I know that, a number of years ago, many of the medium format camera manufacturers offered exceptional pricing on their products to students and educators. I am about to begin work on my PhD in Environmental Studies at Antioch New England, with a dissertation topic in what I call Visual Natural History - using photography as a way to understand and educate about the natural world. I already have substantial education and experience both in nature photography (formal education including the full-summer Residency Program at the Maine Photo Workshops 2005) and natural history (Master of Science, University of Vermont 2006). I presently teach a course at the University of Vermont entitled Visions of the Landscape: Exploring Vermont Natural History Through Photography.
For the type of work I will be doing for my dissertation, I will need the highest quality digital files I can capture, in order to record every detail of the Vermont landscape I will be working in. Since products will range from PowerPoint presentations to large-format fine art prints, scanning the quantity of film required (thousands of images over several years) would quickly become impractical, not to mention prohibitively expensive. 35mm type digital cameras are a part of the solution (I work with a Nikon D200 now), but the ultimate quality isn't there in a large print (the D200 is, of course, more than adequate for PowerPoint or small prints, but I never know what I'll want to print big), especially if I have to crop for a panorama or similar application. While the Nikon will remain in my kit for wildlife work and other applications where flexibility and speed trump image quality, I need something higher quality for the landscape and macro images that will tell much of the story of the landscape I document.
At retail price, even the least expensive medium format back is prohibitively expensive for a doctoral student working on an academic project. Is there any formal or informal academic pricing program? Hasselblad and Mamiya both used to offer educational pricing that was as much as 50% off commercial pricing - I don't know if they still do. I remember that Hasselblad's was called HERO, and I forget the name of Mamiya's program.
Alternatively, does anyone have any used or refurbished backs available that I might purchase for an attractive price (or in an ideal world, obtain as a donation - there are tax-deductible avenues I can pursue if there is any potential for a donation). Due to the nature of my project, involving field capture of landscape images, a tethered back would be of very little use, but any of the recent integrated screen/CF card backs would work perfectly (I would be looking at something between a 20 and a 31 MP back - I would be shocked if any of the 39 MP backs come down far enough, regardless of the discount ).
Camera mount is unimportant, as I will buy a system to fit the back - if I need to find a used Contax 645 to fit a back in this less popular mount, I am happy to do that. I would also be interested in a solution to adapt the back to my Horseman 6x9 field camera, but as I understand it, such mounting plates are universal and do not depend on the back being in a particular mount. Of course, an integrated system (Hasselblad, Mamiya or the semi-fictional Pentax) would also be appealing.
If any of the dealer or manufacturer representatives out there have any ideas about where I could find a back or a system (back, body, a few lenses, most importantly a macro lens) for a discounted price or as a donation, please contact me. I am happy to supply more information about myself and my project as required.
Thanks,
Dan Wells
