What is a Mamiya 7II ideally suited to

[tlitody]

I have heard these are not great for weddings. I assume they are not great for street. I assume not great for low light because lenses aren't very fast. So what kind of photography are they ideally suited for?
I guess what I'm really getting at is are they good for people photography? Portraits, groups, snaps or some other type of photography such as landscape and is it really for putting on a tripod rather than hand held?

[Spyro]

landscape, cityscape, travel and street (but usually more emphasis on the still-urban landscape kind of street, 120/220 is too expensive for chasing moving targets around), and generally very popular with artists who do exhibitions and print large. It's the smallest 6X7 around.

[Photon42]

Originally Posted by tlitody

I have heard these are not great for weddings.[...]

They might be not so bad for divorces then

[maddoc]

The Mamiya 7 is good for documentary style photography where you don't need many but high quality negs or even better slides. Simple to use and high quality lenses, with 3200ISO film also for night photography suitable.

[uhligfd]

quality pictures; not as fast and loose as cellphone cameras; the exact opposite.

High image quality!

[hans voralberg]

I find it most suitable for landscape, and static street work like travel photography. The insanely sharp lens bring out every details there is.

[Gary Sandhu]

For everything an M7 with a f4 lens can do except fit in your jacket.

[craygc]

Carry an SLR-system version of the format for a while and suddenly the Mamiya 7 will become good for many tasks...

[Turtle]

scenics and environmental portraits. People and place.

[cee]

This guy's stunning work shows what the Mamiya 7 & 65mm lens is capable of:

http://atheistponcho.com/

[venchka]

Sandy King uses his 7II to make enlarged digital negatives for carbon transfer prints.

[thegman]

I would say good for just about anything except macro, or where very precise framing is required. Whether you need fast lenses or not is of course a factor, but then you can shoot faster film and get away with the bigger grain vs. 35mm.

[Renzsu]

I believe most of Trent Parke's color work is shot with a Mamiya 7:
http://www.in-public.com/TrentParke/gallery/71

[Renzsu]

Originally Posted by cee

This guy's stunning work shows what the Mamiya 7 & 65mm lens is capable of:

http://atheistponcho.com/

Very nice, thanks for the link

[bensyverson]

Who said it wasn't good for weddings? From what I hear, it used to be a top camera for weddings, before the digital apocalypse.

[visionners]

I thinks that it's great for wedding
http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11164
I will shot several wedding with my Mamiya 7 this summer (with two 5D as back up )

Great for street at least for me:

[tlitody]

Thanks all. Seems between you all it is good for most things.

[EdSawyer]

It's not great for long-distance shots, eg. telephoto / sports, and as mentioned, macro or super-tight headshots/closeups. But it kicks ass for everything else! ;-)

-Ed

[atlcruiser]

It is good for anything one would want to use it for. That is not to say it is perfect for every use; no camera is.

I disagree that it is not good for street....why not? Shoot at 400, 800 or even 1600 to get the speed up a bit. The lens is so out of control good that your IQ more than makes up for any issues with pushing the film.

The only thing I dont love about it is that the framing is a bit hit or miss....seems much more so than my other RFs. For pictures that I want perfect framing for I would need a RZ67 at 4 to 5 times the bulk and weight. I have learned to live with the framing

[slumry]

It is good for when you don't want to drag along your 4X5 but want the same results. The resolution on the Mamiya lens is so good the quality of the negatives can pass for 4X5. Also, I love to shoot with the 35mm adapter and get those nice wide panoramas…using Velvia naturally.

[JamesFromSydney]

Mary Ellen Mark uses one for street.

[kipkeston]

Anything in good light. And who doesn't want to shoot in good light?

[Benjamin Marks]

I used mine for environmental portraiture. The lack of ability to fill the frame with the subject's head made it less than ideal for head-shots. But if you were standing 10 feet away and wanted to show the subject in his/her environment, then it was great. Ditto outdoor weddings, but I never shot one professionally -- only for friends, so I don't have a sense of how one would fit into a pro work-flow. I think you'd want more than one and have a trusty assistant loading the one you weren't shooting. Ultimately I sold mine and bought a guitar. The guitar is good for weddings or street, but not portraiture. I would go with the ubiquitous square format for a wedding (Hassleblad in my case, but Bronica, Rollei etc. for those so inclined).

Ben

[KenR]

Most weddings are shot with a flash - thus the slower lenses are not an issue. Plus with no mirror blackout, you can see if the bride blinked (without having to check the tiny LCD screen).

[bigeye]

I've always wanted a 7 w/43mm, but it's kind of a 'tweener camera. Something like a big MF M7 or rangefinder SWC.

The lenses are considered the sharpest in the land, but Leicas are handier and have fine enough IQ for street genre and a SWC can use the 500's accessories for traditional MF work.

It's a great choice ("logical", if that plays into camera ownership) if you don't already have a Leica or MF system. It can cover both well (with some compromise, as mentioned). It's a good "if you had only one camera" choice.

- Charlie