For the last 5 months, I’ve been drilling street photography with a 35mm camera. The camera body bouncing up and down on my hip bone felt rhythmic and natural. Drawing the lens to my chest was 1 pull-up in a set of 50 I’d do daily. So when I needed to sell my 35mm I …
5 Frames through the Mamiya 6 with Kentmere Pan 400 Read More
In researching the Mamiya 6MF camera prior to buying one a little over 20 years ago, I read a review which included mention of the Auto Close-up Lens attachment for the Mamiya’s 75mm F3.5 G lens. The reviewer described this device as ‘baroque-looking’ and asserted that ‘you also shouldn’t use this camera for extreme close-up …
What’s a more portable way to do a trip and still shoot medium format? A folder camera of course!
Back in October 2019, I needed to go to Milan with some friends for a conference and I needed to pick a single camera and lens to go with me since I like to travel light. I could bring a 35mm camera, but since this was my 3rd flight away from Portugal I wanted to have more impactful images from the trip. This made me opt for my medium format camera, the Mamiya Six Folder rangefinder camera with its Zuiko 7.5cm f/3.5 lens. The choice of film was simple, I already had a couple of rolls of Fuji Provia which fit exactly what I wanted – to look directly at the slides years from now and remember it.
In 1996 I purchased a Mamiya 6MF rangefinder with the 50, 75 and 150 lenses to replace an Olympus OM1/OM2 35mm system. The Olympus cameras and lenses were, of course, compact and good to travel with and that was also the main reason why I went for the Mamiya, also compact and lightweight but now with a huge 6×6 negative. And, in this case at least, a change in gear did make a real difference to my photography.
I acquired my Mamiya 6 MF and all three lenses just under 20 years ago, after deciding against a long-held aspiration of getting a Hasselblad. A decision I haven’t regretted. This compact, travel-friendly camera has produced a big collection of images from around the world that I continue to treasure and share. After a not-too-long period of inactivity due to the predictable move to digital, I have, for various reasons, found myself using this marvel of photographic engineering and design again.
