It is single-coated with signature Mamiya yellow tint. And it shows – many years of use-and-abuse, and yet this lens looks like new. Construction is sturdy – composed of metal and glass. Aperture selection is pleasant and tactile. Mamiya Sekor 50mm f2 is comfortable to use – the focus ring is large, smooth and well-damped, but not as refined or precise as the Konicas or Canons. Lenses in the range are the top of the line radioactive Mamiya Sekor 55mm f1.4, radioactive Mamiya Sekor 55mm f1.8 and the classic four-element Mamiya Sekor 50mm f2.8 – all worthy lenses in their own right.
Mamiya was a professional camera manufacturer and made many excellent camera lenses – most of them are often overlooked by enthusiasts in favour of the better-known brands. It happens - but it is infuriating when you're on the (non) receiving end.Mamiya Sekor 50mm f2 is one of the four standard prime lenses for Mamiya TL and DTL cameras, released back in 1966. Who gets there first and does one member of staff make sure what they sell is take the item off the website and any other auction sites. What made it worse was that I'd taken a day's holiday to go and collect it in person - with the intention of giving it a test-drive that day, to make sure it was in good order. NOT with Aperture, but I recently lost out on an item I'd reserved on a camera company's website but that one of the staff had sold on their eBay site. Unless you can find one for sale privately, for a good example of a 7, you might pay (retail) something in the order of £1,100 with an 80mm lens and £100-ish more with the 65mm lens. The 43mm is a brilliant lens but may be too wide for many. Which seems about par for the course for a user / good set up. However, I'm not sure what your budget is or whether you're interested in the 43mm lens but there's one listed here: Nigel, the Mamiya 7s Aperture get don't hang around long. If I was heading back to Mamiya, I'd look at a Mamiya 6 as I like square and it's more compact. I've tried to be objective but the best way is to try one. Great for right eye dominant but not so good for lefties.Īssuming you can live with its idiosyncrasies and slow lenses, you will love the photos you get with it. Unlike the Mamiya 6, the lens won't collapse / recess into the body.ĩ ) If you use a tripod, you'll need to either (a) buy the widget that separates the base plate from the tripod plate or (b) remove from the tripod / plate every time you want to change films (the "curtain" lever (used when changing lenses mid-film) / door opener is on the base plate and is a pain to deal with when the camera is tripod-mounted.ġ0 ) BIG and bright viewfinder. I had real issues with the 150mm as a spectacles wearer.Ĩ ) It's quite large (though not very heavy).
Great results in good light but high ISO or pushed if indoors / low light.ħ ) The longer the lens, the smaller the bright lines appear in the viewfinder - therefore, the more difficult it is to focus longer lenses. You know this already but, as it doesn't have autofocus, you will need to pre-focus or learn to "anticipate", if you intend using it spontaneously on the hoof.Ħ ) The lenses are (in relative terms) s l o w.
It's not like a modern, averaged system like you find on most SLRs.ĥ ) It's a rangefinder. I doubt it's rain-proof.Ĥ ) The meter is very centre-weighted but fine, once you get used to it.
I never had any problems with it but it isn't the sturdiest feeling camera, if I'm honest. It occasionally attracts the right sort of interest from those in the know.Ģ ) The lenses are stellar in terms of sharpness, lack of distortion and contrast.ģ ) The camera body is mostly plastic. A few observations:ġ ) It looks like a kid's "my first camera" so people tend not to be too threatened by it. I had an 80mm briefly but preferred the 65mm. I had the Mamiya 7 + 43mm, 65mm and 150mm lenses for a few years.