Mamiya 28mm and the Grand Canyon

[Don Libby]

I spent the last week up in the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Lots of snow, clouds, wind, cold (think 11 degrees).  Didn't get a chance to get a lot of color but was able to do a little.  

I shot the entire time with my Mamiya AFD II & P30+ using the new Mamiya 28mm lens.  I have to say that the lens worked as advertised - very pleased with it.  Despite all the snow, cold weather etc the only malfunction was me getting too cold the first night as I forgot to add an additional layer of clothing.

The image shown here was taken Tuesday afternoon around 2 P.M. near The Abyss.   The original image is 20x27 however I downsized to fit into a JPEG.  
I don't see me using the 35 much any more!  
[attachment=4303:attachment]


don

[Bill Caulfeild-Browne]

I spent the last week up in the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Lots of snow, clouds, wind, cold (think 11 degrees).  Didn't get a chance to get a lot of color but was able to do a little. 

I shot the entire time with my Mamiya AFD II & P30+ using the new Mamiya 28mm lens.  I have to say that the lens worked as advertised - very pleased with it.  Despite all the snow, cold weather etc the only malfunction was me getting too cold the first night as I forgot to add an additional layer of clothing.

The image shown here was taken Tuesday afternoon around 2 P.M. near The Abyss.   The original image is 20x27 however I downsized to fit into a JPEG. 
I don't see me using the 35 much any more!  
[attachment=4303:attachment]
don
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=161529\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Gotta love that lens - I have the same one and it performs so well on the P45+ that if you need 35mm, it's almost better to shoot with the 28mm and crop! (Not if you want really large prints of course, but for 11 by 17 it's really viable.)

Bill

[BernardLanguillier]

I shot the entire time with my Mamiya AFD II & P30+ using the new Mamiya 28mm lens.  [a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=161529\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Nice image, thanks for sharing.

How did the Mamiya/Phase behave in the cold? I am especially interested in the battery life.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Bernard

[John_Black]

Don - I'm shooting the 80mm F2.8 AF on a P25 and getting some lens cast.  It's becoming my new pet peeve   Are seeing any lens cast on the 28mm?

[Don Libby]

Bill – I totally agree with you regarding the lens.  The file sizes from this lens ran anywhere from 31 to 35MB.  I’ve taken one shot and worked it into a very nice 30x60 without any distortion whatsoever.  I’ve got to say that the lens is worth each and every cent you pay for it.

Bernard – Thank you for the kind words.  The image as such is one of my “throw a-ways” meaning okay to share with everyone but not one that I’ll sell.  As far as the equipment handling the cold it did much much better than the operator did!  I had a relatively fresh battery in the back when I took the first image and kept a spare in an inside pocket but never had to change.  I would take an image or two then turn the system off till I shot again.  I have my image preview set for about 10 seconds (can’t remember the exact amount other than it isn’t too long).  I had changed the body batteries when I was in the Sequoia’s early September and got a low battery warning after I got home from this trip.  All in all I’m very impressed and pleased with the entire system.  I shot about half the time in manual focus but when I did shoot in AF the focus was crisp and fast (for medium format).

All in all I just can’t think of a better lens to use at the Grand Canyon.  I can easily see images beyond the 60” mark; as a matter of fact I’m working on a three image panorama that has the potential of being huge.    BTW, this was the very first outing with this lens; I went to the South Rim as I have a client who is interested in a large pano of the Grand Canyon.  

John – I haven’t seen any lens cast yet and I’m over half way through looking at the images on the big screen.

Thanks to all

Edited to add:  One of the biggest problems (other than me keeping warm was to keep the lens clear of blowing snow for the first two days - finaly gave up figuring it would be easier to clean up the spots in pp.

don

[grandcanyoneer]

Excuse me but I am not really sure where to look for the photo..

[Paul2660]

Don

You said "new" mamiya 28mm lens.  Is this the same lens that has been shipping since around 2008 or a new reworked version. 

Thanks
Paul

[Paul2660]

Oops,

You are right.  I thought that Don had long since moved to the P45+ and tech camera. 


Thanks
Paul