nghi_hoang Posted August 11, 2003 Share Posted August 11, 2003 I have a Mamiya RZ67 ProII, 110mm and 180 lenses, WLF, and 120 back. Lately, I have been shooting more and more architectural photography and want more perspective control. What are my options? Thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric friedemann Posted August 11, 2003 Share Posted August 11, 2003 Your options aren't great for architecture with the RZ67: 1. You could get the 75mm shift lens. The problem is that the 75mm lens is the equivalent of 36mm in 35mm format- not wide enough for the bulk of architectural shooting. 2. You could get the 50mm lens or the new 43mm ASPH lens (not out yet, I don't think), shoot with the lens parallel to the ground and crop away the lower half of the negative. This would still leave you with an umage area of about 6x3.5 cm., about three times more film than a 35mm image. 3. You could get the 50mm lens or the new 43mm ASPH lens, shoot at an upward angle and correct for perspective in Photoshop or some specialty program. If these options don't sound paletable, view cameras are available at fire sale prices these days. Find a used 4x5 that allows movements and has a wide angle bellows, a short lens and a 6x7, 9 or 12 cm 120 back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dick roadnight cotswolds Posted August 11, 2003 Share Posted August 11, 2003 Search for shift Perspective Control architecture MF tilt PC Top of the list is a thread about the 75mm shift lens mentioned above. Some of the better old folders had shift, but I do not know if any of them were very wide angle. MF is only good for Architecture if you have a range of roll film backs, a view camera, and a range of lenses - versatile... not cheap or portable, but cost effective compared to quality SLR MF kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochen_S Posted August 11, 2003 Share Posted August 11, 2003 Be happy to have a 120 back, which you can use with a view camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oskar_ojala Posted August 12, 2003 Share Posted August 12, 2003 Buy a 4x5" monorail view camera. I recently bought one and shooting 6x7 cm and 4x5" the quality is simply amazing - no MF SLR can come even close. You can do rise/fall with all lenses, not just the one shift lens available for the Mamiya (the 75 mm focal length should be useful, but there are many situations where longer and shorter lenses come in real handy - one size doesn't fit all). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joey Posted August 12, 2003 Share Posted August 12, 2003 Vunghi,<br> I shoot quite a bit of architecture on 35mm and 6x7. First of all, you're going to need to go a lot wider than 110mm--the Mamiya 50mm is ideal. Your next purchase should be a small stepladder. I always bring this along on architectural shoots, and unless the building is quite large (I usually do gardens or private homes), getting up on the ladder and extending the tripod to its full height usually gets rid of the converging verticals problem. If there are any other persepective issues, I just shoot a little wider and correct the angle digitally.<Br><br> If you can afford the 4x5, go for it--it will make your life much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nghi_hoang Posted August 12, 2003 Author Share Posted August 12, 2003 Thank you everyone for your responses. They have been very informative and helpful. Large Format is out of the question for me because I want to actually build up and complete a system (6x7) first before I add another format. Another reason is that I could not afford to invest in LF equipment at this point. I want to stick with my RZ67 and use it to its full potential. It's true that the 110 is not nearly wide enough for architectural photography. I get pretty frustrated with it quite often, aside from the perspective problem. I am going to start saving up for the 50 ULD. When I have that, I will resort to the cropping and photoshop correction options. For now, it seems the best suggestion has been to get a small ladder and elevate the camera as high as possible (I would look so weird in public places, but who cares!). I considered the 75mm Shift because I could get it used for half of the retail price on ebay. That I could afford. Buying the lens new is out of the question for me. Now, I will just wait a little longer to buy the 50 ULD. Someday, I will bite the bullet and get an 8x10 monorail. Cheers, Nghi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oskar_ojala Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 If you can't get a new system and want to stick to the Mamiya, then 75 mm and/or 50 mm will greatly expand your possibilities. Granted, they're no substitute for a view camera, but much better than nothing. I would advise for the shift lens, since most of the time I find shift to be more useful than an extreme wide angle, but if you do a lot of interiors, you might disagree. Also, 75 mm would fit nicely in your focal length selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now