Introduction

The Mamiya RZ is a camera system with a proud tradition, long a beefier, lesser-known big brother to Hasselblad.  Now, several years after the digital shakeup – a cruel transition for the medium format market – the RZ receives a high tech makeover.  Interestingly, the camera is unchanged from its historic form.  Refinement has gone towards smooth, cable-free integration between a detachable digital back and a classic film camera front.  All the parts are familiar.  The digital back is a Mamiya DM33, originally designed for 645 duty, the camera body is a RZ67 Pro IID, still capable of accepting film backs, RZ67 lenses, and Mamiya’s wide range of accessories.

The assembled Mamiya RZ33 is a classic all-manual camera, hefty and capable, with the most modern of 33MP digital output.  Over the coming weeks, we’ll dive in to its full capabilities and come out with stories to tell!

The RZ33′s Mamiya RZ67 Pro IID Camera Body

The Mamiya RZ33 is a large camera, easily making other modular medium format systems, like the H4D series from Hasselblad, seem compact.  By comparison, the Hasselblad, as well as Phase One/Mamiya’s 645DF camera, are high-tech compromises between this and the likes of Canon, Nikon, and Pentax.  Indeed, the RZ does no compromising (there isn’t even a handle!)

Read the full review on my new site:

http://photoartsmonthly.com/blog/2011/01/31/introduction-the-mamiya-rz33/

The Leica S2

Over lunch last Tuesday, I enjoyed spending a couple hours with Leica rep Victor Naranjo and the compelling new Leica S2 digital camera.  And — while there is nothing wrong with traditional digital medium format cameras like the Hasselblad H4D series or P+ series from Phase One — the Leica S2 is a whole new approach to Big Digital and instantly makes the digital back on film camera paradigm seem dated.  The S2 is hefty, refined, and strikingly simple.

Victor described the S2 as a big brother to my Nikon D3 and it’s an accurate ergonomic description of the Leica.  The big, rubberized-metal DSLR is big, but feels familiar, more an evolutionary cousin of a Canon 1Ds or Nikon D3 series camera than a Mamiya DM or Hasselblad H4D.  It’s an intriguing camera that is certain to be a powerful new tool for a wide range of photographers.

[Read on for my first impressions of shooting the S2 and a few example images..]