Leaf Aptus and an RZ67 Pro II

[segraves]

Does anyone have any experience with using a Leaf Aptus II back, either the 10 or 12, on an RZ67 Pro II body? I tested a P45+ back on my old RZ (with adapter) kit side by side against my Canon 1DS Mk3 and found that although the P45 generated a larger file my Canon files were sharper and in my opinion of higher quality than the MF files. But I need larger files for my commercial ad and product clients. My Canon EOS bodies are fantastic and my 1DX is amazing for shooting lifestyle and on-figure, but the file size leaves me wanting.

Any thoughts? Any info or opinions is much appreciated. My option is to buy into another MF body with lenses, which I'd like to avoid. If I can utilize the RZ kit for anything other than a doorstop that would be great.

Thanks.

Gary Segraves

 

[Anders_HK]

Gary,

I do not use RZ but Hy6. By chance is focusing on your RZ accurate? Perhaps you need to adjust the focus screen? Lensalign makes what seems the best product for focus check; lensalign.com. I have their Lensalign MkII and it works excellent to tell focus accuracy.

Best regards,
Anders

 

[dougpeterson]

Gary, why don't you give me a call on Monday and we can arrange to exchange files. I can send you some sharp RZ files with an appropriate digital back. You can send me your unsharp ones.

Needless to say the digital back with the sharper RZ lenses should be very sharp. But using any camera combo for the first time there are several things you might have missed. Diffraction, focus allignment, corrupt processing defaults, bad lens, camera shake, flash duration, etc. we can go through each possible cause and figure out the issue.

 

[aeaemd]

What lens did you use? The sharpness on RZ is lens-specific provided that your focus screen is in order.

Amr

 

[kipling]

I used to have an Aptus II back and used it on an RZ pro II in the Studio (I also had a 5DmkII at the same time).

Most of the newer lenses are top notch. The 75mm, 90mm, 110mm, 140mm, and 180mm were the lenses I used most, and I really liked what they did with Aptus files. I'd definitely consider them "sharp enough".

The RZ lenses have a very different look than Canon lenses. I find comparing sharpness in lenses kind of like comparing horsepower in cars, it's just one aspect of many and imo only has a specific function, depending on what you're shooting. Color rendition, micro contrast, bokeh, distortion, smoothness, etc. are also things to consider, depending on what you're shooting and how you want it to look.

But back to the RZ's: I fitted mine with Brightscreens and had no problems focusing. It's not a fast camera, but it's a rock solid camera and the lenses hold their own, imo.

Actually, quite a few studio photographers use RZ's. David Sims for example, one of the best fashion photographers on the planet and he shoots mostly with a RZ.

But, if I were shooting landscapes, it's certainly not the camera I'd choose.

Just my 2 cents.