Buying used Mamiya 7 or Mamiya 7 II? Essential checks you should make. 

Thank you. Glad it was useful.

Good luck and take your time checking it over. Buy with a return option if you can. Bear in mind any future repairs might be difficult; Camera buyers beware. The truth you MUST know about older digital and film equipment. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Icpe8tJqOIg.html

Thanks - appreciated

Yes, brilliant cameras!

Glad it was helpful!

Glad it was useful!

Glad you liked it!

It's on the 'to do' list!

@@WorldwideCameraExchange thank you so much

Thanks for your comment. You'll probably be okay although you should get it adjusted when it's next serviced. It's more likely to impact focus accuracy at closer distances with longer lenses.

It's worth having a repairer take a look. It might be something quite simple to fix as part of a general service.

@@WorldwideCameraExchange I literally dissembled it right after I saw your comment. Seems like the shutter mechanic inside was jammed. I “unjammed” it and called it a day. Reassembled the lens and as of now It seems to work properly… I think it might be only temporarily, but who knows…

Yes, agreed. A film test is always a good idea. That said, the wind mechanism is far more prone to fail on heavily worn cameras. For this reason I would only recommend buying low use Mamiya equipment. And don’t forget spares aren’t available which is why many repairers don’t service them.

@@WorldwideCameraExchange I bought one of these in mint condition, cosmetics were very excellent and the crank was slipping and couldn’t get it repaired and had to send back for refund! it’s really hard to know of the ‘worn’ aspect, I spoke to the repairer who works on all analog gear for over 40 years and he said these mechanisms were a very major flaw in Mamiya 6 and 7, the single crank puts a lot of stress on the gears and eventually they will start to slip! They were just not made strong enough! Thanks for the reply! I enjoy the videos!

You had a lucky escape! If the camera was mint then the wind mechanism wouldn’t be worn. I suspect it had been misused or forced? Maybe by somebody not familiar with the various interlocks. Returning it for a refund was the best option. Even if a repair was possible it may have caused further issues in the future.

You find this this useful; Camera buyers beware. The truth you MUST know about older digital and film equipment. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Icpe8tJqOIg.html

@Artemio Medina the only way is to put a roll of film through it, fire the shutter for every single frame, and make sure it cranks and advances to the next frame with a single stroke! and you get exactly 12 frames before the roll winds on to finish.

It’s a lot of money to spend if it develops a fault and can’t be fixed. Some are happy to take the risk, others aren’t.

@@WorldwideCameraExchange I think I will skip it and get Leica M11

Or a Hasselblad X2D?

I think people generally prefer the rectangular format. In its day the Mamiya 6 was very popular but some just don’t get on with 6x6cm.

@@WorldwideCameraExchange Ok Thanks. That helps.

Take it out and use it. You’ll love it!

Have you got it set for 220 film? If not, you should ask a Mamiya repairer to take a look. Unfortunately spares are no longer available but hopefully it’ll be something minor.

Wow! You are absolutely great. Thank you so much! Had the same thought a few days ago. I woke up in the middle of the night and went having a look if it is maybe on 220. But it wasn’t . Luckily the RCE FOTO shop in Italy gave me a 6 month guarantee. Thank you again for you immediate reply.

Happy to help. Hope it’s an easy fix.

I just wanted to let you know that Surprisingly with the 3rd film it worked perfectly. But nevertheless I sent it back to the shop for sale . I became uncomfortable with this camera. Also with my first roll of film the advancement didn’t work smoothly.

It may have sat unused for a while and the wind mechanism became lazy. Use has got it going again but a service by a good Mamiya repairer is still a good idea.

Yep. They’re expensive and the price is only going in one direction … finite supply and growing demand.

Thanks for commenting - it's always appreciated. Mamiya 7s and 7IIs are great cameras but photographers should understand what they're buying ... hence the video. I've sold used and new Mamiya equipment for 35+ years. That provides a good sample size to assess reliability both objectively and fairly. Are Mamiyas as reliable as Hasselblads? No. But they're less well built and cheaper so that shouldn't be a surprise. Are Mamiyas as reliable as Bronica? Yes. Mamiya and Bronica had a similar price point. Mamiya had issues with the winding mechanism. Bronica had issues with shutter timing. Neither's perfect. It's been almost 20 years since Mamiya made its last camera. All cameras will develop reliablity problems over that time unless they're regularly serviced. The issue with Mamiya and Bronica and Hasselblad (X-Pan) is that spares are no longer made ... something I frequently highlight on my channel and every buyer should understand: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Icpe8tJqOIg.html I wouldn't recommend using any 20+ year old camera professionally on a day-to-day basis ... surely no responsible professional photographer would? Occassionally, yes, for specific jobs, but not day in, day out. For that use your digital Nikon, Canon, Sony or Hasselblad. I do agree that Mamiya 7 and 7II prices are insane. But the market decides ... if buyers exist and the supply is short then prices will rise. Personally I'd recommend a Hasselblad X1DII over a Mamiya for heavy professional use. More expensive, yes, but more dependable, more compact and with a better range of lenses. And, of course, it can be fixed!

Yet I had my Mamiya 6 from 1990 to 2005, used it extensively and heavily… and had ZERO issues with any aspect of it. Amazingly unique system, and in fact I recently (2024) bought another Mamiya 6 camera with 50mm f/4 lens. Just as wonderful ergonomics and gorgeous output now as back then. Different strokes for different folks. I so thoroughly enjoyed my first go round with this camera that, after a 25 year hiatus from any and all film, I happily made the jump back into analog. And the first and only camera I wanted was the 6. Color me ecstatic!

Yep, they’re fantastic cameras. Thanks for commenting.

All film wind mechanisms (including Mamiya) become heavier with a film loaded so you have no choice but to advance more slowly. My viewers are experienced photographers. These videos need to be concise. I don’t feel the need to warn against advancing the film so aggressively that you destroy the wind mechanism.

@@WorldwideCameraExchange I’ve owned 3 since 2002 the winders are prone to failure .more so on the mamiya 6 perhaps. It doesn’t hurt to suggest being a little gentle. It’s not a nikkormat.

Thanks for commenting. Always appreciated.