I remember shooting with the RB67 in college and man was that thing a beast. Big, slow, but damn sharp. It was a great camera, but I never used it much because of its size. You couldn’t really use it handheld and if you tried, well, props to you. The RZ33 looks to be about the same size, so I’m guessing it would still be difficult to use off a tripod.

Mamiya’s lenses have always been a thing of beauty and envy. I remember using a 645AFD as well and man were those lenses amazing! The ability to use Mamiya’s legacy lenses on the new RZ33 body is awesome, similar to a Hasselblad V series body where you can use lenses dating all the way back to the C series.

Note in the video however that they show a RZ67 Pro IID, not a RZ33 branded body. Interesting eh? Well, correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the RZ33 is in fact a RZ67 Pro IID with a Leaf back. Nevertheless, it’ still a bad-ass kit and one I would love to have in my arsenal!

Cheers,

Anthony

P.S. In the near future the shop will have a limited run of prints from some of my digital and film images.

Shortly after purchasing my Canon G9 Powershot camera, the G10 came out. I knew it was going to happen, as electronics and especially camera equipment become obsolete by the day, but in this case I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be upgrading.

I’m usually a slow adopter to new technology anyway, waiting till all the kinks have been worked out and reviews posted. For instance, although highly tempted by the new Palm Pre (i’m a loyal palm user), I won’t jump on the wagon until these units have been in the field for a little while longer and more importantly, until it comes to Verizon . As for my trusty G9? I love having the option to shoot time-lapse as well as high res video, features that have been removed from the G10. One mistake in the video that I have to point out however, is that the G10 can indeed shoot raw images in aperture priority mode (pays to read the manual i guess). As for the extra megapixels, well I say quality over quantity. It’s such a small sensor anyways, cramming more megapixels on there isn’t going to do much good. Now to go make more use of my awesome time-lapse feature!

I picked up one of these packs the other day to test out as an alternative to a messenger bag for riding. This particular pack is from Mountainsmith’s Lumbar Series which means it has a waistbelt that secures around your midsection but also has a removable shoulder strap with a sliding pad. The pack features an air mesh foam back panel, delta compression system load adjustment, 2 water bottle pockets that accommodate 32 oz water bottles, elastic rigging, and 2 compression straps.

One of the reasons I wanted to try this bag was because it had the waistbelt and seemed more supportive than your standard messenger. Overall, this was true, but I found myself constantly adjusting the shoulder strap. Maybe this was because of the way the shoulder strap attached to the bag, but I think it had more to due with the fit and how loose or tight I had the waistbelt fastened. I didn’t load the pack up too much at all, but wanted to see how it would handle a 33.8 oz smart water bottle and my canon powershot G9, which floated around loosely in the main compartment. The watter bottle however, stayed put due to the elastic rigging and thick mesh pocket. I also put in my wallet, cell phone, and attached my keys to the side of the waistbelt with a carabiner.

Overall, I liked how this pack shaped to my midsection and did not cause any strain to my shoulders like messenger bags have. My main reason for testing this pack was to see how it fit while riding but also because it is identical to another model that is a dedicated camera pack. That model is the Day FX and another smaller model is the Tour FX. As a matter of fact, I just noticed yesterday that they added the Tour FX pack to their lineup. I am considering the Day FX pack because I have always figured that it’s better to have a larger bag than a smaller one in case you need to carry extra gear.

As for the price, the Tour FX pack retails for $85, the Day FX pack goes for $95, and the model tested goes for $80 although I paid $60.

For more info, check out the Mountainsmith website.

SF artist Barry McGee, RVCA, and Cinelli collaborate to create a limited edition frame. Only 50 will be made, so if you want one, check out this RVCA link and email bblankinship@rvca.com. According to their webpage there will be a launch party for the collab on Thursday June 19th @ VASF in San Francisco.