Mamiya DL28 — 28 megapixels
I’m now officially sold on the virtues of medium format thanks to the Mamiya DL28 (not so sold on ergonomics though!).
The 28-megapixel (6096 X 4558) Mamiya DL28 consists of the Mamiya AFD III body, the Leaf Aptus-II 6 digital back and the Mamiya Sekor 80mm f/2.8 D lens. More than a little out of my price range at US$14999, it nevertheless offers a breakthrough price for a medium format system of that resolution.
Though there are shortcomings to pick on, I’m very impressed with the image quality at ISO 50. It clearly is a cut above the Canon 1Ds Mark III, not just in terms of detail, but also in terms of sheer “sparkle” and lifelike image quality. I’ll be writing it up in detail for DAP readers, and perhaps sharing more here as well.
The rain moved into northern California yesterday and yielded a exceptionally dreary and hazy day, quite a reversal after the world’s loveliest October I’ve ever enjoyed. What to do except head for cover under the redwood forest canopy?
Regarding the images below, I haven’t mastered the Leaf software yet, but I can say that the DL28 images offer tremendous potential when processed well. These are stabs at something presentable, and are really gorgeous at full size. (As small compressed JPEGs, they aren’t as impressive). Remember, the lighting was dark, blue/gray and really pretty awful.
Mamiya DL28 + Sekor 80/2.8D, 3.2 sec @ f/11, ISO 50
Mamiya DL28 + Sekor 80/2.8D, 10 sec @ f/16, ISO 50
Mamiya DL28 + Sekor 80/2.8D, 13 sec @ f/11, ISO 50
The level of detail really is stunning, even if one is used to the 21-megapixel Canon 1Ds Mark III. It’s not the modest 7 megapixel difference, since linearly (horizontally), the difference is only 8.5% (6096 vs 5616). Rather, the difference is almost certainly due to to the Canon’s anti-aliasing (blur) filter, and the lack of one in the Mamiya DL28.
The Leaf Aptus-II 6 back has no anti-aliasing filter, and the sharpness is stunning, though moiré does appear in places of very fine detail. Click the image below to see a larger version and some actual-pixels crops. What’s amazing is how much more detail and tone the camera renders than I could see with my own eyes, standing there!
Mamiya DL28 + Sekor 80/2.8D, 2.5 sec @ f/11, ISO 50
While at first I felt disappointed at having only the Sekor 80mm f/2.8 to shoot with, it turned out to be a very enjoyable lens to work with, forcing me to make do and find suitable subjects. There should be no doubt that it is a very fine lens indeed, at least on the 44 X 33mm DL28 sensor, where it shines at every aperture out to the far corners. As far as I can ascertain, depth of field and diffraction are the limiting factors for the 80mm, though stopping down to f/4 or f/5.6 picks things up very nicely.
