r_scott_steube

I shoot with both the M7II w/80mm and a Rolleicord Va w/S-K Xenar f/3.5, so perhaps I can partially answer you question...

 

Judging by my Nikon CS9000ED scans from both camera systems, the Mamiya system wins hands down for shooting color-chromes. This is especially true in challenging lighting conditions. This opinion considers not only absolute resolution but CA and Contrast. These three factors together yield the overall impression of sharpness. You might find this Ken Rockwell Mamiya 7 N 80mm f/4L review helpful: http://www.kenrockwell.com/mamiya/80.htm .

 

When shooting most B&W negative film, the Rolleicord Xenar holds its own quite well, but still 2nd place.

 

Good Luck!

The RZ67 is an outstanding system and versatile for landscape subjects. This includes the RZ67 tilt/shift adaptor for the 75mm or 180mm lens, which provides limited but very helpful movements, not unlike a LF camera.

 

Truth be told, I still shoot film then later scan using a Nikon 9000. Virtually all my final digital images, about 45-65MB, yield prints suitable A1 size or larger. But to address your digital back questions further, check out Luminous-Landscape reviews, such as http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/aptus-75.shtml .

 

To frank, I can not afford a 22+ MP digital back, which is roughly about the resolution/quality of my scanned images. And obviously, no digital back sensor is a full 6x7 cm, so all RZ67 lens are cropped. When you need wide-angle lenses, such as the 50mm or 37mm fisheye, you still need to shoot film. But hopefully someday soon, digital backs will be both cheaper and bigger!

 

The RZ67 is a very tough rig for MF and when using the AE Prism fairly weather resistant. If blowing sand is likely, I would suggest it would NOT rule-out the RZ67, but I would take some handling precautions. Especially keeping sand/grit from entering the lens mount area while changing lenses.

 

As for a laptop the latest MacBook Pro from Apple would certainly serve in the field.

 

However for home/office digital darkroom use, be patient and see what the new specs. for Adobes CS3 will be. When I am working in Photoshop on a image with a lot of complicated layers or I am stitching together 3-5 MF images for a monster panorama, my desktop with only 2GB of memory really chokes of these 85-240MB files. If the pending new release of Photoshop can address 4-8GB of memory, MAKE CERTAIN your future hardware purchases can take advantage of it!

 

Hope this helps!

Hello Soma,

First, yes there is a marked improvement between both 35mm to 645 and 645 to 67. As for MF film cameras, my favorite street camera is Mamiya 7II. 7IIs lenses are fantastic, the camera is light/almost silent and the 67 film yields prints from 17x20 to 24x28, depending on subject/composition details. We are talking museum quality prints. However some subject images allow up-scaling and/or viewed from a larger than normal distance, so I have occasionally enlarged 67 film to 44x52.

 

But when the subject is unpredictable, in-motion, light is low, or power-winder is needed, a Mamiya 654 Pro-TL is my first choice. Prints 13x17 to 17*23 are routine. Sometimes larger. But a special advantage that not digital, not 35mm can produce, is knock-your-socks-off slides for projection. This is not needed for every photographer, but if you like/need to give lectures/presentations, say about a location/travel story or natural history, 645 slides are fantastic! A Digital SXGA (1400x1050) is a bad joke compared to a 645-Fujichrome.

 

Your Bogen 3021 tripod would be fine with 7II, and a little light for the 645 Pro-TL but with the center column low it ought to be OK.

 

Obviously the 645 Pro-TL is not an auto-focus (AF) camera, but personally that?s OK with me. No MF AF brand/camera with be as fast/accurate as today?s 35mm Nikons/Canons. Not even close.

And MF AF camera can struggle in low light conditions. But, AF or non-AF that?s decision you should try by experience; so either borrow or rent both types. See what works best for you.

 

Anyways, I hope this helps and good luck.

I can not comment from experience on Epsons V750 scanner, but I will advocate wet mount scanning which the V750 Pro offers. I have been using Aztek wet mounting products on my Nikon 9000 scanner and the older or the dirtier the negatives, the better results I get from wet mounting. Check out: http://www.aztek.com/Video%20Demonstrations/AZTEK%20KAMI%20Wet%20Mounting%20EPSON%20V750Video.wmv which demostrates Aztek wet mounting for V750. Good Luck!

Hello, I have been very satisfied with A&I Photo and Digital Service for affordable and timely processing for all types of MF and LF film. Their website ( http://www.aandi.com/index.html ) is informative. A&I also offers scanning services, and at about $35 for 120 HiRez scan, is a competitive value compared to other service bureaus. BUT, Truly, you will find that paying for scanning services to really add-up over a short time. Even if I needed to select and scan only 50 images a year, it would be far more prudent to scan myself.

Ben, Couple points/suggestions:

1) I have been extremely happy with KEH, but please be aware that their fine used items are rated mostly on appearance, not by a definitive mechanical/electronic inspection. Just make certain everything is A-OK, within KEH 14day, No-Hassle period.

2) While new or KEH is expedient for those ?core? components such as the camera body, film back(s) and a lens or two; don?t be afraid of setting up searches/auto-emails with eBay. Most of my RZ lenses and tons on accessories are from patient/selective eBay purchases. A HUGE savings.

3) Finally, the RZ has, will have, more digital back options than the RB. I confess this is crystal ball stuff, but I am rather confident that, in just 3-5 years, used/discounted 17-20MP digital backs will the ?affordable?, at less than $5000. The RZ is the better future.

The short answer is YES, there are several Digital Backs mountable on the older Pro II body. These include: Phase One ( http://www.phaseone.com/Content/p1digitalbacks/Compatibility%20chart.aspx ) and Leaf ( http://www.leafamerica.com/products.asp ).

Good Luck!

Could someone kindly suggest a website or other "How-To" source, that

thoroughly addresses the retouching of white spots that rarely, but eventually

occurs on larger ink-jet (Epson) prints?

 

But please, I have already gotten lots of info/advice on how to "avoid" spots.

What I want are techniques to retouch them, when they do happen, dispite all

humanly possible precautions to avoid them in the first place.

 

When I either print myself (Epson R1800 or Pro 7800) or outsource printing,

there are occasionally a couple of tiny white spots that are too conspicuous

to tolerate. The larger the print, the more likely this happens. These prints

are ultimately for sale, so quality and long term color stability are

paramount.

 

Ansel Adams, et. al., knew that retouching wet-darkroom prints were an

inevitability, and their technique(s) are well known. But for today's large

ink-jet prints, I'm having trouble finding really good information...

I will strongly endorse the M7II for travel and street/enviromental shooting. The lens choice/performance and handling charateristics are so wonderful, my only regret is not owning two M7IIs so I just can keep shooting (a helper to reload film would be nice too)!!! For tripod work of scenics etc, Mamiya RZ is my first choice. However, you are wondering about the P67II, check out LuminousLandscapes article at http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/pentax67ii.shtml for an online critique. Good Luck!

For landscapes, etc, and when working atop a tripod, I find myself mostly using 50mm UDL or 350mm APO. The 65mm is also an outstanding lens but you MUST remember, get into the rhythm of, adjusting the floating elemet setting! If you get too distracted with your subjects activity or motion its easy to forget that extra focusing step. I find 65mm best used on a tripod also; that tends to slow me down and be more mindful. I usually use a Mamiya 7II for street shooting, but if I am handholding an RZ, I often shoot with the 110mm f/2.8. The 110mm extra speed and lighter weight make handholding much more practical. Good Luck!

Two points to consider are: how important is fast/efficient for your scanning needs and how large will your biggest prints be? I have been using a Nikon 9000 for couple years now, scanning on average perhaps 50 images a month and producing prints mostly in the 24x28 inch range. By Photoshopping multiple images together I have created panoramas up to 20x105 inches. For this sort of work there is no substitute for the Nikon 9000 capabilities, and while $1800 is serious money by any standard, it has paid for itself time and time again. One thing to ask around about is whether the 9000 is due for a new model release from Nikon. and so the 9000 might be discounted. I have not heard anything specifically about this online, but given Nikons past product cycle, the 9000 it is about due. It is worth double checking.

 

If your scanning needs are a lot less demanding, especially if you are scanning far fewer images, then perhaps Epsons new V750 might be of interest. I do not use one, but for $800ish and also the ability to scan up to large format 4x5 or 8x10, it is interesting. I have heard that the film holders need to be improved, but after working this out, many folks are very impressed with the results. Just a thought. Good Luck!

Hello Again. I know you stated that you are reluctant about Large Format, but it might be worth your while to check out Ken Rockwell article: Tachihara 4x5 Camera Test Review http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/tachihara.htm .

Ken makes a pretty good argument for landscape use, and the value/economy is hard to beat. Good Luck!

Hello. A couple things to consider that you did not mention are: Type of Subjects/Compositions, and Type of Presentations you are most interested in. For Medium Format I use Mamiya 645 Pro TTL, Mamiya 7II and Mamiya RZ67 Pro II.

 

For weddings or other somewhat chaotic people events, and shooting with a flash the 645 is the way to go. Especially is presentation is limited to slides or prints less than say 13?x18?. You are interested in a 645 with auto-focus, but be aware that you are already spoiled by Canon?s USM lenses. Mamiya?s auto focus lenses are good, but not as fast, quiet and accurate (especially in low light) as Canon/Nikon super lenses.

 

For street/candid shooting the 7II is fantastic. The lenses are incredibly sharp and easy to use if you are already comfortable with range finder techniques. This camera is lightweight, quiet (even stealthy), and to switch from vertical to horizontal is just as natural as your 35mm bodies. But these lenses are all f/4 or slower, so you need enough light. Minimum close focusing distance is fairly long; say 40 inches or more depending on focal length. But here?s the really good news: large beautiful prints are possible; routinely 24?x28?, and with scanning/Photoshop 48?x56? can sometimes be massaged out.

 

Finally, the RZ67 is a grand magnificent workhorse; so long as you plan to shoot atop a Tripod..! Sure, you can handhold a RZ67 (hopefully using an L-Grip) w/80mm at 1/125, but it is tough. Mount a 250mm APO and then handhold a 10 lbs. system, NOT! Tripod!! Oh, the Prism TTL finder is great; fairly bright view, excellent center-weighted exposure meter, but it is another 2 lbs. Tripod!!!

I use my RZ67 more than the 645 and 7II combined. And at least 80% of all my prints larger than 20?x24? came from the RZ67. Used lenses for the RZ67 are bargain, except for the APO series. I shoot from a 37mm fisheye to the 500mm. Also, I know you mentioned your fondness for film, but keep in mind that in perhaps 3-5 more years, used digital backs for the RZ67 ought to be affordable.

 

Anyways, I hope this is helpful?

Mamiya's RZ67 system with their Tilt/Shift Adapter ($1500 street price) for the RZ67 75mm short barrel lens is my solution to extreme depth-of-field (DoF) needs. At f/16, the DoF from maybe 20ft to infinity for an un-tilted 75mm lens, but I can adjuct the tilt up to 8 degrees which gives a f/16 DoF from perhaps 6ft to infinity. Tilting causes perspective changes, but depending on subject/composition it may or may not be a problem. The extra work of scanning film and Photoshoping can fix any perspective problems.

My shoulder/soft case is LowePro Commercial AW. A Pelican hard case 1560B will fit an assembled, upright, RZ67 with careful foam trimming. A Pelican 1600 will fit a RZ while laying on its left-side.

Hope this helps.

The Mamiya 7 is an outstanding travelers system and the 150mm excels at what I would term context or environmental portraits. But tight headshots such as McCurry's Afghan Girl are not the 150mmﾒs forte. However, sense I almost always shoot negative film, I find that I sometimes windup cropping tighter in Photoshop, but this still yield excellent prints in the 24x28 inch range.

 

Also, the 150mm is very sensitive to focusing errors and some Mamiyaﾒs range finder calibration is a little off. I personally have not had this problem, but if you search these forums you will find multiple references to this problem and its solution.

I have no experience with Hassy CFV-DB, but a fair amount with both the Mamiya ZD back and Leaf Aptus 65 back mounted on a Mamiya RZ67 body. The ZD back was great, the Aptus 65 was outright orgasmic! Your $13K budget will be hard to live by except for 35 DSLRs. However used Mamiya RZ67 equipement have never been more affordable. Good Luck.

Michael is correct; the larger lenses come with a lens support bracket. The 350mm and larger, plus their zoom. Major heavy weights at 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 pounds. For RZ 180mm, std or soft focus, and RZ 210mm APO I mount a 80mm Arca type slide plate with the RZ body at one end, and the remainder of the plate projecting forward underneath the lens. This allows you to find the center of balance, then clamp everything tight. A really good ballhead, or if budget allows a Wimberley gimbalhead, make a huge difference in handling safety/control. I almost never handhold a 180mm RZ setup. And even the 110mm to 150mm lenses, less than 20% of the time.

First, I would strongly recommend only using a prism finder on the RZ67 in the rain or snow. A WLF is nothing but a screen door on a submarine. That said, decent gaffer tape can help seal the prism to body seams. Rain covers or capes originally meant for medium size camcorders can give much better overall protection. I have been using a Kata brand, but I do not recall the model. Umbrellas I have had little luck with. If I had a Helper to do nothing but hold that umbrella, then maybe, but I rarely attempt to do it alone, I have no third hand. Some folks say just clamp or tape umbrella to tripod, but sorry I�m not going to attach a potential kite to my $2K-5K rig. No way.

That said, at risk of sounding over the top, I have several times, just setup a 9x9 foot pop-up tent/canopy. A small version seen all the time at outdoor art fairs. Anchored to the ground, the pop-up gives outstanding protection. When I am working off a tripod, often waiting or shooting for different lighting conditions, setting up this pop-up is a minor effort in the overall scheme of things.

I'm sure that not all reflective decals behave the same, but I have found that a polarizer-filter attenuates, somewhat, the reflection from red/white safety strip reflectors on commercial vehicles. Perhaps a polarizer is worth some experimentation for your race cars? Good Luck!

Checkout Fred Miranda's Velvia Vision photoshop filter/plugin at:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/software/

Most folks are surprised and pleased with the effect on digital files.

40x46.6 cm prints ought to be outstanding so long as you are careful not to generate artifacts/banding while post-processing and realistic viewing distances of a wall hung print are maintained.

When I purchased new a RZ67 Pro II kit 4-5 years ago it came with WLF. I was very happy with this rig from the get-go. But perhaps a year later, I bought a truly mint AE Metered Finder II w/flip-up magnifier for $525, and I just love it! Because I shoot 80% plus outdoors, often in less than pleasant weather and I almost always working on top off a tripod, the prism finder with it's highly reliable exposure. My tripod is a four section heavy duty Gitzo w/o a center post, so my lens height above ground is anywhere between 10 inches to 6 feet. The prism gets the job done. As for macro shots, that is different, perhaps half the time I go with the WLF.

 

Bottom line, if you shoot, or foresee shooting mostly outdoors on a tripod, the FE701 is a keeper!

 

Just my two cents worth.

Here is a link for RZ67 manual http://www.mamiya.com/assets/pdfs/RZ/RZ67PROII_Instr.PDF

 

Check troubleshooting page 39. Good Luck!

Truls

 

Mamiya�s 50mm does comes with a rubber press mount lens shade in the box which is Fair to OK when handholding a RZ 67. Mamiya�s G2 or G3 are not for the 50mm�s extra wide angle of view.

 

My favorite answer, at least when on a tripod, is to use a Wimberley �Plamp� to hold/adjust a PhotoFlex 12� Litedisc folding Silver/Black Reflector. When the weather is not gusty, this Plamp/Reflector system makes the perfect shade. If you go to www.bhphotovideo.com then do a search for Plamp and PhotoFlex 12" you ought to find these items straightaway.

 

Good Luck

I will second AcraTech (Ultimate model) and at about $280 it is a bargin. I still use Kirdland and ArcaSwiss ballheads (and happy with both), but when weight and/or gritty conditons are the main concern, my Acratech atop a carbon Gitzo Mountaineer never, ever fails me. My largest camera/lens combo I would likely use on a AcraTech is a 1DMkII w/300mm f/2.8 L. I'm sure the AcraTech could handle more weight/torque, but I am afraid it is just not smooth/predictable enough for quick adjustments or panning for 500mm f/4 L glass. For really big glass or 2-axis panning I go with a Wimberley atop a Gitzo Pro-Studex, but not cheap and quite heavy. I can not speak about AcraTechs new V2 model, but the specs look attractive.