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..] Read the rest of this entry »

The Hasselblad H4D-40, Medium Format DSLR

Hasselblad’s “H” series is very arguably the finest family of cameras in the world, offering a robust line of camera bodies, lenses, digital and film backs, viewfinders, and accessories.  The Swedish company has hurdled into the digital age with a full line of lenses, cameras, and software that work in harmony to produce stunningly large and clear image files.  Through 5 generations of camera bodies, the H series has evolved in subtle reworkings, refining a modern camera built on solid 645 heritage.  Introduced in February 2010, this 40 MP iteration falls in line with Hasselblad’s 3 current camera offerings.  Together with the H4D-50 and H4D-60, photographers can select the Hassy that produces the most appropriate file size, sensors being the noticeable difference between the three.

[more after the jump..] Read the rest of this entry »

The Hasselblad H4D-40, First Impressions

This is not an impressive photo, especially not as an opener for a series of entries on an impressive a camera.  What is impressive is that this is not a photo at all, but a 100% crop from a capture with this new beast-of-a-camera from Hasselblad.  To the proven controls, ergonomics, and lenses of the established H series, the H4D-40 adds an impressive new auto focus system and a new sensor.

I look forward to spending good time with the camera and sharing my experience, including a couple upcoming editorial portrait shoots.  This is an impressive camera.

Here’s the photo from which the above has been cropped:

[more after the jump..] Read the rest of this entry »

The Hasselblad H3DII-31

When compared to more nimble 35mm cameras there are certain compromises to shooting a big 645 DSLR.  It often operates more slowly, with less flexibility of exposure and focus, and – in most cases – it’s more cumbersome.  Is the added complexity and added cost worth it?  Do the trade-offs pay off once the files hit the hard drives and big TIFFs go to print?

Why race a Station Wagon and a Super Car?

I’ve been thinking through questions like these for a few weeks now and have a number of images from parallel shooting with a Nikon D3 and Hasselblad H3DII-31.  It’s a very interesting comparison, I think.  In some respects, it’s an unfair comparison.  The Nikon is half the cost and a fraction of the resolution.  The D3, though, is my primary working camera, and it’s been interesting to analyze the benefits of upgrading to medium format.

It would be interesting, also, to conduct similar comparisons with a Nikon D3X or a Sony A900 or a Canon 5DII or 1DS-III.  All of those have more MP than my D3, which is certainly a factor in image quality.  They all, however, have significantly less resolution than the H3DII-31, which is the humblest camera in the Hasselblad lineup.  Some of them, also, are not substantially less expensive than the now discounted H3DII-31.  So, whether with a D3X or D700, the comparison will be unfair.  If this were Car & Driver, I’d be comparing a Ferrari super car to a BMW sporty station wagon.  Similarly, there are times when a wagon is nice and when a super car is impractical; the question is: when is the compromise worth it? Read the rest of this entry »