Joseph Holmes MF Observations

[Anthony R]

I agree. These are excellent points.

I have been working with this p45+ this week, just playing around with it before a trip next week, and you realize quickly that, if utmost detail is your goal, then forget about shooting handheld. It starts there, then you realize that not only is the tripod required, but then also raising the mirror, but then you realize that you need to let the body calm down even after raising the mirror. (It makes you wonder what else could affect things, even beyond this).

And then, there is also the flipside of every perspective. I know for me, some of the most boring photographs I've ever come across are ones where you could count every leaf on every tree, even out to infinity. You stand there, looking at the print, and you think, "Yep, the detail in that incredibly boring photograph is awesome".

So, I think it's about where you put your energy, and what's important to you. I just think it's also important to not get caught up in this resolution mess so much that the photographs become stale and clinical and unemotional -- just another endless landscape that's clinically perfect but doesn't pose any questions or stir any emotion. Sometimes, TMAX3200 in Rodinal is the way to go. Sometimes, Type55 is the way to go. I'm sure so many people on this forum are good people, but if you read this forum enough, you see enough hair-splitting that you'd think that Resolution is the key to life, when clearly, it's not, in every case. We are photographers -- not opticians, or scientists, or chip designers, or software engineers. This is one main downside to digital -- getting caught up in all this mess, and mistakenly thinking it'll make your pictures much better.

Here here! It's not just 'getting caught up all this' digital mess, it's unfortunately the nature of the beast we call photography. There has always been a lot of science and technique in this medium and like you said, a lot of boring photographs have been made. Photography has always attracted the gear heads and the technical nerds. Additionally, most of the experts in certain genres and aspects of photography and those that teach.. well.... you get the picture.

[tho_mas]

...

very true. But if you walk around with a 2.0/80 shooting wide open or at f2.8 or f4 and there is always back- or frontfocus ... does not make fun and this is maybe not the "special style" worthwhile to achieve.

Well said. BTW on the AFDIII you can set the Mirror lockup to combine with the self -timer. So mirror goes up than hit the shutter again and depending on the self -timer you set like 3 seconds than it will fire.

Is that something special? The Contax does the same with 2'' (without activating the shutter again) or, if mirror is locked, you can use the 10'' self timer as well. Thought that is some kind of a "standard", no?

While these lens issues that Joe raises may not affect everybody to the same degree, I  believe this is a real and serious issue.

Question is if it makes sense to expect everything from the manufacturers. Tilted chips are certainly a matter of quality control and in this price range is a no go.
But focus alignment at these tolerances? I guess that's only possible in integrated systems. A MFDB system, including view cameras and LF lenses, is often assembled by so many pieces from different manufacturers. The downside are the tolerances. On the other hand the upside is a good range of choices.
With regard to this I find a focus calibration as current DSLR do it quite useful. Too, it should be possible to adjust the groundglass very easy -  and I would never buy a camera without that option and/or without changeable finder. In the Contax you can mount or demount  metal shims under the screen base. As the finder is removable it's a matter of maybe 20 to 30 minutes to adjust the screen to the focus plane of the digiback. And it's nearly fool-proof. Is that possible in the Mamiya or in a H1/2/3? (I don't know).
I honestly prefer to adjust the groundglass by myself in 30 minutes rather than sending the camera (or the back) to service again and again (but that's just me). The same with the LF lenses. They should be adjusted to infinity accurately. But if they are not I really appreciate the opportunity to adjust it by myself - on my camera (with its tolerances) to which my digiback (with its tolerances) is attached.
Than again meanwhile I see the upside of live view (or at least higher resolution of the LCDs). Funnily I would not need or use it for the Contax (except if I would do macros or something like that) ... but for the view camera.
Maybe a rather unpopular view as most people are prone to expect highest precission when they pay a lot of money... however that's the way I see it.