Give up or stick with ZD Back?

[rweissman]

I have owned the Mamiya ZD / 645 combo for about three months and am considering upgrading to an Aptus or Phase One.  The ZD is now at Mamiya US to be checked out for the problems noted below. Having discovered, however, that my loaner ZD (from my excellent!! dealer--KSP in Palo Alto) exhibits the same problems noted below, I am not sure what the Mamiya servicing will actually accomplish.

My issues:

-DB Error/ Lockup. Very frequent ZD back lockup due to an error that is nowhere documented in Mamiya's manuals: "DB Error" which is only cured by removing the battery magazine. This is not a buffer emptying issue as it often occurs after a break in shooting. The camera simply will not take pictures until the 6 AA magazine battery has been removed. Nothing except this, in my experience, including popping out the memory card, fixes the issue. I shot a wedding anniversary this week with a dealer loaner and repeatedly, again, every 10 -15 minutes, the camera flashed DB Error and wouldn't fire. I have used different Compact Flash cards, thinking this might be the error, but that didn't cure the problem. This is primarily the reason why I sent the camera in for repair and it happened again this week with my loaner ZD.

- Green Color Cast. This problem is sort of fixable but is still annoying. And my dealer has verified that it exists, as have several others posting to this forum. Colors are very inaccurate using Lightroom--yellow green cast is everywhere. Other raw converters mitigate this but it is indicative of a driver or software flaw. Lightroom is the recommended/included converter for the ZD and yet it produces terribly inaccurate colors 'out of the box.'

-Metering errors.  About 10% - 15% of the time, when I turn the camera on, the metering is very inaccurate. Turning the camera off and  on again sometimes  cures this. Sometimes metering is not off to such an extent that it is noticeable until I review the images; other times it is wildly off.

-Noise.   While noise above ISO 160 was a known problem, the level of noise coupled with the problems noted above, simply magnify my disappointment.

If noise were the only issue, I could live with it. But I simply cannot trust the ZD combo to produce reliable, well-metered, accurate color images, particularly when the camera frequently locks up.  I love the look of medium format and am very happy with Mamiya's lenses but cannot trust the ZD to deliver consistent results. As I noted above, my dealer's loaner ZD is behaving exactly like my own ZD, though the color cast isn't as extreme as with my unit.

Has anyone found a way to deal with these issues? I believe my firmware is up to date (current as of March).  I am considering upgrading to a better back (keeping the Mamiya 645 AFDII body), particularly given this month's special deal on the Aptus 65.

I would value opinions from existing ZD owners or those of you who have evaluated the unit. Should I stick with the ZD or upgrade?

I must also say that while really annoying, these issues do not impact my livelihood. While I do a fair amount of unpaid candid and event photography as well as shoot for my own enjoyment, I am not a pro and an upgrade involves significant cost without corresponding income to offset it.

(Pros, don't worry; the events I shoot are the kind where there is no budget and no pro would have been hired in any case -- and I always recommend hiring a pro when I think there is a 'budget'. To that end, I am an investor in an Internet business whose mission is to increase the paid opportunities for professional wedding photographers.)

Thoughts?

Best regards,

Ron

PS: I have years of experience with Leica and Canon gear, and tested extensively an H1/Aptus 22 (lenses were too expensive, no upgrade path). I have never had, with any of this, remotely the level of problems that I have had with the ZD. Am I simply the victim of chance-- two unrepresentative and unusually bad copies of a normally good system-- or is my experience a familiar one for other ZDers?

[Frank Doorhof]

Hi,
See www.doorhof.nl/blog under reviews about my views on the ZD.
Mamiya promised me that the new backs should all be problem free, that is some months ago. So I don't know what to say.

[Justinr]

Ron

I can understand and even share your disappointment  with what is meant to be a high quality piece of kit. I bought mine simply because it was the cheapest way into dMF and the images it produces are far better than the Canon 30d that I had been using, so no let down there. However, I was also very much aware that being the cheapest it would also have it's drawbacks and possible problems and, as you say, the noise issue is well known but I had heard nothing of the others. So at the end of the day I was very much alive to the idea that an upgrade would be required at some time in the future, personally I have not reached that point yet but it may be that you have. Whether you can justify it now or not is a decision that I can't help you with but it's worth bearing in mind that it can work very well and produce some really quite brilliant results when used within its constraints.

BTW. I haven't suffered any metering problems, that would be a camera fault I would have thought. In fact, I find it's metering and AF is generally more reliable than the Canon mentioned above.

Have you tried removing the ZD battery when the DB error shows? It is bl**dy annoying when it happens, no doubt about it, but I can't see any consistent factors that cause it.

Justin.

[amsp]

It sounds like you're not enjoying the experience, and rightly so, so I would definitely change. I'd even prefer shooting with 35mm than a DB that gives you trouble every 10-15 minutes. I'm a big fan of Mamiya equipment, but with the ZD they dropped the ball really, and they made the right decision joining forces with PhaseOne. JMO

[rweissman]

Frank,
Thank you for your quick response. Your original reviews in 2007 were important in stimulating my original interest in the ZD and I have watched with admiration your online MFDB portfolio over the past year. Your work is truly stellar and an inspiration to many of us on this forum.

I also  noted, over time, your growing frustration with the ZD back. I have not had the purple blotch problem and I don't shoot tethered, so I can't attest to the tether lockup problem, either---I assume my issues are somewhat different from yours.  

The notion that the new backs will be  "problem free" is encouraging but, like you, I see no evidence that new backs / upgrades / bug fixes are in the works.  The ZD back still appears to be a 'beta' product, with users doing the beta testing. And it is unclear if our feedback will result in problem resolution in future releases. So I'm not sure what to do, but an upgrade to a Leaf back looks pretty tempting right now.....

Best regards,

Ron


Frank Doorhof,Jul 6 2008, 12:39 AM
Hi,
See www.doorhof.nl/blog under reviews about my views on the ZD.
Mamiya promised me that the new backs should all be problem free, that is some months ago. So I don't know what to say.

[rweissman]

Justin,
Thanks. You are, of course, correct that the metering problem is almost certainly a camera issue. (In any case, both the body and the back are in for servicing.)

On the lockup issue, removing  the Lithium Ion battery sometimes works, but removing the 6 AA magazine ALWAYS works. (This is particularly illogical because the 6AA batteries power the camera, whereas the LioN battery powers the back.)  In any case, removing the magazine fixes the problem.... temporarily.  But it really slows down your shooting, particularly when impatient mere mortals (not models) are posed and ready to be photographed (as happened this week)--or when shooting candids.  I have missed plenty of shots due to this persistent lockup, on both my own and the borrowed system. My dealer thinks it might be an interface/connection fault between the camera and the back. I think it might be a heat issue as it never happens when the camera is first used, but becomes more frequent during a shoot.

As Frank notes, the quality of Mamiya optics is superb. Unlike Frank, however, I think the 80mm 2.8 is a fine lens and use it frequently.


Ron

Ron

I can understand and even share your disappointment  with what is meant to be a high quality piece of kit. I bought mine simply because it was the cheapest way into dMF and the images it produces are far better than the Canon 30d that I had been using, so no let down there. However, I was also very much aware that being the cheapest it would also have it's drawbacks and possible problems and, as you say, the noise issue is well known but I had heard nothing of the others. So at the end of the day I was very much alive to the idea that an upgrade would be required at some time in the future, personally I have not reached that point yet but it may be that you have. Whether you can justify it now or not is a decision that I can't help you with but it's worth bearing in mind that it can work very well and produce some really quite brilliant results when used within its constraints.

BTW. I haven't suffered any metering problems, that would be a camera fault I would have thought. In fact, I find it's metering and AF is generally more reliable than the Canon mentioned above.

Have you tried removing the ZD battery when the DB error shows? It is bl**dy annoying when it happens, no doubt about it, but I can't see any consistent factors that cause it.

Justin.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=205862\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

[Kumar]

Ron,

Before you take a final decision, I suggest writing direct to Mamiya Japan. You might get a better response.

Cheers,
Kumar

[Justinr]

Ron

But it really slows down your shooting, particularly when impatient mere mortals (not models) are posed and ready

Loved that bit. I empathise entirely! There are more than a few pro's out there who spend there whole time working with paid models and simply cannot understand the need to get a good shot as quickly as possible instead of a pixel perfect image after an hour or two of setting up. Wedding and social work can be as challenging, if not more so, as any other area of the craft.

I must admit that I have not suffered the purple blotches but can testify to the usability of the 80mm lens. As for the green cast I find it best to use auto levels in PS which tends to give a very cool/magenta look, and then add back in the green, yellow and red to taste.

Justin.

[Frank Doorhof]

The last ZD I tested had a green cast in the lower part of the image (I shot some white paper to test this and show it to mamiya), it cannot be adjusted.
The previous ZD I owned did not had that problem, I was told that everything should be fixed by now and that many photographers are using the ZD back and claiming it to be better than the Phase one and Leaf, well...... to be 100% honest I never talked to a ZD back owner that had tested both leaf and phase one and kept the ZD (including myself).

For it's price point the ZD is a great attempt from Mamiya to do something that MAYBE triggered the whole market that is happening now with dropping prices.
Who knows.....

On the 80mm f2.8
I think that is a bit blown out of porportion, I did the review with the 80mm f2.8 because at the moment that was the lesser of the mamiya glass I owned, but I never stated it was a BAD lens
At the moment I owned I believe the 120mm macro and the 80mm and later tested the 75-150 for Mamiya NL where the 80mm f2.8 was the lesser of those lenses.

However I still think the 80mm f2.8 kit lens is a very good lens (I have to admit that it also grew on me) and I often use it wide open.

To be quite honest I still have to see a really bad MF lens.

[mcfoto]

Hi
I made a decision about a month ago to either sell my ZD camera or my 5D ( we also have the 1Ds3 which is fantastic ). I still think the ZD camera has a slight edge @ iso 50 over the 1Ds3. When push came to shove I decided to sell the 5D. Yeah the ZD is not perfect but for the size & weight it will still be a camera to be used in the next year or so. And being an open system I will continue to rent the Aptus when required. Personally I wish Mamiya would release an updated ZD camera with Phase helping them as they seem to be working together. What I would like to know is how many ZD backs have been sold.
Denis

[Snook]

Hi
I made a decision about a month ago to either sell my ZD camera or my 5D ( we also have the 1Ds3 which is fantastic ). I still think the ZD camera has a slight edge @ iso 50 over the 1Ds3. When push came to shove I decided to sell the 5D. Yeah the ZD is not perfect but for the size & weight it will still be a camera to be used in the next year or so. And being an open system I will continue to rent the Aptus when required. Personally I wish Mamiya would release an updated ZD camera with Phase helping them as they seem to be working together. What I would like to know is how many ZD backs have been sold.
Denis
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=205911\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I would not hold my breath waiting for Mamiya to work on the ZD...
Now with Phase/Mamiya camera I am SURE that the ZD got put on the "back" burner no pun intended..:+]
Snook

[shutay]

In my mind, the challenge that Mamiya faces is itself. They did so very well in the glory days of film, and if it weren't for that, the way they carry themself today, the only reason they are still in peoples' minds is because of their heritage, history and legacy. Their partnership with PhaseOne has done and will continue to do wonders for them, but no thanks to their business and marketing practices, IMHO.

Mamiya seems to be content to retreat back into their labs in Japan and although I can imagine and understand that they are a small company with limited resources, they are simply too low profile for this industry, and could learn a few things from a few of the other players. Imagine, without the MAC Group, Mamiya would disappear into oblivion. Their website is in Japanese only, and it is only thanks to primarily the MAC Group's Mamiya.com website, the rest of the world is able to sort of figure out what Mamiya is doing. Add to that the fact that although the Mamiya 645 AFD platform was actually slowly being developed, there's no news or connection with the outside world letting customers know that they are still alive and working on things. It would seem some participation by a representative in forums such as thing in the way that Thierry, Yair and Yaya do would probably go a long long way to helping people understand that they are still active.

Their distribution channels could be improved too. Where I live, the nearest "proper" Mamiya dealer would be either in Hong Kong or Singapore. There is one pro photography shop in the country that brings them in, but it would seem that they do so of their own accord and by their own means as a gray market import.

If I were asked what comes to mind if someone says, "medium format", I'd say that Mamiya comes to mind first, then Hasselblad. If I were to think of buying medium format, Mamiya is again first in my mind in terms of quality AND accessibility/afforability. I think the PhaseOne-Mamiya relationship is a good one that will give people more choices, but my goodness... they (Mamiya) do seem to move at quite a glacial pace.

[JDBFreeheel]

Hi Ron,

I too am an owner of a ZD back, purchased from K&M in New York, in August 2007.  I imagine, given the date of the purchase, that my back is a fairly 'early' one as far as USA 'versions' go. I jumped on this as a way in MFD and though there are some issues (that I haven't decided whether I'm willing to deal with or not, long term) but as a decided amateur, cannot justify the cost of the higher end backs, yet...

I have occasionally experienced a slight green cast on the right edge, on very bright, mis-metered shots, as well as the fairly common db error message that requires the removal of the back's battery. I do not think that I've experienced the purple blobs that seems to have been an isolated problem, but I am not a heavy pixel peeper, so they might go unnoticed.  I shoot with a AFD, not the AFD II.

I have spoken to Mamiya USA support about the db error issue and they said that they thought the issues were a result of the AFD not the back, which I disgreed with but didn't get very far.  They did not offer to take a look at my back, upgrade firmware or anything of the like, which annoyed me, but as a non-pro, feel like is the way Mamiya/MAC is going to handle issues like this, given their limited capacity. I may not be 'important' enough.

I live in SF, so Ron if you want to compare backs, especially when you get yours back from MAC, I'd be happy to meet up and share AFD's (to compare if issues are same or different with the AFD and AFD II) and to compare different ZD backs.

I'm also curious if there is a connection with build date and the issues.  I don't know how exactly Mamiya sequences serial numbers (my serial number is GD30XX).

I can't say that I trust Mamiya to get it right.  I love the idea of the ZD back 100% of the time and am satisfied with its performance about 70% of the time.  Then again, a jump from $6000 to $12000 for a new MFB is too much for me right now, so I'm hopeful that some of these issues can be worked out.

If anyone has a contact at MAC/Mamiya that might be more helpful, I'd appreciate that connection too.

-Josh

[rweissman]

Josh,
Your post raises an intriguing point--as the battery that must be removed to reset the camera is in hte camera body rather than the back, perhaps Mamiya is right about the camera, not the back, being the problem, though the 'db error' message is unique to the back, not the camera. My dealer thinks that it is a communications error between camera and back -- so I'm not sure where the fault lies.

It would be great to get together; I am frequently in SF. Drop me a note at my email address, rweissman@gmail.com.

Best regards,
Ron

Hi Ron,

I too am an owner of a ZD back, purchased from K&M in New York, in August 2007.  I imagine, given the date of the purchase, that my back is a fairly 'early' one as far as USA 'versions' go. I jumped on this as a way in MFD and though there are some issues (that I haven't decided whether I'm willing to deal with or not, long term) but as a decided amateur, cannot justify the cost of the higher end backs, yet...

I have occasionally experienced a slight green cast on the right edge, on very bright, mis-metered shots, as well as the fairly common db error message that requires the removal of the back's battery. I do not think that I've experienced the purple blobs that seems to have been an isolated problem, but I am not a heavy pixel peeper, so they might go unnoticed.  I shoot with a AFD, not the AFD II.

I have spoken to Mamiya USA support about the db error issue and they said that they thought the issues were a result of the AFD not the back, which I disgreed with but didn't get very far.  They did not offer to take a look at my back, upgrade firmware or anything of the like, which annoyed me, but as a non-pro, feel like is the way Mamiya/MAC is going to handle issues like this, given their limited capacity. I may not be 'important' enough.

I live in SF, so Ron if you want to compare backs, especially when you get yours back from MAC, I'd be happy to meet up and share AFD's (to compare if issues are same or different with the AFD and AFD II) and to compare different ZD backs.

I'm also curious if there is a connection with build date and the issues.  I don't know how exactly Mamiya sequences serial numbers (my serial number is GD30XX).

I can't say that I trust Mamiya to get it right.  I love the idea of the ZD back 100% of the time and am satisfied with its performance about 70% of the time.  Then again, a jump from $6000 to $12000 for a new MFB is too much for me right now, so I'm hopeful that some of these issues can be worked out.

If anyone has a contact at MAC/Mamiya that might be more helpful, I'd appreciate that connection too.

-Josh
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=205954\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

[John_Black]

In regards to the metering - sometimes when I picked up the 645AFD II I would accidently press the AEL button and metering would be locked at whatever the camera "saw" when the button was pressed.  I thought the metering was going rogue on a random basis, but it turned out I was accidently hitting that button on occasion and just didn't realize it.

[mcfoto]

In regards to the metering - sometimes when I picked up the 645AFD II I would accidently press the AEL button and metering would be locked at whatever the camera "saw" when the button was pressed.  I thought the metering was going rogue on a random basis, but it turned out I was accidently hitting that button on occasion and just didn't realize it.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=205981\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Hi
Since you have the AFDII body set the AEL button in the custom function ( 18 ? ) to Focus. This way your focus is no longer on the shutter release. I have both the AFD & AFDII & only have the AFD as a backup body. Also with my ZD camera the focus is set the same way. Same with my Canon all set to the rear of the camera. My next body will be the AFDIII to replace the AFD one. With the ZD camera I set in on P & get excellent exposures, also on AWB.
Denis

Denis

[peteh]

Hi
Since you have the AFDII body set the AEL button in the custom function ( 18 ? ) to Focus. This way your focus is no longer on the shutter release. I have both the AFD & AFDII & only have the AFD as a backup body. Also with my ZD camera the focus is set the same way. Same with my Canon all set to the rear of the camera. My next body will be the AFDIII to replace the AFD one. With the ZD camera I set in on P & get excellent exposures, also on AWB.
Denis

Denis
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=205990\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
[/quote
I don't have a ZD back.But from reading posts here,I would DUMP it.I have an older Mamiya RB67 Pro S and 1ds mark2 . I would love a digital back for the RB but the ZD is not enough mega pixels from 16 mega pixels-22 to warrant the cost to put a ZD on the RB.I love manual focus too.Even though my eyes are not what they were 20 years ago. Why do you think Mamiya went to Phase One to make their backs?

[JDBFreeheel]

[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=205990\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
[/quote
I don't have a ZD back.But from reading posts here,I would DUMP it.I have an older Mamiya RB67 Pro S and 1ds mark2 . I would love a digital back for the RB but the ZD is not enough mega pixels from 16 mega pixels-22 to warrant the cost to put a ZD on the RB.I love manual focus too.Even though my eyes are not what they were 20 years ago. Why do you think Mamiya went to Phase One to make their backs?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=206031\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
[/quote]

Thanks for your thoughts on this.  I do respectfully disagree, at least to some of your reply.

Dumping my ZD back isn't what I want to do right yet.  Of course some pros on these forums have dumped their's and moved to much better, higher end MFDBs, but to the tune of multiple thousands of dollars more in cost (anywhere, in my estimate of $7000-$20000) but I can't, as I imagine others, who are not working pros, afford to make the switch/dump so easily.

There are those of us here, myself included, that had a Mamiya system prior to owning a MFDB and saw/see the ZD back as a way to produce digital images with medium format without having to buy into other expensive systems (HB, Leaf Afi, Sinar) or to buy used, refurbed backs that still cost twice as much as the ZD back.  

Additionally, the allure of the ZD back (and other MFDBs, for that matter) is not strictly megapixels.  If it were, I'd spend the $6500 I put into the ZD back and buy into the canon system (or wait for a Nikon D3x, etc) for the 21 or so megapixels in order to "match" the resolution of the ZD back.  But, we all know that megapixels are only one aspect of the equation, in in many people's arguments, not the most important factor.  The allure of MFDBs , at least for me, is the added Dynamic Range, depth of field, and pixel SIZE in the images so I can work with them in my post-processing workflow.  In that regard, quirks, troubles, etc, Medium Format digital photography is where I want to stay, and still beats anything, in my opinion, from the traditional digital slr makers.  

What some of us owners of the ZD back want is just something that works well and tides us over until prices come down or our bank accounts grow.  In that way, we're hopeful.

When I want to take candid, street, ot sporting shots using the digital 35mm size (or DX, as similar), I have my Nikon D300 and trusty set of lenses there.

Just my thoughts.  

-Josh

[peteh]

[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=205990\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
[/quote
I don't have a ZD back.But from reading posts here,I would DUMP it.I have an older Mamiya RB67 Pro S and 1ds mark2 . I would love a digital back for the RB but the ZD is not enough mega pixels from 16 mega pixels-22 to warrant the cost to put a ZD on the RB.I love manual focus too.Even though my eyes are not what they were 20 years ago. Why do you think Mamiya went to Phase One to make their backs?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=206031\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Thanks for your thoughts on this.  I do respectfully disagree, at least to some of your reply.

Dumping my ZD back isn't what I want to do right yet.  Of course some pros on these forums have dumped their's and moved to much better, higher end MFDBs, but to the tune of multiple thousands of dollars more in cost (anywhere, in my estimate of $7000-$20000) but I can't, as I imagine others, who are not working pros, afford to make the switch/dump so easily.

There are those of us here, myself included, that had a Mamiya system prior to owning a MFDB and saw/see the ZD back as a way to produce digital images with medium format without having to buy into other expensive systems (HB, Leaf Afi, Sinar) or to buy used, refurbed backs that still cost twice as much as the ZD back.  

Additionally, the allure of the ZD back (and other MFDBs, for that matter) is not strictly megapixels.  If it were, I'd spend the $6500 I put into the ZD back and buy into the canon system (or wait for a Nikon D3x, etc) for the 21 or so megapixels in order to "match" the resolution of the ZD back.  But, we all know that megapixels are only one aspect of the equation, in in many people's arguments, not the most important factor.  The allure of MFDBs , at least for me, is the added Dynamic Range, depth of field, and pixel SIZE in the images so I can work with them in my post-processing workflow.  In that regard, quirks, troubles, etc, Medium Format digital photography is where I want to stay, and still beats anything, in my opinion, from the traditional digital slr makers.  

What some of us owners of the ZD back want is just something that works well and tides us over until prices come down or our bank accounts grow.  In that way, we're hopeful.

When I want to take candid, street, ot sporting shots using the digital 35mm size (or DX, as similar), I have my Nikon D300 and trusty set of lenses there.

Just my thoughts.  

-Josh
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=206056\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
[/quote]
To each his own.

[Anders_HK]

The last ZD I tested had a green cast in the lower part of the image (I shot some white paper to test this and show it to mamiya), it cannot be adjusted.
The previous ZD I owned did not had that problem, I was told that everything should be fixed by now and that many photographers are using the ZD back and claiming it to be better than the Phase one and Leaf, well...... to be 100% honest I never talked to a ZD back owner that had tested both leaf and phase one and kept the ZD (including myself).

For it's price point the ZD is a great attempt from Mamiya to do something that MAYBE triggered the whole market that is happening now with dropping prices.
Who knows.....

On the 80mm f2.8
I think that is a bit blown out of porportion, I did the review with the 80mm f2.8 because at the moment that was the lesser of the mamiya glass I owned, but I never stated it was a BAD lens
At the moment I owned I believe the 120mm macro and the 80mm and later tested the 75-150 for Mamiya NL where the 80mm f2.8 was the lesser of those lenses.

However I still think the 80mm f2.8 kit lens is a very good lens (I have to admit that it also grew on me) and I often use it wide open.

To be quite honest I still have to see a really bad MF lens.
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Frank,

Both of us wrote well of ZD in past. You experienced the purple blotches that per what I recall you at time were told by Mamiya was limited to certain batches of ZD backs. Please clarify to readers if it was at that time you were told by Mamiya that the problem with ZD were fixed, or that you have also been told so after the problem I posted of ZD earlier this year, see [a href=\"http://luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=22698&hl=]http://luminous-landscape.com/forum/index....topic=22698&hl=[/url]. It is worthwile for others to have info of if Mamiya may indeed have fixed known ZD problems. I should point out that the problem I encountered was also purple related but different from yours with blotches. The problem I pointed out seemed present in all ZD backs and cameras at the time. I have not yet seen info of that this has been fixed.

To anyone considering the ZD, my advise is to do thorough testing in order to detect what has been known problems before committing money on a ZD.


Ron,

I have the Aptus 65. Like you I am not making money on photography, but using the Aptus has become the digital equivalence to enjoying photography again. Already when I open images at defaults in CS3 they have colors very well adjusted to what is pleasing, much more so than the ZD and also the D200.

Image quality from Aptus 65 is same as from Aptus 75 but with a slight crop sensor (same as a crop of Aptus 75 sensor chip seems like). The step up from ZD was significant in image quality. I do not hesitate using it at ISO 800 when required, however a trick is to not use such photos at full image size, thus the noise seem limited to a very fine grain. At low ISO Aptus 65 is stellar. The ZD uses the same sensor as Aptus 22, but it appears that Leaf has been successful in their product. Aptus 65 & 75 is the newer sensor technology from Leaf. Phase One P30 & P30+ are indeed also worthy of consideration. Do check on pricing, Aptus 65 is lower priced than Aptus 22.

Regards
Anders