Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: rollsman44 on December 02, 2010, 07:40:50 am

Title: On A BUDGET Which Back Would You Recommend
Post by: rollsman44 on December 02, 2010, 07:40:50 am

I am looking to purchase a Mamiya 645 AFD II or III. I shoot mainly Weddings and want to use the DB for my Portraits in and outdoors( Dont need speed or Hi ISO)I use my Canon 5D for that.
 The following have been recommended by members of the forum:
  P21  P25 Phase one H20, H25 or Leaf Aptus II-6.
    I appreciate your professional opinions and recommendations. Also, I am on a budget of appr $6500.
    Thank you,  rollsman
  P.S.  I need a LCD that is good to see

Title: Re: On A BUDGET Which Back Would You Recommend
Post by: tho_mas on December 02, 2010, 07:54:38 am

Quote from: rollsman44 on December 02, 2010, 07:40:50 am

I am looking to purchase a Mamiya 645 AFD II or III. I shoot mainly Weddings and want to use the DB for my Portraits in and outdoors( Dont need speed or Hi ISO)I use my Canon 5D for that.
 The following have been recommended by members of the forum:
  P21  P25 Phase one H20, H25 or Leaf Aptus II-6.
    I appreciate your professional opinions and recommendations. Also, I am on a budget of appr $6500.
    Thank you,  rollsman
  P.S.  I need a LCD that is good to see

the latter rules out medium format backs in general but in any case the H20 and H25 as they don't have LCDs at all (for tethered work in the studio only).
Phase One backs without "plus" do have very low res LCDs. The "plus" backs have somewhat better LCDs, however they are nowhere near a LCD of any current DSLR. I have a P21+ and a P45 ... the LCD on the P21+ has twice the resolution (I think...) but it is still not appropriate to judge focus or anything. On the P45 LCD I can't tell a fridge from a building. So the LCDs on these back are actually only appropriate to check that "something" was recorded and to check the histogram.
The Aptus-II series clearly provide the best LCDs from your list above.
RE your budget you might look for...:
P21 / P21+ / P25 / P25+
Apt. 17 / Apt. 22 / Apt. 65 / Apt.-II 5/ Apt.-II 6

Title: Re: On A BUDGET Which Back Would You Recommend
Post by: rollsman44 on December 02, 2010, 08:21:24 am

  Thank you very much.  rollsman

Title: Re: On A BUDGET Which Back Would You Recommend
Post by: David Watson on December 02, 2010, 09:02:22 am

Hi

Don't forget the Hasselblad H4D-31 which is available at a very good price complete with an 80mm lens (£9995 in the UK from Calumet amongst others).  The Truefocus feature will be extremely useful for your wedding and portraiture shoots and the screen on the back is better than the competition and its predecessor.

This camera is also quite good at higher ISO's (note "higher" not stratospheric like the D3 etc) a feature not often found in MF.  Hasselblad have a great support structure and their extended warranty is a useful extra for a working pro.

Find out all about it here.

http://www.hasselblad.co.uk/products/h-system/h4d-31.aspx

The H3D-2-39 as a lightly used item is now very good value as well.  Check some out here:

http://www.procentre.co.uk/Secondhand/hasselblad_digital.html



Good luck

Title: Re: On A BUDGET Which Back Would You Recommend
Post by: archivue on December 02, 2010, 09:14:11 am

http://www.mamiya-usa.com/dm22-and-dm28.html (http://www.mamiya-usa.com/dm22-and-dm28.html)