Excellent review! Comprehensive yet concise. Your pace and delivery is smooth and clear. The tip about the take-up spool being the same brand is news to me, so I learned something beyond just the camera.
Good to see a complete review to this camera finally. There are couple of videos already, but not in the same explicit way as this. The 35mm pano adapter is simple to use and the results are interesting , specially with the 43mm or 50mm. Leftside the 35mm film, and it´s rolled to the right adapter spool; once the film is exposed, there is an external spool to attach to the camera to rewind the film back.
I enjoyed your video, thanks for making it. Nice delivery of information, without sounding like a maniac on E-numbers. You could cut the music for me, but I dislike music on everybody's videos. I did really like your photographs. The colours and atmosphere were lovely. I really liked the photo of the man in orange. I'm a nikon (d7100) user, but I do love the look and feel of your photos. There's a warmth and kindness to them. I love how deep the blacks are in some of them, I think you've got the exposures 'spot on' as well. 👍
6:10 is actually a very good tip. this happened to me when shooting with my fuji gs645s. i only shoot portra 400 but when i put in a roll of fuji 400h, i ended up with a fat roll with overexposed corners
You were right, the equivalent depth of field of the f/4 lenses is roughly f2. But the camera body is made of aluminum, underneath the plastic shell. Plastic would be way too soft for such a precision instrument.
I wouldn't worry about mixing spools, just keep light pressure with your thumb on the fresh roll as you're winding the film to the loading mark to make sure it wraps tightly. One thing about this camera (I have the 6 but it still applies) is the coverage at infinity. At infinity what you frame in the finder is only 83% of what will be on the film, I'm a rangefinder guy and it took some getting used to. I have never noticed on any of that on my 35mm's, I was wondering why my framing was so different on the negatives not knowing it's actually taking a shot that's 17% wider than I intended
Great introduction to a fantastic camera system. One correction: the body isn’t all plastic. See www.galerie-photo.com/manuels/m7II_brochure_english.pdf pg 12. It’s the original product brochure and says the body is made of Silumin, an aluminum-silicone alloy (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silumin).
Hey Joe: Nice clear and concise reviews. I appreciate the no-nonsense approach to your reviews. Any comments or reviews of the Mamiya 6? Also a great camera, with limited lenses, but much more portable than the Mamiya 7/7ii
Thank you! I've actually never used a Mamiya 6, although I would love to try one out. So I can't comment on that camera in particular, but I haven't heard too many bad things about that system. Definitely more portable than the M7ii with the retractable lenses. Maybe if I start shooting more 6x6 I'll have to pick one up!
I don't have an M7 but on previous rangefinders I couldn't tell you the amount of shots I have lost from leaving the cap on, I guess you could just put it in multiple exposure mode and retake the shot but the gw690 I had didn't have that feature I don't think.
I have a generic lens hood that screws on the filter thread so I can't have the lens cap on at the same time. I always put my lens hood on before shooting so I have a reminder that the lens cap is in fact off. The original lens hood looks way more stylish but I'm thankful I've been able to avoid some wasted frames.
tallaganda83 Maybe have something blocking the viewfinder, that you always put on when your lens cap is on. It sounds like such a 'stupid' mistake, but I bet that thousands of people have done it :D
I put a UV filter on the lens and never use a cap for that very reason. Maybe some people can remember the cap, but I have some very painful memories of leaving it on, and have decided a filter is the only way to go for me.
Yo this was super helpful but I am so confused why mine wont shoot without film in it with the back closed but when the back is open it shoots single exposures just fine.
Glad I could help! Don't freak out, that's totally normal for this sysytem...even though I agree, it's kind of an annoying "design flaw" for the M7ii, but for whatever reason, the people over at Mamiya decided to not let this camera be "dry-fired"
Hey mate, I also have a Mamiya 7II but very often I have a problem while shooting. Sometimes I have a problem with the film advance lever. Very irregularly after making an image I want to wind to the next picture, but the film advance lever doenst move. The image is done, but I cant wind to the next image. Till now I do not have found a solution. I tried to rub the contacts, changed the battery but nothing could really solve the problem. I also do not know how to make the lever move. Sometimes its enough to just switch the camera on and off. Sometimes i close and open the curtain or change the exposure time after setting it to manual mode. Do you also have had a problem like this and know how to solve it? I would really appreciate andy feedback. Stay healthy so far. Greetings from Berlin
The Mamiya 7II uses one of 4SR44 silver oxide battery, 4LR44 alkaline battery or 2CR1/3 lithium battery. And the frame lines are projected in the viewfinder and adjust for parallax correction as well as adjust size depending on what lens you have attached. (ie. 65mm The lines cover the entire frame but for the 80mm they are significantly smaller.) Also for the 43mm and the 150mm lens there are external viewfinders that must be used. So if you're picking up a used lens make sure the viewfinder comes with the purchase, they can be hard to find solo. And don't worry about paying extra for a working level, tripod levels will suit you just fine! Cheers!
The f-stops for 6x7 format act as essentially "one full stop larger" than 35mm. An aperture of f/2.8 is one full stop more open than f/4. So it equates more closely to f/2.8. Then f/2 would be the next full stop in the range of aperture, and then finally f/1.4.
Some day, I'd like someone who buys into the "2.8 in 35mm is 2.0 in medium format" to explain what they think they are talking about. It's not about exposure. It's not about effective depth of field. Frankly, I think this is one of those nonsense "non-info" tidbits that get started in YT and get passed from one to the next person because these people don't know what they are talking about.
When focusing the lens and looking through the viewfinder, you'll see two parts of the image in the "focusing patch" that are overlaying on one another. When those two patches perfectly align, your subject is in focus. Check out my video on SLRs & Rangefinders ( th-cam.com/video/EN9VQktG4Kg/w-d-xo.html ) I have a visual example of this @7:00 that will make sense of all of this. Happy Shooting!
Hi there, may I ask a technical question ? I am new to the 7 and I had the problem that the shutter wouldn’t fire after I switched lenses mid Roll. The shutter was cocked before switching to be able to rotate the security curtain. I opened their curtain after I switched lenses of course. Because it did not fire I had to wind it once more and so did waste one shot on the film - after that it worked properly with the new lens on...
Strange, I've never ran into that issue before. And I actually just finished two rolls of Tri-X I shot with my M7ii this weekend...I even switched lenses a few times too. Was the camera set to the "standby/off" mode by chance? My guess is that the mechanism that links the shutter in the lens to the camera body was not in proper position requiring you to advance the film again, (similar to the camera not recognizing the proper focal length in the view finder when switching lenses) that's my best guess but then again, I could be totally wrong. If it happens again I would try taking the lens off and putting it back on to see if that fixes it. Wish I knew a proper solution for that
Shooting the right film stock makes it pretty easy to shoot under 1/500. Especially if you're shooting landscapes at smaller apertures, it isn't a huge set back. I do wish it was able to reach at least 1/1000 like my Pentax 67ii.
I use the Epson V850 Pro which I highly recommend. When I was in school we had Epson V600 flatbed scanners (which are great flatbed scanners too, but not as powerful as the V850) and a Hasselblad/Imacon drum scanner. Drum scanners are way better BUT way too expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars more.
Excellent -- clear, concise, good tips.
Thank you!
Excellent review! Comprehensive yet concise. Your pace and delivery is smooth and clear. The tip about the take-up spool being the same brand is news to me, so I learned something beyond just the camera.
Good to see a complete review to this camera finally. There are couple of videos already, but not in the same explicit way as this. The 35mm pano adapter is simple to use and the results are interesting , specially with the 43mm or 50mm. Leftside the 35mm film, and it´s rolled to the right adapter spool; once the film is exposed, there is an external spool to attach to the camera to rewind the film back.
Thanks! Hoping to get to use one a 35mm adapter with my 7ii eventually, but I'm still in love with the camera regardless haha
Such a good review, thank you SO much. Also the shot of the rocks at 8:01 - beautiful!
You're welcome! Glad I could help. Thank you very much!
I enjoyed your video, thanks for making it. Nice delivery of information, without sounding like a maniac on E-numbers. You could cut the music for me, but I dislike music on everybody's videos.
I did really like your photographs. The colours and atmosphere were lovely. I really liked the photo of the man in orange.
I'm a nikon (d7100) user, but I do love the look and feel of your photos. There's a warmth and kindness to them. I love how deep the blacks are in some of them, I think you've got the exposures 'spot on' as well. 👍
Thank you, I really appreciate it!
6:10 is actually a very good tip. this happened to me when shooting with my fuji gs645s. i only shoot portra 400 but when i put in a roll of fuji 400h, i ended up with a fat roll with overexposed corners
1OnionHead1 had the same problem and had no idea why. Now I know.
The mamiya 7 is just amazing. I wished i would own one
You were right, the equivalent depth of field of the f/4 lenses is roughly f2. But the camera body is made of aluminum, underneath the plastic shell. Plastic would be way too soft for such a precision instrument.
I wouldn't worry about mixing spools, just keep light pressure with your thumb on the fresh roll as you're winding the film to the loading mark to make sure it wraps tightly. One thing about this camera (I have the 6 but it still applies) is the coverage at infinity. At infinity what you frame in the finder is only 83% of what will be on the film, I'm a rangefinder guy and it took some getting used to. I have never noticed on any of that on my 35mm's, I was wondering why my framing was so different on the negatives not knowing it's actually taking a shot that's 17% wider than I intended
Thanks for the insight! Definitely not a bad thing to have extra image to work with on your negatives though :)
Great introduction to a fantastic camera system. One correction: the body isn’t all plastic. See www.galerie-photo.com/manuels/m7II_brochure_english.pdf pg 12. It’s the original product brochure and says the body is made of Silumin, an aluminum-silicone alloy (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silumin).
Thanks so much for sharing! Much appreciated!
A very detailed review. Thanks man
Glad I could help!
Hey Joe: Nice clear and concise reviews. I appreciate the no-nonsense approach to your reviews. Any comments or reviews of the Mamiya 6? Also a great camera, with limited lenses, but much more portable than the Mamiya 7/7ii
Thank you! I've actually never used a Mamiya 6, although I would love to try one out. So I can't comment on that camera in particular, but I haven't heard too many bad things about that system. Definitely more portable than the M7ii with the retractable lenses. Maybe if I start shooting more 6x6 I'll have to pick one up!
Excellent. Thank you.
We’ll done. Any TTL flash for this camera?
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Great video!Thank You!
Great review, many thanks
What kind of the lens did you used? Its seems very cute lens!! Good looking
Video, very well done!
It isn't made of plastic. It's made of diecast magnesium alloy and given a rubberised coating.
Thank you for the correction!
I don't have an M7 but on previous rangefinders I couldn't tell you the amount of shots I have lost from leaving the cap on, I guess you could just put it in multiple exposure mode and retake the shot but the gw690 I had didn't have that feature I don't think.
I have a generic lens hood that screws on the filter thread so I can't have the lens cap on at the same time. I always put my lens hood on before shooting so I have a reminder that the lens cap is in fact off. The original lens hood looks way more stylish but I'm thankful I've been able to avoid some wasted frames.
tallaganda83 Maybe have something blocking the viewfinder, that you always put on when your lens cap is on.
It sounds like such a 'stupid' mistake, but I bet that thousands of people have done it :D
I put a UV filter on the lens and never use a cap for that very reason. Maybe some people can remember the cap, but I have some very painful memories of leaving it on, and have decided a filter is the only way to go for me.
Yo this was super helpful but I am so confused why mine wont shoot without film in it with the back closed but when the back is open it shoots single exposures just fine.
Glad I could help! Don't freak out, that's totally normal for this sysytem...even though I agree, it's kind of an annoying "design flaw" for the M7ii, but for whatever reason, the people over at Mamiya decided to not let this camera be "dry-fired"
How do you know what film spool fits what roll? Thanks
Hey mate,
I also have a Mamiya 7II but very often I have a problem while shooting.
Sometimes I have a problem with the film advance lever.
Very irregularly after making an image I want to wind to the next picture, but the film advance lever doenst move. The image is done, but I cant wind to the next image. Till now I do not have found a solution. I tried to rub the contacts, changed the battery but nothing could really solve the problem.
I also do not know how to make the lever move. Sometimes its enough to just switch the camera on and off. Sometimes i close and open the curtain or change the exposure time after setting it to manual mode. Do you also have had a problem like this and know how to solve it? I would really appreciate andy feedback.
Stay healthy so far. Greetings from Berlin
battery type? viewfinder frame lines?
The Mamiya 7II uses one of 4SR44 silver oxide battery, 4LR44 alkaline battery or 2CR1/3 lithium battery. And the frame lines are projected in the viewfinder and adjust for parallax correction as well as adjust size depending on what lens you have attached. (ie. 65mm The lines cover the entire frame but for the 80mm they are significantly smaller.) Also for the 43mm and the 150mm lens there are external viewfinders that must be used. So if you're picking up a used lens make sure the viewfinder comes with the purchase, they can be hard to find solo. And don't worry about paying extra for a working level, tripod levels will suit you just fine! Cheers!
I thought f4 in 6x7 was about f2 in 35mm format, no?
The f-stops for 6x7 format act as essentially "one full stop larger" than 35mm. An aperture of f/2.8 is one full stop more open than f/4. So it equates more closely to f/2.8. Then f/2 would be the next full stop in the range of aperture, and then finally f/1.4.
Some day, I'd like someone who buys into the "2.8 in 35mm is 2.0 in medium format" to explain what they think they are talking about. It's not about exposure. It's not about effective depth of field. Frankly, I think this is one of those nonsense "non-info" tidbits that get started in YT and get passed from one to the next person because these people don't know what they are talking about.
Total nonsense!
Hello, thanks for the video, I just bought a mommy 6MF, the strange thing is to focus, how do you do it?
When focusing the lens and looking through the viewfinder, you'll see two parts of the image in the "focusing patch" that are overlaying on one another. When those two patches perfectly align, your subject is in focus. Check out my video on SLRs & Rangefinders ( th-cam.com/video/EN9VQktG4Kg/w-d-xo.html ) I have a visual example of this @7:00 that will make sense of all of this. Happy Shooting!
Hi there, may I ask a technical question ? I am new to the 7 and I had the problem that the shutter wouldn’t fire after I switched lenses mid Roll. The shutter was cocked before switching to be able to rotate the security curtain. I opened their curtain after I switched lenses of course. Because it did not fire I had to wind it once more and so did waste one shot on the film - after that it worked properly with the new lens on...
Strange, I've never ran into that issue before. And I actually just finished two rolls of Tri-X I shot with my M7ii this weekend...I even switched lenses a few times too. Was the camera set to the "standby/off" mode by chance? My guess is that the mechanism that links the shutter in the lens to the camera body was not in proper position requiring you to advance the film again, (similar to the camera not recognizing the proper focal length in the view finder when switching lenses) that's my best guess but then again, I could be totally wrong. If it happens again I would try taking the lens off and putting it back on to see if that fixes it. Wish I knew a proper solution for that
How do you shoot at bright light if it only has 1/500 of a second?
Shooting the right film stock makes it pretty easy to shoot under 1/500. Especially if you're shooting landscapes at smaller apertures, it isn't a huge set back. I do wish it was able to reach at least 1/1000 like my Pentax 67ii.
What film scanner do you recommend?
I use the Epson V850 Pro which I highly recommend. When I was in school we had Epson V600 flatbed scanners (which are great flatbed scanners too, but not as powerful as the V850) and a Hasselblad/Imacon drum scanner. Drum scanners are way better BUT way too expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars more.
Although it has some plastic components, to say that it's made out of plastic is not accurate.
220? Really?
always remove your lens cap... it sounded like a VERY bad joke