Mamiya RZ67 (1 Year Review)

 

Where do I start? The Studio turned Street camera is definitely one that most serious photographers should get their hands on. The only advice I would have is to make sure you have a plan for it. Don’t just impulse buy it. 

My Purpose for the RZ67: 

The whole reason I bought this camera was because I like getting close with my portraits like Martin Scoller and this was the only camera that would allow me to do that besides a 4X5/8X10. I wouldn’t have to set up the camera too much like a large format camera but it gave me the quality like one. And on top of that, if I was in a little bit of a hurry I know I could get a quick portrait of someone if it came down too it. For example, the portraits of Jetson i made under two minutes with a strobe.

What made me pull the trigger and actually buy one was my first solo show “Smile, You’re on Camera” at blkmrktclt. I needed a new camera because my Pentax 6X7 Stopped working and I had a month to make some work for the show. I bought the camera in pieces. I bought the body with the waist level viewfinder first, then the lens & the back. The first lens I bought for it was a 150mm with haze in it for $80. I bought it because I needed a lens to test the camera with but I ended up liking how the photos looked. 

Later on (March 2020) I bought the 127mm f3.5 because the haze was starting to get on my nerves. Then I also bought a prism finder for it as well. During the top of the pandemic I started making portraits around the house of family members and photo jobs. With the 127mm I’ve made a lot of photographs that I really throughout this year. The lens is sharp, and the camera is easy to use. 

Here we go again:

It seems like everytime I own a camera I really like, it just wants to break or not work for a little bit. The camera locked up on me in Atlanta and thought it was the end of it. I was super hurt and I thought I was going to have to buy another body. Luckily I somehow got it to work again because I don’t like being defeated and I was able to shoot with it for the rest of the trip. Another time was more recent. I was in LA for another photo job and my lens would not open....while I was on set.....and we was about to shoot in 5 minutes. I definitely panicked. I started taking the camera apart and tinkering with everything until I got then lens to open up and work again. I figured it out in time and was ready to shoot, but I definitely was scared for a little bit. 

What’s the lesson I learned you asked? Stop buying equipment for cheap. I bought the body for $250 off of eBay. Buying a RZ67 with old electronics for $250 definitely sounds like it’s going to be problems in the future. Especially when they’re going for $1300 and up in mint condition. 

Final Thoughts on the RZ67

Will I ever get rid of it? Nope. Now if it actually breaks and I can’t fix it? That’s a different story. I’m trying to keep that camera a long as possible. Some of my favorite photos I’ve made have been on the RZ. I definitely plan on buying the 65mm & 110mm for it in the near future and maybe the battery drive for it. Honestly I love that camera so much I’m trying to find a backup body for it. Which is crazy coming from me because I never buy back up anything unless it’s harddrives. 

If you stuck around to read my ramblings on a camera, I appreciate you! It’s hard to do this sometimes just because I don’t like putting myself out there but I’m slowly getting over that. With that being said, here are some of my favorite photos I’ve taking on the RZ67. Enjoy!