BACKGROUND

Sadly, the Mamiya ZD dSLR will probably never get the recognition it deserves as being the first commercially available integrated digital medium format dSLR. For years Pentax showed their prototype models of the 645D at industry trade shows. Ultimately it took Pentax 4 years to bring the camera to market in late 2009. Leica introduced their $23,000 S2 in 2009 and caused quite the stir because of the system’s extreme price. With all the noise and hype, the Mamiya ZD gets an honorable mention from time to time. But it was Mamiya in 2004-2005 who proposed the integrated camera, and unfortunately it took Mamiya several years to bring their camera to market as well. When the Mamiya ZD dSLR finally reached the market, it was expensive and under-spec’d with its tiny 1.8” rear LCD screen and slowish processor.

The MAC Group, the US Distribution for Mamiya, never imported the Mamiya ZD to the US market, and that was the kiss of death for the Mamiya ZD. At the time it was estimated that US represented 40% of the digital medium format market, so not releasing a camera in the US effectively cut the addressable market in half. The MAC Group cited the small rear LCD display as being too small for the US market. The MAC Group’s concern was valid; however, that could have easily been changed with a Mamiya ZD II as there was plenty of real estate on the back of the Mamiya ZD for a larger rear LCD.

The Mamiya ZD had good DNA at its heart. It was based on Dalsa 22 MP 48 x 36mm sensor. The same sensor used in Leaf and Sinar digital backs. Dalsa created a propriety chipset for the Mamiya ZD and the base ISO went from 25 to 50, thus marking the ZD more landscape friendly. The Mamiya ZD also has a user-removable IR filter which opens the door to IR photography, and also had the added benefit of acting as a dust shield. An optional AA filter was also available, albeit a pricey option.

I found the Mamiya ZD dSLR to be a very interesting camera, but its retail price was well beyond my means, and the camera was never released in the US. Ultimately in November 2008 I bought a used Mamiya ZD dSLR from a Frenchman (on Ebay) for $5,000 US. It was still pricey, but after my somewhat failed attempted with a Phase One P25 and Mamiya 645AFD II, I really wanted to try the integrated body. Jumping ahead to the end of the story, I really enjoyed the Mamiya ZD and as a camera, I thought it was brilliant. It had its weaknesses for sure, but $5,000 it cost easily 2X less than any other 22 MP digital medium format kit on the market. And it was so, so much easier to use. Ultimately the desire to buy other equipment led to the Mamiya ZD’s sale. But I still have fond memories of the Mamiya ZD.

Information about the Mamiya ZD is spread out all over PebblePlace.com, so this page puts all the information in one place. The Mamiya ZD was a very niche product and the camera did not receive wide spread press coverage. Hopefully the following pages will help you in your Mamiya ZD research:

GEAR TALK #26

Medium Format on a Budget

At this point I was seriously frustrated with the Canon 1Ds Mark III’s clipping highlights, so I decided to give medium format a second chance. I won a used Mamiya ZD integrated dSLR on Ebay and that is where the story starts.

GEAR TALK #27

Mamiya ZD First Impressions

This entry sums up my first impressions of the Mamiya ZD after 24 hours. Some initial snaps shots from the Mamiya ZD are also included. All in all the Mamiya ZD exceeded my expectations, so good times.

GEAR TALK #28

Mamiya ZD First Impressions Continued

This entry discusses the Mamiya ZD dSLR’s camera body including the build quality, handling, the image buffer, the tiny 1.8” rear LCD screen, auto-focus performance and the battery life.

GEAR TALK #29

The Mamiya 150mm F3.5 AF

Today is a great example of “good light equals good pictures”. This was my first outing with the Mamiya 150mm F3.5 AF on the Mamiya ZD. I really liked the Mamiya 150mm F3.5 AF for its compact size on the Mamiya ZD.