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New PhaseOne 645AFD Announcement

fotografz

Well-known member
The genius from Vancouver goes by the name Conurus and you can find postings from him on the Fred Miranda forum at the alternative image thread on the alternative image forum. I'll try to get more precise information to contact him but those who have bought the converted Contax 24-85N seem to be very happy

Woody
I'm one of them ... :cool:
 

fotografz

Well-known member
RE: some posts on page 1:

Hoods for the 110mm can be acquired used for $50. It also fits the 150, 180 and 250 IIRC. Given the the fact they are ABS plastic, that's even a stretch price-wise. They also don't have that secure 'under-tension' bayonet attachment that Zeiss ZF units do. Ther is some spring steel in the bayonet mount, buy it has very little tension.

The 110/2 F is a sweet lens (even just on my 1Ds2), but the hood was without question a design afterthought.
Rob, I agree ... sweet. I use a FE copy on the Canon and DMR, as well as the 203FE. I wonder if they altered the shade mount on later versions ... my shade snaps into position and is pretty secure.

But to tell the truth, a Hassey pro-shade or more convenient LEE bellows shade really works nicely on those lenses.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Thank you for posting this Lance.

This is the only real contender to a Sinar back for my 203FE in my quest to round out my MF kit.

I'm not interested in a Hy6, which appears to be quite an excellent system, because it's Leaf Shutter based and redundant to the H3D-II I already have.

I want a Focal Plane system that's backed both by strong dealer support and swift service response ... which from experience, Mamiya has had in past. The question I have is that if one secures a PhaseOne camera, how will the service be handled?

I'll be most interested in how much the AF speed/sensitivity was improved, and especially how the AF Array is arranged ... meaning how far apart they are from center in the viewfinder, and are they all cross type sensors? If reasonably spread out, this is a real innovation in MF AF performance IMO.

As far as lenses are concerned, I already know the ins-and-outs of mounting Zeiss V optics on a Mamiya body ... having just sold an AFD-II. With a more sensitive AF array, focus confirmation should also improve ... or at least one would hope. On the subject of F and FE glass, I tend to agree with Jack, I rarely needed to stop down meter since the point of using the FE glass was the maximum apertures or close to it anyway. If on a tripod and stopping down, it's a moot point.

I would also be VERY interested to see results from the new 80/2.8 ... and while we are on the subject, results from Mamiya's new digital offerings like the new 28mm and the new Zoom. I held the new 28 and Zoom and must say the build quality was every bit as good as any MF lens I've ever seen from anywhere ... kudos to Mamiya.

I admit to not being all that crazy about my Mamiya AFD-II ... but in reality, it's just a box (with improvements that opinion could alter) ... it's what hangs off the front and the back that really counts. Phase P+ is a proven part of that equasion ... how the AFD lenses perform will have a great bearing on future considerations.

Best of luck, and keep us up to date on any new information - Marc Williams
 

robmac

Well-known member
Theirry - no experience at all with the 250/5.6. A great guy to inquire to about the lens would likely be Pham Min Son. A recent thread over at FM discussing MF glass on DSLRs did get some great input from Son on which lenses he considered the best in terms of IQ, resistance to CA, etc and bokeh. In the telephoto category they were:

1. Hasselblad Superachromat 2.8/300 Power Pack
2. Hasselblad Superachromat 5.6/350
3. Contax 645 Sonnar T* 4.0/210 with tele-converter
4. Mamiya Apo 2.8/300
5. Hasselblad FE 4.0/350
6. Hasselblad Sonar T* 4.0/180

Some expanded comments from him in a later post:

1. Hasselblad Superachromat 2.8/300 Power Pack (close up and infinity lens)
2. Hasselblad Superachromat 5.6/350 (Infinity lens)
3. Rollei Apo Tele-Xenar HFT 4.0/300 (infinity focus lens)
3. Contax 645 Sonnar T* 4.0/210 with tele-converter (extreme close up lens)
4. Mamiya Apo 2.8/300 (Infinity lens)
5. Hasselblad FE 4.0/350 (Close up lens)
6. Hasselblad Sonar T* 4.0/180 (Infinity lens)

Cheers

R
 
T

thsinar

Guest
Thanks Rob, appreciated!

I will certainly read this thread.

Best regards,
Thierry

Theirry - no experience at all with the 250/5.6. A great guy to inquire to about the lens would likely be Pham Min Son. A recent thread over at FM discussing MF glass on DSLRs did get some great input from Son on which lenses he considered the best in terms of IQ, resistance to CA, etc and bokeh. In the telephoto category they were:

1. Hasselblad Superachromat 2.8/300 Power Pack
2. Hasselblad Superachromat 5.6/350
3. Contax 645 Sonnar T* 4.0/210 with tele-converter
4. Mamiya Apo 2.8/300
5. Hasselblad FE 4.0/350
6. Hasselblad Sonar T* 4.0/180

Some expanded comments from him in a later post:

1. Hasselblad Superachromat 2.8/300 Power Pack (close up and infinity lens)
2. Hasselblad Superachromat 5.6/350 (Infinity lens)
3. Rollei Apo Tele-Xenar HFT 4.0/300 (infinity focus lens)
3. Contax 645 Sonnar T* 4.0/210 with tele-converter (extreme close up lens)
4. Mamiya Apo 2.8/300 (Infinity lens)
5. Hasselblad FE 4.0/350 (Close up lens)
6. Hasselblad Sonar T* 4.0/180 (Infinity lens)

Cheers

R
 

lance_schad

Workshop Member
Thank you for posting this Lance.


I want a Focal Plane system that's backed both by strong dealer support and swift service response ... which from experience, Mamiya has had in past. The question I have is that if one secures a PhaseOne camera, how will the service be handled?
Service will be handled through your PhaseOne dealer the way you normally execute your digital back warranty. We then will send them here in the states to MAC Group for repair.
So it should be seamless to the end-users and they will have one point of contact for the service of their PhaseOne system.
Let me know if there are any other questions I can answer for you.
L
Lance Schad
Capture Integration - Miami/Atlanta
305-394-3196 cell | 305-534-5702 office
Capture Integration
[email protected]
 

lance_schad

Workshop Member
Yes your ZD back with work on it. The following is from the Phase One press release:
"The camera platform answers the calls of professional photographers
for a modular system that offers unprecedented feature combinations,
and most significantly the freedom to choose individual components
from an open platform to best serve their working needs.
Designed to accept all quality dig ital camera backs, the camera
platform is also open for traditional film operation"
http://www.phaseone.com/upload/19_march_mamiya_phase_one_camera_news.pdf

L
Lance Schad
Capture Integration - Miami/Atlanta
305-394-3196 cell | 305-534-5702 office
Capture Integration
[email protected]
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Little more detail I picked up on the Mamiya site. i would imagine it is identical

Mamiya Announces New 645AFDIII

Elmsford NY, March 19, 2008 — Mamiya has announced an exciting new addition to their professional line of medium format film/digital cameras - the Mamiya 645AFDIII.

“The Mamiya 6454AFDIII builds upon the Mamiya 645AFDII's success,” states Jeff Karp, Mamiya Marketing Product Manager. “The enhancements in the 645AFDIII camera take us to an even higher level of compatibility and performance with digital backs and lenses.”

The 645AFDIII's updated intercommunication protocol MSCE (Mamiya Serial Communication for External), provides increased information transfer between the digital back and the camera body, making data transfer fast and reliable.

The Mamiya 645AFDIII employs a new, powerful and silent coreless motor that makes auto focusing faster and quieter than ever before. To further improve focusing control, the focusing point is user-selectable and can be positioned in the center, right or left side of the screen or set on “auto” to let the camera select the focus point.

The new Sekor AF 80mm f/2.8D lens introduced with the 645AFDIII is equipped with an auto/manual focus switch ring that allows fast one-touch selection of auto or manual focus mode. Consistent with all new lenses being developed for the D range, the new 80mm lens contains a 16bit CPU. The 16bit CPU is advantageous for easier firmware upgrading, finer lens characteristic correction and faster, more reliable communication between the lens and the camera body.

The Sekor AF 80mm f/2.8D has a lens barrel cover made of turned aluminum treated with black alumite, replacing the former lens' black polycarbonate plastic cover. This gives the lens a better appearance and texture and adds to its professional feel.

For film use, the new AFDIII with HM402 Film Back employs a powerful coreless motor and achieves a winding speed of 2 frames per second when used in conjunction with the 645AFDIII (instead of 1.2fps with Film back HM401 on the AFDII). In addition to exposure mode, aperture value, shutter speed, exposure compensation value, bracketing position, metering mode, etc., the focal length of the lens in use can now be imprinted on the film edge.

In response to requests from customers for compatibility with rechargeable batteries, the 645AFDIII can also accept nickel-metal hydride AA batteries in addition to the alkaline or lithium AA batteries. The 645AFDIII also allows photographers to select 2nd curtain flash synchronization for creating unique flash photography.

Thanks to Mamiya's continuing open platform policy, the 645AFDIII is also compatible with digital backs from other makers such as Leaf and Phase One.

The Mamiya 645AFDIII will be available June 2008.

Mamiya Sekor AF 80mm f/2.8 D Lens w/Hood

COMPATIBILITY: 645AFDII/645AFD III cameras and ZD camera, but not with the previous 645AF and 645AFD models.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Dimensions (L x D): 2 x 3.2 inches (51 x 81mm)
Weight: 11.3 oz. (320g)
 

LJL

New member
Can I use my ZD back on this or is it set up for Phase only. Confused
Guy,
Lance's response about the Phase 645AFD body accepting the ZD back from the Mamiya 645AFDII, based on the Phase press release, says YES. However, after digging around a bit on the various sites, it still remains unclear if there is a special mount needed for the ZD back in order to mount it to the Phase body, and if that is a factory procedure or a piece that the user can install. I say this as if you read the the descriptions for the Phase backs, they talk about an adapter mount to work on the 645AFDII body. To me, that suggests you may need one going the other way also, unless the new AFDIII body (both Phase and Mamiya versions) now share the same mount. Nowhere does it say that they do.....or do not.

My gut tells me that the mounts may be different, just to preserve a bit of each lines system parts. Phase wants you to buy a Phase back for their body, and Mamiya probably does not care as much, but already have their own mount for which Phase and Leaf backs need a special adapter.

Does that make sense? Does anybody know for sure that the new Phase One 645AFD camera requires a mount adapter for the ZD back, and if so, what is that part, as it does not seem readily listed anywhere I have found.

LJ
 

Hank Graber

New member
According to Phase One and Mamiya's marketing pitch they are making open systems a big selling feature so I don't imagine they will put any barriers at all to getting as close to plug and play as possible with as many backs as possible.

After all if you buy a Hassy camera you are lost as a Phase customer forever but if you get a Phase or Mamiya camera for your Leaf or Sinar back you are still a potential future client at upgrade time.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Thanks Hank and yes LJ that was exactly what i was thinking also. Have to see when they become available in June. I am hoping Lance can get his hands on one for San Juan. Have to see how this plays out with regards to the mount. I have a feeling it is plan a simple a Mamiya mount on both and if you buy a leaf back or Phase back it will have to be a Mamiya mount. Maybe lance can get us some answers here becuase it still is a little confusing becuase it seems Phase and Mamiya are selling the camera under each names, so what is the real difference if any.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
According to Phase One and Mamiya's marketing pitch they are making open systems a big selling feature so I don't imagine they will put any barriers at all to getting as close to plug and play as possible with as many backs as possible.

After all if you buy a Hassy camera you are lost as a Phase customer forever but if you get a Phase or Mamiya camera for your Leaf or Sinar back you are still a potential future client at upgrade time.
Not sure what that means ... other than marketing babble. "Plug and play" indicates a dedicated mount ... just like Leaf and Phase have now.

If it's a Contax mount Phase One back, it won't work on a Mamiya mount camera nor the other way around. So what does "open system" mean?

If the Phase One camera is a Mamiya mount, your Phase One Contax back is not going to work.

I get what it means if it's a Sinar back or a Hasselblad CF back, which both use changeable adapters for most cameras rather than dedicated mounts. I also get it when referencing a Hy6 camera ... since Leaf and Sinar Hy6 backs can be used interchangeably... although not any Hasselblad or Phase One back, nor any previous Leaf back ... as some of us found out the hard way.

I also get that the HD3 and H3D-II versions are closed to working only with a Hasselblad integrated back .. or on a sync mode camera like a view camera or ALPA.

But doesn't Phase One Backs with an integrated H mount work on a H1,H2 and now quite possibly the just released H2F?

Isn't it true that Sinar Backs fit anything including an H camera using an H adapter?

I know for sure that Hasselblad CF backs work on any H1,H2, and H2F ... (and most anything else) with the correct iAdapter.

Leaf Aptus comes in an H mount if you wish ... again for a H1, H2, and now the H2F.

So okay, I admit it, I'm confused.
 
T

thsinar

Guest
If it is a real question, then the answer is YES, true, the H1/H2 and probably the H2F (who knows?).

Best regards,
Thierry

Isn't it true that Sinar Backs fit anything including an H camera using an H adapter?
 

LJL

New member
Marc,
These were my same thoughts....."plug and play" to me means no adaptations (self-installed adapter like Sinar (love that concept), or factory change like Phase has now). If the backs are simply "compatible" meaning you can use the back on different bodies, BUT you need them to be re-mounted or have an adapter, why cannot they say this much more clearly? (This is the marketing gibberish that does piss folks off when they finally buy something only to discover that making things "plug and play" is a fantasy, not reality.)

LJ
 
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