Questions about the Leaf Line of Digital Backs, what do I to move from Aptus 65

[rueyloon]

Hello

hi, I have an Aptus 65. Works great in good light but not so much in low light and dark coloured things such as dark paintings.

I'm considering a small up grade to keep it up to date, so I have some questions.

How is a P40+ back as an upgrade ?
Or how about the Aptus II line, how is it different from the original Aptus line ?

rgs
rueyloon

[torger]

Leaf Aptus-II 8 seems to me the obvious choice for you. It's still 44x33 so you get same FoV as you are used to, but has the newer 6um Dalsa sensor, same as in P40+.

It has noticeably better dynamic range than the older Aptus 65 so you should get real improvements in the darks.

In terms of color the "look" of Leaf Aptus is pretty distinct so if you like the color of your Aptus 65 I think you might have a hard time getting used with P40+, while Aptus-II 8 comes with the same type of profiles you are used to.

When it comes to differences between Aptus-II and Aptus the newer has a bit better screen and is a bit faster, but the image quality is almost exactly the same in the cases you have the same sensor, that is it's negligible difference in image quality between Aptus 75 and Aptus-II 7 which has the same sensor. However the Aptus-II 8 comes with the newer generation Dalsa sensor that does not exist in the Aptus line.

[rueyloon]

Oh ya, I though I should also share why I felt I might need an upgrade. In the previous shoot, the client noticed the shadow noise. I guess with technology, things are improving so much that most problems of the earlier digital cameras are solved, things like shadow noise starts to stand out as a "defect". Detail wise I did a shoot with the 37MP sony and 28MP Aptus, the resolution is comparable but the borders are more clearly defined on the Sony, it is more film grain like on the Aptus.

Yes I'm used to the Aptus look, Phase One backs looks somewhat flat to me (from online images).

[torger]

The Aptus-II 8 won't reach Sony levels in terms of clean file, you need the Credo 50 for that (ie a Sony sensor), but it's not far from it and it's certainly better than the Aptus 65. I'm not 100% sure but I think the P40+ is a tiny bit cleaner than the Aptus-II 8, Phase One has traditionally had an edge over both Hassy and Leaf on low noise implementation of the CCDs. I would guess it's negligible though, and going for Aptus-II 8 would be a simpler move in terms of color.

[synn]

If you haven't already, try processing some of your old files in the latest version of Capture One Pro. That itself can make a significant difference in the output, especially for noise reduction and detail in the shadow areas.

[Ken R]

Oh ya, I though I should also share why I felt I might need an upgrade. In the previous shoot, the client noticed the shadow noise. I guess with technology, things are improving so much that most problems of the earlier digital cameras are solved, things like shadow noise starts to stand out as a "defect". Detail wise I did a shoot with the 37MP sony and 28MP Aptus, the resolution is comparable but the borders are more clearly defined on the Sony, it is more film grain like on the Aptus.

Yes I'm used to the Aptus look, Phase One backs looks somewhat flat to me (from online images).

It's hard to make a recommendation without a specific example of the type of work you are doing and where you found issues but generally to get a huge improvement in dynamic range you need to go to the newer sensors with the Sony based 50mp systems being by far the best even when compared to the Sony 35mm systems.

The Leaf Credo 40 is a very nice back that will offer some nice image quality (and UI and speed) improvements at not too high a cost. I would at least give one a try.

[synn]

As A Credo 40 user, I second what Ken said. I love this back and don"t need much more from a file than what it can do. If you want a back that can do everything, then you're better off with a CMOS back. But if you're working with light and/ or do landscaping with carefully planned exposures, it will deliver in spades.

Download some sample raw files and see if it suits your expectations.