Hi all:
Real quick update. New body arrived just as I was heading out the door for a long weekend away with the family, so had to exercise restraint the entire afternoon... (Actualy I delayed my departure for about an hour just to give it that extra bit to show and was rewarded.) But it meant I could not actually mess with it for several more hours
Anyway, initial impressions. 1) The body looks "smaller" than the AFD2. 2) Ergos are a bit different too, not bad, just different. 3) AF is a bit noiser -- call it 15% noisier. 4) BUT the trade-off is AF is also faster, my estimate is about 1/3rd faster, so pretty significant. 5) Also, AF lag is reduced significantly. 6) Shutter lag is also reduced, a really welcome upgrade -- maybe cut as much as in half. 7) Custom functions are all different AND the camera does not come with an owners manual, just a quick reference guide that does not explain the settings in enough detail to know which options to select -- STUPID!!!!!! Fortunately , my best buddy got online and found the explanations for the CF settings -- thanks Guy! Here's the link he found, bookmark it if you're getting this body:
http://www.mamiya.com/645afd-iii-more-info-custom-functions.html 8) Basic is I cannot set the AFD3 exactly as I set my AFD2 up. This is sort of a bummer, but in the end I was able to set it up in a a fashion that gives me almost everything I had, so okay for right now but definitely want it addressed with the next firmware. (See gripes below) 9) The new evaluative metering definitely seems more accurate --better at protecting highlights and more consistent throughout varied exposure conditions, more on this as I get more time with it. 10) Oh yeah, the new 80 lens is really nice, but they switched to 67mm filters -- ?
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A MAJOR gripe and a nit...
1) There is NO way to turn off the main shutter button from activating AF unless you go to manual focus. You can lock AF, but that doesn't solve my problem. I often set my camera so the rear thumb button focuses and nothing else will except a touch on that button for focus tweak. This way I can focus once on a main subject, recompose and shoot away without focus changing. Need to change focus, a quick tap on the rear button and the camera AF's. So what you can do is reverse the positions of AE lock and AF lock buttons with CF 15 -- that's the first part and that's good. You can also set CF 19 so the AF lock button will AF when pressed and lock once focused, but you have to hold as you press the shutter button or it will re-focus -- not good for my needs. You can also set CF 19 so a single press on the AF lock will hold lock until you press it again, but it doesn't release after firing, you have to press it a second time -- an inconvenience and problematic if you forget you locked AF. Hence, I sometimes prefer having my AF-lock button be the only ACTIVE AF button since it's sometimes more convenient when only needing to make occasional focus tweaks -- but there's no way to do this with the new body. Take note Phase/Mamiya, this is a deal-breaker for me and HAS to be fixed in the next firmware update! Add TWO CF 16 options, a CF 16-2 for half-press doing AE only and a 16-3 for half-press doing neither AF or AE!
2) This is an obvious glitch that needs to be fixed in the next firmware -- the manual focus direction arrows are reversed! IOW they point left when you need to turn the focus ring to the right and vice-versa -- DUH!
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More later tomorrow after my morning shoot!
PS: It is hot up here and a LOT of smoke in the air -- can't smell it but see across my lake either Guy! What makes this interesting is the closest fire is over 150 miles away -- it must be huge!
PPS: Peter, I really am still getting used to 39 MP, and actually bit off a lot more than I should be chewing to get that far... So at least speaking for myself, I feel pretty fortunate to have what I got and feel NO current desire to upgrade
Cheers,
