Duroman's Full Review: Mamiya RZ67 ProII Medium Format Film Camera
NOTE: I've added an update at the bottom to account for the year since I've purchased the camera.
I purchase the Mamiya RZ67 Professional II camera three months ago. Prior to that I was using a borrowed Nikon camera. Before that I used those recycled cameras. So, as you can see, my jump from camera to camera was quite unusual.
Needless to say, I never expected this to happen as in high school: I joined a course for the yearbook expecting to be a photographer. That never happened. I actually ended up in class shaking a developer can. And I got an A in the course for doing that.
Many years later I'm actually using a Nikon. Let me tell you about my experience here. I tried my best to get the best photographs possible. I set the mirror lock-up to prevent camera shaking. I set the camera to 16 f, and I set the camera on a tripod and use 100 film. The results were sharp. Absolutely. But not quite as good as the Mamiya!
Enter the Mamiya RZ67 Pro II. I've read many articles stating to the effect that 35 mm film was getting to the point where pictures developed into 3"-4" prints were comparable to to prints from 67 medium format. The difference should be negligible. When you enlarge the 35mm film, however, you lose sharpness. Some professional photographers that I have spoken to have said to me that their 11x16 enlargements are comparable to medium format, and that some of their customers could not tell the difference between the two formats. I beg to differ. There is a difference and it is substantial. Even on my 3" prints I could weigh the difference - the medium format print excels. The image is sharp.
I'm still getting used to the fact that in my hands I have a professional camera - one that is used to take photographs for brochures. I have seen the results - the product of an excellent camera with outstanding lens. I have the Mamiya RZ67 ProII brochure and have seen the beautiful pictures of models, of landscape, mountains, and buildings in that brochure. These pictures are awesome, however, I suspected that they could be retouched and modified, and that the images could not be gotten without additional touch-up. That is NOT the case. The pictures, with all the wonderful detail and gradients could be gotten.
I really did expect to be slightly disappointed however, prior to purchasing it, but now that I've seen what the Mamiya RZ67 can do, I've had a change of heart.
I've taken a picture of my niece, and had it blown up to 11x14. It blew me away. The image was just as crisp as the 3" image.
I've taken pictures of Castle Crags in Northern California, and the pictures captured the rich details of the mountain. Excellent.
If you haven't ever used a medium format camera, starting will take time getting used to. The method of loading is different from a 35mm camera, and maybe getting help from a professional would help you learn it. It took me a while to learn how to use the camera, and I wasted one roll that accidentally got exposed. I've taken some double exposures by accident, but finally I was able to learn the correct procedure.
One of the benefits of using medium format, is that the developers take extra care in getting excellent results from your negatives. While taking 35mm film, I've found that oftentimes you end up getting horrible picture replete with dust. The exposures are not corrected and satisfaction is rarely obtained without scouting for a good lab. And the reason being is that developers know that 35mm film is taken mostly by amateurs, and secondly, they can get away with it, and thirdly, 35mm is so common place that developing is done in bulk.
I really love the results I get from the RZ76 pro II and I recommend it to anyone who would like to get better results in their pictures.
However, I must point out that the camera is big and heavy. It is not recommended for use in action shots.
UPDATE: Since I've purchased the camera about a year ago, I've added to my Mamiya camera outfit. I've purchased a 50mm ULD lens and a 100-200mm zoom lens. If anything, in my opinion, these two lens are required for any complete outfit. It'd be nice to have the 500mm lens, as well, however.
First of all, you should know that these lens are very expensive. The 50mm ULD lens can be purchased from reputable outfits like BHphotovideo.com, cameraworld.com, or adoramacamera.com, for around $1700! That's a lot of smackaroos. The 100-200mm lens cost around $3700. Rounded off of course.
The 50mm ULD lens is, according to a dealer that I purchased the lens, an improved lens for indoor architectural photography. This lens is not to be confused with the other Mamiya 50mm lens that doesn't have the "ULD" designation and is priced slightly lower. The 50mm lens is comparable to 35mm wideangle lens. To be honest with you, the lens is absolutely fantastic. It's extremely sharp and I'm glad that I had purchased it.
The 100-200mm lens, from my rough amateur estimation, is comparable to a 35 70-100mm lens. Perfect for framing mountain scape. I have a 100-300 35mm Canon L lens that chops out a portion of Mt Shasta when I photograph it. Not too good, so I can say that I value my Mamiya 100-200 lens.
Let me just say here that if you're interested in zoom lens, and wildlife photography, I do not recommend the Mamiya or any other Medium Format system. I'd go for a 35mm outfit instead. Like my Canon Elan 7e system (I intend to review this camera very soon.)
At anyrate, I'm very pleased to say that I am very impressed with the sharpness of the pictures that I've obtained from these cameras. And like I say, I'm an amateur at this, and so I'm learning from trial and error, but through practice and reading, I've managed to obtain better results than 35mm output. That's great and worth it to me. I like sharp images and large framed photos. They go hand in hand.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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