WOW! Mamiya RZ67 glass looks extremely sharp through the viewfinder!

[EdSawyer]

the RZ is built at least as good mechanically as the RB. It was designed as a replacement/improvement, the only reason they kept the RB in the lineup was due to demand (for whatever reason). Frankly, RZ > RB in basically every way I can think of.

The only system I know of that can come close to out-resolving the RZ glass is the Mamiya 7 stuff, especially the wides. But for a do-everything system, the RZ has no peer really. I think the only place it is lacking is the tilt-shift adapter / system / lenses are a little less than ideal. If you have to do a lot of movements, it's better to use a 4x5.

 

[flavio81]

I don't find RZ very heavy. And it has a very smooth mirror transport that makes it very, um, smooth.

Agree. I don't find my RB too heavy. My Pentax 67 is lighter and more manageable, but the RB operates like a Rolls Royce while the Pentax operates like a VW beetle... vibration-wise that is.

 

[flavio81]

The only system I know of that can come close to out-resolving the RZ glass is the Mamiya 7 stuff, especially the wides.

This is true because of physical constraints. The lenses of the RZ (and RB) sit very away from the film plane. The Mamiya 7 lenses can almost touch the film plane. This allows the optical designers more possibilities for optimizing the design, especialy for lenses for about 100mm and shorter (compared to the RZ).

 

[Simonh82]

I picked up an RZ Pro ii recently and just love it. I will always have a soft spot for the C330 that got me in to medium format but I really feel like the RZ has opened up so many photographic possibilities for me.

I've only got the 110mm at the moment and think it is a great lens. It is so easy to focus on that huge screen that it is a pleasure. I had to send back a 50mm and 180mm which I also acquired with it as they had fungus on internal elements. I'm on the look out for 50mm, 65mm and maybe 180mm. When I bought the camera and lenses originally there seemed to be loads of them going in ebay auctions at reasonable prices. Now i'm having to search again there are none in auctions at what I would consider market price, only Buy it now at ~£100 more than what they generally go for.

The other option is importing from Japan, but given that I have ended up with badly described lenses once. I don't want to have to pay postage back to Japan if I end up in a similar situation.

Still I love the camera and I am sure a bit of patience will pay off in my hunt for lenses.

 

[mweintraub]

I picked up an RZ Pro ii recently and just love it. I will always have a soft spot for the C330 that got me in to medium format but I really feel like the RZ has opened up so many photographic possibilities for me.

I've only got the 110mm at the moment and think it is a great lens. It is so easy to focus on that huge screen that it is a pleasure. I had to send back a 50mm and 180mm which I also acquired with it as they had fungus on internal elements. I'm on the look out for 50mm, 65mm and maybe 180mm. When I bought the camera and lenses originally there seemed to be loads of them going in ebay auctions at reasonable prices. Now i'm having to search again there are none in auctions at what I would consider market price, only Buy it now at ~£100 more than what they generally go for.

The other option is importing from Japan, but given that I have ended up with badly described lenses once. I don't want to have to pay postage back to Japan if I end up in a similar situation.

Still I love the camera and I am sure a bit of patience will pay off in my hunt for lenses.

The 180mm is an amazing lens. Can't go wrong with any lens, really, but if you're looking for a floating element lens, the 50mm is way more expensive.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I'm on the look out for 50mm, 65mm and maybe 180mm.

Go for the 50mm only, the 65mm is too close to the 80mm to make it worth having.

 

[EdSawyer]

I have yet to find an RZ lens that is not top-notch, even the non-ULD 50 I thought was pretty darn good. (But, I later got a 50 ULD and sold the non-ULD version... mostly due to GAS).

There's a few uncommon RZ lenses that were made for a short time, or are somewhat uncommon, that fetch a bit more $. There's a 75/3.5 that is somewhat uncommon, I have never tried it but it's probably a nice one. The 150/3.5 isn't all that common either as I recall.

here's ones I know are great:

37, 50 (both), 65 M/L-A, 75 shift/SB, 110 (a great lens!), 140 M/L-A macro (also nice for portraits), 180/4.5 (another nice portrait tessar), all the APOs. There's also a 1.4x converter which seems to not degrade image quality to any degree that I can notice.

Some of the 75 shift versions had an issue with fogging in one of the rear element groups. I had to go through about 4 before I found a really clear copy of that lens.

 

[GarageBoy]

When I finally have some spare cash- I may pick either this or a Pentax 67 up as my end all be all fim camera (35mm portra is nice, but big portra is better and I don't wanna deal with sheets)
This is a much better "deal" than the P67 too (you get way more camera for the buck, but lose the giant SLR handing)

 

[flavio81]

When I finally have some spare cash- I may pick either this or a Pentax 67 up as my end all be all fim camera (35mm portra is nice, but big portra is better and I don't wanna deal with sheets)
This is a much better "deal" than the P67 too (you get way more camera for the buck, but lose the giant SLR handing)

I own the RB67 and the Pentax 67. I'd suggest the RZ or the RB instead of the Pentax. The handling of the Pentax 67 is superbly balanced and it is a bit lighter (and smaller) than the RB. However the RB can be handheld at much slower speeds (I'd say two stops slower than the Pentax) because of much smoother shutter and mirror mechanism. The RB is very easy to handhold (in my opinion) and i'd expect the same for the RZ. You cradle the lens with your left hand, and your fingers have access to aperture, shutter speed adjustment (on the RB), and stop-down lever. Your right hand supports the camera and triggers the shutter. You can focus with either hand in this position.

Also the RB/RZ has the revolving back which makes vertical shooting very comfortable. The RB/RZ lines allow using the 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7 and 6x8 format with the appropiate back and viewfinder mask. Plus polaroid/fuji instant film. All the lenses synch at all speeds with flash. Multiple exposures is super easy, while they are not possible with the P67 (except mine, which has the rare factory modification for multiple exposures). This means, on the P67, that if you don't want to use the cameras for a few days and the shutter was cocked, you will waste a frame to uncock the shutter (which is the correct way to store a camera.)

Now, if you are going to do outdoors shooting and don't mind using ISO 400 film instead of ISO 100, then the Pentax 67 is the clear winner, you will love it. It handles really quickly, just like a well-balanced 35mm SLR... until you run out of film after 10 shots, of course. Then you need to reload film and it's a very very slow operation on this machine. While on the Mamiyas you could just can change film magazines if you wish, something that can be done in about eight seconds.

 

[mweintraub]

I recently got a Pentax and shot one (or was it two) roll(s) with it. I was disappointed with the one I got because I had issue of almost totally blank frames. I'm not sure if it's a light leak or slow shutter speeds. I haven't done a full shutter test, but that's coming up soon.

The P6x7 issue left a bad taste with me, but I know my camera is unique and the problems are unique to it, not all of them. But man, love my RZ67!

 

[flavio81]

I recently got a Pentax and shot one (or was it two) roll(s) with it. I was disappointed with the one I got because I had issue of almost totally blank frames. I'm not sure if it's a light leak or slow shutter speeds. I haven't done a full shutter test, but that's coming up soon.

Internally it is a rather simple camera, nothing that a camera tech couldn't solve. The only fine adjustment seems to be at the shutter curtain brakes.

 

[mweintraub]

Internally it is a rather simple camera, nothing that a camera tech couldn't solve. The only fine adjustment seems to be at the shutter curtain brakes.

I remember the missing frames were possible < 1/60s, so that's why I'm thinking this. *le sigh*

 

[flavio81]

I remember the missing frames were possible < 1/60s, so that's why I'm thinking this. *le sigh*

Forgot to mention:

There is a common failure, which is when the shutter speed dial contacts get dirty/corroded/etc. In this failure I think the consequence is that the shutter stays open. This would cause the problem you mention.

Solution is really easy since removing that part of the top cover is easy. There is a tutorial on the web for this:

http://www.djcphoto.com/index.php/pentax-6x7-shutter-problem-solved/

 

[mweintraub]

Forgot to mention:

There is a common failure, which is when the shutter speed dial contacts get dirty/corroded/etc. In this failure I think the consequence is that the shutter stays open. This would cause the problem you mention.

Solution is really easy since removing that part of the top cover is easy. There is a tutorial on the web for this:

http://www.djcphoto.com/index.php/pentax-6x7-shutter-problem-solved/

I've heard about that, but didn't think about it. I'll check then film again to see if it's actually a light leak or shutter related.


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[mweintraub]

I don't think it's a light leak. Eek.

But this is what some of the shots look like. The banding is from the light box and my cell phone, ignore that.

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[GarageBoy]

I own the RB67 and the Pentax 67. I'd suggest the RZ or the RB instead of the Pentax.

Yeah, I've been using my dad's Pentax 645N for when I want that quick handling
Definitely leaning towards the RZ- more modern lenses (the 110 and 180 look amazing), cost mere pennies of what they used to, leaf shutters