anyone knows about Mamiya 6?

[nightwolf75]

hi folks!

are there anyone still holding onto this rather old MF system? i was poking around online for some film camera when i came across references to this camera. the main concern with most users is how the film winding mechanism tends to break down often, and mamiya no longer manufacture the parts. is this true?

reason i ask cos i am thinking of going back to film, and the 6x6 format has been my fav. and no... not hassy 500CM cos i want to hold the camera to eye-level. all the accessories to make the 500CM shoot at eye-level makes it uncomfortably bulky, regardless of how kick-a55 the 500CM is.

TIA!

 

[hibeam2]

Hi there,
I have been thinking of gg film, and has been reading and looking around for mamiya MF RF.
Why not consider Mamiya 7? Price wise, not much more expensive than Mamiya 6.
It can also take a wider variety of lens as well.

It'll be good if experienced owners can share their experience with us. Anyone here?

hi folks!

are there anyone still holding onto this rather old MF system? i was poking around online for some film camera when i came across references to this camera. the main concern with most users is how the film winding mechanism tends to break down often, and mamiya no longer manufacture the parts. is this true?

reason i ask cos i am thinking of going back to film, and the 6x6 format has been my fav. and no... not hassy 500CM cos i want to hold the camera to eye-level. all the accessories to make the 500CM shoot at eye-level makes it uncomfortably bulky, regardless of how kick-a55 the 500CM is.

TIA!

 

[madabouthass]

All i can remember is that it came out for a while trying to be a medium format Leica and take on the 500 CMas well.
Never took off till they made the M 7 .
And when the M 7 did , it also killed the M 6 .
Old Peninsula Plaza/hotel architect - mr. Ang has one .
Soft shutter and beautiful lenses .
If can get CR123s the camera will probably run forever.
The mamiya engineers were aiming at the Zeiss lenses when they made lenses for the M6.
And they tried to emulate the leica m in the mirrorless rangefinder design .
And chose the 6x6 format so no need to rotate camera for portrait format.
I would say they came close to archieving all and at less than the price of the 500cm.
A classic no doublt , that is why no sellers .

 

[hibeam2]

If you are looking for one, there are usu wider selection outside singapore.
I find that some japanese shops sell very decent used mamiyas 6, 7 and 7ii.
alternative is keh.com, but i find that their prices are slightly higher than the japs.

 

[wormz777]

I had it for a while but sold it off. Best about 6 is its the collapsible design that makes the system much more compact. Build and feel wise similar to the 7. of course, both produce fantastic pics.

I am also going back to film... seems a revival is on the way?

 

[hibeam2]

Hi wormz777,
I read that the light meter in mamiya 6 and 7 are not accurate. what is your experience?

 

[Nikkornos]

Hi, I had the Mamiya 7 for a while. Because it is a RF the range finder was not too appealing for me.
For MF I like to see the effect on the screen.

The exposure should be used at auto. Manual metering appeared to go to the nearest full stop, so shooting slides can see some unexpected results.

Although the picture is excellent, the Mamiya 7 was a damn bloody expensive camera, ten years ago when I had it.
The 43mm lens was too much to pay for.

 

[nightwolf75]

I had it for a while but sold it off. Best about 6 is its the collapsible design that makes the system much more compact. Build and feel wise similar to the 7. of course, both produce fantastic pics.

I am also going back to film... seems a revival is on the way?

actually... i do like the smell of negatives. really... but it is kinda hard to get color/slides developed nowadays which was why i switched fully to digital.

for MF, i've been particularly biased to 6x6 (starting all the way with lubitel 166U...) even tho i am using a mamiya 645AFDII now. that's why i am reading up on 6x6 cameras. hassy is, of course, the Ferrari of this genre. however, i am more keen towards a 'DSLR-like' holding. which is why i am looking at the mamiya 6. only thing now i need to find out if i can get it serviced here cos i read online that mamiya JP has stopped manufacturing the parts for it(?)

mamiya 7 is out of my reach... i just saw 4 sets at Benphoto today. all are priced way north of $2k.... at this price, i rather get the 500CM and the unwieldy left-hand grip... :bheart:

but i have yet to see any mamiya 6 ard the usual shops tho... all i want is the body + 75mm... heh...

 

[hibeam2]

Hi Nightwolf,
May I ask - 2k for just the body alone?
I'm just beginning to learn about MF. Are the labs that still do E-6 processing?
I've search clubsnap and there's a thread in 2010 saying there are no more labs doing this anymore. True?

 

[nightwolf75]

Hi Nightwolf,
May I ask - 2k for just the body alone?

nah... with, iirc, 80mm lens... and it is definitely not $2k, and not low $2k region either.... ;p

probably will pay a visit to CP some time soon and talk to the fellas running the medium format section about servicing for a mamiya 6 before i decide whether to bid or not on ebay, since locally it is not available.

 

[hibeam2]

Wow! That's expensive.
I searched thru some jap sites and a relatively new mamiya 7 is slightly less than sgd1k. Coupled with a relatively new 50mm and viewfinder is low to mid 2k. If u don't mind one with user marks, similar setup is slightly less than 2k before shipping.
If u are keen, I can direct you to the site.

 

[bimbim1207]

Wow! That's expensive.
I searched thru some jap sites and a relatively new mamiya 7 is slightly less than sgd1k. Coupled with a relatively new 50mm and viewfinder is low to mid 2k. If u don't mind one with user marks, similar setup is slightly less than 2k before shipping.
If u are keen, I can direct you to the site.

May us know what is the jap sites you are mentioning? Much appreciate

 

[wootsk]

Mamiya 6, 7, 7 II series the body isn't too much of the main damage. (Maybe except 7 II. Few months back, I saw someone won a working 7 body in Ebay for around 500, I am on budget so never attempt) It is the lens. Those rangefinder doesn't have much advantage except:

1. Deadly sharp lens, one of the best I've seem. Gillette razors are noting compared to it.

2. Able to shoot 220, 120 and pano 135 (with adapter) in 1 camera.

3. Has a inbuilt meter thought said to be heavily centre

I am not a collector, but I am sure that this camera will have some issue on resale. But if you are buying it for use, I am sure that the lens is so deadly as compared to any collector Pai Ka. If you have doubt, you can ask Kgston. He has the camera and is the guy who poisoned me to this.

 

[nightwolf75]

Mamiya 6, 7, 7 II series the body isn't too much of the main damage. (Maybe except 7 II. Few months back, I saw someone won a working 7 body in Ebay for around 500, I am on budget so never attempt) It is the lens. Those rangefinder doesn't have much advantage except:

1. Deadly sharp lens, one of the best I've seem. Gillette razors are noting compared to it.

2. Able to shoot 220, 120 and pano 135 (with adapter) in 1 camera.

3. Has a inbuilt meter thought said to be heavily centre

I am not a collector, but I am sure that this camera will have some issue on resale. But if you are buying it for use, I am sure that the lens is so deadly as compared to any collector Pai Ka. If you have doubt, you can ask Kgston. He has the camera and is the guy who poisoned me to this.

thanks wootsk!

i know how the mamiya 7 pics turn out to be. some of will03's safari pics were taken with the mamiya 7, i think.

now... i am going to set up camp on ebay and monitor... haha...

 

[Nikkornos]

Mamiya 6, 7, 7 II series the body isn't too much of the main damage. (Maybe except 7 II. Few months back, I saw someone won a working 7 body in Ebay for around 500, I am on budget so never attempt) It is the lens. Those rangefinder doesn't have much advantage except:
......

Wootsk you spread poison again.

 

[pchong]

I never used a M6 before, but have an M7II for a while...killer lenses. Size wise, no larger than a pro DSLR body, but much lighter, nearly silent shutter. But you need to get used to the RF focussing...for me, it was a breeze. And the 67 negative is super! And if you shoot slides...just inspecting the 6x7 positives with the naked eye or a light loupe on a light box causes goosebumps.

The M6 is square format, and has a collapsable lense mount...so even more compact. If the price is right, and you want to shoot film, I don't think you can go wrong with this great system.

 

[hibeam2]

Hi nightwolf,
found anything suitable on ebay yet?
well, to cut the long story short... my attempt at mapcamera failed - they will ship if the delivery address (vpost japan in my case) is different from the credit card's country of issue (Singapore)

Anyway, I bought a set of used M7 with 80mm on ebay. Awainting anxiously for it to arrive.
New to MF, so i hope to learn from you guys in clubsnap in the future. and not forgetting, join u guys for outing some day!

Cheers,
James

 

[nightwolf75]

Hi nightwolf,
found anything suitable on ebay yet?
well, to cut the long story short... my attempt at mapcamera failed - they will ship if the delivery address (vpost japan in my case) is different from the credit card's country of issue (Singapore)

Anyway, I bought a set of used M7 with 80mm on ebay. Awainting anxiously for it to arrive.
New to MF, so i hope to learn from you guys in clubsnap in the future. and not forgetting, join u guys for outing some day!

Cheers,
James

nothing good. probably wait till end-dec. hoping that more people will be throwing out their stuff during the christmas season.

 

[wootsk]

Wootsk you spread poison again.

nothing good. probably wait till end-dec. hoping that more people will be throwing out their stuff during the christmas season.

For some assist
This is poison:
MAMIYA 6MF Rangefinder Medium Format Film Camera w 75mm Lens | eBay
Mamiya 7 Medium Format Rangefinder Camera Body Exc++ | eBay
Mamiya 7 Medium Format Rangefinder Film Camera Body Only | eBay
Mamiya 7 Rangefinder Film Camera with 80mm F4 lens | eBay
Mamiya 6 - MF - 35mm Rangefinder Body w/ G 75mm F/3.5 L - COMPLETE !! | eBay

Large Format Photography Forum
A bit too late, but you can see that a 80mm cost around the same pricing as a 7 body, note that the camera the guy is selling is a 7 II. Careful not to mistake a 7 with a 7 II.

Anyway, what I did to to add all those to my watch list and eagle eye for one not notice by many and place a snip with the earliest one ending first. If I fails, I continue with the second possible one.

 

[nightwolf75]

For some assist
This is poison:
MAMIYA 6MF Rangefinder Medium Format Film Camera w 75mm Lens | eBay
Mamiya 7 Medium Format Rangefinder Camera Body Exc++ | eBay
Mamiya 7 Medium Format Rangefinder Film Camera Body Only | eBay
Mamiya 7 Rangefinder Film Camera with 80mm F4 lens | eBay
Mamiya 6 - MF - 35mm Rangefinder Body w/ G 75mm F/3.5 L - COMPLETE !! | eBay

Large Format Photography Forum
A bit too late, but you can see that a 80mm cost around the same pricing as a 7 body, note that the camera the guy is selling is a 7 II. Careful not to mistake a 7 with a 7 II.

Anyway, what I did to to add all those to my watch list and eagle eye for one not notice by many and place a snip with the earliest one ending first. If I fails, I continue with the second possible one.

*nw75 plots to put wootsk on the de-register list...*