Picture of Seattle
Caption: Mamiya 6 MF Mamiya 6 MF,
My favorite camera.
Picture of Palm Springs
Caption: To start, the Mamiya 6 MF is a médium format rangefinder film camera. It was made in the 80s and 90s as a replacement to the older generation Mamiya Six Folding.
Picture
Caption: The camera gets its name from the 6x6 frame size. That means it's a square format photo. You get 12 photos per roll (13 if youre lucky).
Square format is a classic format for film photos. It's been used for generations. I like the way your eye gets caught looping around a frame, as there isn't a tall or wide side to it.
Picture of Pike Place Market
Caption: The "MF" in the "Mamiya 6 MF" means "Multi-Format". That means there are also special inserts to add, allowing you to shoot other formats too. I think the best is the 35mm adapter which let's you shoot panorama photos.
Picture of Joshua Tree
Caption: Another feature of the Mamiya 6 MF is that the lens can retract into the body, similar to an extending lens on a point and shoot camera. This makes it pack smaer and be easier for travel.
Picture of Roseburg
Caption: It's also one of very few medium format cameras to have a built in self timer. But that is because the shutter is controlled via a battery. So make sure you always have an extra.
Picture of Seattle
Caption: Wedding photos on the Mamiya 6 My primary work as a photographer is wedding photography. I love this camera because it's easy to carry with me (it's light) and the medium format film is always so rich and detailed. It also has a working flash sync for when you need it.
Picture of Artist Point
Caption: Wedding and engagement photos in panorama on the Mamiya 6 MF And the panorama format can lend itself to some very unique images.
Picture of Nepalgunj
Caption: Portraits of Nepalese on Mamiya 6 MF Though the camera only has 3 lens options, it is a great environmental portrait camera. It shows a lot of a scene. Has just enough depth of field to separate the subject from the background and still be crisp.
Picture of Singapore
Caption: The rangefinder focusing syatem is nice because you aren't looking through the lens itself. That allows you to see the world around your composition.
Picture of Bali
Caption: The saying is that the best camera is the one that you have with you. And I think the Mamiya 6 MF is the best, so it's usually with me.
Picture of Bali
Caption: See more of my work:
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@jtobiason