What is The Minimum Megapix Digital Back To See A Difference

[ziocan]

Large bright viewfinder, availability of waist level finders and vertical shooting without turning the camera, bodies with different-than-35mm ergonomics (for better or worse depending on your preference), availability of leaf shutter lenses, availability of built in wireless transmitters for flash? Many medium format cameras have some or most of those and no dSLR does.

The gentleman is apparently looking for a not expensive solution, which means: a sub 1000/1500 usd second hand Mamiya mint body from Ebay, few lenses from the same source and sub 31mp DB, possibly  phase.
All those bells and whistles mentioned above are out of question, therefore not appealing. LOL

[ziocan]

IMHO,  you ought to rent a digital back and camera, the one you intend to buy, and then test it, if not on an actual wedding then in a scenario where you are similarly time limited in shooting.  Although a DB requires some experience to get fast with, it is always slower than a 5D2 in use.

those are 400 bucks out of the window, right there. he can buy a lens or a new flash for is 5d with those money.....

[KevinA]

It's lens choice for me, when I last looked at a MF system as soon as you want a lens on the long side of normal the system becomes unusable for my work. Yes I can see there are differences in quality, no I don't see it as big a gap as others see it. If I was desperate to have a system without an AA filter, I would either get it removed from my Canons or buy a Leica M9. After my experience with the Kodak SLR/n which did not have the AA filter, I have no wish to inflict the pain of constant moire on my images. I lost to much sleep trying to eradicate that demon. If not having a AA filter is a big reason to go MF, it just is not big enough.
I hanker after a MF setup because that was what I was brought up on, I still have a nagging feeling that MF is for "real photographers" and I can't take myself seriously unless I use one. To be honest I think that is the main reason most MF systems get sold, nothing to do with quality, client needs or business sense. When you have to rely on mathematics or 100% crops to prove one camera is better than another then I know it's a bit pointless.
The difference in price is huge, for that I would want my clients to see a huge quality difference, I think the only difference they are likely to spot and take notice of would be the moire.
But I still would like a MF system, one day perhaps.

Kevin.

[ndevlin]

I hanker after a MF setup because that was what I was brought up on, I still have a nagging feeling that MF is for "real photographers" and I can't take myself seriously unless I use one. To be honest I think that is the main reason most MF systems get sold, nothing to do with quality, client needs or business sense. When you have to rely on mathematics or 100% crops to prove one camera is better than another then I know it's a bit pointless.
Kevin.

A superbly insightful observation....