Advice on what to choose: Fujifilm GFX and Mamiya RZ67 pro II are my options
It is been almost a year now since i discovered the Mamiya system in the closet and started planning some shoots in order to use it. My partner Vangelis and founder of Land Art Productions nvested on it back in 1995 .
Medium format was always expensive. Also in the analog days. 3 to 4 million drachmas (Greek currency) back in 1995 was considered as a lot of money. But this was a top quality tool for these days . 120 film in a format of 6×7. Huge frame size. Difficult in operation. The technical knowledge in order to get a correct frame out of these cameras had to be perfect.
The size of this camera is huge compared to an X100S or a dslr and the complexity impressive. Body backs pentaprism lenses etc. There is a motordrive and a handle missing on the shot above.
I first shot some film with the camera but after a while i started my research over the internet of a possible upgrade to digital. There are very few people who still use this camera nowdays as a digital but it was one of the most converted models at the start of digital age. One of them is Ryuuzaki Julio. He has made many explanation videos in detail about the upgrade and modification. frank doorhof used to own one but i do not know if he still uses it.(his review here)
With a little research i found that the lowest cost for such an upgrade can be 3000 to 5000 euro. Always talking about used camera back and a digital back adapter which costs 1000 euro.
with a digital back of 33 to 40 megapixel and the adapter i mention above i will have an integrated system of medium format. Lenses i have start from 50mm(which is considered wide angle at 6×7) 110 mm f2.8 and 250mm f4.5 with 2x teleconverter.
Meantime of my research Fujifilm GFX anouncment takes place . An important reason to make me think i have to choose between the one or the other.
In one hand a Mamiya with a full series of lenses with it’s downsides because of outdated technology and in the other hand a brand new system with the latest technology but a more expensive investment.
Pros and Cons of the two systems without even have tested both of them (in a digital way)
Mamiya RZ
Pros
A series of lenses preowned (do not have to pay for them)
Both film and digital available in one system
Leaf shutter lenses
upgradeable digital backs option with bigger sensor size
Cons
old system
limitation on shutter speed to 1/400
Manual focus
Difficult operation
Fujifilm GFX 50s
Pros
Modern and latest tech system
Autofocus
compact size compared to Mamiya
Cons
smaller sensor size
More expensive for a complete system
lack of 1/125 flash synch speed
no leaf shutter lenses
In the case of GFX it will be easy to make a testing happen. Or directly for fujifilm or through a renting. On the other hand it is difficult to find a Mamiya converted to digital in order to test it.
i want to be able to use the fujifilm GFX outdoors with combination of flash. I know i can use ND filters in order to keep my shutter low and aperture open. But 1/125 shutter speed in some situations is not enough.
fujifilm announced the H mount adapter which will give the ability to use H mount leaf shutter lenses. But how does this work? How the camera bypass the mechanic shutter and uses the lens shutter?
If the above works does it mean that we can hope for a fuji series leaf shutter lenses fully functional (autofocus etc)?
Mamiya RZ67 pro II thoughts
I buy the digital back adapter(hopefully find second hand) and a cheap old digital back and i start working with it. In the future i am able to upgrade to a better digital back. i must first find a solution for focusing. In order to be sharp it needs a good effort and maybe a good magnification loupe. The Mamiya one is not so strong or i may start wearing glasses.
One way or another there is a serious amount of money on both situations. I will do the step only when a serious project is near the corner. In no way i want to work for financing fuji or Mamiya
I ll appreciate any of your help on the above questions in order to be able to make a clear decision. I hope i will be able to test the GFX soon and i am sure that i will be impressed. Mamiya already impressed me and i will be more if it will be upgraded. But i must decide wisely! If any of you has experience with Mamiya i would like to hear it
Do i miss something?
Best Regards and Images,
