Should I sell my Mamiya 7s and buy a 5D mkiii?

[samfaulkner]

I currently have quite a lot of kit. I have a couple of Mamiya 7s and a nice range of lenses for them. But to be honest I haven't used them very much over the last few years. I think the last time I used them in anger (paid work) was 4 years ago.
For the last 2 and a half years I have mainly been using 5D MKIIs with an array Zeiss glass on the front. I also have an M9 which is usually in the bag. I am blown away by the image quality from the 5D MKII. How much better is the MKIII?
Would I regret selling my Mamiya 7s?
I have a particular project in mind that I have been trying to figure out what to shoot it on.... A few years ago in the time of film it would have been completely the type of work I did on the Mamiya 7, but I haven't really ever put the two systems head to head.
Any thoughts?
www.samfaulkner.co.uk

[GuzziRob]

Personally I would be tempted to sell.  Film is just getting so expensive for starters, and with the IQ of digital now I am not really seeing a compelling reason to stick with it.

Plus there is still some value to MF film kit, which may not be the case in the future.

[alban]

I would at least keep the glass

[KevinA]

I currently have quite a lot of kit. I have a couple of Mamiya 7s and a nice range of lenses for them. But to be honest I haven't used them very much over the last few years. I think the last time I used them in anger (paid work) was 4 years ago.
For the last 2 and a half years I have mainly been using 5D MKIIs with an array Zeiss glass on the front. I also have an M9 which is usually in the bag. I am blown away by the image quality from the 5D MKII. How much better is the MKIII?
Would I regret selling my Mamiya 7s?
I have a particular project in mind that I have been trying to figure out what to shoot it on.... A few years ago in the time of film it would have been completely the type of work I did on the Mamiya 7, but I haven't really ever put the two systems head to head.
Any thoughts?
www.samfaulkner.co.uk

I would keep the Mamiya and get a 5DIII. Film gets better with each new digital camera. The differences become more noticable.
My take is now everyone has a digital camera with them all the time, digital images have little value and they are getting less. The ones that shoot Tin types or wet plate even good old rolls of film will be called photographers or photographic artists.Keep the Mamiya and see how it settles out over the next few years.

[theguywitha645d]

You could sell ONE Mamiya 7 and the 5DmkII and get a 5DmkIII. But it is a hard choice. I sold a whole bunch of film gear to get a Pentax 645D. I kept one of my Mamiya 6 cameras. I have not used the camera much at all, but I am rather fond of it.

You could also buy a winning lottery ticket...

[shadowblade]

I'd be more tempted by the D800e.

On close inspection of large prints, it looks significantly better than the 5D3, and handles highlights and shadows better.

If I weren't so heavily invested in Canon glass (from the days when Nikon's highest-resolution offering was 12MP) I would have gone that route as well.

[Rob C]

I would keep the Mamiya and get a 5DIII. Film gets better with each new digital camera. The differences become more noticable.
My take is now everyone has a digital camera with them all the time, digital images have little value and they are getting less. The ones that shoot Tin types or wet plate even good old rolls of film will be called photographers or photographic artists.Keep the Mamiya and see how it settles out over the next few years.

Still keeping my F3!

Fortunately, the only G Nikkor I ever bought was returned because it disappointed - everything else optical that I have works on film bodies too, so that's how I hope to remain.

Rob C

[DeanChriss]

I would keep the Mamiya and get a 5DIII. Film gets better with each new digital camera. The differences become more noticable.
My take is now everyone has a digital camera with them all the time, digital images have little value and they are getting less. The ones that shoot Tin types or wet plate even good old rolls of film will be called photographers or photographic artists.Keep the Mamiya and see how it settles out over the next few years.

I've been noticing the increased art value of prints made from film-generated images over digital images for a couple of years now. That's even more true if the prints are made in a darkroom using traditional methods, and far more so for [t]hings like tintypes and large format Polaroids. The latter two are objects of art almost regardless of the image they bear. It seems to me that traditional analog methods will go the same way in not too much time. Indeed, these old processes produce some great looking images and effects. They can be mimicked using digital methods, but the real thing will always command the money. So, if I were you I think I'd keep the Mamiya. That's hindsight speaking, as I no longer have a single piece of film equipment.

[HSakols]

Do you have a decent scanner?  I'm in the same boat, but have not decided yet to sell my dedicated medium format scanner.  Until then I guess I will keep most of my old MF fiim cameras.  A while back I had fun playing with 120 print film. 

[KevinA]

I've been noticing the increased art value of prints made from film-generated images over digital images for a couple of years now. That's even more true if the prints are made in a darkroom using traditional methods, and far more so for [t]hings like tintypes and large format Polaroids. The latter two are objects of art almost regardless of the image they bear. It seems to me that traditional analog methods will go the same way in not too much time. Indeed, these old processes produce some great looking images and effects. They can be mimicked using digital methods, but the real thing will always command the money. So, if I were you I think I'd keep the Mamiya. That's hindsight speaking, as I no longer have a single piece of film equipment.

Not only have I kept most of my film equipment, I've bought more off of Ebay! It's fetching decent money now as well. I'm also just getting the darkroom back to a usable state.

Kevin.

[Ellis Vener]

I've been noticing the increased art value of prints made from film-generated images over digital images for a couple of years now...That's even more true if the prints are made in a darkroom using traditional methods

Are those photographers still living and producing wet darkroom produced prints or are they dead photographers. Also there is a natural human tendency to place greater value on things that are older and have survived the waywardness of time.


...and far more so for [t]hings like tintypes and large format Polaroids. The latter two are objects of art almost regardless of the image they bear.
what I said above applies and there is the added cache of each print being a unique and therefore exceedingly rare object. That adds a lot of value too, especially if it was made by a photographer who was or has become well known that adds even more value.

[Jim Pascoe]

How much better is the MKIII?
www.samfaulkner.co.uk

The MkIII is going to be a better camera in most respects but I wouldn't expect the image quality to be much better than the MkII.

Jim

[EricWHiss]

Lots of renewed interest in film here in San Francisco ... mostly for special images like art...not for weddings and events

[DeanChriss]

Are those photographers still living and producing wet darkroom produced prints or are they dead photographers. Also there is a natural human tendency to place greater value on things that are older and have survived the waywardness of time.

I was referring only to living photographers who are still using older methods. In the case of film they're usually shooting medium or large format. I'm sure you're right about the uniqueness driving the price. In one way or another that's always what drives price. When 99% use the same general process and media, the 1% who do something different command a higher price. I made up those numbers but I only know of a few photographers who currently shoot film, and only one who creates his prints in a darkroom as opposed to doing them on an inkjet. I'm sure there are more, but I'm also sure there aren't many.

[Pingang]

I sold mine long time ago and was not regretting it. It is a closed system, I have 2 bodies and all lense sold when the price was good. I don't see the reason to keep the glass, unless someone wants to convert the Mamiya 7 to accept digital back. A friend of mine bought the Mamiya 6 version and adapt to use with digital back that works very well, a really nice compact system that is.
But there are many ways to shoot photographs as there are many cameras, I will try to master the tools I have, I couldn't have everything.
To collect, Mamiya 7 is not on my list.

Pingang
Shanghai

[john2]

In your position I doubt I'd go for a 5D mk3 unless I was a sports photographer. I'd wait for the ultra high resolution camera which Canon will bring out in response to Nikon's D800.

[jbaxendell]

Sam you may be interested in the prices that Ffordes are asking for M7's - see here

Cheers,
John