Mamiya Super Deluxe

[arthur sadowsky]

...I've just completed my "collection" (no way I'm a camera collector!) of the Mamiya Super Deluxe cameras: I've recently CLA'ed MSD f/1.5, plus one f/1.7 (will send for CLA anytime soon) and two f/2.0 (both of them with original lens hoods).

Do you guys wanna share your personal experiences with this line of Mamiya cameras, any personal story you wanna tell, anything?

I would like to see your pictures (preferably up-close people/headshots), the bigger your files/scans the better it's🙂.

Are there any photographers using MSD cameras on the regular basis?

 

[dmr]

Do you guys wanna share your personal experiences with this line of Mamiya cameras, any personal story you wanna tell, anything?

I think I'm about the only one here who shoots one of these semi-regularly. I've told the story of having one, selling it, getting another, so many times that I think the gang here is tired of it. 🙂

I use it mainly for low-light and available light work where I don't want the auto-exposure of the GIII.

I would like to see your pictures (preferably up-close people/head shots): the bigger your files/scans the better it's🙂,

I have a number of SD shots in the gallery, some going back 35+ years, some recent, but very few are people shots. This one here is one of the few I could find with any people in it. 🙂

I would say that 90% of what I shoot with the SD will be urban scenes at night.

 

[arthur sadowsky]

...hi dmr,

first of all, I would like to say thank you for your respond and uploading your beautiful pics🙂!

I like both of them: there's so much going on in the BW pic and I like this long perspective in the color pic too (both of them are organized diagonally, am I right?).

p.s.: I'm waiting for my film scanner to arrive and then I'll be able to upload my Mamiya pics for open critique and discussion. It looks like it's going to be the very lonely post: just you and me 🙁(

 

[arthur sadowsky]

Finally I got my Mamiya SD with f/1.5 lens back from repairs and yes, sadly light meter still does not work properly (I have to use my Sekonic L-358 light meter all the time)...

I took a few shots using cheapo CVS iSO 400/27 film - please, feel free to tell me what you think about it:

...and here's my usual test object:

 

[arthur sadowsky]

Well, so far I have zero responses: I guess no one is interested in my post.

Anyway, here's another test roll of cheapo CVS iSO 200/24 film:

I'm really not sure if I'm happy with performance of this camera's lens: color rendition is fine, but I'm not sure it's sharp to the point where I like it.

For example my Lynx 14's sharpness is way superb, yet Mamiya SD f/1.5 is supposedly more expensive and sophisticated RF camera (or used to be back in the 60's).

BTW every single pic here is direct scan and no PS was used or any kind of manipulation except for crop tool.

Any ideas??

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

You're not satisfied with the sharpness? Looks exceptional to me, even though i acknowledge it's still a 72dpi web 'reproduction.' Even the film looks good - any idea who really makes it? Maybe it's a Superia film? What are you using to scan?

If the Lynx is better, i guess i'll look for your posts with that camera for comparison. I've never owned one, but i'm consistently impressed by pictures i see from the Yashica GSN and family.... I really wish there were an M-mount version of that lens....

 

[arthur sadowsky]

You're not satisfied with the sharpness? Looks exceptional to me, even though I acknowledge it's still a 72dpi web 'reproduction.' Even the film looks good - any idea who really makes it? Maybe it's a Superia film? What are you using to scan?

If the Lynx is better, I guess I'll look for your posts with that camera for comparison. I've never owned one, but I'm consistently impressed by pictures I see from the Yashica GSN and family.... I really wish there were an M-mount version of that lens....

Thanks a lot for your comment, but as far as I can see my Lynx 14 is a much superior performer: there's something "funny" about the quality of Mamiya SD's close-ups.

With my Lynx 14, I can really get close and personal with the object and the lens will reproduce everything beautifully and without distortion.

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

Hi, Arthur.
Thanks for the reply.

In that last image, i don't see anything wrong. Seems like the upper right corner is just out of the plane of focus and not covered by DOF. The in-focus stuff seems nicely rendered - the jeans/stitching, the skin on the foot - all look sharp to me....

CVS does a nice job!

 

[ErnestoJL]

Arthur, the pictures you´ve posted show no defects.
In the last picture, the grass in the upper right corner is OOF, but nothing else is wrong. All the other pictures are perfect. Color rendition is good as any other lens, not excesively contrasted but well balanced.
Sharpness? take a close look at pictures #1 and #8. Lady´s hair and cats face show what the lens is capable of.
BTW, color rendition reminds me the performance of the old Voigtländer lenses from the 60´s.
I have a Lynx 14 and the Mamiya, and no doubt I prefer the Mamiya: rock solid, better VF (it suits my personal taste), and handles better than the Yashica.
Cheers

Ernesto

 

[bmattock]

I have both cameras. Wide-open, the Super Deluxe has funky swirly bokeh that the Lynx does not. I also find the Lynx more comfortable to carry and hold, due to the lack of sharp rectangular edges on the Lynx. They're both nice, both capable. If I had to choose between them, I'd take the Lynx, but that's not taking anything away from the Super Deluxe.

 

[arthur sadowsky]

Thank you comrades - and I mean all of you - for your prompt replies and sharing your points of view with me.

I'm going to take more pictures with this camera until I'll feel/understand reaction of camera's lens on different lighting conditions very well (so I do not have to think about it twice😱),

I'll upload new pictures very soon - if you have any advices please feel free to express them,

all the best🙂!

 

[dmr]

When you asked about SD photos with people in them, I forgot about this series:

 

[arthur sadowsky]

Hey DMR,

thanks a lot for uploading your pictures!

My guess you used your Mamiya SD with f/1.7 lens (to take these pics)? I'm trying to keep this post alive - so every single impute or personal comment and story helps!

All the best!

 

[arthur sadowsky]

Well, this time this is my Mamiya Super Deluxe with f/1.5 lens and Kodak Porta 160NC-2 film. I have never used this camera-film combination before and didn't really know what to expect.

I used my trusted Sekonic L-358 FLASH MASTER light meter and Gossen Digisix on some shots.

The film was developed and scanned at my local CVS Photo Department.

p.s.: please, look at the lens distortion, especially at the close-ups: this time I was abscessed with reproduction of any parallel lines or anything remotely square (and I think I know better now how to control this problem on this particular f/1.5 lens). Anybody else has the same problem with this f/1.5 model taking close-ups and portraits??

 

[dmr]

I can't speak for the 1.5 version, since all I have is the 1.7.

It's really hard to tell if there's any curvilinear distortion in those photos or not. If there's any, it's not screamingly obvious. I sure haven't noticed any with my 1.7.

As a sanity check, you might take a couple of test shots of things like graph paper or a checkerboard, head on, both close up and far away. That should tell you if straight lines are indeed straight. 🙂

Real-world scenes, particularly those with foliage and such, don't always fit in the 1/2/3/5 point perspective models, and other than it either looking right or not looking right it's difficult to tell.

 

[arthur sadowsky]

Thanks for your advise dmr and I'll definitely try to shot more all sort of objects with this camera.

So far this combination of Mamiya SD and Kodak Porta 160NC-2 works very well and I'm surprised (in the good way) by accuracy of this 1963 or so shatter (the meter is totally basted😡 and I have to use my Sekonic and Gossen light meters all the time).

Please, come back for more pics coming soon🙂!

 

[btgc]

I can't say for distortion anything, though must admit this Portra is great film. Red flowers haven't blocked up like otherwise lovely Reala would (at least, my experience). I will not go for MSD (already have too much RF's) though will pick up some Portra. Thanks for tip, Arthur.

 

[arthur sadowsky]

I can't say for distortion anything, though must admit this Portra is great film. Red flowers haven't blocked up like otherwise lovely Reala would (at least, my experience). I will not go for MSD (already have too much RF's) though will pick up some Portra. Thanks for tip, Arthur.

You are very much welcome and please, come back soon for more test pics!

 

[arthur sadowsky]

Gossen Digisix "Power Off" Mode

Gossen Digisix "Power Off" Mode

I was going to share with you my "old/new" discovery I did a few weeks ago:

one of my light meters I use all the time is Gossen Digisix (which is a lovely portable light meter I would highly recommend just about to anybody using mechanical/film whatever format cameras). And as you probably know one of the minor complains about this meter is the lack of dedicated 'On/Off' switch (my Digisix meter was consuming battery after battery after battery to the point where I was going to send it back to Germany for repairs/exchange - it was absolutely crazy).

Well, so thought I until I've read comment by someone (sorry, I don't remember who) here on Rangefinderforum.com about this soft switching option in Gossen Digiflash: you basically have to keep pressing on Function Button until it shows 'Watch' and it supposedly automatically shots off your light meter and protects your battery from being depleted.

I've tried this on my Digisix and I'm happy to report that it works for Digisix model as well as it works for Digiflash! I wonder why this option is not in the original manual? And do people at Gossen know about this very annoying problem we have with otherwise great Digisix light meter?

I hope my little discovery will work for you as well as it works for me,

all the best!!

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Arthur, you should start a new thread for that!