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Out for a Drive 55mm LS, 80mm LS and Z1 ballhead

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Finally got a chance to get out of the office for a glorious 8 hours by myself away from a very busy 8 months with a lot of personal stuff going on. It felt great to get in my new Touareg and drive with some new toys. Z1 ballhead, Phase 55mm LS and 80 LS and even along for the ride was a new 7d. Anyway this is just a ongoing little mini review that I will start today and have a lot to add but first I have a gig this morning to do first but here is just a sample image. Now normally I would not even get out of a car in this light but I honestly forced myself to shoot. Nothing worse than Arizona sun midday with not a cloud in the sky. Rather take a nap than shoot in these conditions but I'm not after art here but wanted to see what each piece of gear brought to the table.

Have to say right from the start I am impressed with the Z1 ballhead as I can eliminate my L brackets which add bulk and weight. Reason is I can actually go vertical with the Z1 without creeping , slipping and all the bad things that can happen. At a class of 130 pounds of weight it can handle this thing is a rock and nothing will move it even a Phase DF with a 150 or longer on it. So pretty excited about this new head. I replaced the top plate with the double lever clamp since these are the most secure clamps I ever used. I will NEVER EVER by a screw down clamp again at least not RRS pano clamps. In the past I almost lost 3 times body , back and lens to falling off the tripod due to a loosening of the clamp. I caught it 3 times as well and to say i am lucky I did is a understatement. Never again i am fully double lever clamp forever camp. Arca makes the best lever clamp I have used. Strong statement

Here is a image of that clamp. Run don't walk to any store and replace that screw down. I know I know but after losing almost 25k to the dirt 3 times i feel pretty strongly about this.

Here is a image of the Z1 and also the plate I use
 

Tim Ernst

New member
I've always agreed on the lever vs. screw clamp Guy - not only does the screw take longer (x2 for every setup), but you just never know when it is tight or not - with a lever there is no question. I've been using levers for many years, and in fact have a drawer full of the screw ones that have come on various heads. I've always used RRS levers (never had an issue while hauling through thick brush as many folks worry about), but also agree that the Arca lever seems to be even better. Congrats on your new setup (head, wheels, and glass), and I wish you many more days away from it all...
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
This one may take awhile since i have quite a few images and mostly shot the 55mm 90 percent of the time. I'm just going to say this any P65 shooter out there should get this lens period. All day long I wanted to shoot it Full Frame as doing urban stuff like this it just fit the frame perfectly. On the P40+ it's a touch long but I still have plenty of use for it and even long I really really like it so far. It has a nice look to it and at F4 the corners look great and for the P65 folks at 5.6 you should have very sharp corners. At 2.8 this lens has a nice dreamy look to it which I like and at 2.8 i don't want sharp corners but at center it is sharp wide open. On the F40+ at F4 it really starts to come into it's own as sharp all the way through the image. Now past that it is one sharp lens but with a nice look at any aperture which i really like. I like the look of these Schneiders and will have all of them at some point but first IF there is a new 35mm I will get that and on my very short list. I have a 28,55mm gap that needs to be filled. Oh joy more money.

Anyway here is just a sample shot at F8

 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I've always agreed on the lever vs. screw clamp Guy - not only does the screw take longer (x2 for every setup), but you just never know when it is tight or not - with a lever there is no question. I've been using levers for many years, and in fact have a drawer full of the screw ones that have come on various heads. I've always used RRS levers (never had an issue while hauling through thick brush as many folks worry about), but also agree that the Arca lever seems to be even better. Congrats on your new setup (head, wheels, and glass), and I wish you many more days away from it all...
Thanks Tim and we should note that it is a double safety release . So if by chance which won't happen the first release accidentally happens the setup will NOT come off until you release the second section. It's a PITA but the safest thing out there for sure and it will be forever my preferred choice.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Just for the record as straight as I could hold it yes this is handheld at 2.8. Idid not run a brick wall test with tripod but I did do two series of brick walls and I can tell pretty well at F4 it is great in the corners. But this was not meant to be overly technical shooting or I would have pulled the tripod out . Really just wanted to see how good and I like it

wide open and yes at 2.8 it does go a shade darker than F4 and beyond. Never meet a lens that was not exactly like this.



Here it is at F4. No exposure adjustment made

 

fotografz

Well-known member
Sorry to disagree ... hate the lever type QR lever ... HATE them. Gets just a tad out of adjustment or gets some dirt/grit in it and it takes forever for the safety button to release. Plus, if the lever release is in an awkward place to reach ... it takes forever plus a day to release. Had two of them from Arca and hated them then, and hate them now ... :thumbdown:

LOVE the big fat knob on the RRS QR plate. They reco'ed it over the lever release when I got their Mono Pod head, and they were right.

Speed? No problem ... I'm doing tons of camera swaps during a wedding where speed is essential and can change using the fat RRS knob just as fast as any lever QR I've used to date.

Don't know when it's tight? You're kidding, right? Lock that pup down and it's like it's epoxied to the head. LOVE it! :thumbs:

Different strokes for different folks :)

-Marc
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Leave you with one at 2.8 focused on the upper window pretty much center. Check in later off to a gig.

 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Sorry to disagree ... hate the lever type QR lever ... HATE them. Gets just a tad out of adjustment or gets some dirt/grit in it and it takes forever for the safety button to release. Plus, if the lever release is in an awkward place to reach ... it takes forever plus a day to release. Had two of them from Arca and hated them then, and hate them now ... :thumbdown:

LOVE the big fat knob on the RRS QR plate. They reco'ed it over the lever release when I got their Mono Pod head, and they were right.

Speed? No problem ... I'm doing tons of camera swaps during a wedding where speed is essential and can change using the fat RRS knob just as fast as any lever QR I've used to date.

Don't know when it's tight? You're kidding, right? Lock that pup down and it's like it's epoxied to the head. LOVE it! :thumbs:

Different strokes for different folks :)

-Marc
LOL okay my issue was with the RRS pano clamp which actually loosened up. Never had the ARCA screw down so it could be better and probably is. Just to clarify and your right the lever clamp is a PITA to work with but you get used to it and I feel safer


I just won't buy RRS stuff anymore when it comes to screw down clamps. I'm not going to drop 25k on the floor
 

KurtKamka

Subscriber Member
Boy, that's razor sharp at f2.8 in the middle ... certainly has a different look than the mamiya lenses I used in the past with the P45+. I can't put my finger on it, but the these lenses have a different look to them (a good one).
 

cmb_

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Run don't walk to any store and replace that screw down.
Guy, you didn't need to go to all the trouble to replace the clamp on the head - just get a Cube, the double locking lever clamp comes standard with it! :ROTFL::ROTFL::ROTFL::ROTFL:


Looking forward to reading more as you post.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I was waiting for the cube comment. I'm also waiting for Kevin Raber from Phase One and Dave Gallagher to just get a P65 and end the misery with a long 55mm on my P40. Ah the pain of it all. LOL

Okay go to work Guy make money. You guys are killing me. LOL

Oh where is the Don And Ken show?
There next I can feel it coming
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Hey Bud, that lens looks like crap on your P40+. You should trash it -- just go ahead and ship it to me now -- and then get yourself something wider like the new 35.


:D,
 

H3dtogo

New member
I also was impressed with the image quality of my 80mm LS but i traded my DF for another cameraset and cannot use my 80mm LS on my other camera. The LS works great and i did not had to think about when to use it or not. Image rendering is more like my old Zeiss 110 F2 on my Hasselblad.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
I was waiting for the cube comment. I'm also waiting for Kevin Raber from Phase One and Dave Gallagher to just get a P65 and end the misery with a long 55mm on my P40. Ah the pain of it all. LOL

Okay go to work Guy make money. You guys are killing me. LOL

Oh where is the Don And Ken show?
There next I can feel it coming
Thanks for the invite! Where were you seems like I should know the area...

Regarding the Cube - I'm resisting the more obvious comments.:D
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Well I shot a lot of Leica's in my day and you guessed it my favorites where the Sumiluxes in both R and M and have to say this is the best i have seen in MF to that wide open look. BTW I am in Jerome Arizona a old copper mining town. Next AZ workshop we can add this place.

All at 2.8 handheld











 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Just FYI I am doing nothing to these files. No WB and all at ISO 100 P40+ in C1. I love this sensor a lot. My hope is a little bigger back like a 50 mpx and not for the MPX but for the cropping. I really liked the P25 and P45 crop size. The P40 I really like but ifit was a touch bigger it would really make my day but I am very happy and these LS lenses i like the look I am seeing so far. Now the Mamiya lenses are no slouch love all the ones I have or had these just have a touch warmer glow to them and I like the color tonal range on it. This also helps keep me out of tech cam land which I want but I like the flexibility of a DSLR style body. I shoot way to many different things for tech cam alone. I think I do need a 35mm lens though, I am a wide angle freak.
 
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