Mamiya 7

Camera

Lenses

Accessories

Reports

April 1996

TCI

Mamiya 7 - A Practical and Engaging Photographic Tool

G. Schaub

Is there an "ideal" medium format aspect ratio? Those with the time to debate such matters range in opinion, pointing to the extra frames afforded by 6x4.5, the encompassing character of 6x6 (with the ability to crop vertical or horizontal on any frame), and the non-crop, straight-to-standard-size-paper 6x7. Taken in the light of 35mm's aspect ratio, which must always be cropped when going to standard-size papers, the whole medium format size war seems a moot point, especially when you consider the amazing ability of people, particularly photographers, to adapt to almost anything.

What is probably more important is how the medium format in question, regardless of its aspect ratio, delivers the goods in the field and the studio. While photographers still limit their search for a camera based, at least in part, upon their predisposition to the frame size it delivers, there are certain cameras that should be considered, regardless of the way in which it slices a 6cm roll film. One such camera is the Mamiya 7, the latest in Mamiya's rich history in the 120/220 roll film-camera arena.

Many moons ago, I had worked with the Mamiya 6, and reported then that I felt it was an ideal location and stock camera - which it remains. The Mamiya 7 is an extension of the thinking that went into the 6, and as such is a formidable challenger for the hearts and minds of location, stock and candid pro photographers. Although other such cameras are available, few offer such a range of excellent lenses (43mm f/4.5, 65mm f/4, 80mm f/4, and 150mm f/4.5) and the ability to switch to 35mm for panoramic photography (24x65mm with an optional kit).

The camera body itself is lightweight and unobtrusive, with controls and dials that make sense to anyone who's handled a camera in the last five years. One of the chief tasks of a field rollfilm camera is ease of load/reload, which, to my experience, is accomplished with extreme ease with this camera via spool release levers. Switching formats (120 to 220) is also no sweat. Switching lenses while midroll is also made simple with a built-in dark-slide curtain that allows the operation with the flip of a switch; prevents preclude messing up on this should you think you have an SLR in your hands.

There are two basic exposure modes with a number of overrides, enough for most every shooting condition. The automatic is aperture-priority; another detent on the dial allows you to shift AE to AEL (automatic exposure lock) position. This is a very good thing, and essential when shooting slides and when lighting conditions are less than optimal. If you prefer, you can set the dial to manual exposure or bulb. There is also an exposure compensation switch, useful when shooting in snow or moody lighting.

The shutter release button is two stage - slight pressure displays exposure information and, when in AEL, holds exposure prior to recomposition; a secondary pressure releases the shutter. I did find that the shutter release is very eager to shoot, and suggest strongly that you lock the button when just carrying around the camera. A few times I brushed against the shutter release and the camera fired, so keep it locked when wandering around contemplating your next image.

Rangefinder focusing does take some getting used to again, although the bright indicators in the Mamiya 7 finder make the adjustment easy. When doing close-ups, the 7's parallax compensation is in-finder and does the job admirably. Overall, the viewfinder is extremely bright and conducive to shooting in a wide range of lighting conditions. Depth-of-field calculations are up to you and the lens barrel.

For flash work there is a hot shoe as well as an X sync terminal on the body. You can sync flash at all shutter speeds (B, 4-1/500 second). There is no flash/camera TTL combination available, so you have to do the old GN/dist=f formula to get the correct aperture setting. This means that the venerable Vivitar 283, and other such automatic thyristor units are just as good as any other flash to use with the 7.

Most of the work I did with the camera was in the field under rather contrasty lighting conditions. This meant that I relied extensively on the exposure lock override, which performed as advertised. When I switched to A mode for broad lighting, the camera delivered excellent exposure reading on my ISO 50 Velvia film.

For the most part, operation of the camera is a no-brainer, which means that operations and controls are virtually intuitive, which to me is a compliment to the designers. Mamiya is well-versed in medium format, and has applied that experience and knowledge toward making the Mamiya 7 a practical and engaging photographic tool.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher.