The Lightest & Most Compact Pro-level 6x7 Camera.

I bought the first Mamiya 7 when it was introduced in Canada in 1997 to replace the Mamiya 6-MF. The first generation had a gun-metal finish and was amazingly only slightly larger then the Mamiya 6. That was an incredible achievement for a 6x7 format camera. In operation and appearance the 7 was practically identical to the 6 except for the change to 6x7 format.

Compared to all the other 6x7 cameras the Mamiya 7 is a featherweight and you can lug it around happily and shoot the whole day without getting tired. My immediate disappointment with the Mamiya 7 was the elimination of the carrying strap lug on the right-hand side of the camera. This resulted in your having to carry the camera hung on its side. I convinced the Mamiya Distributor to retrofit my camera with the lug to enable me to carry the camera properly.

I was pleasantly surprised when the Mamiya 7-II was released it now has this lug fitted as a standard feature. The Mamiya 7-II is now available in both silver as well as black finish ( black being more professional in appearance). The raised MAMIYA lettering on the left hand side is an attractive improvement over the Mamiya 7. The light-proof curtain activation mechanism is also improved with a deeper recess.

Like the predecessor the Mamiya 7-II is a leaf-shutter camera that allows you to sync the flash at all shutter speeds. It also features a built-in light meter for aperture priority auto-exposure which makes it an easy camera to operate. You can also set the ISO film speed on the top dial as well as exposure compensation.

The Mamiya 7 & 7-II has a much improved bayonet lens mount compared to that on the Mamiya 6 & 6-MF which was not as positive in changing lenses.

It has a unique panoramic format feature which allows you to use standard 35mm films to take panoramic images that spans the full with of a 6x7 negative size. This is a precision camera with a full compliment of superb lenses ranging from a 43mm ultra-wide, a 50mm super-wide angle both with dedicated finders,a 65mm wide angle, an 80mm standard lens, a 150mm moderate telephoto and a 210mm telephoto lens. These lenses are certainly not cheap but the image quality is exceptional and well worth their hefty price.

If you demand the finest resolution images then you will appreciate using the Mamiya 7-II as the 6x7 negatives are 4.5 times larger than that of a 35mm negative and no matter which way you look at it the grain-free poster size enlargements you can produce will blow away the 35mm negative.

Don't rush out and buy this system because it is not for every one. The Mamiya 7-II is a great camera for Editorial and Industrial photography. It's range-finder focusing is not ideal for portrait photography as you cannot view the image through the lens.

It can be used for Landscape photography with certain limitations when you want to use polarizing filter as you cannot see the effect of the polarizing filter. But its light weight and compact design with excellent lenses makes it easy to back-pack for long photo-sessions. Unlike 35mm films the 120/220 films are harder to buy and process (you will not be able to process them in the local 1-hr labs). Do check all these out before you buy such a system.