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Some info Joseph:

I used a Mamiya 7 for years. Huge 6X7 negs out of a quite small camera. Lenses are also comparatively small. There are 2 versions of the camera body: the 7 and the 7II ... the basic difference is that the viewfinder in the 7II is brighter and easier to focus. The camera comes in 2 colors: Ch&agne Silver and Black. Both versions accept the optional 35mm film panoramic accessory.

Lenses range from the super wide 37mm with aux. viewfinder to 210mm. The 210 is not rangefinder coupled and was designed primarily for ariel and longer distance infinity focus type work. The 37mm is probably the best lens on that camera followed by the 50.
If you shoot transparency film, you'll need the expensive center filter with the 37mm.

Practical considerations:

The meter is not TTL, so if you use filters like a Polarizer, you'll need to compensate for the filter factor. The meter is finicky and not designed for rugged knock-about work. Loading film in the camera is a process of specific steps that have to be done in proper order which once learned is not to bad.

Like any MF camera, shutter speeds need to be kept high to avoid shake, and apertures kept in mind due to shallower DOF than what we are used to with 35mm. While the shooting experience is similar to a Leica, nothing else is. Mamiya 7 MF rangefinder work is very demanding of the shooter because all of the lenses are relatively slow and often require faster ISO films.

Good camera but a dead end because it will never be a digital camera ... and now Mamiya is basically going the way of the Dodo bird.

The Holga is a fun camera, but basically a toy. Many famous photographers and photo students have made interesting images with one because they are so bad optically. Often prone to light leaks, many sport duct tape all over them to fix the problem : -)
 
Marc, thank you for all these informations.

I will definitely go for Hasselblad SWC 'cause it is able to focus close distance. I need another camera to cover 50-60mm, I think Mamiya 7II and Bronica RF are good choices.

Medium format film cameras have at least a few years to go for us but not the Pros. The medium format digital back is still beyond the reach of us. Film still has a dominant role in image quality.

Has anyone tried the Fuji 120mm f4 Macro for Hasselblad H series ? Is it better or worse than the Contax Zeiss apo 120mm f4 for C645 ?
 
Thanks Sergei,
That's a very interesting review. There was a positive test of the V700 in a recent AP (Amateur Photographer) and they are waiting for the V750 to be able to test it. I'm waiting for that review too.

Marc,
I don't really agree that the Mamiya 7 is a dead end because 120 film abounds at present and with a scanner it can be used digitally, albeit without instant results. 120 quality is excellent.

Joseph,
Have you thought about a Yashica 124G to get a feel for medium format. It is 6x6 but comparatively inexpensive and capable of great results. It's also quite pleasant to use once you get the hang of it.

Cheers,
John
 
Didn't say it was dead, I said it was a dead end ... when that will be who knows.

I agree about film availability. I just bought 50 rolls of Fuji 220. The area of concern is the availability of labs themselves. But that's off in the future also.

I also agree about quality of MF films ... or I should say "qualities" ... it exhibits qualities that digital doesn't.

Joseph, my HC 120/4 will arrive soon. I used the Contax version for many years and will be able to report back soon. One thing I do know is that when HC lenses are used with an Imacon digital back the software has a feature that eliminates color fringing by telling the Flexcolor program what lens was used at what distance. It actually works.
 
Marc, it sounds cool.

Concerning these Epson Flatbeds, they have excellent vital statistics. The Epson V700 has 6400x9600 dpi, 48 bits colour depth and it is about the same price as my Minolta 5400 and it can scan medium format too.

Perhaps it is time for me to sell my 5400.
 
Hey, Marc, if that particular software can eliminate colour fringing, there will be a time in the future that other softwares could do the same for other cameras too.
 
220 can be hard to find here now. I shall probably continue with 6x6 until the end appears.
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Joseph!

Not so fast with ditching your Minolta 5400! Be careful with those numbers in V700 or V750 specs. It is NOT a 4800 dpi or let alone 6400 dpi scanner. They achieve these figures through something called micro step drive technology. The real physical resolution of Epson flatbed CCD is reported to be much lower. However this micro step drive technology DOES achieve wonders - BUT the consensus seems to be that for 35 mm work flatbed scanners are still not sufficient. The other part of consensus seems to be that for medium format they are "adequate".

And be careful with the review at i-photo. There are two potential problems there - 1) Vincent has claimed that earlier Epson flatbed scanners (like 4990) are "almost there" with dedicated film scanners even for 35 mm work. However the practical experience of many users has proven that these scanners are substandard for critical 35 mm work. 2) Vincent uses "non-standard" test targets or in other words - we do not know how sharp or unsharp those slides are. If your source is not critically sharp then, of course, there would not be any difference between a scan on a flatbed and a dedicated films scanner.

I am not saying that Epson V700/V750 are poor scanners, but some of those dpi specs are overoptimistic. Also dpi is not alpha and omega of scanners.
 
Thanks Didzis,

Those are very revealing comments. I love my 5400 but cannot afford a proper medium format film scanner. Perhaps a second hand one is the way to go. I have read positive comments for the late Minolta one.
 
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