Camerz ZII long roll "large" format camera

mtjade2007 · Jan 29, 2010

It's really just about the size of a 645. But the camera is like a boat anchor. So I call it large format camera. Anyway, I did a test shot for a poster project with a Camerz ZII for a friend's shoe store. The images came out beautifully. It made me realize that this beast does not deserve the way it has been treated in a storage box in the garage. The lens is surprisingly good. The image quality is certainly first class.

My question is are Camerz long roll cameras such as a ZII with 75 - 150 mm f4.5 zooms still used for school portrait works today? Or is their time pretty much over now and have been replaced with digital cameras? It looks like very possible that a 645 film back of some sort can be adapted to the back of the camera and make it an excellent low cost yet high quality studio portrait camera. The camera can handle large flash systems and the shutter will last a very long life.

Here is a test shot: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4312576355_6020626d27_o.jpg

AlexG · Jan 29, 2010

The place that does the photo's for my school district stopped using the long roll cameras about 2002~2003. I vaguely remember (This was 10 years ago!) them using a Camerz camera for the single head shots, then they would use a Bronica for the group shots and also a polaroid so the teachers could write the name of the student down on the order form accordingly. I also remember seeing the photographers setting up once in the multipurpose room. They didn't use the finder to focus (I'm guessing it can't?) - they used a tape measure and gaffers tape to mark the spot.

My mom would always order 8x10's to send out to the family, and the pictures were always tack-sharp. I'm not surprised by this...parents are very picky - and an overpriced unsharp portrait would make people very unhappy!

All the portraits are now done on Nikon digital.

mtjade2007 · Jan 29, 2010

Thanks for the reply. The finder of the Camerz ZII is actually very usable. The camera is in fact a SLR. The finder allows very precise focusing. There is a magnifier in the finder that you can swing it in to enlarge a portion of the object (head of a portrait) to be precisely focused. But comparing to use a tape to measure the distance of the object the finder will be slower. For critical focusing the finder is no doubt the one to use.

The Camerz camera has a unique ID system that names of the people taken the portraits are written down on an ID card inserted into the camera. The name will be shot onto the bottom on the film. It will be impossible to mess up and you can always associate a portrait to a person of the portrait. If they use digital cameras now how do they get the names onto the image? Besides, how durable is it of a digital camera for this kind of volume portrait work?

I am surprised that Camerz camera actually produces images this good. The zoom lens has a 6x6 coverage at least. A zoom lens like this for any MF camera will command hundreds of dollars. I am going to find a way to use this camera. I can set it up on my van and travel with it. And use it on location?

AlexG · Jan 29, 2010

That's a picture of a mini-me. Probably late 1990's. The tag on the left side of me states my name and (I believe - because that wasn't my grade when this picture was taken.) the homeroom number.

The picture looks pretty good!

mtjade2007 · Jan 30, 2010

Nice picture. It's good to have pictures taken when you were young. They bring back lots of memories. Question. How did the name tag end up on the side of the negative? My Czmerz camera will have name tags at the bottom.

AlexG · Jan 30, 2010

mtjade2007 said:
Nice picture. It's good to have pictures taken when you were young. They bring back lots of memories. Question. How did the name tag end up on the side of the negative? My Czmerz camera will have name tags at the bottom.

I was wondering this too, but the thing on the side looks like a scanned part of the original negative that was moved over into the left margin during processing. Each picture (Wallets, 8x10, Stickers) has the name tag on different parts of the picture. I'm pretty sure these were some of the first school portraits to be done on a digital lab machine (It just doesn't look optically printed - and the full class portrait has computer generated text overlays on the prints) so some parts of the picure could be manipulated via computer...

Alex

DanielStone · Jan 30, 2010

my school district stopped using the long-roll cameras back in 2002-2003 I believe, cause I remember them taking my 9th grade picture on one ! from then on though, it was on a digital nikon tethered to a computer. long shutter release attached to the camera. shoot, and look at it on the computer. bing badda boom.

the one I was shot by was a square format though, I think it was like 24x24 or something like that, long-roll 35mm(100ft rolls I believe or portra 160nc)

-Dan

brucemuir · Jan 30, 2010

mtjade2007 said:
If they use digital cameras now how do they get the names onto the image? Besides, how durable is it of a digital camera for this kind of volume portrait work?

Software. It goes into the meta data.

My buddie worked for a high volume school portrait outfit and the highest paid dude in the company was the software/workflow guy. He designed their own software to keep track of the massive amounts of portraits and made sure the shots were identifiable.

My guess was the tape measure the other reply mentioned was more for the lighting than for focus.

thisismyname09 · Jan 30, 2010

I just recently had my senior class 'panorama' picture. I saw a fuji 6x9 rangefinder, but they also had a nikon digital. Probably as a "just in case" thing.

All the individual pictures were taken like Daniel mentioned, though, with a digital camera, a computer, and a screen all tied onto a tripod with wheels.

Rick A · Jan 30, 2010

When I worked for Olan Mills, we used 70mm roll film in magazines. Seeing this dredged up some memories.

Rick

ChristopherCoy · Aug 9, 2011

Sorry to dredge up and old thread. I was given one of these and had no clue what it was until it was delivered to me, and I saw it. Now I do.

Is there any value left in it at all? It was given to me free, but I'll never shoot a 100 foot roll of film. What could I possibly use it for, other than a boat anchor.

jibou36 · Jun 4, 2015

Hi!
I just received a Camerz ZIII and some of the cables are missing so I need the instruction manual, did someone have it?
Thanx!

mtjade2007 · Jun 5, 2015

ChristopherCoy said:
Is there any value left in it at all? It was given to me free, but I'll never shoot a 100 foot roll of film. What could I possibly use it for, other than a boat anchor.

The lens is a very high quality 2X zoom that covers 6x6. The camera has a fixed shutter speed of 1/30th second and it will last a life time. It is possible to put a Mamiya or even a Hassy 6x4.5 120 or 220 film back on the back of the Camerz body. It will need some work to mount it though. I have not had the time to try it but it looks like very feasible. It will become a very high quality studio portrait 645 camera. So what is the value of a volume 645 studio portrait camera that will last forever? The scanned image quality will be superior to digital images produced by a Canon 40D which I used for a few portrait projects lately so I know which produces better images.

Camerz ZII long roll "large" format camera

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