Hi Guys, I am new to this forum and have signed up as I want to get into the world of medium/large format cameras, however as we are now in the digital age, I would like to ask a few questions about using analog equipment with a digital back, everything I will do will be on the tripod, and the uses will be landscape and product photography, no moving people or anything that would require high iso or really fast shutter speeds, so speed docent really bother me, I would also like to tether to capture one so am leaning towards a phase back
My problem starts with the money, From doing some research my ideal "toy" would be something like the Linhof M679 with a selection of digital lenses and a phase one back, or something like an Alpa system, although I can only dream about these kind of setups,
So my initial thought are to buy a second hand 4x5 linhof or arca or similar, camera I see a few on eBay between £500 - £1000 , a second hand phase p25, again £500 - £1000 seem to be the going rate, and then the lenses, I could get a second hand analogue Rodenstock Apo Sironar for say between £300 - £800.
My main reason for considering this rather than just buying a hassleblad or phase one system, is I want to learn how to use a real view camera, the movements, tilts etc. And the feedback of digital would give me a much faster learning curve that processing film.
So a few questions about these components,
Camera; whats the difference between, i.e. a Linhof M679 which seems to be designed for digital backs and a camera that isn't? I know I will need an adapter for the back, I read rumours about it being impossible to focus etc, I don't understand why? Please tell me if I am missing something here?
Lenses; from my understanding this seems to come down to the resolution of the lens and the digital coating applied to stop from reflecting the sensor, and ghosting when shooting into light,
How much quality would I loose using a analogue lens, versus a digital, the price difference is huge! If anyone has any comparisons that would be excellent, lets say shooting on a 20mp back and a 40mp back?
I work in a retouching studio and am very used to working with files from the latest phase one backs 80mp plus stitches, on the latest alpa systems so I am very aware of how sharp and beautiful these files can be! How close can I get on a budget like this, does anyone have their own recommendations?
Thanks Guys!