william_markey

<p>Thanks everyone for your answers! I will use my RB lenses with no worries until I get some rings or RZ lenses.</p>

<p>But Jim, can you post the contact info for your industrial supply company and what size/name of ring to ask for? $8.14 sounds a LOT better than $33!!</p>

<p>Jim--that is what I was talking about from the Mamiya site instruction book:</p>

<p>"When using a Mamiya Sekor C lens for the RB series on the RZ<br /> PRO II body, be sure to insert an optional interchange mounting<br /> ring into the lens rear mount to assure correct coupling with the<br /> camera body."</p>

<p>What is the "optional interchange mounting ring" mentioned?? COULD it be the same thing as the adapter ring for using non-75mm/500mm RB lenses on the RB SD?? Anyone know for sure??</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for the replies thusfar--the wife jokes made for a good laugh! Alphonso--that's kinda what I thought--that I can use the RB 180mm with no adapter...the instruction manual quote just made me a little nervous at first.</p>

<p>Oh boy! My wife is going to kill me - not because of the money, but because of how many MF camera systems I have already (RB, 645 Super, Hassy 500CM). I placed a very low-ball bid on the auction site for a RZ Pro II with the Pro II 120 back and Pro II AE Finder thinking that I'd never win...but you have to buy a ticket if you want to win the lottery, right? Well, I was surprised to find out that I won--got it for only $364.99 too! Along with the Hassy, this has been my dream camera for years and years.<br>

I went ahead and read the manual from Mamiya's site and still have a couple of questions. It mentions some sort of adapter to put on the back of your RB lenses when fitting them to the RZ Pro II (no, not the RB SD adapter)--I have never heard of this adapter in all my readings on the RB/RZ--everything just says that you can use the RB lenses. If I do need the adapter...where in the world can I find one? I would think I could use my favorite RB 180mm straight on the body of the RZ Pro II--am I wrong??<br>

I also have a NPS polaroid back for the RB--can that be used on the RZ Pro II without any adapters?<br>

William Markey<br>

Birmingham, Alabama</p>

<p>Heck, there are still a lot of labs that do 120. I don't like processing my own so I use pro labs to do it for me. Seems like the labs that used to be "pro only" are now taking on non-pro customers--probably for survival's sake.<br>

Get yourself a MF outfit and enjoy! If you're like me and don't like processing your own stuff--or can't afford it--no worries.</p>

<p>Definitely go for the 1V or the EOS 3, but if you can't afford them, the A2 is a wonderful camera! I have had one since 1992/1993 and it still looks and works like brand new! It is definitely NOT a "cheap" camera, even though it can be had for a cheap price. Whichever camera you get, I would get the extended/vertical grip too--it makes a world of difference in handling.</p>

<p>I agree with George on moving up to a CF lens if at all possible. I have a 50mm C and a 250mm C and the focus knobs are not very comfortable to work with. I enjoy using my 80mm CF and 150mm CF MUCH more because of that single aspect. If you look up photos of the 80mm C and 80mm CF and look at the difference in the focusing rings, you will see what I mean. Otherwise, optically, it is a fine lens.<br>

Good luck. Enjoy and use LOTS of film!</p>

<p>Since this thread is multiple years old, are there any experiences that anyone can talk about now after having the adapter for several years? Did you see any ACTUAL VISUAL improvement by using the Hassy lenses on the Canon cameras? I was looking at buying this adapter, but if using the Hassy lenses did not significantly improve the images from the Canon I see no point in buying it. Thanks for any responses!!</p>

<p>When I shot children, I gave them something to do--something to hold on to and catch their attention.  A colorful book, a feather, anything that would capture their attention for even a few seconds.  Ask them about what's in their hands.  It only lasts for seconds, but that's generally enough time to get some great shots.<br>

For studio shots--turn off the room lights so that only the flash modeling lights are lighting the room.  The darkened room gives the child less things to look at and get distracted.  Also, talk softly and tell them a story--regardless if they're old enough to understand--it's all in the soft tone of the voice.</p>

I disagree--for slide film. Each and every DSLR is slightly different in it's exposure. That's why it drove me and others crazy when trying to use a hand held meter with our DSLRs--using a reading that would be dead-on for film cameras, yeilded either over or under exposure with the DSLRs. This has been widely written about too in photography magazines and forums. When using my hand held meter (Minolta IVF), I have to set it's ISO set to 80 in order to get a decent exposure with my Canon 10D set at ISO 100. Small difference in ISO, yes--but digital has a very narrow range in exposure--and others have to adjust their ISO much more than I have to.

 

But, if you're using negative film in the Hasselblad, you should be okay due to it's wide exposure latitude.

For color, I use www.acilab.com, but Mpix.com is another great pro lab choice.

 

For b&w--I LOVE www.bestlab.com or Dalmation B&W lab.

Thanks Isabelle! I don't have any samples with me right now (I'm at my real job), but here is a link to one of my favorite photographers, David Peters: http://davidpetersphotography.net/ If you go into his family section he has some good ideas on posing. You will notice some of the samples have the subjects not in the same plane, but those photos have more depth of field (i.e., smaller aperature) being used and so the background is somewhat sharper. I would be afraid to use anything larger than f/5.6 on a family unless I did string them and make sure that they are all in the same plane.

 

Chuck Lewis has a 3-DVD set on shooting families both indoor (at the subject's house) and outdoor. He goes over lighting, posing, etc. and is very informative on all aspects. It was filmed back in the mid-1990's though--so it's medium format film based--but the information is still valid. For some reason, it is not on his website, but it should be in the catalog--here is where you can order his catalog: http://www.cjlewis.com/catalog.html

You can shoot a great family portrait with a disposable camera--so any lenses you have will work. Don't concentrate on the equipment--it's just the tool. Instead, concentrate on the craft. Here's a couple of valuable tips for making a family portrait they'll love:

 

1) ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS look for the light FIRST! Don't worry about backgrounds, props, posing, etc. until you first find the correct light (we're assuming an outdoor portrait). To get great portrait light, stand at the subject's position and hold your arm out straight in front of you. Now take your arm and swing it 30-45 degrees sideways and 30-40 degrees up--that is where your light should be coming from to give good modeling on the faces (works for single portraits too). This is assuming you're using frontal light and not using the sun as a hair light/rim light and using a reflector for the main light.

 

2) Have the subjects wear SOLID colors and in similar color tones. Earth tones or dark tones seem best to me. This will put the attention on them and not their wild patterned clothing and conflicting colors.

 

3) Use a darker background (shrubs and trees) at least 20-30 yards behind the group. This will make the subjects stand out because their lighter skin tones will attract your eye first. By placing your background elements far in the distance, everything is softened--thus putting the attention on the subjects. Try not to get sky peeking through the leaves or that bright spot will attract the viewers' eye first.

 

4) String your subjects! This means, attach a string to your tripod and bring the other end to each subject's forehead. They must all be in the same plane to ensure everyone is in focus. If someone is not at the same string length, make them lean forward or back or move them altogether. The last thing you want is to have the family want a giant wall portrait and have dad slightly out of focus because he was in the back and did not lean forward into the same plane of focus as the other members of the family.

 

Hope this helps!

 

William Markey

Birmingham, AL

While scancafe.com is extremely safe from what I read, I've also read that they only scan the negative/slide once--thus it is not a very deep scan ment for fine art printing--more for the amatuer who just wants their old slides archived on CD.

 

For quality scans, go with Tim above or some place like www.westcoastimaging.com in order to get the file quality that you really need and want.

I have both the RB67 and the 500CM (very similar to the 503CX in feel and operation). Although I love the 500CM, if I had to get rid of all my cameras (digital included) and keep just one--it'd be the RB67 that stayed with me. The 6X7 negative/slide is remarkable and I love the revolving back which lets you shoot just like you'd be shooting square--you don't have to turn the camera to do verticals. The lenses are incredible and I can't tell the difference in real life between the results of the Hassey vs Mamiya lenses. One thing you will run into with any square format camera is the lack of square frames and other products...sure they're out there if you look, but the 4X5/8X10/16X20 ratio of the RB67 is much easier to deal with. The RB67 lenses are going to MUCH, MUCH cheaper to purchase too! And yes, the RB67 is metal--both cameras are built like tanks and both are of high quality. I have heard through a forum (can't remember which) that Mamiya will be making an adapter to allow their new digital backs to be utilized on the RB67--not sure if this is true though.

DO NOT bring your film to a cheap place like Walmart or the corner drug store just because they can process your film (I personally wouldn't even do Ritz/Wolf camera as I don't know who they're sending the film out to)! These are your wedding photos and should be handled by a pro lab or at least a lab that is known for quality. These photos should be important enough for you to really want the best processing and printing possible.

 

Most pro labs will not take film from non-pros because they are bound by tax rules--but there are some labs that offer pro-level processing and printing to the layman under another name. For example, Miller's is a well known wedding and portrait pro lab--but for the "regular" guy non-pro, they offer their services under a different name--Mpix (www.mpix.com). I don't use this lab (I use another pro lab), but I HIGHLY recommend you send your film to Mpix for development and proof printing (with 120/220 film shot on 6X6, your prints will come back as 5X5" inch prints)--they are a very high quality lab.

 

I would not worry about scanning the negatives at this point as your final product that you're going to want is prints anyway. It will cost you about $1 or under to get your negatives processed and printed - so a 120 roll will cost you approximately $12 for 12 photos (or if it's 220 film, $24 or so for processing and printing of 24 photos)--give or take a few dollars. That's more than the corner drug store--but you're assured that the prints will be beautiful and everything is being done by pros with pro level equipment and processes. If you want scanned photos to share with others on the internet, you can scan the prints yourself a lot easier than you'd be able to scan negatives (as a non-pro).

 

Mpix and other pro labs can scan your photographs while they're being developed, but they are usually low quality scans (even though they may be called "medium" or "high" quality scans) just to show you what the photo looks like. The scans tend to be grainy and very poor (in my opinion)--the scans are not meant to be really anything to print from. The photos from those same negatives will be FAR superior than the low level scans--thus I recommend going ahead and proof printing them so that you will be happy.

 

If I can be of any further help or you need me to clear up something, you can contact me at bamapix@yahoo.com.

 

William Markey

Birmingham, Alabama

I use Vivitar 283s--you asked if they need special accessories--the sync cord that you will have to use has a special head that is required that goes into the flash. Paramount makes very well built and reliable cords that have the 283 sync head--Paramount is probably the best sync cord in the business.

 

Also available for the 283 is a module that replaces the automatic sensor on the front of the flash that allows you to dial down the flash power to next to nothing--this makes the flash operate in manual mode only, but is well worth having.

 

Also, a nice accessory is a short cord (about 3 feet long) that allows you to pull out the sensor module on the flash, put the sensor module on one end of the cord (which fits into your hotshoe, thus the sensor is seeing the subject from camera view) and the other end plugs into the flash (where the sensor was) so you can have the flash off-camera and point it in any direction--yet the automatic sensor is pointed forward because it is in the hot shoe. Hope all that makes sense! The 283 has a lot of power and is very reliable--I have 2 and love them.

I've used the 3.5 "C" (studio's) and "N" (mine) 150mm for years and love it. It gives creamy, out-of-focus backgrounds that are perfect. Don't see that the 2.8 would be that much better--in fact, I'm not sure, but 2.8 may have too shallow depth of field and cause you to stop down to 3.5 anyway. In any case, the 150mm is the perfect portrait lens--I hate using anything shorter for portraits.

As the owner of both an RB67 (not RZ) and a Hasselblad system--I would say, hands down, buy the RZ67. With it, you can shoot 6X6 if you want--either with the 6X6 back or by cropping your 6X7 images. The Mamiya RB/RZ systems are just superb and are easy to handle. Don't be fooled--both the RB/RZ and the Hasselblad cameras are best used on tripods--so "hand holding" shouldn't be an issue--very few people are able to do so effectively.

 

I love my Hassey (and other cameras), but if I had to give them all up except one system--I'd keep the RB67 without hesitation.

William's right. The SQA will generate square negatives and slides. What they are referring to most likely is that most labs will only be able to make 4X5 (standard 6X4.5 proof) or 3.5X5 prints because the majority of the cameras are rectangular in nature. Professional labs however, can give you square proof prints--typically they are 5X5". I don't have a SQA, but I would think those are viewing crop lines to show you what a standard 4X5 (8X10 photo ratio) will look like if you crop the final image--a nice feature to have on a 6X6 camera.

www.modelmayhem.com is a great place to find models for your work--both TFP and paid.

I use the 180mm for portraits on my RB67 and cannot say enough goog things about it. It blurs out the background so beautifully! Just THE perfect portrait lens, in my opinion. I use it for 99% of my work with the RB67--virtually never use my 90mm (not because it is bad, it's just that the 180mm is that good!). Do not have the 65mm, but it is superb too from what I hear.

Antonio,

 

I've BEEN looking!! I've even brought up the subject here on the forum twice and NO ONE has been able to tell me where to get archival plastic pages for 5X5" proofs (or 10X10"). So if YOU know where I can get them, PLEASE let me know! I've searched everywhere--thus my comments are valid so far as I know. If you know better, then please prove it and I will gladly shop there!

Well, I own the Hasselblad 500 CM system and the RB67 system, and I shoot portraits and fashion, like you. One thing you have to consider is final output.

 

Everything seems to be built around the rectangle photograph--there are no known sources of archival pages (or even non-archival) in which to store square photographs. Square frames are few and far between and are usually only in 5X5" size--larger frames must be custom made (read: expensive). Although I love my Hasselblad, had I known this (esp. about the archival page deficit), I would not have purchased the system. I use the Hasselblad strictly for my fine art work (for myself) and not for clients. With clients, you will most likely have to crop, which means downsizing your negative to a 6X4.5" format. Also, very few people can successfully handhold the Hasselblad at shutter speeds under 1/125 of a second--so, in reality, it is a tripod camera just like the RZ67.

 

The RZ67 will give you the "perfect" format--4X5", 8X10", 16X20", 20X24", etc. -- all the easy-to-get frame sizes and portfolio page sizes. Unless your doing one of those ridiculous "scientific" tests, you will not notice a reduction in quality in the Mamiya lenses compared to the Hasselblad lenses. Besides, the bigger negative is going to give you better quality anyway. And, as mentioned above, if you want to shoot square for fine art purposes, the RZ67 has a square back available.

 

Final advice: RZ67 hands down.

For color...it's already been answered for your local labs.

 

I don't live in LA, but for B&W, I've been very pleased with www.bestlab.com (awesome prints) and www.dalmatianlab.com.

All I can say is that I made a 20X30 inch print from my Canon 10D (6.3 Megapixel) and it was sharp and grainless--superb. This is a MUCH older digital camera than the current line up and many improvements have been made along the way. I shoot mostly people with the digital.

 

I shoot my Hassy and Mamiyas just for the sheer joy of it--there's just something about medium format that I love...