Rollei 6008 + Phase one P20

[citizenk]

Hello
I've been struggling for months deciding if my next camera should be a MF or the upcoming 5Dmark II: I mainly do fashion and portraits and I was seduced by the lack of AA and the 16 bits color palette of the Digital Medium format,but lately I was quite decided for the 5D, mainly for budget reason.

until I stumbled on an interesting aucion on ebay for a rollei 6008 + p20 back

any hint on this system or on the camera body and lenses? I never had direct experience on this one

any advice or link to image samples highly appreciated
Fabio
http://www.clockwork-pictures.com

[Doug Peterson]

Hello
I've been struggling for months deciding if my next camera should be a MF or the upcoming 5Dmark II: I mainly do fashion and portraits and I was seduced by the lack of AA and the 16 bits color palette of the Digital Medium format,but lately I was quite decided for the 5D, mainly for budget reason.

until I stumbled on an interesting aucion on ebay for a rollei 6008 + p20 back

any hint on this system or on the camera body and lenses? I never had direct experience on this one

any advice or link to image samples highly appreciated
Fabio
http://www.clockwork-pictures.com

I am biased as all getup. However, why not work with a dealer? A good dealer can work with you to find any combination of unusual gear including a Rollei 6008. Moreover they can help you with actually trying them in hand rather than taking anyone else's word on what setup you should buy. Much better to try various solutions and make your decision when you're ready than determine your purchase based on "X days" remaining in an auction.

There may or may not be a price premium involved over an eBay auction (the "may not" because often dealers have contacts that extend to more people than whatever group of people are currently selling on eBay). However, it's well worth it in my opinion.

I guarantee there are questions you will have after your purchase which a dealer can (and will want to) answer more quickly and thoroughly than an eBay seller. MFD is not point-and-shoot and having a support mechanism in place can be very important.

Also if for any reason you have problems it is much better to have a dealer than a single person. The dealer has a reputation and referrals in mind; the eBay seller has only his eBay rating to keep.

Of course, I work for a dealer. And I know it's nice to shop in your underwear!  

Doug Peterson,  Head of Technical Services
Capture Integration, Phase One & Canon Dealer  |  Personal Portfolio

[citizenk]

I am biased as all getup. However, why not work with a dealer? A good dealer can work with you to find any combination of unusual gear including a Rollei 6008. Moreover they can help you with actually trying them in hand rather than taking anyone else's word on what setup you should buy. Much better to try various solutions and make your decision when you're ready than determine your purchase based on "X days" remaining in an auction.

There may or may not be a price premium involved over an eBay auction (the "may not" because often dealers have contacts that extend to more people than whatever group of people are currently selling on eBay). However, it's well worth it in my opinion.

I guarantee there are questions you will have after your purchase which a dealer can (and will want to) answer more quickly and thoroughly than an eBay seller. MFD is not point-and-shoot and having a support mechanism in place can be very important.

Also if for any reason you have problems it is much better to have a dealer than a single person. The dealer has a reputation and referrals in mind; the eBay seller has only his eBay rating to keep.

Of course, I work for a dealer. And I know it's nice to shop in your underwear!  

Doug Peterson,  Head of Technical Services
Capture Integration, Phase One & Canon Dealer  |  Personal Portfolio

Hi doug!
you know, I live in Rome, Italy.
it's a hell of a luck, for many reasons, but not when it comes to shop for hi tech gear.
sometimes takes a struggle even to have a price quote on something: having the stuff in my hand and give it a try would be great, but is not within my reach...
maybe 10-20 highly qualified professionals here do have access to this kind of attention with dealers but believe me: you can enter a shop (a pro one!) say that you'd like to buy something worth  5000 euros or such and people still look at you without having nothing useful to say...

:-)

[EricWHiss]

I use this camera and back combination and I like it very much (6008 AF / P20).  I also like the lenses for this system.  The  110/2 and 180/2.8 are probably my favorites for shooting people, but I also like the 60mm curtagon which is a nice focal length considering the sensor crop and the lens has a unique character that I like.     The Rollei 6000 series seems to have every possible accessory one would want and a lot of it can be found second hand.  

Most if not all of the lenses could be used with the new camera too in the future if you wanted to upgrade at some point.  
If you have specific questions please feel free to ask!

[VanKou]

if you are doing fashion, I would suggest a rectangular format like a P21 or P25.  I have a square format and I don't find it very efficient in the studio for full body shots.  3/4 is just fine though

[Gigi]

I'm a big fan of the Rollei system, and the square format. Also the colors off the Phase back just seem right on. Kodachrome like, not Ektachrome.

The dp20 isn't the newest, nor the best, but its pretty darn good for the more thoughtful shot. If you are looking for speed, I'd look elsewhere - either the DSLR (fine) or some of the other newer MF digital rigs. The Hy6 Sinar combo is pretty attractive too these days. Others like the Hassy. I recently went with the dp20 to save some money, get the simplicity and color of Phase, and keep to the Rollei gear already in hand. No regrets.  

Eric has identified the advantages of the system pretty well - its an extremely well engineered, very serious system that is quite easy to use. The interface with the back works, but isn't as flawless as the Canon, say for example. High ISO on the DSLR is superior... in fact everything is.... until you see the images. The Rollei Schneider/Zeiss lenses are just something else - like the sweet spot of the Leica lens, but just spread over the whole image. I just can't describe it well enough - but they not only don't let you down, they capture the nuance you were thinking of, and get it on to the picture. The 60 mm Curtagon is one of my favorites, but I'm using the 40mm Schneider (which is the same speed and smaller!) for the dp20 rig, getting about the same coverage. Struggling a little bit with the longer lenses, low light levels and hand holding (I seem to shake some more these days), but the rig is very steady and easy to brace. If you are shooting strobe or tripod, then no issue at all.

If its vaguely affordable, and you are interested, try it. Or shoot me a PM and I'll send you a sample. Nothing pretty, but something to look at.

Geoff