14 DAY TRIAL // The Japan-based Mamiya company is a very well-known name among photographers, introducing, over time, numerous professional film cameras, as well as the 645 format. And now, Mamiya has come up with yet another camera system, this time a digital one, which has been dubbed DL28, and which offers a set of advanced features, while retailing for a surprisingly low price point, compared to other similar products existing on the market.
The DL28 incorporates the 28 megapixel Aptus-II 6 Digital Back from Leaf, which is combined with Mamiya's own 645AFD III body. The body has been equipped with a new coreless motor for faster, more accurate autofocusing and an enhanced interface system that provides total communication between the camera, lens and digital back. Additionally, the device sports a 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD, which can be used for either viewing the photos or controlling some of the functions of the device.
The new camera system from Mamiya supports 16-bit capture, 12 stop dynamic range and an ISO range of 50-800, allowing photographers to shoot raw files of 53Mb, and 16 bit TIFF files with sizes larger than 159 MB.
The device uses CF media for storage, but it also features a FireWire interface, which can be used, together with the Leaf Capture 11.2 software, in order to shoot photos directly to the photographer's computer. Plus, as a more or less strange extra feature, this software application allows users to instantly stream the photos to an iPhone...
Now, as mentioned right from the start, the Mamiya DL28 is by no means a device for just about any amateur or even semi-pro photographer. And the fact that we're talking about a very advanced product is also visible from the price tag, since the DL28 will have a minimum advertised price of around $15,000 when it arrives in stores in November. Although it might seem like a huge price tag, this is actually a very OK sum, given the features of the camera and the price points of the competition's products.
