Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: woof75 on October 22, 2008, 09:03:51 am
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I recently went into fotocare to look at all these new toys I keep reading about around here. I don't like any of them.
Hasselblad H3: grey handle looks plasticky and feels plasticky, not nice at all, most importantly though, mirror slap.
HY6: plastic, ugly, cumbersom, horrible viewfinder, looks so cheap it's terrible. Heavy.
Mamiya 645 AFD 3: the grip s wy too big to hold easily, I have really big hands and it was still uncomfortable to hold the thing.
Saves me some cash at least, I'm sticking with my 645 AFD (original version). Shutter lag can be a problem I hear, I don't shoot moving things so it's not a problem. I do shoot people but there not moving quickly enough to even notice the lag. AF to me, is as good (or as bad) as any other MF camera. I love old tech, I have a spare body which cost about 800 bucks. I recently broke a shutter, sent it off for a brand new one, 400 dollars and a loaner in the meantime, no questions asked, no pro service agreement bull. Send us the loaner body back when you've done with it deal (from Mac group, a great company).
It seems there's nothing in the world of backs out that could make a better 11* 14 print than my P21 (non plus model) either.
Makes me a very happy camper indeed!
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Please allow me to correct,
- Plastic: Not true, the Hy6 body is metallic with a protection cover
- Ugly: is a question of taste, cannot be argued, your opinion
- Cumbersome: it is not the feedback from ALL customers using it, without exception
- Horrible view finder: can you emphasize which one you are speaking about?
- Heavy: also not true. I have weighted and compared with a H3D, with the same accessories and with batteries inside. There was a difference of 10 grams, in favour of the Hy6
Thierry
HY6: plastic, ugly, cumbersom, horrible viewfinder, looks so cheap it's terrible. Heavy.
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HY6: plastic, ugly, cumbersom, horrible viewfinder, looks so cheap it's terrible. Heavy.
Which viewfinder did you look at/through?
Plastic? What do you mean? The casing?
Cumbersome in what way?
As for the weight, the Hy6 is only 2.1 kg including digital back and normal lens. I'm guessing your 645 is at least as heavy.
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The original Mamiya AFD is no slouch. So if you don't feel the need to upgrade---you did save a ton of cash!
I began shooting with the original 645AF and migated to the AFD. I recently made the jump to the Phase 645AF----and love the improvements. But *ouch*---the msrp has moved up considerably from the AFD/AFD II versions.
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Not to be mean, but what is the point of this post? If you're happy with your AFD, we're all happy for you. End of story.
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Not to be mean, but what is the point of this post? If you're happy with your AFD, we're all happy for you. End of story.
The point of the post is to try to buck the camera companies up a bit and hope that we get better cameras. There are pretty glaring problems with all of them to my mind.
To clarify, although the H3 might be all metal, when you hold the grip and you squeeze a little, it gives, it feels very chintzy and it looks horrible. Thee biggest issue though is mirror slap.
The HY6, I know taste is subjective but to my mind it looks terrible, not a patch on the old Rollies. The viewfinder casing is the cheapest looking finish imaginable. And yes, it is cumbersome, it has no elegance. It seemed heavy, maybe that was just the lens they had on it. the mamiya does often make anything feel heavy as it's a focal plain shutter.
The Mamiya 645 AFD 3 may have a bunch of "improvements" (non of which sound like real practical improvements, I hear of battery problems) but it's awful to hold (IMO).
I think Contax trumped everyone, what, 8 years ago with there 645 camera, it's about time camera companies sorted that out.
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The point of the post is to try to buck the camera companies up a bit and hope that we get better cameras. There are pretty glaring problems with all of them to my mind.
To clarify, although the H3 might be all metal, when you hold the grip and you squeeze a little, it gives, it feels very chintzy and it looks horrible. Thee biggest issue though is mirror slap.
The HY6, I know taste is subjective but to my mind it looks terrible, not a patch on the old Rollies. The viewfinder casing is the cheapest looking finish imaginable. And yes, it is cumbersome, it has no elegance. It seemed heavy, maybe that was just the lens they had on it. the mamiya does often make anything feel heavy as it's a focal plain shutter.
The Mamiya 645 AFD 3 may have a bunch of "improvements" (non of which sound like real practical improvements, I hear of battery problems) but it's awful to hold (IMO).
I think Contax trumped everyone, what, 8 years ago with there 645 camera, it's about time camera companies sorted that out.
big view, big mirror, big slap. i had the contax and i loved the lenses, but the view finder was like looking through a needle hole compared to the hassy. and the battery consumption was at that time a pita. i mean i liked the camera, but it's not better besides with the mirror delay function the slap has no effect on the final picture. just loud...but still not as loud as an rz67 canonball slap
i actually like the hassy grip, feels good in my hand.
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big view, big mirror, big slap. i had the contax and i loved the lenses, but the view finder was like looking through a needle hole compared to the hassy. and the battery consumption was at that time a pita. i mean i liked the camera, but it's not better besides with the mirror delay function the slap has no effect on the final picture. just loud...but still not as loud as an rz67 canonball slap
i actually like the hassy grip, feels good in my hand.
Interesting, what's the deal with this mirror delay thing?
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Interesting, what's the deal with this mirror delay thing?
Its funny how this keeps popping up! ;-)
Did you actually shoot some images and draw the conclusion there was a troublesome mirror slap? Or is it just a feeling? Noise can be deceiving.
The Mirror delay introduces a 25, 50, 100 or 200ms delay after the mirror has risen until releasing the leaf shutter.
Our customers who use this report nothing but positive findings. You can ask on the forum, I am sure.
Perhaps its worth a trip back to FotoCare to really find out about the camera.
Best
David
Edit - I am not sure what 'gives' when you squeeze the grip? It is a flexible material? But anyway, perhaps on your next visit to FotoCare they could show you the padded hand grip. Customers with larger hands often like this option.
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In contrast to Woof, I would like to (and plan to) move from the AFD II to the AFD III/Phase One body if for no other reason than the mirror lock up control. I find the process on the AFD II very cumbersome at times. I very much dislike the requirement to partially depress the shutter to engage the shutter for MLU. It's not uncommon to miss the engagement and therefore have to drop the mirror and begin again.
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Interesting, what's the deal with this mirror delay thing?
under custom options you can set "extra mirror delay" from 25ms to 200ms. it delays the mirror just enough to make the capture before the slap. i can pretty easily hand hold at 1/60th.
so, the slap is just a noise on the hassy.
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under custom options you can set "extra mirror delay" from 25ms to 200ms. it delays the mirror just enough to make the capture before the slap. i can pretty easily hand hold at 1/60th.
so, the slap is just a noise on the hassy.
That is interesting, I tested a H2 a while ago and thought the mirror slap to be quite bad and I couldn't hand hold at anything slower than 125th ish and at that I had to be careful. I didn't know about this function though. I stand corrected on the mirror slap. I don't like the color of the thing but I could probably get over that.
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That is interesting, I tested a H2 a while ago and thought the mirror slap to be quite bad and I couldn't hand hold at anything slower than 125th ish and at that I had to be careful. I didn't know about this function though. I stand corrected on the mirror slap. I don't like the color of the thing but I could probably get over that.
It really does make a difference, and to be honest you don't really notice the delay.
But don't take my word for it. Shoot ten pictures at 1/60 and then ten pictures with a mirror delay on and see for yourself.
David
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(non of which sound like real practical improvements, I hear of battery problems) but it's awful to hold (IMO).
The improvements on the new AFD III and Phase 645AF are very real----and I really like the new body.
The Mamiya 645AF and latter iterations have always been capable of eating normal Energizer and Duracell AA batteries for breakfast---and this includes your venerable AFD model. I have not had any "battery problems" with the new Phase 645AF----that wasn't solved by using the very same battery that I used in the original AFD: Energizer Lithium AAs. Much lighter weight, long lasting, and work well in hot and cold climes.
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The improvements on the new AFD III and Phase 645AF are very real----and I really like the new body.
The Mamiya 645AF and latter iterations have always been capable of eating normal Energizer and Duracell AA batteries for breakfast---and this includes your venerable AFD model. I have not had any "battery problems" with the new Phase 645AF----that wasn't solved by using the very same battery that I used in the original AFD: Energizer Lithium AAs. Much lighter weight, long lasting, and work well in hot and cold climes.
I like the sound of lighter weight batteries, I'll have to try the energizer lithiums, they do cost a lot more it seems, do they end up costing more when you take into account the longer lasting nature of them? I rarely have to replace the batteries on my 645 AFD, every 3000 shots or so if I were to guess. I remember when I was an assistant the contax 645 was a bit of a battery eater, my mamiya's are nothing like that. I use the Duracell ultra batteries at present.
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Its funny how this keeps popping up! ;-)
The Mirror delay introduces a 25, 50, 100 or 200ms delay after the mirror has risen until releasing the leaf shutter.
David
Edit - I am not sure what 'gives' when you squeeze the grip? It is a flexible material? But anyway, perhaps on your next visit to FotoCare they could show you the padded hand grip. Customers with larger hands often like this option.
I use mirror lockup 90% of the time, but have had trouble with mirror slap when I do the occasional outdoor portrait. I'm still shooting an original H1, so I assume this feature was added through the firmware upgrade? I never got around to upgrading the firmware (which I believe makes the camera equivalent to an H2?). Could you recommend what my best options are to getting this done now.
As far as this thread goes ... I had an Mamiya 645 with a Kodak Digital Back, and when I moved to a Phase One back, I switched to the Hasselblad. While I'm not real happy with Hasselblad's direction over the past couple of years to lock people into their backs as well, I personally enjoy the camera and have no regrets switching.
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Mamiya Afd II kit listed in the buy/sell
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H3 mirror delay works great...plus the H3 mirror was damped a bit over previous...
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I use mirror lockup 90% of the time, but have had trouble with mirror slap when I do the occasional outdoor portrait. I'm still shooting an original H1, so I assume this feature was added through the firmware upgrade? I never got around to upgrading the firmware (which I believe makes the camera equivalent to an H2?). Could you recommend what my best options are to getting this done now.
As far as this thread goes ... I had an Mamiya 645 with a Kodak Digital Back, and when I moved to a Phase One back, I switched to the Hasselblad. While I'm not real happy with Hasselblad's direction over the past couple of years to lock people into their backs as well, I personally enjoy the camera and have no regrets switching.
Yes, the feature was added through a simple firmware upgrade.
I don't know of your location but this can be done at any Hasselblad service centre or in Sweden. It won't fully upgrade the camera to an H2 as there is a hardware change to the body as well. This enables the body to supply power from the grip to a Hasselblad CF digital back.
If you have a friend / colleague with an Ixpress or Hasselblad CF back then they could update the firmware for you through Phocus or FlexColor.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the switch!
Best,
David
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If your going to stay with the Mamiya AFD than you may at least upgrade to the AFD-II. It is a lot better to work with and the shutter delay is better. There are some added benefits from the AFD to the II version. Not sure of them all but i was a lot happier going to the II from the AFD. Now i have the new III version ( Phase One) and i like this one even better and some new firmware is coming but has not been announced yet. That improves it even more.
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A question about Hasselblad H mirror delay fiunction:
Is it possible to actually expose shortly BEFORE the mirror lands in its frame
( I guess that could work for shorter exposures ) , or is
"extra mirror delay" from 25ms to 200ms happening AFTER the mirror has stopped ?
25 ms to 200 ms translates into 1/40s to 1/5 s ....
I understand that mirror has to move out of the lens opening :-)
I must say I love the viewfinder of my H2 ...
I'm way too old for looking through Mamiya hole ...
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The H3 mirror delay is a big improvement, i have experimented with the different settings and the factory default of 50ms has worked consistently, the shorter setting is still a little too quick for me to get good hand held results (certainly could be operator error . I would definitely get an earlier body's firmware updated even for film only use.
The thing that keeps bringing me back to the H is the view through the viewfinder. The waist level viewfinder has also proved to be useful.
The grip is, of course, the battery and the Li-ion 7.2v grip feels a lot better than the CR battery grip for film-only use.
The good news is we are starting to get lots of choices agian, it was getting pretty lean for a while.
Glenn
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This enables the body to supply power from the grip to a Hasselblad CF digital back.
David
I use an H2 with CF but have not been able to supply my back via the grip? How can I do this?
BTW, I don't mind using a separate battery for the back & body. The body now lasts a lot longer on a grip and the back seems to go forevers with a 4800Mah battery block. It would be nice to have options though.
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I recently went into fotocare to look at all these new toys I keep reading about around here. I don't like any of them.
Hasselblad H3: grey handle looks plasticky and feels plasticky, not nice at all, most importantly though, mirror slap.
HY6: plastic, ugly, cumbersom, horrible viewfinder, looks so cheap it's terrible. Heavy.
Mamiya 645 AFD 3: the grip s wy too big to hold easily, I have really big hands and it was still uncomfortable to hold the thing.
I know this is a little off topic but I'm seriously considering going back to film for a lot of projects.
Our studio is just on digital overload, shooting, processing, storing, archiving, making film looks, updating software, computers, calibrating screens.
Today with everything else going on around me I have to get dozens of files for three seperate projects to the retouchers and back to the clients. Requires going on remote acess to the servers, searching, uploading, downloading, etc. etc.
Right now I'm running about 20 terabytes on line and many more stored off location.
In between preparing for a lot of weeks shooting on location, between cleaning sensors, charging batteries and the like, it really is an overwhelming never ending process.
I think between the Phase, the Canons, the leica and the computers I have about 5 different types of chargers.
Most of the buzz kill is the post processing. Finding that elusive film look, adjusting images, etc. etc. has gotten to the point every day of shooting equals a full day of post production.
I find the same thing with clients. Nearly to a person they miss just marking a contact and ordering a print or a scan. To a person they dread going online to view web galleries and I don't blame them.
(As I write this at 2:26am I have a 200mb web gallery going up on line from last weeks shoot.
And to top it off, except for the dslrs, the medium format cameras I own and have tried are a less responsive than when they are used to shoot film.
So if anyone knows of a great c-41 lab (anywhere in the country or the world for that matter) that still runs a lot of c-41 (duggal or Icon maybe?) and can make beautiful englarged contacts please let me know.
Maybe I'm just tired and dreaming but I think I'll give it a try.
I know that for a lot of commercial work I'll still have to work digital but then again we'll see.
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James,did you ever try to outsource the postprocessing? it takes a while to find the right one and get them to do it the way you want it, but once it works you spend so much more time behind the camera. you loose a chunk of the revenue per single shoot, but my experience is that i am eraning much more by shooting than by postprocessing. mybe my pricing structure is wrong...
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I know this is a little off topic but I'm seriously considering going back to film for a lot of projects.
Our studio is just on digital overload, shooting, processing, storing, archiving, making film looks, updating software, computers, calibrating screens.
Today with everything else going on around me I have to get dozens of files for three seperate projects to the retouchers and back to the clients. Requires going on remote acess to the servers, searching, uploading, downloading, etc. etc.
Right now I'm running about 20 terabytes on line and many more stored off location.
In between preparing for a lot of weeks shooting on location, between cleaning sensors, charging batteries and the like, it really is an overwhelming never ending process.
I think between the Phase, the Canons, the leica and the computers I have about 5 different types of chargers.
Most of the buzz kill is the post processing. Finding that elusive film look, adjusting images, etc. etc. has gotten to the point every day of shooting equals a full day of post production.
I find the same thing with clients. Nearly to a person they miss just marking a contact and ordering a print or a scan. To a person they dread going online to view web galleries and I don't blame them.
(As I write this at 2:26am I have a 200mb web gallery going up on line from last weeks shoot.
And to top it off, except for the dslrs, the medium format cameras I own and have tried are a less responsive than when they are used to shoot film.
So if anyone knows of a great c-41 lab (anywhere in the country or the world for that matter) that still runs a lot of c-41 (duggal or Icon maybe?) and can make beautiful englarged contacts please let me know.
Maybe I'm just tired and dreaming but I think I'll give it a try.
I know that for a lot of commercial work I'll still have to work digital but then again we'll see.
go back to bed james, you're dreaming. : )
and just in case you've actually forgotten, remember the waiting, the lost film roll, the badly developed roll, the waiting, the grain from hell, the bicycle messanger who showed up an hour late, the assistant who loaded the film the wrong way, the waiting, the film didn't transfer and no exposures were made because..., the camera with the light leek, the machine ate the film, the bad scan, the huge filing cabinets full of negs and contact sheets, the "we better shoot another roll just in case", and did i mention the waiting?
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I use an H2 with CF but have not been able to supply my back via the grip? How can I do this?
BTW, I don't mind using a separate battery for the back & body. The body now lasts a lot longer on a grip and the back seems to go forevers with a 4800Mah battery block. It would be nice to have options though.
Ah, a late night typo! I meant to refer to the CFH - a now discontinued product.
Sorry for the confusion.
David
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A question about Hasselblad H mirror delay fiunction:
Is it possible to actually expose shortly BEFORE the mirror lands in its frame
( I guess that could work for shorter exposures ) , or is
"extra mirror delay" from 25ms to 200ms happening AFTER the mirror has stopped ?
25 ms to 200 ms translates into 1/40s to 1/5 s ....
I understand that mirror has to move out of the lens opening :-)
I must say I love the viewfinder of my H2 ...
I'm way too old for looking through Mamiya hole ...
Hi Jann,
I am not sure I fully understand your question? The delay works like this...
Shutter button pressed -----> Mirror goes to the UP position -----> DELAY (25, 50, 100, 200ms) -----> Leaf Shutter Fires
Hope that helps!
David
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Ah, a late night typo! I meant to refer to the CFH - a now discontinued product.
Sorry for the confusion.
David
Bummer. It would be a nice extra option if it were possible.
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Yes of course .
I thought for a while that it would be possible ( for short exposures like 1/125 s )
to open the lens just BEFORE the mirror comes completely in upper
position ( still in movement ) If the mirror movement duration is like 1/20 s = 50 ms , my guess is last 20 ms ( = 1/100s ) maybe there would be no shadowing on the chip ( size is smaller then film format it is originally build for ) .
But i agree if it is not possible ( mechanical construction is very compact ) .
I understand that it is called DELAY :-)
Good function anyway .
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I know this is a little off topic but I'm seriously considering going back to film for a lot of projects.
Our studio is just on digital overload, shooting, processing, storing, archiving, making film looks, updating software, computers, calibrating screens.
Today with everything else going on around me I have to get dozens of files for three seperate projects to the retouchers and back to the clients. Requires going on remote acess to the servers, searching, uploading, downloading, etc. etc.
Right now I'm running about 20 terabytes on line and many more stored off location.
In between preparing for a lot of weeks shooting on location, between cleaning sensors, charging batteries and the like, it really is an overwhelming never ending process.
I think between the Phase, the Canons, the leica and the computers I have about 5 different types of chargers.
Most of the buzz kill is the post processing. Finding that elusive film look, adjusting images, etc. etc. has gotten to the point every day of shooting equals a full day of post production.
I find the same thing with clients. Nearly to a person they miss just marking a contact and ordering a print or a scan. To a person they dread going online to view web galleries and I don't blame them.
(As I write this at 2:26am I have a 200mb web gallery going up on line from last weeks shoot.
And to top it off, except for the dslrs, the medium format cameras I own and have tried are a less responsive than when they are used to shoot film.
So if anyone knows of a great c-41 lab (anywhere in the country or the world for that matter) that still runs a lot of c-41 (duggal or Icon maybe?) and can make beautiful englarged contacts please let me know.
Maybe I'm just tired and dreaming but I think I'll give it a try.
I know that for a lot of commercial work I'll still have to work digital but then again we'll see.
Hey guys, he's not dreaming.
If one steps back, there is/was an advantage to film (neg and proof) - that all the information is densely held in one spot, and readily accessed by anyone, easily. Books are still popular - you can read them anywhere, and once stored, they are ready for access at anytime you pick them up. Without special tools too - for proof, use a lupe, no screen. There is no better file system than film for simplicity and ability for rapid retrieval.
Of course, the advantages of digital are many for sure, but the real spawning of complex layers of processing and backup is not one of them.
Finding good analog systems these days (film and printing labs) is no small trick, tho - the labor pool has moved elsewhere to be sure. Good luck finding a lab.
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Yes of course .
I thought for a while that it would be possible ( for short exposures like 1/125 s )
to open the lens just BEFORE the mirror comes completely in upper
position ( still in movement ) If the mirror movement duration is like 1/20 s = 50 ms , my guess is last 20 ms ( = 1/100s ) maybe there would be no shadowing on the chip ( size is smaller then film format it is originally build for ) .
But i agree if it is not possible ( mechanical construction is very compact ) .
I understand that it is called DELAY :-)
Good function anyway .
Ah! Understand.
No, I am afraid this would not be possible at all. I am sure it would have some effect on the even exposure of the image plane.
David
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If your going to stay with the Mamiya AFD than you may at least upgrade to the AFD-II. It is a lot better to work with and the shutter delay is better. There are some added benefits from the AFD to the II version. Not sure of them all but i was a lot happier going to the II from the AFD. Now i have the new III version ( Phase One) and i like this one even better and some new firmware is coming but has not been announced yet. That improves it even more.
What are these improvement? (other than the shutter delay)
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It really does make a difference, and to be honest you don't really notice the delay.
But don't take my word for it. Shoot ten pictures at 1/60 and then ten pictures with a mirror delay on and see for yourself.
David
This is BS, at least with the H1. Perhaps the H2 or H3 are better mechanically on the mirror, I don't know. The mirror delay helps the problem somewhat, but it does not fix it. We work with a lot of photographers and I don't trust most of them handheld with the H1 under 200/250th. The steadier ones can do 125, but there will still usually be movement on some frames. And the delay is absolutely noticeable, especially at the longer settings. The Contax is by far the best mirror, a steady person can do 30th or even 15th with fairly good results. The AFD is about as good as the Contax results-wise, but doesn't feel as nice and buttery.
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This is BS, at least with the H1. Perhaps the H2 or H3 are better mechanically on the mirror, I don't know. The mirror delay helps the problem somewhat, but it does not fix it. We work with a lot of photographers and I don't trust most of them handheld with the H1 under 200/250th. The steadier ones can do 125, but there will still usually be movement on some frames. And the delay is absolutely noticeable, especially at the longer settings. The Contax is by far the best mirror, a steady person can do 30th or even 15th with fairly good results. The AFD is about as good as the Contax results-wise, but doesn't feel as nice and buttery.
Thats a big problem for me, I always shoot 1/125 handheld and I'm not that steady handed.
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This is BS, at least with the H1. Perhaps the H2 or H3 are better mechanically on the mirror, I don't know. The mirror delay helps the problem somewhat, but it does not fix it. We work with a lot of photographers and I don't trust most of them handheld with the H1 under 200/250th. The steadier ones can do 125, but there will still usually be movement on some frames. And the delay is absolutely noticeable, especially at the longer settings. The Contax is by far the best mirror, a steady person can do 30th or even 15th with fairly good results. The AFD is about as good as the Contax results-wise, but doesn't feel as nice and buttery.
This man speaketh the truth! He works with real working photographers every single day of the year. I mirror his observations entirely; the Contax, while being that girl at the party with the clunky shoes and the bobbed hair and the gap in her teeth, can easily be handheld reliably down to 1/30th, depending on what you did the prior night. It is a smooth shutter with VERY little noticeable bounce.
Fellows, this is something not to be overlooked, unless you shoot everything on a tripod with the mirror locked up, or if you shoot in a dark studio with Profotos. I read about this Hocus Phocus with the mirror delay "fix", but it's never felt right to me; kinda like putting lipstick... I never felt good about anything under 250th, and I'd sure hate to have a shutter lag. People running from that early Mamiya body for that very reason.
Shame about Kyocera. That Contax sitting there and just waiting to be dressed up, and having $150k spent on new clothing at Neiman's, and Kyocera keeps her under lock and key.
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This man speaketh the truth! He works with real working photographers every single day of the year. I mirror his observations entirely; the Contax, while being that girl at the party with the clunky shoes and the bobbed hair and the gap in her teeth, can easily be handheld reliably down to 1/30th, depending on what you did the prior night. It is a smooth shutter with VERY little noticeable bounce.
Fellows, this is something not to be overlooked, unless you shoot everything on a tripod with the mirror locked up, or if you shoot in a dark studio with Profotos. I read about this Hocus Phocus with the mirror delay "fix", but it's never felt right to me; kinda like putting lipstick... I never felt good about anything under 250th, and I'd sure hate to have a shutter lag. People running from that early Mamiya body for that very reason.
Shame about Kyocera. That Contax sitting there and just waiting to be dressed up, and having $150k spent on new clothing at Neiman's, and Kyocera keeps her under lock and key.
Shhhh. Let's keep those Contax prices down.
The only reason I bother with semi medium format is probably because of the Contax. The Phamiya is getting better, (it had a long way to go) but you still can't pop the top and shoot a horizontal with a waist level finder and it doesn't make that pretty sound when you shoot.
The Contax is like going from 1st to 2nd in a bmw m3. The Phamiya is like shifting a Kia, it works but feels disconnected. The H series like hitting the gears in Jeep.
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Phew!
Hey, I said don't take it from me (or anyone else for that matter) but simply make the test yourself.
Other 'real working photographers' have reported that it works for them. So I would simply draw your own conclusions AFTER using the camera. If you don't feel it beneficial then I wouldn't attempt to sway you otherwise.
Best,
David
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Yeah I here you. I still shoot film; 120 color neg still rules. Fleshtones Color lab in Los Angeles is awesome, ask for paul.
I know this is a little off topic but I'm seriously considering going back to film for a lot of projects.
Our studio is just on digital overload, shooting, processing, storing, archiving, making film looks, updating software, computers, calibrating screens.
Today with everything else going on around me I have to get dozens of files for three seperate projects to the retouchers and back to the clients. Requires going on remote acess to the servers, searching, uploading, downloading, etc. etc.
Right now I'm running about 20 terabytes on line and many more stored off location.
In between preparing for a lot of weeks shooting on location, between cleaning sensors, charging batteries and the like, it really is an overwhelming never ending process.
I think between the Phase, the Canons, the leica and the computers I have about 5 different types of chargers.
Most of the buzz kill is the post processing. Finding that elusive film look, adjusting images, etc. etc. has gotten to the point every day of shooting equals a full day of post production.
I find the same thing with clients. Nearly to a person they miss just marking a contact and ordering a print or a scan. To a person they dread going online to view web galleries and I don't blame them.
(As I write this at 2:26am I have a 200mb web gallery going up on line from last weeks shoot.
And to top it off, except for the dslrs, the medium format cameras I own and have tried are a less responsive than when they are used to shoot film.
So if anyone knows of a great c-41 lab (anywhere in the country or the world for that matter) that still runs a lot of c-41 (duggal or Icon maybe?) and can make beautiful englarged contacts please let me know.
Maybe I'm just tired and dreaming but I think I'll give it a try.
I know that for a lot of commercial work I'll still have to work digital but then again we'll see.
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Shhhh. Let's keep those Contax prices down.
The only reason I bother with semi medium format is probably because of the Contax. The Phamiya is getting better, (it had a long way to go) but you still can't pop the top and shoot a horizontal with a waist level finder and it doesn't make that pretty sound when you shoot.
The Contax is like going from 1st to 2nd in a bmw m3. The Phamiya is like shifting a Kia, it works but feels disconnected. The H series like hitting the gears in Jeep.
So what don't you like about the Phamiya James and why do you think it had a ways to go (except shutter lag)?