[Leica] Mamiya 7's

[Yods1 <Yods1@aol.com>]

I've got a Mamiya 7 and three of the lenses and love it--but I'm also going to
buy Leica M's as soon as I can (and probably some backup slr gear for
emergencies) because I've found the M7 to be rather limited in its
versatility.
It's great for street photography and portraits, but in its own peculiar way
that'd be hard for me to describe. It's just wonderful for B&W street work.
Incredibly sharp at the widest apertures, incredible detail. And QUIETER THAN
AN M6 (sorry luggers), not to mention its 500th/sec flash sync, if you need
it. I did some B&W street work in Italy, four days total, from which I've had
more print requests from friends than from all of my other work combined (ten
years worth), by a huge margin.  
But the lenses are slow (f4 or 4.5), the depth of field is very shallow, they
don't focus very close, and compositionally it's very different from 35mm.
It's been a pleasure, but I had to re-learn photography in some respects.
Because of the shallow depth of field you have to be pretty careful with the
focusing and you'd better be good if your subjects are moving.
	I owned an M3 years ago and it was easier to use and more versatile than a
Mamiya 7. I love it, but it'd never be my only kit. But that's just me.
Dave Y