are where they should be.

Some concerns
All Japanese cameras I've owned and used have been impeccably designed and built – except for the Mamiya. I've felt my near pro-level gear from Nikon and Olympus could be used to drive nails in an emergency. Not so with the Mamiya camera body. The camera back is flimsy and the fit and finish less than what I expect from Japan. I read reports of failure in the viewfinder mechanics and I don't think they're unwarranted. I also share the complaint of the faint and oddly located exposure LED indicator in the viewfinder area. These nits, however, don't affect what user's ultimate goal is – a well exposed and sharp picture.

Image Quality
I recall laying down on my light table the first roll of images I shot with the Mamiya. I was expecting a lot but was still stunned at the sharpness. I had apprehensions of the meter's performance and I had shot in environments ranging from a fog-bound dawn to a sunny afternoon to sunset. Every single shot was nicely exposed. Image distances ranged from the lens's closest focus to virtual infinity. Frame center was painfully sharp but I rejoiced to note that shots at f/8 and up were sharp all the way into the deepest corners. This had much to do with the 80mm lens of course. The 43mm lens also displays similar traits but there is noticeable if only slight light falloff at most apertures. This does not bother me on landscapes but would require some correction for architecture if I were being paid. Neither lens showed distortion that I could notice and I tend to notice distortion.

While large format (and high cost) presentation devices such digital projectors, plasma, LCD, and DLP screens have garnered attention for quality images, they simply pale miserably compared to the low-tech optical projection of a medium format transparency. No one forgets the experience of seeing his or her first medium format slide show.

Conclusion
In these days of megapixel wars, electronic imaging advances, and obsession with digital solutions, some may be deluded into thinking that film has seen its heyday. But the Mamiya 6X7 rangefinder presents a nearly undefeatable set of arguments for top choice in a number of photographic applications.