Mamiya 6 Rangefinder 6x6 Medium Format Camera

Mamiya 6 Rangefinder 6x6 Medium Format Camera

Mamiya 6 Rangefinder Camera
Photo courtesy of Nguyen
[email protected]

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Related Links:
Mamiya 6/7 Related Posts in Medium Format Digest
Mamiya RF Lens Separation issue

Note that there is also an older Mamiya 6 Folder, as well as two versions of the rangefinder (the later, Mamiya 6MF or multi-format, provides multiple formats using masks etc.).

Photo Notes:
Mamiya 6 medium format rangefinder camera with lenses and lowepro bag in great shape, the outfit has seen less than 20 rolls of film through it. Camera and lenses are in exc+/exc++ condition, camera has some very superficial scratches on the base, the lenses are a 50mm f4 and 75mm 3.5. Both lenses have built in leaf shutters and shutter speeds are controlled electronically with pin coupling from the camera body. Both lenses are perfect optically with no scratches and near perfect cosmetically. These lenses are tack sharp with great contrast and control of flares and distortions. The outfit is ideal for travel photographers who want the ease of use of an slr in a medium format camera. The camera has speeds from B, 2 sec-1.500 of a second all electronically controlled, with flash photography you can sync at all speeds up to 1/500 sec, also ae lock, shutter priority, exposure compensation, timer, full manual. The built in automatic exposure on the camera is very accurate and I've rarely had to use it in manual but the camera has full manual controls should you wish to have full control. Camera can take 120 or 220 film. The 50mm is equivalent to a 28mm lens in 35mm format and the 75mm is equivalent to a 50mm lens in 35mm format. These lenses are pricey but worth every penny as they are the sharpest lenses I've used in medium format. Current new retail for the outfit in New York stores would be around $4400. The camera and lenses come with a compact padded lowepro bag that holds the items nicely and has a waist strap.

From: Garry Lee Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: Mamiya 6: Opinions anyone? Date: 25 Nov 1997 18:25:42 GMT Some early 6s allegedly had a metering problem. I have 2 and they haven't. You can easily adjust the meter yourself, and the rangefinder. If you need to know how, E-Mail me. The 6 has magnificent lenses. Not great for tripod portraits as you can only focus on the small central area and the 150 doesn't focus very close, but all the lenses are marvellous. THe cameras as very quiet, very very easy on batteries (2 years or more) and very tough. Lovely to hold. A 6 with lens weighs only the same as a Nikon F2 with 50mm lens. Remember to change lenses you have to do 5 things. Learn to count them off. Turn slide button, take off lens put lens away put on second lens release slide button. One design feature I don't like is that if you've exposure compensation on, the viewfinder doesn't tell you. Overall. Great camera. ---------------------------------------------------- From: [email protected] (Alan J. Rubin) Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: Mamiya 6: Opinions anyone? Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 04:52:23 GMT I have a Mamiya 6 [as well as a Nikon and a 4x5]. Its a great camera and very enjoyable to use. I also like the square format; but you'll especially like it with the 6. Because there is no mirror, the quiet electronic shutter allows you to shot at two stops slower than a SLR. The viewer is bright, focusing is accurate, as is the light meter, and its a pleasure to hold. Alan

rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
From: [email protected] (Tedpopp)
[1] old Mamiya six folding camera ( not the new rangefinder)
Date: Sun May 10 15:43:53 CDT 1998
Does anybody know what the post above and to the right of the lens does? I've taken off the housing piece and below it is what looks like a flash synch switch. I brought it to Mamiya and they said the camera never had flash synch on it. I don't believe them. If any knows about this, can I find an adaptor so I can use a PC cord if it is a flash post?? Thanks

From: "Don Ferrario" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Mamiya 6 vs 7
Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998
I have used the Mamiya-6 for about a year now, and have been using the Leica M6 for a few months, so hopefully my thoughts will help with yours...
The PRO to the Mamiya-6 is the compact unit size afforded by the collapsible lens mount. With the foldable body, you can put the Mamiya-6 with either the 50mm or 75mm lenses attached (folded) along with the other two Mamiya-6 lenses into a very small camera bag (I use a Domke "satchel"). This makes a very compact package, which is the same thing that has attracted me to the Leica M6 (I'm weaning myself from my Nikons because I don't want to carry that much weight anymore).
The CON to the Mamiya-6 is the lack of a true wide angle lens. Mamiya says the 50mm is the equivalent of a 24mm lens in 35mm film, but that's only if you compare the diagonal of the image. Personally, I am mostly concerned with the horizontal width, and in that respect, the Mamiya-6 50mm lens has an angle of view about like a 32mm lens on the Leica.
The Mamiya-7 has no such problem, of course. The 43mm on the wider film format is quite wide. Of course, this lens requires an auxliary finder, and the whole thing looks like some kind of space monster, but takes impressive photos nonetheless.
Ultimately, I went with the Mamiya-6 for its compact size (my primary use is for travel).
*Your* primary use will determine which is the better choice.
don ferrario
Paul T. Collura wrote

>I'm thinking of getting a Mamiya 6 or 7 to compliment my Leica M6. >Beside the obvious difference of the square format of the 6 are there >any other factors that I should be made aware before deciding on one vs >the other? Ant comments welcomed. > >Thanks in advance.

Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998
From: Bob Shell [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Rollei] rollei List Digest V1 #778

>Shutter speed controlled by a sensor that reads light reflected off the film >during exposure.

Actually, that is how the Mamiya 6 was supposed to work in the early prototypes. I forget what year it was, but when the camera was little more than a carved wood block Norm Rothschild and I were invited to a brainstorming session with some Mamiya designers to discuss how this could be made to work.
Ultimately it was discarded because many of the proposed lenses would protrude too far into the body and would block the sensor, and making retrofocus wide angles for a RF camera just did not make sense in terms of size, weight and complexity.
Bob

Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000
From: Charles Clemens [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Close up lense on a Mamiya 6 MF
I have painstakingly measured and worked to create a table for using standard close up lenses on a new Mamiya 6 rangefinder. Feel free to link to it if you like. It's at:
http://scribers.midwest.net/eo11/Closeup.html
--
Charles Clemens
100 Arbor Dr.
Carterville, IL 62918-1009
USA
[email protected]

Date: 18 Jun 1999
From: [email protected] (C Lanier Benkard)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Why is there a lot of Mamiya 6 & 7 FS?
Stephen L Weisenfeld ([email protected]) wrote:

: I've been considering these systems to replace my Pentax 645 system. I : use it mainly for travel and I'm trying to lighten my carrying load. Is : there a reason why there seems to be so much for sale used? Is it the : due to the their popularity or are people buying them and then : discovering that they're not meeting their needs? I don't want to be: : one of those buying it and shortly thereafter having to resell it. Is

The mamiya 7 is (I believe) mamiya's biggest seller so I think the answer is that it is due to their popularity. There is also the whole grey market problem. Basically, Mamiya USA owns the trademark on the Mamiya name in the US and will not allow stores to import Mamiya's from Japan and sell them on the grey market. They also charge about twice as much in the US as they do in Japan for the same exact equipment. Thus, since it is legal for you to import one camera for yourself, there are a lot of people out there buying the camera abroad and then selling it used here. Usually they try it out to see if they like it and then sell it at a small gain (i.e. they actually MAKE money on the transaction). You'll note that this has led to used prices in the US that are quite a bit below the new prices. My suggestion is to do the same yourself if you're interested in the camera (you can mail-order it from Hong Kong at good prices).
Lanier

: the Mamiya 7 // worth the extra money? Are there any other camera's out : there better suited for travel at a lower price While interchangeable : lenses are nice, a fixed lens camera would probably be ok. I know : this has been discussed before but any new advice would be appreciated. : Thanks in advance for the help. : Regards, : Steve

Date: Sat, 19 Jun 1999
From: "interphoto" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Why is there a lot of Mamiya 6 & 7 FS?
....
To my understanding, the importation of merchandise bearing the MAMIYA trademarks, without the written consent of Mamiya America Corporation, is unlawful and prohibited, at least the Mamiya America insists so. For more info:
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/mamiyaamericacorporation/
I don't know this rule is applicable to USED equipments.
satoshi.

From Contax Mailing List:
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000
From: "Bob Shell" [email protected]
Subject: Re: [CONTAX] Kyocera is watching
The original concept for the Mamiya 6 was for it to be TTL. Norm Rothschild and I were among a group of "consultants" they talked to about how they could possibly make TTL metering work with leaf shutter lenses. Several ideas were tossed around, but any of them would have been mechanically complicated and would most likely have made a much less reliable and more delicate camera. In the end it just wasn't practical.
The only way to easily make a camera with TTL metering is to use a focal plane shutter. If you use a big cloth one like in Pentax 67 you are stuck with very slow synch speed. If you use a big blade one similar to the shutter in the Contax 645 you get a bulkier and noisier body. Tough problems for a designer.
The Mamiya 210 does not couple to the rangefinder and was made specifically for aerial photography. I think they should have just locked it down at infinity and left out the focusing helical.
Lenses faster than f/4 are impossible using existing Seiko shutters. A new shutter design would increase the cost and size of the lenses significantly.
All of these things are done for good reasons.
Bob

From: "Rick Rieger" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001
Subject: Re: Mamiya 6, any advice?
Ewen,
I just bought a used Mamiya 6 with all three lenses for a good price from Midwest Photo. I have the earlier version without the meter baffling. It is a great camera, and the lenses are spectacular. I was particularly impressed with the 50mm which is sharp edge-to-edge wide open and with little apparent light fall off. The only (slight) negative with this camera is the meter which can give erroneous readings with strong light sources just outside the field of view. I just shade the top of the meter with my hand and all is OK, or use an external meter. I may get MAC to install the baffle, but at this point I haven't decided.
Wanting a light weight MF travel camera, I picked the 6 over the 7 for these reasons:
1. Lower cost.
2. Smaller, especially with the collapsing front.
3. No need for an external finder for the 50mm.
Good luck.
Rick Rieger
"Ewen Howe" [email protected] wrote

> I think there have/had been more two verisons of the modern Mamiya 6. Can > anyone tell me the brief differneces among them? Which one is worth the most > of having, in terms of price/spec.. How about those old-time folding Mamiya > 6s? Are they still workable with? I do not mind anything mechanical, but > hate auto and electronics. Thanks for your time! > > Ewen

From Leica Mailing List;
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001
From: "Ken Iisaka" [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Leica] OT MF RF
I owned a Mamiya 6 system with 75mm and 50mm lenses. I wanted to like them, but I found that I was not getting better photographs from them than my Leica. The Mamiya lenses are good, sharp, but are much, much more prone to flare than modern Leica glass. In addition to that, having to use faster film (ISO400 vs ISO100) for equivalent handholdability negated much of the gain from the increased negative area. Also, the parallax correction of the viewfinder is no where near as accurate as my Leica, and I often end up leaving so much space around the subject, that I might as well have shot with my Leica.
On a tripod, on the other hand, Mamiya 6 produced great negatives. I have landscape photographs with Technical Pan, which are essentially grainless at 16x20, with tons and tons of details. However, I found that if I wanted light weight, I do very well with my Leica, and if I want big negs, I would use my Toyo 4x5. For a camera mounted on a tripod, I might as well have an SLR, and I now lust after Rollei SL66.
The prices in the U.S. and Europe are greatly over-inflated compared to the prices in Japan, as Bill Lawlor pointed out. I made a very handsome profit when I sold my Mamiya 6 kit on eBay.

[Ed note: an interesting note on the choice of a square format for Mamiya 6 thanks to Mike Johnston!...]
From Rangefinder Mailing List:
Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2001
From: Mike Johnston [email protected]
Subject: Re: [RF List] Bronica RF645
Bern wrote:

> I saw it very briefly at a trade show last Oct. Looks > pretty good.Good ergonomics. Nice selection of lenses. > My only problem is the format. For me, its sort of > like Half-frame 35.

....(more on Bronica RF645...)
When I reviewed the original Mamiya 6 for the old _Camera & Darkroom_ magazine, sources at Mamiya told me that it had been specifically developed with wedding photographers in mind (that was the reason for the original's otherwise inexplicable square format) and the company was surprised that it was, at the time, proving more popular with photojournalists and art photographers than with wedding guys--only a minority of customers were wedding shooters. If you noticed, most of the early ads for the camera made a point of its suitability for wedding photography.
--Mike

From: [email protected] (ShadCat11)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Date: 16 Feb 2001
Subject: Re: TOP TEN REASONS TO OWN A LEICA
A serious question for all of the Leica owners out there:
I can appreciate the appeal of using a fine piece of machinery and lenses of the best reputation. I can appreciate the appeal of quick and quiet shooting.
But, for similar money and the same shooting style (nearly silent rangefinder with a few lenses), would any of you consider a Mamiya 7? It's not the same piece of fine hand-crafted machinery, there are fewer lenses, the lenses don't have the same reputation (but they do have a very good reputation), and the model and lenses will not be available as long as a Leica rangefinder, but consider the film size. Oh, that 6x7 film size.... :-)
It seems to me that minor differences in lens quality between quality lenses (Leica, Zeiss, Nikon, Canon...) are completely overshadowed by the extra square inches of transparency or negative when it comes time to make prints. Oh, and not to bash the Mamiya in this comparison, it is a very good, basic camera aside from its much larger film size, and is amazingly small for a 6x7.
Any thoughts?
-David
Well, actually I use Mamiya 6, but IMHO it is similar enough to the 7 to generalize.
Having basically learned photography while using Leicas, I was thrilled to acquire what appeared to be a Texas Leica. It seemed to be all the Leica was, but with better ergonomics, a modern metering system and of course, the bigger negative size. I love the camera. It fits like it was custom designed for me.
The lenses are great. But it does not substitute for 35 mm.
The Mamiya is the easiest to use MF camera ever, but it is still bigger and heavier than Leica and not as quick to operate. The major difference, though, is depth of field. At a given angle of view, a Mamiya 6 lens requires an additional 1.5 f-stops to match the DOF of equivalent lenses for 35 mm. All other things equal, you can't get the same picture with one as the other. At this point we spring into the subjective. Either you will like the way Mamiya renders the visuals or you won't, and that can only be determined by trying it yourself.
That said, I love what I get with the Mamiya and it is my current Camera of Choice whenever possible. But I am keeping my 35 mm outfit.
Allen Zak

Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2001
From: [email protected] (John Hicks)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Mamiya 6, any advice?
"Ewen Howe" [email protected] wrote:

>I think there have/had been more two verisons of the modern Mamiya 6.

The first version has a red dot and red square on the shutter speed dial. The second version has AE and AEL rather than the dot and square, the meter is better shielded against being influenced by brights outside the finder view and the in-finder shutter speed readout is a little more visible in bright light. The third version is the MF.
I wouldn't fool with the old foldup version other than as a usable/collectible.
---
John Hicks

Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2001
From: Phil Partridge [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Mamiya 6, any advice?
Ewen,
Little to choose spec-wise between the different versions of the 'modern' Mamiya 6s, just the meter baffling and cosmetics (MAC will update the baffle to early vsns). Mamiya got it right with this one out of the box, and the design is little-changed in the Mamiya 7, currently a contender fo rthe most over-priced MF camera of all. Mamiya's US distributor (MAC) extracts a 'US surcharge' of many hundreds of dollars for the Mamiya RFs, and unfortuately this is reflected in 2nd hand prices of the 6 and its lenses. Too bad, since i am looking for a 50mm - the cost of which in our Australian dollars are approximately $A1800 in the US (KEH, whom I trust), $A1250 in the UK, and about $A1000 here in Australia, so I certainly won't be knocking on KEH's door. Reviewers who are 'rangefinder-literate', with all that that entails, have little but warm praise for this amazing camera - it's a no-fuss, well-built, carryable, handholdable, compact device capable of amazingly sharp images.
I have never been a 'many lenses in the bag, I'll use the 45, no the 55, gee maybe the 65' kind of person, especially for rangefinders. In fact, if Mamiya produced a 6 with a fixed 50mm that would do me - kind of like a MF Konica Hexar. I wanted a simple, 'manual' oriented MF camera that could be taken on extended hikes, motorcycle trips, travel, etc. 6 with the 50mm and the 75mm works great as a street camera, which makes it close to unique in the MF world. The collapsing lens mount (omitted on the M7 due apparently to cost cutting rather than a need for rigidity) reduces the depth of the camera/lens by 31mm so it fits a briefcase, and the body and lenses can be stowed in a small bag. It weighs under 3 pounds with the 75mm, much like an EOS3 with an 85mm, for example. Many ex-owners rue selling this one, and many photgraphers claim to have taken their best images with it.
Photo.net has a decent review of the 6 (http://www.photo.net/photo/mamiya-6), as does camera review (http://www.camerareview.com/).
This is an electronic camera, however, but the automation is not in your face a la the 35mm world. It is very reliable, and is a big jump up in usable sophistication from say, Fuji's 670/690 series. The shutter in particular is a joy to use, just a quiet snick with a short throw. Mamiya are committed to servicing the 6 for many years to come. Recommended, if its attributes suit your usage and you are not anal about things like exact composition framing, removeable backs, close focusing, TTL for filters, DOF assessment, etc. Actually, filters are easy to use and compensate for, even polarisers. Even NDs with practice. I won't be selling mine.

Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2001
From: "Rick Rieger" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Mamiya 6 -- should I buy it?
I purchased a used Mamiya 6 with its three lenses from Midwest Photo a few months ago.
Overall, I can say it is a fabulous system. The lenses are extremely sharp and contrasty. I particularly like the 50mm. It is an easy system to use and very quiet in operation. I also like the low bulk and lightweight nature of this outfit and plan to use it when traveling and for landscape photography.
I've had two minor problems. One, it's been hard for me to focus the 150mm. To an extent, this is understandable as telephoto lenses on rangefinder cameras can be tricky to focus. I think my camera might be slightly out of adjustment, and this is a contributing factor. The second problem is in using the meter. I have one of the earlier units without the meter baffle. Bright light outside the field of view can significantly alter the meter reading. If I shade the meter with my hand, all is well. Neither of these problems are that serious, and do not take away from the wonderful picture-taker the Mamiya 6 is. I understand Mamiya can install the baffle as used in the later cameras. I may have them do that if I send the camera in for rangefinder adjustment.
I also looked at the new Bronica 645 rangefinder. I really liked it, but opted instead for the used Mamiya due to $ saved, the Mamiya's collapsible front and not having to turn the camera on its side for verticals.
Note that as good as this camera is, it is not a substitute for a MF SLR. I have a Bronica GS-1 outfit also, and it is considerably more versatile than the Mamiya. It also weighs five times as much, or so it seems. I like to do MF macro photography in the field, and the GS-1 has given me great results. The Mamiya is not useful for macro work. I believe there may be some closeup attachment available for the 75mm lens. It may work, but it certainly cannot approach the macro versatility of an SLR.
Check out Robert Monaghan's site for more info on the Mamiya 6:
http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/
Rick Rieger
...

Date: 8 Aug 2001
From: [email protected] (Hamish Reid)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Mamiya 6 -- should I buy it?
...
At the risk of self-promotion, check out
http://www.pandemonia.com/pandemonia/reviews/mamiya-6.html
It's a bit old now, and not too detailed, but it may give you some idea about the camera. In summary, I love the 6, and still use it for virtually all my MF handhelds, and often where I would previously have used a 35mm (I also do stage / movement work, at least a bit...).
Hamish

Date: Fri, 11 May 2001
From: [email protected] (John Hicks)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Mamiya 6 model info needed
"Yorkovich" [email protected] wrote:

>Well, I am the (very) proud owner of a mint Mamiya 6

The first version had a red dot and red square on the shutter dial to denote AE and AEL; the second version was labeled AE and AEL, as was the M6 MF.
---
John Hicks

From: [email protected] (John Hicks) Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: MAMIYA 6- 75 NORMAL Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 [email protected] (LABLUZWRKS) wrote: >Does anyone have experience with the normal 75mm f3.5 Yep, it's one of the better medium-format normal lenses. It tends to give the Japanese "hard-sharp" very crisp look as opposed to the more gentle German Zeiss/Schneider look. --- John Hicks

From Rangefinder Mailing List: Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 From: John Kahrs [email protected] Subject: RE: Medium Format Rangefinders > The 6 was a very nice camera also and the lenses were just as good > as the 7's. It was also very compact and is a relative bargain > right now used. > The 7II's rangefinder is better than the 6's. >> I've been giving some serious thought to a Mamiya 7 II, and >> was wondering if anyone has some comments on the camera, or >> other med format rangefinders. Thanks! I just picked up the entire 6 system (body and 50/75/150 lenses) for $2300 before christmas. I thought that a fair price, and it's been a real pleasure to use. The image quality it produces is far better than any camera I've ever used before: sharpness, contrast, color rendition and build quality are all up there with the best of them. The 6 also has a collapsable lens mount, which the 7 lacks. This makes the 6 better travel camera, as far as I'm concerned. With the 75mm on it, it gets remarkably small. It couldn't ever be called a portrait camera, as the lenses don't focus any closer than 3 feet, and the 150mm goes only down to about 6 feet. The lenses have an unforgiving sharpness anyway, so while I take pictures of people with it all the time, they're more of the "people in their environment" sort of pictures, not the "I can see every pore" close up. This is why I've kept my Pentacon Six. The lenses all have leaf shutters, so the camera's as quiet as my Canonet, but the lenses are no where near as fast: the fastest in the bunch is f4, so I find myself carrying the Canonet too. The viewfinder/rangefinder is supposedly better on the 7II, and the meter is abysmal on the 6. Also supposed to be much improved on the 7II. It's not light, but has a build quality and professional aura that grows on you. The camera "knows" its state and has neat interlocks, so you can't take a picture with the darkslide closed, can't remove a lens without closing the darkslide, etc. . . Maybe you've done a lot of medium ormat before, but if you haven't, I think you'll find that 35mm looks merely "gestural". MF images are so loaded with information by comparison, you really get the sense that you were "there", and 35mm starts to look like shorthand. I's addictive. But darn it, you can't shove it in you pocket after you fire the shutter . . . Here's good, if rather combative review of the Mamiyas: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mf.htm I would also look at the Fuji fixed lens rangefinders. I still covet the GSW690III. They're so light, much lighter than the Mamiyas. Also, it looks totally cool. A fixed lens can be a blessing: zoom with your feet and you inevitably travel lighter. Relatively cheap. Then there's the overwhelming size of the negative- you open the back of those Fujis and it's like opening a coffee table book. Let us know what you end up getting. jk

[Ed. note: the earlier Koni Omega/Rapid Omega had Mamiya lenses as well, a budget M6?] From Rollei Mailing list: Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 From: Bob Shell [email protected] Subject: Re: [Rollei] OT: Large Format Peter (Peter) at [email protected] wrote: > The son of the RO (SOR?) is the Mamiya 7. Another camera with 1st rate lenses, > but several times the price of the mechanical RO. Not really. They're completely unrelated designs. In fact the Mamiya 7 (and 6) rangefinder isn't as good because the Mamiya Company was too stubborn to license the Omega rangefinder design from Henry Froehlich, who holds the patents. Bob

from rangefinder mailing list: Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 From: Gregory Harris [email protected] Subject: RE: Medium format rangefinder Arthur; I have a Mamiya 6MF which I bought for several reasons. I wanted a portable MF camera with a meter and interchangeable lenses that I could unobtrusively cart around the city with me. I wanted it for possible street shooting and urban landscape shots. I had read excellent reviews of this camera, including on www.kenrockwell.com , etc, etc. I'm not a pro, so I had to think about the budget and the 6-series was significantly less money than the 7-series. Since getting it, I've been extremely happy with it. It really meets the needs that I had for it. It is very light for its size, the operation is extremely smooth and the shutter speed range is great (down to four seconds). I like the AE and AEL option for when they are useful. The camera is unbelievably quiet (the only camera that I have that is quieter is my Nikon 950 digital!) It's really inconspicuous for what is a pretty chunky camera. I particularly like that the 6MF is the collapsible (this was dropped on the 7 and 7II) because it enhances the protability. It is literally 3" deep with the 75mm lens! The meter is not TTL, but is accurate and can operate down to the 4 sec exposure range and not uncouple. It meters down to and the shutter works down to 4 seconds, so it's great for tripod-mounted landscape shots. The only thing I don't like as much as I thought I would is the 6MFs panorama feature. I bought the 6MF (rather than 6) basically for this feature, but have found it pretty imprecise to use with the 75mm lens (because the pano-frame is just too small at that focal length - it might be easier with the larger 50mm frame). The 6MF has been a great camera for my urban landscape work and even for street shooting. I think it would be great for "reportage" style wedding work, but the non-SLR nature and absence of removable backs/accessories/etc may be limiting in other ways. The 7 and 7II both offer more options as far as lenses and accessories, so this may be a better choice if portability is less of an issue. I hope that this is helpful. Greg. :^) Arthur Schlaman wrote: > I have been thinking about getting a medium format rangefinder camera. > I did have a Fuji 645 with a 60mm lens. It was a nice camera but > difficult to focus. I know of only three other cameras the Bronica, the > Mamiya 6 and Mamiya 7. I am wondering if anyone has had experience with > these cameras and could give recommendations. I am mainly interested in > using it for weddings and maybe some landscape work.

From: [email protected] (davidb) Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: Mamiya 6 - Broken Winder Date: 19 Jul 2003 "faneuil" [email protected] wrote > Hey all- > > I have had a Mamiya 6 for 2 weeks now.. Now the frame indicator is stuck on > "4" and when I load a roll of film, it never engages for the first frame. I > changed batteries, pressed that "emergency release" button all to no avail. > > I have heard that the winder is often a problem. > Anyone had this sort of problem. > How much did it cost to repair? > > thanks > Eric I owned a M6 for about a week about 2 months ago and when I called Mamiya they told it me it was $325 or so just to open it up and CLA. This was the minimum charge. I quickly sold the camera.
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