You don’t have to subjectively evaluate whether the image in the vewfinder “looks sharp” – if it’s lined up it’s in focus!
when they are “out of alignment” the image is out of focus – you simply adjust the focus until the overlaid images are lined up – taking a lot of the “guesswork” our of manual focusing.ĭespite the differences (some might say limitations) there is a lot to like about rangefinder framing/shooting: Focusing is also a totally different beast – instead of looking through the lens and subjectively evaluating if the image is in focus, the rangefinder uses a “patch” in the middle of the viewfinder, which superimposes 2 images over each other. On the Mam6, these light up automatically depending on which lens you have mounted. This window does not change with the focal length of the lens the way an SLR viewfinder does (in other words, your view doesn’t “zoom in” when you attach a longer lens) There are simply “framelines” – a glowing box/outline that shows what will be in the frame for a given focal length. Rangefinder camera’s are different than SLRs in that you are *not* looking through the lens to frame/focus – you look through a separate window. This is merely my overall impression of the camera after half a year of regular use (just about enough time to really get “comfortable” with a piece of gear!)įirst off, for anyone thinking of getting one of these cameras – if you’ve never used a rangefinder before, there’s going to be a learning curve. I’m not going to run rolls of test film against brick walls, or post MTF charts. Now after about 6 months of using it, I think it’s about time to write a proper review.īe forewarned – this is not an “Controlled Environment, Pixel Peeper” type review. I took the plunge and got the Mamiya 6 (I chose the 6 over the 7 as I prefer the 6×6 negative rather than the 6×7). That narrowed down the field a bunch – leaving basically the Fuji MF rangefinders and the Mamiya 6 or mamiya 7 in serious contention. Medium Format, OTOH, is a whole ‘nother beast… I also knew I wanted a rangefinder just because, well, I love rangefinders. Now I knew I wanted to get a MF kit, as it’s hard to justify the extra work of 35mm film, given the quality of full-frame digital (ducks the angry rolls of tri-x being thrown). I “switched” to digital with a Minolta Maxxum 7d, and shot pretty much exclusively digital from then on- up until about 6 months ago, when I got the itch again…
Black and white negative film, and an old Pentax spotmatic.