Mamiya 7

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May 1995

Popular Photography

First Look - Mamiya 7

H.K.

Is the Mamiya 6MF 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 format a bit small for you? How about 2 1/4 x 2 3/4 (6x7cm) instead?

Herewith the first welcome to a totally unexpected new Mamiya camera. The engineers have basically taken the popular Mamiya 6MF 2 1/4x 2 1/4-inch interchangeable-lens rollfilm-rangefinder camera and reeengineered it, interchangeable lenses and all, into a 2 1/4 x 2 3/4-inch camera system with more features than ever, including a wider panoramic picture capability.

The basic camera body could easily be mistaken for the Mamiya 6MF, so similar is it in size and even weight. While the Mamiya 6MF body is 6 1/8 x 4 1/4 x 2 3/4 inches, weighing 31 1/2 ounces, the Mamiya 7 is but 1/4-inch longer, 1/8-inch higher, 3/16-inch narrower, and weighs only one ounce more!

Like the 6MF, the Mamiya 7 accepts both 120 and 220 rollfilm, has a double-image, superimposed rangefinder, aperture-priority autoexposure with manual override, exposure compensation +/-2 EV, 10 sec delayed self-timer, electronically timed leaf shutter speeds from 4 sec to 1/500 sec, X synch at all speeds by hot shoe and body PC terminal, and is powered by one 4SR44 or 4LR44 battery.

The metering range has been extended .5 EV further down to EV 3 to 18 (with an ISO 100 film and an 80mm f/4 lens). However, bigger differences have to do with lens equipment. Like the Mamiya 6MF, the Mamiya 7 does have autoparallax-compensating bright frames but for two new focal length lenses and one old one. New are the standard N 80mm f/4L and 65mm f/4L. Also, while the 150mm f/4.5L has the same focal length as on the Mamiya 6MF, the lens for the Mamiya 7 is a new formulation.

But perhaps more sensational is the availability of a 43mm f/4.5L lens - the equivalent of a 21mm lens on a 35mm camera. The lens requires a separate shoe-mounted viewfinder.

There are a number of new accessories, but probably the most important is a 35mm-film panorama adapter. While there was such for the Mamiya 6MF, providing 24x54mm panoramas, the Mamiya 7 stretches that to 24x65mm, making 10 such pictures on a 24-exposure 35mm roll or 16 on a 36-exposure roll. There is also an accessory battery case with extension cords.

Will the Mamiya 6MF now be discontinued? While the Mamiya 7 does appear to be an even more attractive camera, the 7, available this summer, will cost about 15 percent or so more than the 6MF - and there may always be those who do only want the square format.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher.