Mamiya Launches ‘Medium Format’ DSLR

September 30, 2004: Mamiya has announced its first interchangeable- lens DSLR camera at Photokina 2004.

The new Mamiya ZD is similar in design to existing Mamiya SLR cameras and accepts the full range of the Mamiya 645AF interchangeable lenses. Announced concurrently with the new camera body is a digital back, the Mamiya ZD Back, which is compatible with the Mamiya 645AFD and the recently-released Mamiya RZ67Pro-IID. The Mamiya ZD Back communicates with these camera bodies via the MSCE (Mamiya Serial Communication for External) interface. Both the Mamiya ZD and the Mamiya ZD Back are fitted with a 36 x 48mm, 22 megapixel CCD sensor, which delivers high resolution images with rich and smooth tonal gradations. A specially developed ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) chip provides real-time image processing and optimises image data from CCD and 14 bit A/D (Analog to Digital) conversion records information as 12-bits per colour channel.
Features include simultaneous RAW + JPEG capture, two colour spaces (Adobe RGB and sRGB), a built-in IR-cut filter plus optional low pass filter and dual slots for CF and SD cards. Shutter speeds range from 30-1/4000 second and P, A, S and M shooting modes are supported, along with a Bulb setting for long exposures. ISO sensitivity can be set between 50 and 400 and auto bracketing is available for two, three or five frames. The burst setting captures up to 11 frames at 1/5 fps. Eight white balance settings are provided, including two user presets and white balance can be fine-tuned or set by colour temperature. The Mamiya ZD is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and has a 1.8-inch high-resolution LCD display. The body weighs only 1.2 kg and measures 162 x 152 x 91 mm.