Kelvin L thanks! 🙏🏻 I still need to review the Fuji GF670... it’s on my list!

Thank you Joe. I was worried it got too long as I was hoping to keep it closer to 10mins! ..but equally there was quite a lot to cover. Hopefully you lasted til the end! :)

Thanks Mark, if you enjoy my gear reviews but want to see more BTS of me on location with cameras etc i've just launched Patreon and for as little as £1 a month you get twice as much content. (Also if sign up this month you get a £5 preset free so it makes the first 5 months basically free). If it sounds of interest you can check it out here - mrleica.com/mrleica-patreon/ :) ..more Mamiya 7 stuff to come!

Thanks Blake! I’m a massive camera geek so I guess eventually some knowledge sinks in!

I agree absolutly

Thank you both! Happy it was well received. :)

tikkathreebarrels thanks no problem..much more detail on MrLeica.com for this 👍🏻

Ross Wilson thanks Ross. There are some nice 645 cameras. I need to do some more reviews when I get chance as I have a few. Check the GA645 or GS645 👍🏻

Hi Gabriel, thanks, yes absolutely, RZ67 (1), Hassy (2).. see those vids

Thanks! Yes I agree 100% for speed. I like my 6, I need to use it more.. still enjoying 35mm too much.

Thanks Weston! Ah yes filters.. that is yet another video haha.. I might need to do that particular video at a later date Thanks for your vote!

Hi Matt thanks fir this. Watching this reminds me why I always have had the nagging feeling that the Mamiya 7 has never left me feeling satisfied. If only if focused to even the Leica’s 0.7m minimum focus even that very small difference in focus distance for portraits would make such a big difference! Still love that leaf shutter. Not sure I’m ready to go to the relatively heavy reflex mirror shutter though. Like the size, ergonomics and light weight of the 7 though.

Thanks Robert, yes it's always a balance! Each camera brings it's own benefits. I will do more MF camera videos as there are lots of option!

Thanks Q, agreed! I love the pano shots with my Mamiya 7 the most though I only use a DIY adapter so it is not perfect. (I have the XPan too).

Thanks LS, it depends what focal length you shoot I guess. If you can cope with fixed lens to me the GF670 is the best but it can't do wides etc. Yes the RZ is heavy so I bet even more so with the winder!

Thanks Bruno! I'm glad you found this one. I wanted to like it. I tried everything.. all the lenses and the pano adapter. The images just looked very flat. I know others love it and I see why for the portability and negative size. Good point vs M7.

Thanks Henry! Ah yes i've never tried that camera actually but I hear good things. Yes agreed for mirrorless! :)

Hi yes I will share thoughts even if not a direct comparison, for sure. I just want to get more photos with Rollei & Perkeo first. Remind me in a month or so! (I'm waiting to be able to travel again).

I had both the Mamiya 7 and the 6 and always went back to Hasselblad for the same reasons Matt cites in his article on MrLeica.com. The Mamiya lenses, while very sharp, just don't have the same 3D magic that the Zeiss lenses have.

Thank you CG! Yes I do rate the Mamiya 6.. that is my Hasselblad for the road setup. I need to do a video for this. Nice grip yes. I find the 6 lenses better than the 7 but maybe it's just because I enjoy the 6x6 crop, I don't know. Hassy or Leica glass is certainly more special though for interesting photos (*less neutral/ plain vanilla).

Thanks Weihan, yes the Zeiss lenses are excellent. (Many videos to come it seems haha!)

HI Jesse, ha thanks! Some are only film loading videos but they are needed to fill gaps in the blog content!

...and to answer your question.. a MF camera that Leica M3 users would appreciate - Rolleicord/Flex (see video) or Hasselblad 500 series (500cm/501c etc)(see video). Mamiya are often more plastic, and Fuji. Folders cameras are 'weaker' by nature/ design.

@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Thank you very much!

Haha Mauricio, yes normally I make GAS videos so I thought I do a different one haha 😆

Thanks Timothy! I don't have a Makina67 but if I ever get one I will be sure to share. Lens video + GF670 to follow! :)

Thanks Jacob! Ha it was a trick I only just learnt myseld actually! :) It works if you pop the back door open ;) ..and many thanks! (Mamiya 6 video to come!)

Thanks PT, an enjoyable read and good to see we all do a similar cycle of buying gear to suit a certain need. Yes I will do the GF670 video and RZ video for sure. Thanks for requesting.

..and I guess with regards to your Italy story using the RZ I can relate in my own world. Where Italy has beautiful scenes so countries I visit have the equivalent in terms of models. I was very happy I took my RZ to Budapest. I will share those photos in that video. I should really take it to Poland too! :)

Thanks Fausto! Good point made about studio cameras vs on the road type cameras, thanks! Yes good point, Fuji cameras to come! GA645, GS645 ..I don't have a Texas Leica, and for 6x9 I just got a Bessa 1 :) 6x17 ...nice!

Thanks yes agreed 35mm can’t compete in terms of resolution. I prefer my GF670 to the 7 but the 7 is better for wide shots. 👍🏻

The Plaubel is a great camera but doesn't compare as a fixed lens camera. The light meter often fails as the cord gets damaged upon closing the camera.

Yes agree! See my top 20 cameras video for a few of the cameras I use.

Thank you Jens, no i've never seen one mentioned but you could get a Hassy with digital back instead. I did a Hassy vs Mamiya RZ blog shoot out. Both are similar. I guess that is another video to do! :)

Yes Matt, please, I would Love to see it. I learned photography on the RZ67 - but this is more than 30 years ago. Thank u very much. Btw, I saw yesterday the Budapest video with your lightmetering - sooooo cool. 👍🏼🙌🤘🙏🏼

Thanks Weston, yes noted I will include it in the RZ67 video / future Hassy videos 👍🏻

I use a monopod with my RB67 and the even larger Fuji GX680. It is already very useful to keep the camera stable for focussing, especially with a little longer focal length and wide open. Then it helps with camera shake of course. But I still think it better to use a tripod, if you can‘t keep the exposure time at 1/250, if you don‘t use mirror-up.

Hi Jacky, it depends what you shoot, then it is simple. Portraits? RB/RZ. Landscapes M7, Street? maybe shoot 35mm. If want smaller look at my Mamiya 645 video or the Hasselblad perhaps.

Thanks John, good point.. I guess I try to get it right in camera where possible but what you say makes complete sense.

Thanks Dominique! The Hassy will certainly put a much bigger smile on your face, no question! :) Congrats on MP too!

@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Thanks. Have you ever own an M6j? it's my holy grail!

@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Hi Mat what are your settings on the M240? Any tips? Thanks Dominique

Dominique Collard I just use basic settings, RAW, Manual mode, often set as B&W as a prefer to visualise like this.

Thanks Joan, good points. Where I should elaborate perhaps in future videos is I like a 4x5 camera using various 120 film backs. The negatives can be 6x7 or larger but all the benefits of 4x5 camera movements. The Mamiya 7 is much faster to operate but you can achieve far more interesting photos with a 4x5 used like this such as close focus like you would with a RZ67.

And the images made with the RB67 IMHO look much better than those made with the Mamiya 7.

Thanks Martin, Yes agreed. I use the Mamiya 6 a lot more for MF on the road stuff (smaller - need to do video!). Agreed RZ67 much better and 110 is excellent - video to come!

I had almost the same experience, although I never tried the Mamiya 6 because I had read that the camera was quite fragile. I'd very much like to try the old Pentacon Six with one of the Zeiss Jena lenses that are renowned for their amazing bokeh.

Agreed Weihan! :) I have the Mamiya 6 and prefer it to the 7 but that is for another video! I also have the amazing Rollei SL66E.. Amazing!!! but it never works. :( :( :( Maybe I must share that too!

Thanks Joe, the Mamiya 6 is excellent. I will share that in a future video. I prefer it to the 7 shown here. The P6 is also fun but i've not used mine for years.

Matt Osborne maybe you can adapt the SL66 lenses. I am trying the 80mm Planar on my Pentax 67 this weekend.

@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Harry Fleenor in Manhattan Beach (Los Angeles) does incredible work in Rollei SL66 / TLR repair. He's been my go-to person for years for my own Rollei cameras.

Yes thanks Jaco and nice idea with the penny.

Hi Ronald, I need to test and share this year but upfront.. with SL lenses it's out the question completely. Far too big. With M mount lenses it could be interesting to use with vintage glass. (It is like a full frame CL I use).

Thank you Subhi, yes understood and thanks for confirming. I agree when you eyes get used to seeing MF negatives it's hard to go back "down" to 35mm!

Matt Osborne You are good your way of presentation is calm and interesting Some others just talk quickly and give so much in un necessary information

@@subhi7777 Thank you! I try to cut all the other talk out before I post haha! :)

Nope! I sold my Mamiya 7.. I got every lens for it determined to like it but finally gave up. The RZ is 100x more fun. Selling the M6 yes but get something else. Mamiya 6 is better too, I kept that, Hassy.. M3 + cheaper MF camera.. Contact me via Zoom if it helps save you some cash - mrleica.com/zoom

Not this. Rz67 is great, Hassy 500. I use Hassy H2 the most currently

Thanks Nat, I've got a RZ67 video coming with samples so you can probably relate to that better than this!

For me not worth it (I eventually sold mine for much less than this). Yes they can still break. You could get 3 Hasselblad for that!

@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom OK I stick with Leica MP / M11 and Sony A7RV

Yes I like more mechanical stuff too

Thanks, Linhof are nice

Frank Luo yes agreed that would be amazing! Now with mirrorless soon someone must try to make! 🙏🏻😊

@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom need electronically keep leaf shutter open and control the aperture. Some lenses might be dangerously close to the sensor but I don't think mamiya 7 worse than wide angle leica M or contax G lenses.

@@frankluo230 Yes some of the vintage lenses like the pre-war 35mm Biogon f2.8 Contax RF of Jupiter 12 clone both go back a long way into the camera body as examples.

Nice, see my 35mm adapter in Mamiya 7 video :)

Haha yes they are solid cameras

The overall rendition of lenses with the RB/RZ67 Mamiyas is much more pleasing than images shot with the Mamiya 7 IMHO. I bought into the hype of the Mamiya 7 and bought the camera with 3 lenses, and every single time I got the rolls back from the professional developers I was very disappointed. I continued to compare them to images taken with my Hasselblad 60mm Distagon and the 100mm Planar and there was just no comparison. The Hasselblad lenses produced images that were just magical, whereas the Mamiya 7 images were clinically sharp but completely lacking in that magical something. It's hard to describe what it is that the Zeiss Hasselblad images produce, but whatever it is, the Mamiya 7 does not have it.

Weihan Xingqi yes it makes sense and I don’t think it contradicts my point above. You can get the best optical formula and still something is missing. That’s why I love my Pentax and Hasselblad systems. To all their own... Many people praise the SWC for wide missing that the 43mm Mamiya is a better performer though.

@@toulcaz31 Is that the Pentax 67? I've seen some incredible images made with that camera and its beautiful lenses. Amazing. I made the mistake years ago of not buying one when I had the chance, at something like $300. Now they're easily 5x that price. Live and learn.

Weihan Xingqi yes and I reacquired a 645nII also to use with these lenses. The 645 35mm lens seems pretty spectacular too.

@@toulcaz31 Fantastic. The Pentax 645 is next up on my purchase list! I want to buy an adapter for use with the Zeiss Jena Biometar 80mm and 180mm lenses with it.

Haha thanks. I tried so hard to like this camera, I got every lens except the 80. Eventually I gave up and sold it.

What did you think of the images produced by these two very different cameras?

​@@JMaxwell1000 What, the two very different 6x7 cameras with 80mm lenses? The differences are for the most part subtle and insignificant. Fuji GF670 lens has very slight barrel distortion, whereas Mamiya 7 lens seems to have perfect rectilinear correction. Fuji GF670 lens hardly suffers from any flare or internal reflections when shooting into/against light sources, whereas Mamiya 7 lens handles this less well (only slightly). Fuji GF670 focuses down to 0.9m, whereas Mamiya 7 only focuses down to 1.0m; apparently I use that extra 10cm more than I realised for "close-ups". Fuji GF670 opens up to f/3.5, whereas Mamiya 7 only opens up to f/4.0; is that extra 1/3 of a stop important? Fuji GF670 handles image framing and parallax correction more to my liking, whereas Mamiya 7 seems more difficult to guess how much outside each frame edge is captured. Fuji GF670 light meter (however exactly it works) just does the job in 95% of situations, whereas Mamiya 7 light meter is spot only and requires more calculations to use. Fuji GF670 can be tripod-mounted whilst film is changed, whereas Mamiya 7 needs to be taken off. Fuji GF670 folds closed, whereas Mamiya 7 cannot be made any smaller. However... Mamiya 7 is more ergonomic in the hand and nestles nicely in my right eye socket, whereas Fuji GF670 sits less comfortably in both these areas and is therefore less stable for shooting handheld. Mamiya 7 bright patch for rangefinder focusing seems more "definitive", whereas Fuji GF670 bright patch sometimes "feels" sort of "hazy"; I think this depends on the precise position of my eye in relation to the viewfinder. Mamiya 7 has generally smoother bokeh wide open, whereas Fuji GF670 can sometimes look quite rough; but this is subjective, and Fuji GF670 has more aperture blades for rounder bokeh (albeit perhaps still uglier) once you think about stopping down (and in half stops, whereas Mamiya 7 can only do full stops). Mamiya 7 may not be as tough as other cameras but it is at least made out of hard materials all over, whereas Fuji GF670 folding mechanism and bellows might prove a weak point; not that I have experienced any problems with it yet (four years and counting), but the downdraft of a helicopter will probably rip the bellows out (I know a guy who knows a guy that this happened to). Ultimately, for me, dragging a rucksack full of Mamiya 7 lenses through the Alps, and constantly trying to protect the camera from heavy rain, I ended up wishing that I had just taken the Fuji GF670 with me instead... and next time I will. Of course it depends on what you need the camera for, but the ability to travel light and concentrate on just one way of "seeing" ended up being far more important to me than any frankly negligible differences in how the pictures were rendered. Damn, I think I might just have done his review for him.

Haha thanks Kelvin, well summarised and many details I would not think to mention. Good to see you reach the same conclusion as in the video, take the GF670 not the Mamiya 7! :) **It annoys me when the Mamiya 7 gets so much praise. It falls short in so many areas. (But yet the biggest weakness of the GF is the fragility, agreed). ..actually I don't use the 80mm on the 7 as I use the 65mm or 150mm so thanks for sharing those specifics.

Kelvin gave a full answer already but just to say I will share GF670 image in that review so you can see how it works for me vs. the photos shared here with the 7.

Me too Kelvin! I was happy with the GF but then all the hype made me buy the 7.. and I was disappointed (I felt mis-sold ha!). It does of course offer the 6 lenses and I found I now enjoy it more for pano.

Correct :P

Thanks David, good to hear your thoughts. You hit the nail on the head. The Mamiya 7 isn’t a one came fix all tool. This was to highlight that fact. There is little point doing A vs B for the same task as different tools for different jobs. 👍🏻