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Mamiya RZ

johnnygoesdigital

New member
I'm researching the Mamiya RZ, and was curious about must have lenses for portraits and landscapes. I find the rack and pinion focusing, to be more my style and like the rotating modes. Which models can utilize both digital and analog? Thanks.
 

Sheldon N

Member
I'm researching the Mamiya RZ, and was curious about must have lenses for portraits and landscapes. I find the rack and pinion focusing, to be more my style and like the rotating modes. Which models can utilize both digital and analog? Thanks.
RZ67 Pro, Pro II, or Pro IID can all be used with both digital or film, with the right adapter.

The "best of the best" lenses are generally considered to be the 50mm ULD, 65mm L-A, 110mm, and 140mm L-A Macro. I personally find the 180mm W-N to be a very nice lens, quite sharp, and my copy of the 150mm f/3.5 is wickedly sharp even wide open. Really, pretty much all the RZ glass is great.

There's no real ultrawide for digital given the smaller sensor size. There is a 37mm fisheye but I've no experience with it. It's also a lot more expensive than the other lenses (more like $1k).
 

FredBGG

Not Available
The 110mm, 180mm and the 250mm were my favorite portrait lenses, but you'll need an extension tube for the 250.

Best to get an RZ Pro IID. It is the simples to use with digital. All the ones mentioned above can be used with film.

The one thing that can be a problem with the RZ is that if the electronics of the shutter fails the camera keeps shooting but goes into a backup non electronic mode at 1/400th of a second. The problem is that you may not notice until you get your film back.

When I first saw the Fuji GX680 I really liked a safety feature it has. When shooting there is a sensor that measures the light bouncing off the film. If it is off by a significant amount it sounds an alarm. So basically if you shutter of aperture is off you will be warned. This is nice to have if you are shooting film in this digital age.

That said my Mamiya RZ cameras served me well. Simple robust cameras with great lenses. Never did like the prism finders for them though.

Here is a shot taken with the Mamiya RZ and the 250mm. Shot on Plus-x-pan.

 

Aryan Aqajani

New member
I had RZ67 PRO II, sold it to upgrade to Pro IID and could not be happier! I shoot exclusively film with it at the moment however, I'm going to purchase a digital back adaptor for it later on! My favorite lenses are 110mm f/2.8, 50mm f/4.5 ULD and 180mm f/4.5 SB to use with tilt and shift adaptor! If you would like to see more film samples with this camera, check out my website!

Happy shooting RZ :D

P.S. When I am out doing portrait/fashion stuff, I shoot handhold, no tripod! However, many complains about the weight!
 

FredBGG

Not Available
P.S. When I am out doing portrait/fashion stuff, I shoot handhold, no tripod! However, many complains about the weight!
I shot plenty with it hand held, but it really performs best when using the double cable release and shooting mirror up. It does have pretty elaborate mechanical movements, both for the mirror and the lens synchronizing and firing mechanisms.
 

Sheldon N

Member
I shot plenty with it hand held, but it really performs best when using the double cable release and shooting mirror up. It does have pretty elaborate mechanical movements, both for the mirror and the lens synchronizing and firing mechanisms.
Yes, I notice a definite resolution increase using tripod/mirror lockup too.
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
Aryan,
Thanks for the input...fantastic photographs! The Frozen in Time series, has this wonderful, ethereal quality, very contemplative, thanks for the link.

Fred, your photography is intensely inspiring. I often try to determine what modifiers, if any, you're using in some of your photos-it's delicate and precise, and the striking gaze of the models is enduring.
I'll be in LA soon for meetings, would love to "sit in" for a casting session:)

I would shoot mostly hand held, and don't mind the resultant "big guns" as a trade off, it gives the models something to look at! I seem to work better with larger cameras anyway, there more stable when handheld and the rack and pinion seems intuitive.
 

FredBGG

Not Available
Aryan,
Thanks for the input...fantastic photographs! The Frozen in Time series, has this wonderful, ethereal quality, very contemplative, thanks for the link.

Fred, your photography is intensely inspiring. I often try to determine what modifiers, if any, you're using in some of your photos-it's delicate and precise, and the striking gaze of the models is enduring.
I'll be in LA soon for meetings, would love to "sit in" for a casting session:)

I would shoot mostly hand held, and don't mind the resultant "big guns" as a trade off, it gives the models something to look at! I seem to work better with larger cameras anyway, there more stable when handheld and the rack and pinion seems intuitive.
Hi Johnny

I can't really have anyone "extra" on set as I am pretty much only shooting celebrities these days, however I'd be happy to meet with you and shot you some of my lighting techniques. Let me know when you are visiting.
 

Aryan Aqajani

New member
I shot plenty with it hand held, but it really performs best when using the double cable release and shooting mirror up. It does have pretty elaborate mechanical movements, both for the mirror and the lens synchronizing and firing mechanisms.
You are dead right! It performs much better when on tripod however, when I am out and shoot only natural light, I prefer to shoot it handheld! Indoor/outdoor with flash/landscape work, definitely on tripod :)

Aryan,
Thanks for the input...fantastic photographs! The Frozen in Time series, has this wonderful, ethereal quality, very contemplative, thanks for the link.

Fred, your photography is intensely inspiring. I often try to determine what modifiers, if any, you're using in some of your photos-it's delicate and precise, and the striking gaze of the models is enduring.
I'll be in LA soon for meetings, would love to "sit in" for a casting session:)

I would shoot mostly hand held, and don't mind the resultant "big guns" as a trade off, it gives the models something to look at! I seem to work better with larger cameras anyway, there more stable when handheld and the rack and pinion seems intuitive.
Thanks for having a look at my work and the compliments. Just wanted to inform you that the photos on the Frozen in Time series are taken with Mamiya 645 AFDIII and DM22 back!

Good luck with your decision :)
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
Hi Johnny

I can't really have anyone "extra" on set as I am pretty much only shooting celebrities these days, however I'd be happy to meet with you and shot you some of my lighting techniques. Let me know when you are visiting.
Hi Fred,

That comment was in jest, as a kind of tribute to your booking skills, but thank you for the invite. I work in the film industry in NY and LA, and am looking forward to a visit to my old neighborhood.
 
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