Mamiya RZ with Digital Back

[lobalobo]

Anyone willing to post photos, or know of links to photos, landscape photos in particular, taken with a Mamiya RZ

camera and a digital back? I ask, despite the limitations of viewing images on a computer screen, because I'm

growing tired of shooting 4x5 film--too much time in setup, too little shooting, too slow shutter speeds for

sharpness edge to edge--and I'm considering buying an RZ Pro IID then shooting film until I decide I can afford a

digital back (presumably a refurbished current model when new models come out). I understand the drawbacks in

cropping and, more importantly to me, in the lack of sharpness when 6x7 film lenses are used for digital. But I'm

an amateur, and I don't want to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If the results from digital on the RZ

are as good as I hope, I won't be bothered by the possibility of still sharper results if I could spend $30,000

on a Hasselblad; but if I'll end up with no better images than I can get with a 35mm DSLR at the same price, then

I'll look for another alternative. (And yes I know that the Mamiya 645 is a potentially better, affordable,

digital solution, but I'm attracted to the view-camera-like setup of the RZ.) Thanks in advance.

[ellis_vener_photography]

If you ultimately want a medium format digital back, then an RZ 6x7cm format body is not for you. get a 6x6 or 6x4.5 body instead. The HAsselblad 500 c/m is still the best most versatile platform for these backs as long as you don't want autofocus and auto exposure features. I nterms of actually shooting therte is no functional difference between the RZ and the Hasselblad 500 bodies (yes of course a 6x7 foramt negative is larger than a 6x6 format negative -- but I am writing about how the bodicamera bodies function: focus, interchangable backs, in lens shutter design, and single lens reflex viewing path.

 

if you really think you want an RZ then just get an adapter plate to use a medium format digital back on your 4x5 body. You may however find that you will need t ouse lenses designed for digital capture which have greater resolution than lenses designed for large format film (or digital) formats.

[Ed_Ingold]

The digital Mamiya back was reviewed last year on http://www.luminous-landscape.com. They felt that the sensor was limited by the lens quality, but otherwise reasonably serviceable.

 

If you crop the image to an 8x10, you get nearly the full 22MP from a 37x49mm digital back, whereas a 16MP, 37x37mm back for a 6x6 camera is reduced to about 13MP. It's not practical to use a 3:4 back on an Hasselblad "V" camera, which can't be easily rotated. However the rectangular sensor is ideal for a 645 or 6x7 camera. You could look for a used Hasselblad H2D, which handles exactly like the Mamiya 645 but can use both "H" and "V" Hasselblad lenses.

[lobalobo]

Thanks to both Ellis and Edward. Leaves me unsure what to do, as neither the RZ nor Hasselblad V seems ideal for the reasons given. The H2 is a good choice, one I've considered before, but the price of Hasselblad lenses (and tilt/shift adapter) are I'm afraid forever out of my reach. (Also, I worry about spending more than $3,000, even used, for a discontinued camera. Should I be?) This is why I hoped to look at some RZ digital images, because although I of course respect Ellis' expert opinion, and although I don't doubt what he says about problems with the RZ for digital, for the reasons that Edward gives, I'm still attracted to the RZ over the Hasselblad V (even if the lens expense were not an issue for any Hasselblad lenses).

[david_littleboy__tokyo__ja]

Between the price of the backs, even used, and the widest lens being roughly equivalent to a 35mm lens on 35mm, landscape photography with a digital back on an RZ is rather problematic.

 

The most cost-effective alternative to 4x5 in digital is digital mosaics. While there are limitations relative to taking the final image in a single exposure, there are some advantages as well, for example adjusting the focus on a per-row (or even per image) basis to achieve extreme DOF.

 

http://clarkvision.com/photoinfo/large_mosaics/index.html