Good morning from Berlin.
I have been an avidly-enthusiastic non-pro photographer for 20 years, and have been shooting digitally exclusively since the release of Canon's D60 about six years ago.
I have decided to move to MF Photography for a number of reasons, none of which are reasonable but all of which sound good when I say them in my head late at night.
I am a long way off from making any purchases, and will be spending the summer taking courses from a number of photographers I know who work exclusively in digital Medium Format.
I have read exhaustively. Especially the articles on LL have (once again) proven to be a good way of learning about gear that I'm evaluating.
In light of the fact that the digital back has the highest initial cost, it is imperative that it provide me with the flexibility to move to a different body throughout its life. One thing that is not clear is which mount is the most flexible. I understand that there are different mounts and different systems, but there are a number of cameras that don't use proprietary mounts. I want to be able to work with MF cameras, as well as View cameras. I gather that Hasselblad is a closed system. But what back would I want to use if I want to shoot with a Sinar, and a Linhof at another time. Or what kind of mounts can I fit on the back of an Arca Swiss view camera?
I assume my question itself shows how much I have yet to learn. I am not only asking this question, but hope that it will lead me to further questions that help me go through this process.
Thanks for your comments and feedback,
Yaron
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=204423\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Welcome on board Yaron,
In brief, most view camera maufacturers (Cambo, Arca-Swiss, Linhof etc.) provide interchangeable adapter plates for their cameras. There are other, 3rd party manufacturers who can provide these adapters for both 5X4 and 6X9 cameras.
If your MF camera of choice it, let's say, a Mamiya AFD/II/III and you have chosen a digital back made for it, you can buy the relevant adapter plate for it to fit your view camera.
Some back manufacturers can also provide own-made adapters for 5X4 cameras, most ly in universal Graflok fit.
If you change to a different mount back, you will have to buy another adapter plate. These plates vary in price depending on the manufacturer and configuration, but in general they are the more affordable link in the chain.
Some back manufacturers allow for the mount of the back to be changed by the user, requiring purchasing a new interface plate. Other will ask for the back to be sent in for this, at a comparable price.
That is all in brief, PM or email me if you want to dig in deeper and to look at some relevant links.
Good luck
Yair