any film freaks on here had any real world experience with the Mamiya 7 6x7 range finder or the Mamiya 645 series 6x4.5 cameras?
i have a friend with a new 7 but want some other reviews from people that have owned or at least used these models.
I really enjoy reading this thread, more so because I like the fact people are using film and not just digital. Photography along with bikes has kept me pretty poor. BITD I used to have a darkroom set up that could do up to 16”x20”, I had a really cheap source of paper – but that’s another story.
I still use my Nikon FA with 24mm, 50, 105mm macro and 100-300 zoom. I also used to have a Bronica SQAm. I always preferred a square format that’s why I went with the Bronica over the Mamiya (I was looking at the RB). It had a built in motor drive that could do about 3 a second (the noise was pretty loud too).
If you can give a Bronice a go, I found the lenses to be excellent, and a fraction of the cost of Hasselbald. If I was getting a medium format camera again, I would still get a Bronica but wouldn’t touch the SQAm (or any newer model that needs so many batteries), I would just go for the SQA and get the speed winder grip. The SQAm just had too many electronics to go wrong (mainly the motor drive) so repairs were expensive. I literally ended up throwing out the body because I was quoted nearly as much for the repair as a replacement cost. I sold off my lenses, but now regret that, but still have a few other parts/ filters.