In my previous post, I described some of the technical challenges I encountered in mounting a selection of Mamiya RZ lenses on an Arca-Swiss F-Universalis technical camera for use with my Fujifilm GFX 50SII. In this post, I focus not so much on technical challenges but on the much more important question – how does this combination perform in practice?
Four months ago I wrote about a major change in my photography that resulted from the purchase of an Arca-Swiss F-Universalis – a technical camera that enables me to use a mix of medium format lenses with my Fuji GFX with full tilts and swings to enable control of both perspective and plane of focus. In my initial use of this combination, I was mostly using three Mamiya RZ lenses, supplemented by two Pentax 645 lenses and two Schneider-Kreuznach enlarger lenses. Now, after four months of more intensive use, exploration and a couple more lens purchases, its time for an update to pass on some of my learnings. In this post I focus in particular on my experience of using legacy Mamiya RZ67 lenses, which to my mind offer a relatively cost-effective route for those wanting excellent optical quality at a reasonable cost. I purchased all of my lenses from Japanese stores listing on EBay, and all proved to be honest and trustworthy sellers.
My basic Mamiya RZ setup – the ULD 50mm is mounted on the F-Universalis, with my Fujifilm GFX 50SII mounted on the rear. My other lenses, arranged across the front from left to right are a Mamiya M 75mm L, a Mamiya-Sekor Z 110mm, a Mamiya Macro M 140mm M/L-A, and an Apo-Sekor Z 210mm.