steve_tenggala

<p>Well, 40mm actually work quite ok for me, better than 50mm. But it's just that i need 28mm, and maybe 21mm later, but this camera doesnt have that frameline and other camera that I may grow into does not have this 40mm as well as 28mm.</p>

<p>Wow, thanks for the super fast response Alex.<br>

The camera is in working condition, clean viewfinder, comes w/ non original minolta rf strap. Body comes with very minor scratch and the rubber cover in the front is gone and has been replaced by some cheap leather imitation (I plan to replace this with nicer one). Lens is in good condition, comes w/ filter and non-original front and back cap. No box and manual or whatsoever. What do you guys think?</p>

<p>Dear all,</p>

<p>I am new to this RF world and has been using SLR all this time. Now I have the opportunity to buy this camera w/ CSV 40mm f/1.4 nokton w/ an ok, not mint, condition for usd 500. Is this a good deal?<br>

I use 28mm or 35mm a lot. Would I regret buying this since its widest only 40mm and if I ever change body, the 40mm would be useless since it seems that most leica m-mount camera frameline is 28/35/50. Anybody can throw me their 2 cents on this?<br>

<br />Thanks.</p>

Hi also,

 

I also just bought one used without the manual instruction. Can somebody also e-mail me the manual in pdf? Thanks.

 

Steve

I never used bulk film before and a friend of mine just gave me his 35mm bulk

loader for free. This makes me eager to try using it and see if i can handle it

and save some money in films.

 

First question of all, do I have to buy special film canister (those plastic or

metal ones) for it or can I just reuse the prepackaged canister that has been

developed?

 

Second, anything I should know about the basic loading procedure to avoid

mistakes, like scratch or fogged film?

you're not doing it right by comparing the shots from 2.8 and 3.5. Further, you need to take 2-3 shots at different apertures and different focal lengths to see how each lens behaves in comparison to the others at different settings and see which one suits better your shooting style.

 

ps: 17-35mm is sharper than 28-105 at 2.8 (of course, lol). how sharp it is at 3.5, is yet for you to discover. however, virtually all lens is not as sharp as they are when stopped down. so it's probably better to see how these two lens fare at 4, 5.6, and 8 (with 11 even better).

From what I heard, TC-14E is probably the best way to go. Anybody can justify this? Nikon TC is also considerably pricey than the others. With such price, if the performance is so so, would I be better of getting 300mm f/4? It's almost in the same price range as a used 300mm AF/D. But still, a zoom range from 200-300mm would be versatile. What do you guys think? Also, what about this kenko/tamron TC? It works with AFD lens, but how about with AFS?

Hi all,

 

I need some input here. I have 80-200mm 2.8 AF-S and thinking to get some

teleconverter to get some extra reach. Which one would work with it? Nikon TC14

seems to work well with AF-S, but couldn't be used on other older nikkor lens,

like the AF-D lens, as far as I know. But what about the 3rd party brand like

Kenko, Tamron, etc. I see a lot of people use it with their 80-200 AF-D lens,

would it work with my AF-S version? Is it inferior in comparison with nikon TC?

Your response is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hi all,

 

I'm thinking to get a portrait lens for my rz67 unit and like to hear opinions

between the 150mm and the 180mm. I read a lot of review saying the 180mm is

tack sharp (it's probably because it's affordable and almost everyone use it).

180mm is a lot bulkier for sure, but has anybody ever compared the 180mm

against the 150mm? How about bokeh-wise? 180mm have more working focal

distance, but 150mm has bigger aperture opening. Which one has better bokeh?

Also, how the regular 180mm compares optically with the 180mm SB with the

spacer?

 

On one thread, I read some people suggesting 100-200mm zoom for portrait lens.

It maybe versatile, but would the considerable weight affect holding and

balancing the camera? Can you use it without the bracket? I'm not sure if the

bracket would work together with the L-grip. Can anyone anyone share his/her

experience with this zoom lens?

 

Thanks.

Thanks for the responses guys. So, I guess most bw processing chemical would be harmless as long as I wash my hands asap, right? Color or slide film would be a different story I suppose.

 

Then another question, I shot ilford bw film and used their developer and fixer since their development time are clearly specified in the manual (and this is my first time and I just want to get it right first before experimenting anything else). But then, what if I shoot differnet film, for example kodak. Can I still use the same developer and fixer? How about development time? Where can I get this kind of information? When I first shoped around for these chemical and asked questions, the sales reps suggested me a D76. Is it somekind of generic developer that would work with any film make? If not, what is it and is there somekind like generic developer and fixer that should work with any kind of film? Again, thanks for the responses guys.

Hi all,

 

just tonight, I managed to develop my first bw 120 film myself (very excited

to share this). Overall, it seems to be going well (I'll find out more once I

print them) and I find myself eager to develop more. I first learned

photography thru dslr before finally getting myself some mf camera and it

really amazed me to see that those big negatives appearing when I open the

tank's cap.

 

But then, I also have questions for developing in the future. How crucial is

it to wear glove to do this. I spill a little developer on my hand when I

mixed them and the tip of my finger/nail felt a little funny afterward. I just

wonder how hazardous those chemical in direct contact with human skin. Second,

how important it is to follow the development time and the temperature from

manufacturer? For example, how much over/underexposure should I expect for an

additional 30sec development time? 1degree celcius higher? Thanks, your

responses are really appreciated.

can you explain why? how you use both of them differently?

I have a monolight with 30x40 softbox and thinking to get an additional light

modifier. Which one is more useful/versatile, a barndoor or a honey-comb grid?

Hi there,

 

I need some advices here. I'm looking to get a wide angle lense for my RZ67. A

friend of mine is offering me his 50mm ULD lens and ask me to give him an

offer. I told him I'll do a little research before I can come up with a number.

 

The question is, if you were in my position, how much are you willing to pay

for it? I'm aware that it would cost me more than getting the regular 50mm or

the 65mm, but how about the quality? I read a lot of postings about the soft

corner issue on the regular 50mm, so I guest it should be better. But how

about against the regular 65mm? The price difference is quite significant, but

I also see a lot of people prefer the 65mm to the regular 50mm. But against

the ULD, which one would you prefer? Does the extra wide-angle is more useful

or more limiting compared to more versatile 65mm FOV?

 

Should I buy my friend lens or just wait for better price on the 65mm? Or

should I even look for the 65mm LA version? Your opinion is greatly

appreciated. THanks.

Robert,

 

the prism does have a connector pin underneath. It uses the body battery to do the metering. In fact, the A/S and the plus sign lights on everytime I press the reading button. I just wonder if it is supposed to be working that way since the reading never changes despite me aiming the lens at very bright and very dark condition. Also, if you can find this finder every now and then on eBay, but strangely I can't find any info about it on Mamiya website.

Well, that's kind of strange, because it says RZ67 in front of the prism body, just like the waist level or the AE finder. I know that RB has its own PD Finder (looks a little different), but it just puzzle me that I couldn't find any info or literature about this unie in Mamiya website.

Hi there,

 

I finally made a plunge into MF. My RZ ProII kit comes with a PD Prism Finder

which until now I couldn't quite get how it should work. I tried to find info

about this finder, but to no avail. It's not even listed in Mamiya website.

 

As far as I know, the finder has some sort of communication port that should

talk to the body to get info about the film speed, shutter speed, and

aperture. I put the finder on, press that circle white button and the only

reading I see is A (for aperture) or S (for spot) and plus sign. A and S

switch back and forth as I switch the button mode. The plus sign, however,

turns on everytime I press that white reading button, no matter what mode I'm

in and no matter how bright or dark the scene I'm aiming at. Logically, I

thought, that plus sign is supposed to tell me if my exposure is over (and

should probably change to negative sign if it underexposes). Is this normal?

Or there is something wrong with the finder? Anybody familiar with this issue?

 

One more thing, do you know where I can get a manual for this PD Prism Finder?

Is there an online pdf copy I can get somehwere? Your response is greatly

appreciated. Thanks.

Steve Larese: What's that 8x8 back that you mentioned called? Is it different than that 7x7 quadra back? I thought 7x7 is the max that you can get given the size of the opening of the camera back.

Okay, so the consensus is just not feasible, or at least not practical at all. But, what about using 8x10 film on 4x5 camera? Is what read true? Or you can achieve this by using 8x10 lenses? Can somebody enlight me on this technical issue? Thanks.

One more thing, I know it's probably easier for me to just invest in LF camera, but I just don't have the budget for that, especially given the shooting turnover I can expect from it. I'm just curious about this thing and like to know if anybody has tried this before and whether it worked.

 

In fact, I think 4x5 on MF camera would be amazing since you can just use the Waist level instead of having to switch back and forth between film back and the ground glass, of course at the expense of the swing/shift/tilt movement.

Thanks for the response guys. So, if get it correctly, it's just not practical to do this on RZ67 right?

 

Really, I'm still thinking that it would be wonderful to be able to put 4x5 sheet film on the back of RB/RZ, even if it only covers like 85% of the film area. Still, out of my stubborn curiosity, how about working at hyperfocal distance using short barrel lens? Would that compensate the infinity focusing problem?

 

Personally, I still think it's doable. if I can put that 4x5 film back on a monorail and the the RB/RZ body on the same axis, that should help in addressing the film flatness issue as well as adjusting the distance to enlarge the image falling on the ground glass. Anybody has tried this before?

Hi everyone,

 

I have a beginner question, probably a stupid one, but I figure this is

probably the place I can get an answer.

 

Okay, bear with me. I have a Mamiya RZ Pro II camera and I have been thinking

if it's possible to put a 4x5 (or even 8x10) sheet film on the back of the

camera. Of course, the idea is not to put it directly behind the body, but at

certain space behind where the regular 6x7 film would be positioned. This come

to my mind after reading somewhere that one can put 8x10 film on 4x5 camera by

carefully placing the film holder behind the 4x5 film holder position.

 

So, can we used some kind of 4x5 bellows to cover and to seal the light of

that space between the film holder and the 4x5 film back? About where the film

back should be placed, we can always look at the ground glass, where the image

from the lens falls on it, right? I imagine it wouldn't be too hard adjusting

the position, since you can see the images on the ground glass on the spot, as

well as vignetting if any.

 

So far, that's just my theory. Please tell me if I oversimplified how things

work with Large Format photography. The only issue I can think of is the lens

not focusing at infinity. But, the RZ camera itself has a built-in bellows and

if I used bag bellows to cover the space between the camera and 4x5 film

holder, it should compensate the built-in bellow operation (but I'm not sure

if the images would completely fill the 4x5 film. I guess this can be figure

out through trial and error). In fact, maybe I can compensate that focusing at

infinity by working at hyperfocal distance. What do you guys think?

 

Your opinion is truly appreciated.

Hi everyone,

 

I have a beginner question, probably a stupid one, but I figure this is

probably the place I can get an answer.

 

Okay, bear with me. I have a Mamiya RZ Pro II camera and I have been thinking

if it's possible to put a 4x5 (or even 8x10) sheet film on the back of the

camera. Of course, the idea is not to put it directly behind the body, but at

certain space behind where the regular 6x7 film would be positioned. This come

to my mind after reading somewhere that one can put 8x10 film on 4x5 camera by

carefully placing the film holder behind the 4x5 film holder position.

 

So, can we used some kind of 4x5 bellows to cover and to seal the light of

that space between the film holder and the 4x5 film back? About where the film

back should be placed, we can always look at the ground glass, where the image

from the lens falls on it, right? I imagine it wouldn't be too hard adjusting

the position, since you can see the images on the ground glass on the spot, as

well as vignetting if any.

 

So far, that's just my theory. Please tell me if I oversimplified how things

work with Large Format photography. The only issue I can think of is the lens

not focusing at infinity. But, the RZ camera itself has a built-in bellows and

if I used bag bellows to cover the space between the camera and 4x5 film

holder, it should compensate the built-in bellow operation (but I'm not sure

if the images would completely fill the 4x5 film. I guess this can be figure

out through trial and error). In fact, maybe I can compensate that focusing at

infinity by working at hyperfocal distance. What do you guys think?

 

Your opinion is truly appreciated.

Hi all,

 

I need some opinions from you that have been shooting dslr and medium format

concurrently. I have been shooting with dslr and wanting to get quality big

prints, thinking to get into medium formats (pro dslr, like d2x and 1ds mk2

are way out of my budget). Since big is the goal, I thought I may as well go

with the 6x7 format since that's the biggest common one used. But then I read

some people reviews that rave how 1ds mk2 or d2x almost match the details

produced by 6x7 format (these people even said that they already surpassed 645

format).

 

What do you guys think? Obviously, I can get better dynamic range with film

(at the expense of processing/developing cost) and may be able to get digital

back for even bigger print in the future when the price becomes reasonable

(though by that time, those digital backs may even require newer system). But

if the quality isn't that much better than 12-16mp dslr, wouldn't it be easier

if I just stick with digital, save some more money for better body, and work

with one system only?

 

One more thing, how big print can I expect from 6x7 format before I see a loss

in quality? What about 12/16mp digital slr?

 

You're opinion is very appreciated.

Hi everyone,

 

I need some opinions here. I'm thinking to get a budget mid-range zoom here

and pretty much have narrowed down my choice to nikkor 24-85mm afs and tamron

28-75mm. I see that both have a good review, but I can get the nikkor one for

less and can spend the difference on another speedlight. So, would I be better

of to have a fast lens or not-so-fast lens with another speedlight. Currently,

I already have 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm primes to cover my portrait and low-light

shooting. Your opinion is very much appreciated. Thanks.