I very much enjoy shooting medium format for any number of the typical medium format reasons. And that includes film. But clients expect faster and sooner so digital is a requirement for editorial and advertising. I had been shooting with the Leaf 65 Digital back on my Mamiya 645AFDII but for some reason was holding off actually buying it. Then with Mamiya finally getting their 645ZD into the marketplace, I could not let the chance to go by and see what it was like. And at less than half the price of any other digital back I found it very intriguing.
So I checked with my dealer, Bob Wilde at Samy's Camera in Santa Ana, California and they did indeed have a demo camera on hand. Now let me state that this is one of the reasons that a good relationship with a professional dealer is really important if you are in the photography business. We scheduled a time to get the camera to me when I would use it on actual assignments. By the way the camera is essentially the digital back on a Mamiya 645AFDII body including the 80mm standard lens.
The night before I received the camera I did download the manual and went through it mostly catching the specifics of what I thought I would need to know. Actually I found it simple. With camera in hand and battery charged, I set out to go though the menus. I found it entirely intuitive with no need to go back to the manual at all. Although there a few things I would now need to remind myself about. And then for the big first shoot, I did what everyone does. I went into my backyard and shot some photos of trees and my dog.
I really spent my time just getting familiar with it and making sure everything worked ok. I checked my photos in Lightroom and all seemed good, and I was very impressed with what I was seeing, but I would wait and see what it would be like for real.
The first shoots I had scheduled were two separate magazine features in a gym where I would be shooting two guys working out, lifting weights. My crew arrived at the gym and set up the lighting as usual. For this I was using the Profoto 2400r with two heads and two silver umbrellas. And as with any shoot I had back up cameras on hand but especially when I am using something new. So here is what it looks like...
One of the real pleasures of shooting with the Mamiya is the big bright viewfinder. It does make it so very easy to compose and actually photograph as opposed to just shooting pictures. I found operational speed fast enough for my work although certainly not as fast as a Canon. One of things I was concerned about was the size of the display at 1.8 inches. This is a give up as compared to the size of other cameras. But then again, I did a lot of successful shooting with a Canon 1DMkII which only has a 2 inch display. You can see the display here...
I did find the display very sharp and useful for checking the composition, shadows and other details. Focus can be checked with one button zoom in that worked easily. And perhaps the display was actually easier to see outdoors than other cameras I have used. If anything I found myself relying more on getting the shot right in the viewfinder in the first place as well as setting up my lighting and exposures how I know they need to be without constantly re-checking the display, somewhat ruining the flow of the shoot.
Battery life was good, I shot about 400 frames that day and it looked like I still had plenty of battery life left to go. But the big issue for me was yet to come, image quality. That is what it is all about. I want to produce the best images I can for the job with a minimum of post processing.
Image quality is where it all came together with the 645ZD. I am very impressed! Processing was done in Lightroom and there was really none to do. The images were sharper than any other camera I have worked with, possibly except the Leaf. However I would have to shoot them side by side to see if there is actually a difference to consider. Color, contrast and skin tones are excellent, if not perfect. And did I say sharp? Yes I did, but it deserves to be said again.
Now I did get to use the Mamiya again a few days later on a completely different type of shoot. I was on an assignment to shoot a cover for a specific issue of a magazine. And this was to be an outside photo at a resort type property. The day finally gave me bright and sunny conditions and I set about shooting at the location.
This is where that big viewfinder was of value. I really needed to compose my shots and consider every detail in the frame. This was not a place for not being able to see, and any display on the back of any camera for this was going to be less than good. The sun was just too bright.
Well the Mamiya nailed it and it was a successful assignment. Every detail in the cover shot was sharp and the colors beautiful. I am also really happy with the way the Mamiya handled contrast and the highlights. No blown out highlights and excellent shadow detail which was very important on many of the shots. I am sorry to say that I am precluded from showing any photos from this shoot until the issue runs but I can say that my client is more than happy.
As I often say, I am no camera geek or pixel peeper (a new term I just learned). I can only tell you about my experience in using the 645ZD on actual assignments. First and foremost, it was more of a success than I even expected. But about the details.
Yes I would like a larger display but it works just fine. You can overrun the buffer but for my shooting it is not an issue. This is not the camera for you if you are shooting as fast as your finger can push the button, but then again I think if you are, you should be re-considering how you are shooting. This camera actually might make you a better photographer, it did for me. It is 14 bit and the other backs out there are 16 bit, but how much difference that affords, I just don't know. Based on results I am good with it.
More random notes; ISO is 50 - 400. I found that I really enjoyed using 50 outdoors in a lot of light. 100 is fine and 200 seemed ok too. At 400 I saw it become somewhat noisy but for me it was still useable for what I would be shooting at 400. The other backs are not much better at 400 from what I have seen so far, and only a few go up to 800 but I don't recall it being very useful. Cleaning dust off the sensor is easy. First you don't actually clean the sensor but a clear filter or cover, whatever it is, over the sensor. Remove the back and blow it off with a hand bulb and done. And there is an IR filter than you can buy that slides right on in to turn your camera into an IR system, that is cool!
I had been told and read of some problems with the first units that were shipped. Well that seems to be the norm for every camera system, just ask Canon right now. So I tested for the problems with the help of friends who had first hand experience and I found none of them on this camera. I also talked to Mamiya America Corporation directly and without going into detail was assured that the problems I had heard about had been corrected and that any units still out with problems were usually just being replaced.
So to sum up in my opinion. Amazing image quality, color, sharpness and everything else that goes with great images. It was nice having a huge file in 4:3 aspect ratio that I didn't have to crop from 3:2. That was a time saver too. Excellent image processing in Lightroom. You don't have to learn new software. By the way I did test the Mamiya software for shooting tethered and it seemed to work just fine. The camera is easy to use and intuitive. The build seems solid and fit comfortably in my hands. And finally, as compared to other medium format backs or camera systems, it is a bargain.
By the way; a big Thank You to my friend and photographer Warren Weber for providing the behind the scenes photos!
I am sure I have missed many points so if you have any questions, please just send me an e-mail to SecondFocus@mac.com. But if you really want something special and you really want to move up and improve your game, this is certainly a camera or back to consider that can get the job done.
Thanks and keep coming back if you "Wanna See More...?'
