DMF backs on location

[abrehm]

I am looking to use a DMF back on a Mamiya AFD II for landscape photography and was questioning their ruggedness.  I notice on the Phase One site the P21's operating conditions only go down to 32 degrees.  How tough are DMF backs with regards to temperature, weather, etc?  Also, I do some backpacking for some of my images miles away from any kind of power source.  What kind of battery situation do DMF backs have that would be conducive for shooting on location for days at a time with no power source other than batteries?

Thanks in advance

Andy

[Morgan_Moore]

Similar to other digicams

Canon are probably a bit tougher better sealed and have better batt life

However

A damaged canon is out of action - a damaged Mamiya body - you can change your back onto a spare body if you have one

A damaged/powerless back can be replaced with a film back if you have one

No electronics will beat the pure mechanics of an FM2 F3 etc

If you are not mamiya yet you could consider a 'more mechanical' body V blad or contax

Or even a totally mechanical body - alpa and thier cheaper brothers

The most reliable system would probably be an alpa and a digiback with a spare film back

SMM

[abrehm]

Thanks Morgan.  What about power options for a back?  I looked on Phase One's site and they mention that it is all self contained, but does that mean that it does not have interchangeable batteries?  If it has only one battery that needs to be charged that could be a problem...

[marc gerritsen]

The h2d back can also only go to 32 degree fahrenheit or 0 degree celsius.
When I quizzed Hasselblad about it, they told me that of course I could use the back
below those temperatures, but that it was not advisable?!?
My guess is that Phase 1 like Hasselblad's legal department have more to do with those statements than the technical department.
cheers
Marc

[ericstaud]

Both the Aptus 75 and P45 take nearly identical looking batteries.  They are basically video camera batteries.

The Leafs fan runs constantly while it is turned on.  I don't know how much of a draw this is.  With the A75 I can take 60 to 100 shots in 2 hours having the back on most of the time.  There is a double size version of the A75 battery available as well.  I don't own one, so I can't comment on its life span.  Leaf supplies a single-battery charger which is a pain, because I leave the house with three batteries in the morning and have to really keep up on the charging schedule the night before.

[Jack Varney]

I shoot landscape photos, frequently on all day trips and hikes. Usually, a freshly charged batterry on my Phase One P45 will last all day if I switch it off between set ups. I  typically expose up to one hundred esposures in a day. I carry a spare battery along but seldom find the need to change unless the first battery is not fully charged at the outset.

The battery quickly slips into the right hand side of the back.

[abrehm]

thank you all for your input.  just out of curiosity, are the files from a DMF back (namely the p21) easier to work with than a canon file or is there a increased need for massaging?

thanks

[Morgan_Moore]

I looked on Phase One's site and they mention that it is all self contained,[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=82428\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I dont use phase but I believe it has a removable battery - probably a generic one that is actually made for a consumer digicam

You should be able to buy a pile of them

(cross posting - this is clarified in posts above!)

Backs (xept imacon/blad?) do not rely on the power of the camera and will not power it - you have to keep that going too

Incidentally some backs can be powered off the firewire input so if you are shooting tethered (unlikely in your outlined scenario) you can use the back with no battery

Both of these statements are true for my Eylike/Sinar back

MEMORY

A further consideration when out in the wilds is Memory for your digital images and possibly an ability to back it up on the fly - you could need a lot of CF cards - I dont know if you can create a back up (ie get your information into two places) with a phase (with out a third party device such as a laptop) - I doubt it  -I think it is possible with a sinar/eyelike which has an internal memory that I think can be written to card and therefore to two cards one kept by you the other by your buddy or even posted home or hidden in your car/hotel if you are availing yourself of such luxuries

My experience of CF cards is they are very stable standing the test of keeping the images safe even when subjected to a full wash cycle

GENERALLY

I have done a few month long trips (paid assignments with expectant clients) in the days of film- Killimanjaro - Ecuador/cotopaxi etc

I had to carry everything, there was risk of crime, total immersion and no guarenteed power

I tended to use two nikons, F100 and FM2, shooting simliar images on both and giving the 'duplicate' film to a buddy where possible to create a back up

My suspicions about the electric F100 where unfounded it never let me down from the ecuador jungle which is pretty hot  to Kiruna which is pretty cold

I DONT KNOW how I would shoot these assignments  now I would certainly check with my insurance carefully and being brutally honest use some thing like a Eos 5d and a Rebel (affordable to lose) and sharpen my stitching skills for shooting panoramics

SMM