Live Focus with Mamiya

[shlomi]

I bought Mamiya AFD II + Aptus 22 and I couldn't be happier.
Thanks for all the advice from this forum.
I will upgrade to AFD III when I find a used one.

Still waiting for Leaf support to get back to me about connecting tech lens + Novoflex bellows + AFD + Aptus: they are not sure if it will work because the back-to-lens and back-to-body protocols may conflict.
But I am plenty happy with the Mamiya macro lens anyway.

My question is:
The Aptus 22 supports live view with a dongle.
Is it possible to use the live view focusing with the AFD body?

 

[yaya]

Hi Shlomi,

The simple answer is no. Live View will become available in Leaf Capture soon for the 645 platform (Mamiya/ Phase One) but only with the new(er) Aptus-II models.

Regarding the use of Novoflex bellows and mechanical lenses. This shouldn't be different to using Hasselblad V-series lenses. You won't be using the lens's shutter but rather the focal plane shutter in the body.
Open the lens, focus/ compose, close the lens, set your aperture and release the shutter from the camera body (shutter speed is set on the body).
Alternatively you can look for the Mamiya Auto-Bellows

HTH

Yair

 

[shlomi]

Hi Yair,


I understood from what Leaf support told me that live view is available on the old Aptus with a dongle.
As I understood it is available now using Leaf Capture and LF body.
I was asking about the limitation of the AFD body.

Do you mean live view with old Aptus is not available at all in any configuration?

BTW I would like to thanks Leon from Leaf support in Israel for the amazing help he has given me in moving this system to production. I based my buying decision on that and I wasn't wrong.


Shlomi

 

[yaya]

With a dongle and your Aptus 22 you can use Live View on any large format camera (mechanical or electronic shutter) as well as RZ, RB and Fuji 680 but NOT on the Mamiya/ Phase One 645 platform.

Hope this is clearer?

Yair

And yes Leon is a great guy!

 

[shlomi]

What you said now is clear, but what you said before is not clear to me.

This is what I understood from you:

- Aptus I will never do live view on AFD
- Aptus II will do live view on AFD with next software+firmware

What is not clear:
- Old Aptus can receive new firmware with service check, so there should be no difference in functionality - no?
- How does live focusing work on AFD - how do you keep the body shutter open?
- For the back, how is live view on LF different from live view on AFD, once the body shutter is open?

 

[yaya]

- Aptus I will never do live view on AFD
- Aptus II will do live view on AFD with next software+firmware

That's correct

What is not clear:
- Old Aptus can receive new firmware with service check, so there should be no difference in functionality - no?

Aptus and Aptus-II do not use the same firmware, therefore they do not have the same functionality

How does live focusing work on AFD - how do you keep the body shutter open?

(With Aptus-II backs) You will set the camera to B or T mode

For the back, how is live view on LF different from live view on AFD, once the body shutter is open?

The back needs to communicate with the camera body via certain hardware, which only exists in Aptus-II models.

cheers

yair

 

[shlomi]

OK, now it is 99% clear.

Just one question: what does the back need to tell the camera to do, or ask the camera a question, when doing live view, as long the shutter was already opened mechanically, and the image is hitting the sensor?