Mamiya RZ67 75mm Shift Lens For Portraits?

[terence_patrick]

I've read in this forum several times that the 75mm shift lens is not

wide enough for architecture or interiors, but I'm more interested in

its use as a portrait lens; namely to capture full body images. Will

the shift provide selective/shallow DOF similar to a large format

camera?<br /><br />Will it allow me to correct some perspective so if

I have the camera on a tripod around waist-high, the image will not

look like I'm shooting up a person's nose (if they're standing up)?

<br /><br />If you have some images using the 75mm shift photographing

people, I'd love to see them! BTW, I'm considering this lens as well

as the 65mm f/4 lens. Thanks in advance.

[nick_england]

I just came across your post Terence, and was interested to read that the 75mm shift isn't wide enough for interiors. Bugger. I was going to start bidding for one on e-bay.

 

Isn't it the widest shift Mamiya do? If not, what on earth have RB users done before to get perspective control at wide angles?

 

Not exactly the reply you were after I know, but if you have any info, I'd be grateful.

 

Cheers,

 

 

Nick

[andrewlamb]

A friend of mine has the 75mm shift and it's the only lens he uses for interiors.

He raves about this lens.

 

As for portraits, my guess is that it would be too wide. I would imagine that the

perspective would not be particularly flattering and I can't see how using shift

would improve matters. YMMV, of course.

[james_meckley1]

Lens shift does not allow you to change the angle of the plane of focus - you need lens swing

and lens tilt for that. If the camera is at waist level, the view will be from waist level; lens shift

will not affect that, either. For what it's worth to you, I consider the 75 (and the 65) too short

for classic full length body shots. I would consider the 110 a minimum for that application,

with the 127 or even the 150 preferred.

[jmf]

Perspective correction isn't magic. Think what happens whan you look up at a building. The vertical parallel lines will seem wide near you and will appear to narrow away from you. PC will bring those lines back to parallel. Thats why they're so important to arch. photography and also to product work. Think looking down on bottles where you you wan the top and bottom to be the same size.

 

In general, short lenses and people don't go together. I have a RB67 and use 180mm for head an shoulder. Even thats too wide if I want to get closer. I just crop latter to fill the image if need be. I would consider the 127mm the shortest people lens.

 

I should also add the a shift lens doesn't really address focusing issues like a view camera with tilts and swings can.

[heller_harris]

Some words in this string are linked to advertisements. Is this new PN policy?

[danny_liao]

You could shoot portraits with any lens. It all depends on your style. Look at Platon (http://www.platonphoto.com/) and his wide angle portraits with what I believe are shot with Hassy's 40mm. Or Julie Dennis Brothers (http://www.juliedennisbrothers.com/) work with Mamiya 75mm. She is also showcased in Mamiya's Masters section. If you go there, you could check out some of her work shot with the 75mm.

[terence_patrick]

It was Julie Dennis Brother's work that interested me in using the 75mm shift lens in the first place. I know she uses, it but I'm not sure in what capacity she uses it in comparison to other lenses. I was initially interested in using a low-end Toyo 4x5 for a portrait project, but figured my RZ67 would just save me money in the long run. The 110mm is fine for headshots, but it's not wide enough for what I want to do. Having never used the 65mm, I wasn't sure if I'd run into distortion issues, so that led me to investigate the 75mm shift lens. Again, if anyone has links to others who've used this lens for portraits, I'd love to see them!

[drew_barr]

I've just moved to the RZ. In the past with the M645, i've used that shift for mostly exteriors where you are looking at a building. On interiors, use a wider lens to bring more of the scene into view and of course keep the camera perfectly level. On the 645, I use the 35mm lens for interiors. I think the 65mm would be great for the RZ.