THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2007 (Updated April 16, 2008)

I have been following the Mamiya ZD camera and the ZD back for over a year, so it is quite exciting to see the first ZD Back reviews beginning to appear on the web. The ZD camera has been available for some time in other markets, but not the United States. Mamiya updated their website around May 2007 with the new ZD information and pricing. If you have been hungry for ZD Back reviews, then these links may feed the need:

1. •Mark Welsh’s at his 16-9.net site
   

2. •Frank Doorhorf’s in his blog
   

3. •Michael Reichmann’s ongoing entries at Luminous Landscape
   

4. •GetDPI Forums
   

Michael Reichmann’s review is good in terms of a hands-on commentary, but the review discusses the ZD camera - not the back. Frank’s write-up is about the Mamiya AFD II with the ZD Back. Mark’s review is about the ZD Back too, but on the original AFD body - not the AFD II. I suspect Mark would be happier with the Mamiya 645AFD II body (the 645AFD II has improved auto focus, additional custom functions, improved shutter design and more information presented in the LCDs). For more reading on digital backs, I recommend www.luminous-landscapes.com. The user forums have a number of medium format shooters and is great source for hands-on information.

The GetDPI link was added on April 16, 2008. Jack Flesher and another forum member picked up their ZD backs recently, so there is plenty of Canon and Nikon dSLR comparing going over there.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2007 (Updated January 4, 2008)

Phase One and Mamiya have announced a “strategic alliance” and Phase One will be release a new body - designed by Phase, built by Mamiya. There is also talk of new lenses. The Phase Body will use the Mamiya 645 AF lens mount and digital back mount, so there is backwards and forwards compatibility.  For more information, check out Luminous Landscape’s article. In the week since this announcement we have learned of several new lenses for Mamiya ZD and Mamiya 645AFDII:

1. •Mamiya-Sekor 45-90mm D Auto-Focus (Aperture speeds unknown at this time)
   

2. •Mamiya-Sekor 150mm F2.8 D Auto-Focus
   

3. •Mamiya-Sekor 80mm F2.8 D Auto-Focus (supposedly on sale February 1, 2008)
   

The Mamiya ZD back is also supposed to supported in Phase One C1 software; whether this will be “LE” version or C1 Pro version is unknown at this time. In late December 2007 Phase One released C1 Version 4 which replaced C1 LE. I have C1 Version 4 and do NOT see any ICC profiles listed for the Mamiya ZD.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2007

Today I purchased a Phase One P25 back for the Mamiya 645AFD mount. Following the progress of other ZD Back owners via www.luminous-landscape.com helped in my decision process. With a $6,995 list price I still think the ZD Back is the best deal on the planet, but with all the Phase One and Mamiya partnership beginning to gather some momentum, I decided to go with a Phase Back. It will probably take 6 to 12 months to figure out whether this was the right decision or not. I have started a pseudo blog (click here) to chronicle the ups and downs with the P25.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2008

Some quick follow-up on Mamiya...  Mamiya and Phase will be presenting the new camera at Tokyo’s Photo Image Expo in Tokyo on March 19-21, 2008. Not much as been said about the upcoming camera, but it is generally believed to be the next evolution in the 645AFD body. It has been called an Mamiya 645 AFD III; whether that is “the” name or not remains to be seen. Supposedly the same camera will be re-labeled and sold under the Phase One brand. Some are hoping/expecting a totally different camera since there references to leaf shutter lenses in original Phase One press release from November 13, 2007.

My personal expectation is that Phase One will announce a new or updated back to go along with the 645 AFD III. This is Mamiya’s and Phase’s chance to use a common LiON battery for the camera plus the back. The camera could utilize the the back’s LCD screen for view the camera’s custom functions, etc. I am really hoping that Mamiya adds a true selectable multi-point AF focus array; after using a Canon 1-series cameras for years, having just a single center focus AF point is incredibly limiting. We’ll know soon enough!

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008

Keeping in the spirit of updating this news brief, the Mamiya 150mm and 45-90mm lenses have been formally announced by Mamiya - click here for the Mamiya press release. Likewise, the Mamiya 645AFD III was also announced and should be available sometime in the 2nd Quarter 2008. In the same press announcement the new 80mm f2.8 AF D lens is shown too. So, all the rumors turned out to be true.

The Mamiya 645AFD III and Phase One 645 are the same camera. Phase One is promising lens corrections in their C1 V4 Pro version (not yet available). Supposedly these lens corrections should work with a Mamiya 645AFD III too. It is not known if the P Back or just the P+ Backs support the lens corrections. There are many unknowns right now, so stay tuned.

One interesting note about the new Mamiya 645AFD III is the updated three point auto focus system. Supposedly the photographer can select the Left, Center or Right auto focus point. I have studied the pictures closely and do not see a button to facilities this selection. If Mamiya buried the AF point selection is the custom menus... sigh... I’m sure some previews will surface soon and we will know how that works.

Another minor point, the Mamiya Japan website made note of the ZD back being updated with new buffer memory for a 2X improvement. This is good news since the ZD’s slow buffer speed is a common complaint. Now if only Mamiya would grace the ZD back with a 2.2”, 2.5” or 3.0” LCD screen. If you read Japanese, you might want to take a look the Mamiya Japan site.

THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008

After a bit more late night reading, the following is some added editorial about the possible future of the Mamiya 645ZD (the “Mamiya 645ZD” is Mamiya’s name for the 645AFD II + ZD back - this is how they refer to the combination on their U.S. website).

1. •I came across a post in the GetDPI forum where Capture Integration stated the Phase One 645AF camera body (same body as the Mamiya 645AFD III) can be bundled with a new Phase One P+ back for $2,500. Thus, we now know the “value” Phase One and Mamiya are assigning to the 645AFD III. List price for the Mamiya 645AFD III with the 80mm F2.8 AF D lens is $4,999 (U.S.)
   

2. •Applying this tidbit of knowledge, one could assume the Mamiya 645ZD kit will be updated from the Mamiya 645AFD II to the 645AFD III and the $9,999 list price (U.S.) will remain the same. This would be good news. The U.S. dollar is quite weak and some back makers have been raising their U.S. prices.
   

3. •As noted in yesterday’s entry (above), the Mamiya Japan website mentioned the buffer memory in the ZD back being updated to new memory running 2X faster than the original. My guess is the old memory is no longer available, so Mamiya updated the design to accommodate the new memory from their supplier(s). With memory being so cheap, I really do not see why this should increase the price of the ZD back ($6,999 U.S.)
   

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