Mamiya DM33 review

An edited version of this review originally featured over a decade ago in HotShoe International magazine.   With the closure of Franke and Heidecke*, the medium format market has been dominated by just two players: Hasselblad and Phase One. Hasselblad has since chosen a closed system on their H4D series, preventing third-party backs from being fitted, while digital back-maker Phase One hastily became the majority shareholder of Mamiya. Phase One also deftly acquired the assets of back-maker Leaf from Kodak recently, giving the company a second line. Leaf's higher-end backs are still marketed using their brand-name, but the three so-called "entry-level" 22/28/33-megapixel Aptus II models are being re-branded as the Mamiya DM22, DM28 and DM33, respectively. Each back is being bundled with a Mamiya 645DF body and sold as a kit at a much lower price. It can't have escaped even casual observers that the prices and resolutions challenge current high-resolution Canon and Nikon m