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Author Topic: digital backs in extreme conditions  (Read 3126 times)

ggunness

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digital backs in extreme conditions
« on: February 21, 2007, 03:09:38 am »

I am considering the purchase of a digital back for my Rollei 6008 AF. I am after some advice as to whether it is wise to use digital in the type of photography I do. This has nothing to do with the digital vs film debate but a question about the robustness of the lastest digital backs.
I do a lot of underwater photography and spend about 80 days per year on my boat on the west coast of Australia. It is a very windy place so the digital back will have to contend with humid salt air for 80 days per year and temperatures regularily above 105 degrees F.
I also photograh the coast line and the inland areas of western Australia the issue is wind blown sand and what and a very fine dust (think of talc) that covers the dirt roads and eventually penetrates everything.
The third issue is the remote areas I go to photograph. I take my boat up into the Kimberley region of Australia (which is an expensive exercise) and you are literally hundreds of miles from the nearest town let alone support for any problems. The nearest support would be Syndey some 3000 miles away!
In these circumstances would you invest in a digital back or does it make sense to stick with film purely because it is such a robust medium?
I would appreciate any input from those of you using MF digital backs
thanks
Graeme
PS this is before having to contend with the nighmare of a U/W housing flood!
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thsinar

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digital backs in extreme conditions
« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2007, 03:20:56 am »

Dear Graeme,

I can suggest you to get in touch with David Kay, from Baltronics in Sydney. We did an under-water shooting at the "Great Barier Reef" in AU with a Sinarback 23 a few years ago, for a Sinar calendar.
He can surely help and advice you for this and give helpful advices.

His email contact is:

dkay@baltronics.com.au

I hope this helps. All the best in your quest,
Thierry

Quote
I am considering the purchase of a digital back for my Rollei 6008 AF. I am after some advice as to whether it is wise to use digital in the type of photography I do. This has nothing to do with the digital vs film debate but a question about the robustness of the lastest digital backs.
I do a lot of underwater photography and spend about 80 days per year on my boat on the west coast of Australia. It is a very windy place so the digital back will have to contend with humid salt air for 80 days per year and temperatures regularily above 105 degrees F.
I also photograh the coast line and the inland areas of western Australia the issue is wind blown sand and what and a very fine dust (think of talc) that covers the dirt roads and eventually penetrates everything.
The third issue is the remote areas I go to photograph. I take my boat up into the Kimberley region of Australia (which is an expensive exercise) and you are literally hundreds of miles from the nearest town let alone support for any problems. The nearest support would be Syndey some 3000 miles away!
In these circumstances would you invest in a digital back or does it make sense to stick with film purely because it is such a robust medium?
I would appreciate any input from those of you using MF digital backs
thanks
Graeme
PS this is before having to contend with the nighmare of a U/W housing flood!
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« Last Edit: February 21, 2007, 03:23:02 am by thsinar »
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Thierry Hagenauer
thasia_cn@yahoo.com

ynp

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digital backs in extreme conditions
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2007, 02:18:34 pm »

I live in Russia and the country is affected by Global Warming: less severe frosts, unstable weather. I want to share my experience using a digiback in extrame cold. I just came from a business trip to Eastern Siberia, where the temperature was below –30 C. what is normal. One day we enjoyed the temperature about – 45C with very low humidity. I had my ALPA TC with the eMotion 22 and 35mm Digitar and used the set for snap shots outdoors. I had no problems with my e22 even at –45 C (I kept the battery in the pocket) . Alpa and Digitar 35mm behaved as expected, being left outside for a night (in a perforated plastic case) so they did not accumulate condensate. Everything changed when the temperature dropped below – 40 C. The shutter got frozen and became lazy. It still worked and I was able to synchronize the back and the lens.

Yevgeny
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rainer_v

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digital backs in extreme conditions
« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2007, 05:41:06 pm »

and i shot a huge production in april and mai 2005 in bangkok,
most of the time outside. temperatures till up to +45 degrees with hi humidity.
no problems with the e22 so far except more noise at exposure
times longer than 2 seconds, if the back itself was very hot.
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rainer viertlböck
architecture photograp

ggunness

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digital backs in extreme conditions
« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2007, 07:11:35 pm »

thanks for the replys so far.

Has anyone had experience in extremely dusty conditions (think of talc which gets into everytihing). I understand that dust is the  number one enemy of the digital back and keeping the sensor clean can be a major issue or have I got it wrong?

thanks

graeme
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rsmphoto

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digital backs in extreme conditions
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2007, 07:51:06 pm »

If it were me, I'd be using a Canon 1DsMKII in those conditions. There's no more tightly sealed digital out there. It has over 90 gaskets/o-rings and I've heard more than one tale of accidental submerging (like total immersion) with nary a hiccup (lenses too.). If you can wait a bit the MKIII is rumored to be out in the fall. Should be a significant upgrade over the MKII (given the changes between the 1DMKII and the newly announced 1DMKIII). Not exactly MF I realize, but the 1DsMKII is damn close to a 22MP MF back, and with remote, extended stays in those climes probably a much wiser choice. It's what I use when out in the sands of the Persian Gulf states- which is also mighty fine stuff - like your talc.

richard


Quote
thanks for the replys so far.

Has anyone had experience in extremely dusty conditions (think of talc which gets into everytihing). I understand that dust is the  number one enemy of the digital back and keeping the sensor clean can be a major issue or have I got it wrong?

thanks

graeme
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