Ryan, pleasure to see you on the forum! As promised I'm here to clear up the details for you. I'm posting this on forum so others can see the answer - so forgive me for first covering some of the basics that I know you are aware of (that others may not be). Please don't hesitate to call or email me directly for any clarification/followup. You have my cell!
Technical Background
A P45/P45+ requires two signals. When it sees the first signal it wakes up. It then exposes for the duration of the second signal. So a 120 second exposure requires a wakeup signal, followed by an exposure-signal that lasts 120 seconds.
Diagram of this "2-shot architecture"
___Signal: [Beep]-----------------------------------[Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep]
Response: [Back Wakes Up]-----------------------[Exposure Begins]------------------------[Exposure Ends]
With Digital Bodies the two signals are provided entirely automatically. The user doesn't need to know or care what's going on - it "just works".
With Dumb Bodies the second-signal is provided by the sync port of the lens while the wakeup signal is provided by the user using a dedicated wakeup-button-cable or using a Kapture Group 1-shot cable which provides the wakeup signal using the same cable that triggers the lens.
With Semi-Digital bodies there are adapters made by Kapture Group or Phase One which provide a wakeup signal as well as the exposure signal.
Digital Bodies:
Phase One AF, DF | Mamiya AFD1/2/3, AF, DF | Hassy H1,H2, H4X | Contax 645AF | Mamiya RZ Pro IID | Hartblei
Semi-Digital Bodies:
Mamiya RZ Pro II, Fuji 680
Dumb Bodies:
All Tech Cameras (other than Hartblei), All View Cameras, All Home-Made Cameras (e.g. pinholes, holgas etc)
Note that the [P40+, P65+, IQ backs, and all Leaf backs] do not require a wakeup signal. But none of those backs can exceed 2 minutes in exposure at room temperature. The rest of this response is specific to an M mount P45+.
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The RZ Pro II vs. RZ Pro IID
RZ Pro IID
The [RZ Pro IID + Phase One Adapter for M Mount Back] qualifies as a "Digital" body. The adapter plate provides both the wakeup signal and the exposure signal. The just pushes the shutter release and it "just works".
The caveat is that the Pro IID body will not provide a digital signal beyond 60 seconds. So even if you place the body in bulb and hold the shutter release for 2 minutes the second digital signal will end at 60 seconds and the system will stop exposing. In other words the digital interface "just works" for exposures 60 seconds or less - but doesn't work at all for exposures longer than that.
The other caveat is that the Pro IID body normally only allows the shutter to be fired if a back is mounted and ready to expose. So solutions like our "Multishot/Long-Exposure Box" wouldn't normally work since they require the back to be "decoupled" from the body (and triggered independently) - turning it into a "dumb" body.
But! The RZ Pro IID does have a "troubleshooting mode" on the shutter dial - this is the orange (rather than white or red position). When operating in the orange mode the electronic interface of the body is disengaged. This means that the back will receive no signals through the interface plate (neither the wakeup signal, nor the exposure-signal) - it becomes a "dumb body". In this mode the can fire without the back attached, but electronic shutter control does not work - the body will only fire at 1/400th of a second. HOWEVER, in this "troubleshooting mode" the T dial on the lens (which is purely mechanical) still works, and the flash sync port on the lens still works (since that is just a circuit which closes/opens based on the mechanical movement of the lens shutter).
SO to expose for more than 60 seconds with an M mount back on a RZ Pro IID:
- place the body in orange-dot "troubleshooting mode"
- attach a wakeup cable to the back
- run a sync cable from the back's multiport to the lens sync port
- attach a LONG-throw cable release to the lens' cable-release-port
- to capture an image: trigger the body, push the wakeup button, trigger the lens
If that sounds complicated - it kind of is the first time. You have to attach two cables to the system, and to take a picture you have to push three separate buttons. Technically you could skip one of these steps, but I consider Mirror-Up to be non-optional for long exposures with the RZ (which has a big mirror). But once you've got the steps down it's pretty easy. And it works for any length of exposure.
RZ Pro II (non D)
There are adapters made by Leaf and Phase One for the M, H, and V mounts. However, only the Phase One V-mount Adapter provides a wakeup signal. So when using an M mount Phase One back which requires wakeup on an RZ Pro II (non D) you must wake the back up using a wakeup cable/button before every exposure. This makes such a setup impractical for portraits/fashion or just about anything that requires any level of spontaneity or hand-holding.
Executive Summary:
If you own a P45+ M mount and want to use an RZ to do both normal (handheld/spontaneous) photography as well as exposures longer than 60 seconds your best bet - by far - is an RZ Pro IID with the P1 M mount adapter plate. Normal photography "just works" (no cables, no hassle, just push the button). Exposures longer than 60 seconds require a wakeup cable, a sync cable, a cable release, and a flip of a switch - a minor hassle that will take <1 min to set up.
Doug Peterson
(e-mail Me)
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