Mamiya 7II
More than a few photographers have called the Mamiya 7 not just the best 6x7cm film camera ever made, but the best camera ever made, period. After shooting a Mamiya 7, it's difficult to argue otherwise. The design and performance of the Mamiya 7, with its aperture priority metering system, leaf shutter lenses, and compact build, quickly gained a well-earned reputation as one of the premier medium format cameras. With that in mind, it was easy to wonder how on earth Mamiya could improve their already brilliant camera. In 1999, just four years after the release of the Mamiya 7, the Mamiya 7ii hit the shelves and revealed that really not much could be improved upon.
Aside from the model marking on the front of the camera body, you'd be forgiven for mistaking the Mamiya 7ii for its older sibling. The look, feel, and dimensions are virtually identical. The shutter release button, film wind lever, cloth dark slide are the same on both cameras. The only external differences between the two are that the 7ii has a double-exposure button on the camera chassis and an additional strap lug, both were absent on the earlier version. Oh, and the 7ii was also available in a luxurious champagne color. Internally, the Mamiya 7ii's viewfinder window was improved to make it brighter and to reduce glare. The Mamiya 7ii also kept the lens mount of the 7, so all of the same lenses that produced the amazing images could still be used.
Ultimately, after realizing how popular the Mamiya 7 was, it seems that Mamiya chose to build incrementally on its success. In the end, photographers are really left with no wrong answer to the question of which model is better.
ar/sd
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