EVEN THE DOGS ARE ROLLING THEIR EYES...

The blog is alive again! When I sold the P25 earlier this year, I knew I would own another medium format system once the prices were more affordable. I had two ideas for getting back into medium format - a Contax 645AF with a Phase One P30, or a Mamiya ZD camera. Finding a Contax 645AF kit is easy, but finding a digital back with a Contax 645AF mount is not nearly as easy. Since the Contax 645AF prospects were slim and none, I focused on the ZD camera. ZD cameras are rare in the states because MAC Group does not offer the ZD camera in this market. Last month after two years of stalking ZD’s on Ebay, I finally bought a used one.

WHY A MAMIYA ZD?

The Mamiya ZD camera is a very unique design - it is the first all-in-one digital medium format camera. Essentially the ZD is like an over-sized Canon 5D with a 48x36mm Dalsa sensor at the heart. It looks like Leica will be second to the market with their S2. Supposedly Nikon has a new MX format ready to go, and Pentax has started up the Pentax 645D once again. The Leica S2 is real, but the Nikon and Pentax systems are just rumors for now. Depending on your preferences, there are some advantages to an integrated all-in-one design include -

1. •The ZD camera uses ONE battery, and it is a rechargeable lithium ion battery similar to those found in current Canon and Nikon dSLRs. One battery means I do not have to carry spare batteries & charger for the digital back, plus another set of spare batteries (and charger) for the camera. The ZD comes with a nice, compact dual charger (world voltage).
   

2. •Overall the ZD camera is smaller and lighter than other options. The Mamiya 645AFD II weighs ~3 pounds with its 6 AAA batteries, plus another pound for the Phase One P25, plus its battery, plus the 80mm F2.8 AF kit lens. The kit weighs 5+ pounds. Whereas the Mamiya ZD weighs 2.87 pounds, the battery weighs 3.5 ounces and the 80mm lens weighs 10.6 ounces. In total 3.75 pounds. The ZD is not a petite camera, but compared to its medium format competitors - the ZD is the lightweight of the bunch.
   

3. •The ZD camera (and back) use the same Dalsa 22 MP sensor as the Aptus-22 and Sinar Emotion-22. The Dalsa sensor has a reputation for less sensor cast than the Kodak 22 MP sensor. After experiencing moderate sensor cast with the P25, I was worried that the ZD may have similar performance. And, there is no function in the ZD’s software similar to LCC (Phase One’s C1 software) or a Gain file (Leaf’s LC11 software). Amazingly the ZD has not shown any signs of sensor or lens cast thus far - which is a huge relief.
   

4. •The ZD’s auto-focus consists of three auto-focus points - which are very close together. With the ZD’s thumb pad, any of these three points can be selected INDEPENDENTLY, or all three can be selected at once for a wide focus array. Selecting the AF point is just like using thumb-stick on a Canon dSLR or the thumb pad on a Nikon dSLR. Presumably this is the same auto-focus system now available in the Mamiya 645AFD III and Phase One P645.
   

5. •The ZD camera uses its rear LCD to display functions such as its custom functions - similar to a Canon or Nikon dSLR. On the Mamiya 645AFD II the custom functions are set using cryptic acronyms displayed in the top panel LCD. Without the user manual, it’s difficult to remember what all the acronyms and glyphs mean.
   

6. •The ZD viewfinder has .75x magnification with 98% coverage, so no more sloppy overlay masks with crop lines. What I see in the viewfinder is what I get. The ZD’s status bar in the viewfinder is very similar to a modern dSLR showing focus point selection, focus confirmation, metering mode, shutter speed, aperture, EC adjustment, ISO, buffer status and other info.
   

Yes, there are some drawbacks to the Mamiya ZD camera, but considering its $4500-$6000 price point for a used body, some trade-offs are to be expected. I have only been using the ZD for a couple days, and it is too early to proclaim any sweeping judgments. First impressions are very good and the ZD has exceeded my expectations. During the next several weeks I will try to post a couple more entries detailing various aspects of the ZD’s operation and performance - both the good and bad.

In the meantime, the red maple leaf image to the right was taken with the 80mm F2.8 AF lens, handheld, ISO 50. The image was processed in C1 v4.1.2 using the “Generic Mamiya ZD” profile. This image had C1’s default sharpening applied. Click the image for a 100% crop saved at the highest JPEG quality level possible. All the other images on this page were also taken with ZD camera and Mamiya 80mm F2.8 AF lens. The pictures ZD camera were taken with a Canon 1Ds3. Full EXIF is available on all images.