do i need a digital back??

[qwerty]

Hello
I´ve been workin as photographer assistent and retoucher for a couple of years, since half a year i started working for my own too and wish doing it quite more frecuently. I mainly shoot editorials and models tests with a mamiya rz67 and a nikon d70. In my work as assistent i´ve been playing with every camera on the market, digital backs, and all gadgets. I think that i´ve to move on, and let mamiya rest in peace, it´s a wonderful camera but i need the digital workflow for my clients.
So i started to shoot more and more with nikon d70, it does a quite pretty job, but i need big viewfinders, better ergonomics and a little more latitude, yes, i need a new digital camera.
I´m not quite impressed about canons, nikons, and other dslrs, i feel that they are just little bit better than my old nikon (before tell me how better is a markII, or a d2x, let me say that for my kind of work they arent, maybe for landscape or sports, but not for fashion) , and still any of them give me a spectacular viewfinder like mamiya does. In the same time i cant get a new digital back, i know how good they are.... so i dont want to waist my money with a dslr, well i feel that i ve not any more choice, maybe a second hand kodak back?? (is it still worth the price??) or a hasselblad  503 digital (and eat just potatoes for two years)?? Dont know, do you have any advice for me?? any thoughts??

[Gary Yeowell]

Hi,

If the digital back bug has really bitten and you can see it really moving you forward then you could do a lot worse than a used Phase P20 on a 503CW. I have been using this combo for the last couple of years and it produces visibly much nicer files than top end DSLR's, and one can be had for less than the cost of a new 1DS2.

A 'V' fitting back can also be used on your RZ with an adapter, however it's much happier on a Blad.

Just to clarify, i am not saying you need a back, only you can decide that.

Gary.

[MichaelEzra]

Consider Mamiya ZD, it is a very capable camera.

[RicAgu]

You can keep your RZ depending o how much you have invested in it and get a PhaseOne back.  Either a P20, P21 or P30 depending on your budget.

if you have a lot RZ lenses and want to shoot without the communication cable, you will need to get a ProIID body so the communication is possible without the cable.

You can get a brighter focusing screen with the lines made by Maxwell Precision Optics that will help in the loss of viewing real estate.

If you don't need the speed and want a better quality you cannot get better than a PhaseOne in the price point. of a P20 or P21.

If you get the back mounted for a Mamiya 645 you can slowly grow into a Mamiya 645 if you need a faster system.  You can read all about it if you research Pschefz postings.  He has the set up and raves about it.

[qwerty]

yep, a p20 into my rz seems a nice solution, i spent few grands in my mamiya system, 3 lenses, 4 backs, 2 bodies, so keep it seems a logical step.
Anyway i´ve a controversy myself if a MDB will solve anything, i mean is a huge amount of money for me, that i just need to speed all the process up, i´m quite happy shooting film, checking polas, etc... but it is a pain in the butt to get processed, scanned and then retouched, so spending ten thousand euros just to work faster and dont look like a nerd in a shooting.... i know i´ll gain more than speed, i´ll gain quality, security, etc... So i feel in the middle of nowhere, dslrs dont like me, MDB are expensive, digital is the present, so??

thank you for your time!!

[RicAgu]

Yes,  Once you go digital on that level you will be blown away.

They had to drag me kicking and screaming but within in four months I couldn't believe it.

The best way to figure out your budget is;  figure out what you spend on film, processing, scanning time to and from the lab over one year.  Then use that money toward a digital back.  But I would still charge for it when doing your editorial and model tests.  Charge what it would cost to shoot film.  You also have to figure out the cost of Hard Drives and multiple Harddrives.  You want to have a duplicate Harddrive of every drive you fill up and this SHOULD NOT BE A COMPRIMISE.

If you can afford it, i would seriously look at the P21+ back as I believe it could be had for a little more than your investment into a DSLR.  You will have to reconfigure your lens selection though for your RZ as the chip will expand the focal length of your lenses.

[Morgan_Moore]

any thoughts??
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One point you dont make is what your current lenses are like and how many you have

If you have decent nikkor you could go for an Kodak SLRn

Again great files for the money (I hate 125 synch and poor fast ISO performance)

But the files and LOOK  ARE better than a D70 (I own both)

The next is to build your Mamiya system probably with the addition of and AFD camera for wide if you need it

Else buy the adapter plate for your 67 and rent a back when you get a decent shoot

Digital backs..

The Kodak pro back does wonderful files (at faster than one second and 100ISO or below) (I had one of them too)

But the crop of a P20 or proback is pretty harsh especially on a 67

If you jump to a back you should probably buy one with a rectangular chip being aptus 17 p21 etc

There are great deals on tethered backs H25 etc but I think it would be preferable to keep the kit you need to drag around to a minimum -  22mp Imacon and Image tank is probably best combo of portability/price/quality/chipsize/look

The logical thing is, I am afraid, is to get a 5D and a couple of decent primes 20 50 and the 85 T/S

The one thing I have learnt is DONT get what you DONT WANT- say you spend $10000 and still are annoyed by your kit

The biggest loss I ever made was buying a PRO-Back and Mamiya system and then disposing of it because I hated the crop and the flash synch

The thing about a 5d and a couple of decent primes is that no pro would ever not want that gear - they would want more gear but not to get rid of a basic canon kit

the best value I have got from kit is the decent manual prime nikkors I bought when I was at college (1992) and am still using 24/50/85/135 (that is where the SLRn rocks)

remeber earlier backs are pretty poor above 100 - so you really need an SLR too anyway

SMM

PS.. The more I thnk about it 5d because really what you need is TIME and FREEDOM (low debts) to put your camera in front of interesting things and models that may cost and get to good locations and decent LIGHTING that donesnt run of the mains

You will get a better book with a 5d a 50 1.8 and $5000 of air tickets than a $10000 back with no travel/model/lightsl budget

or even a D70 and a manual 35 1.4 and $9500 of buget for models and travel

[Quentin]

Keep the RZ67 and look at getting a used back for it, there are a number of bargains around such as the Kodak Pro back with an appropriate adapter, or other backs such as a refurb Phase One P20.  Or you could wait a little and look at a Mamiya ZD back when more readily available.  these solutions would enable you to keep using the camera system and lenses you are familiar with, although there will be the crop factor to consider.  Howver, possibly a better solution might be to move the a system where there is less of a crop factor, such as a the Mamiya 645 AFD11 with a used back like the P20 or new one like the P30, the upcoming ZD back or a Mamiya ZD all-in-one solution.  Right now I'd be cautious about new untried systems like the Hy6 or proprietary systems that lock you in like the latest hassy H3 - not to mention they also cost more.

Quentin

[qwerty]

You will get a better book with a 5d a 50 1.8 and $5000 of air tickets than a $10000 back with no travel/model/lightsl budget

Very nice point, one of the reasons i´ve got not enough money for mdb is that i´ve got an elinchrom ranger system recently, renting them is very expensive here, it gets paid in just 20 shootings.
I´m looking more and more to 5d, it has everything for a 35mm body but it´s still a 35mm, so, one option will be buy a canon 5d for more fast out of studio work, then keep my mamiya and buy a medium format scanner too, i can get the negs develop at home in a couple of hours, and then scan them myself, not wait for contacts and then choose wich ones scan that usually takes 2 or 3 days.
So what do you think?, a 5d with 35, 50 and 70-200 plus a mf scanner can get it for 6000 euros, still away for what a new digital back costs (12000), i dont swear for a kodak back or old gear backs, they are nice but i think still inmature for what you can get now new. Actually for me a 5d+scanner get paid in a year or so and gives me time to see what will happening on MDB market in the future, is it a reliable approach, or it´s just lost money??

cheers!!!

[Ben Rubinstein]

As a matter of interest, does a P20 have that many more advantages when cropped to a non square format? The Leaf 17 would suggest itself being in the 645 format but unless I'm doing something significantly wrong the samples from their website do not seem to be particularly 'wow' compared with my 5D certainly to the extent that I nixed an idea of going back to medium format..