dougpeterson
Workshop Member
Absolutely not; the high ISO on the H25 is terrible (not any worse than the ZD, but still not useful to use at more than 100/200).Doug,
So in short, comparing the ZDb vs. the H25, what are the differences?
Less crop factor on the H25? Same resolution but bigger sensor?
H25 has better ISO performance? A better sensor than the Dalsa 11mp on the H10? I find the H10 to have similar performance to what the ZDb is described as....not really worth using over ISO100.
So, you pay an extra $700 for the H25 and gain higher ISO performance, but have to use it in the studio where ironically high ISO won't do you much good?
And was the H25 ever made in Mamiya 645AFD mount?
The sensor is the same size as the ZD.
It was only ever made in a Hassy/RZ mount.
The electronics and overall image quality are a full step ahead of the H10 - that was a big generational leap.
You lose
- an LCD and portable shooting
- the Mamiya 645 AFD Mount (no autofocus - bummer)
- on camera menus (not important in the studio)
- on camera histogram (nice in the studio - though not as nice a tethered histogram)
You get
- the hassy V mount (also Mamiya RZ pro II non D)
- direct Capture One tethered workflow
- an extremely hearty and field-tested camera which does not have many pages of threads complaining of strange artifacts, sensor errors, or other product problems
- absolutely rock solid build quality with zero moving parts, all metal chassis, and a very large installed base proving extreme longevity
- a 6 month warranty
- true 16 bit A/D converter. When increasing the contrast of your images (as I do in my nude images) the smoothness of the final product relies heavily on smooth gradations in the original file. The H25 will have this in spades.
Do NOT underestimate the importance of the tethered workflow when shooting in the studio. The software (features/speed/stability) are all absolutely positively first rate with an H25. Capture One suppots the ZD files, but not a direct tethered workflow - and direct tethering is always preferable to hot-folders (faster, more stable, more full featured).
In short, if you would use the back both in the field and the studio the ZD would be a much better choice. Since you're exclusively talking about (as I read it) shooting in the studio I would go with the H25. However, I'm very (and openly) biased towards Phase products.
The best possible thing you could do is get each product in your hand to see what it really means to setup, shoot, adjust, process, and deliver files from each system.