The Ultimate Mamiya Film Camera Shootout

Don’t you just love a good old-fashioned photographic shootout? Giving yourself a new challenge is not only fun, but it’s a fantastic way to unleash your creativity: you either sink or swim. 

In the Ultimate Mamiya Battle from banksi, we see three photographers battling it out with each other on the streets of Sydney. The premise of the challenge is simple: three photographers, three classic Mamiya medium format film cameras, fve minutes each with model Aleese, one roll of film each. Who will produce the best images?  

After a scissors, paper, rock game, the challenge kicks off. Shooting first turns out to be a disadvantage of sorts, as the other two guys plan their shots as they watch proceedings. 

The challenge turns out to be a test on several fronts: finding backdrops for images, directing a model, and being able to operate a medium format film camera under pressure. I could almost feel the adrenaline flowing through my own veins as I watched this entertaining video.

I’ve been shooting film for over 25 years, but I must admit I’ve never shot a single frame with a Mamiya camera. For me, the video was also a good introduction to the images produced by three medium format classics: the 645 Super, the RB67, and the C330.  

You may be wondering which photographer and camera shot the best images under pressure. You’ll have to watch the video above and find out for yourself. 

Matt Murray is a travel and portrait photographer from Brisbane, Australia.

Matt loves shooting with compact cameras: both film and digital. His YouTube features reviews of film cameras, film stocks, and travel photography with the Ricoh GR III, Fujifilm X100V, and Olympus OM-1.

See more of Matt's photography and writing on his Substack.

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2 Comments

No Mamiya 7? That's a shame....

Would've been great to see a Mamiya 7 on the shoot too, but who can afford one now? :)