1. Have we been using the same DSLRs as a base for our comparision? Having recently played with 5DII files I think I understand the gap if you have been basing your opinion on these,
2. I have never claimed to have done detailed comparisions with a phase back.
3. I am not denying that there is probably some advantage in favor of the back (although I don't see any compared to my ZD), just that it is very far from being as huge as some have claimed on this very site.
4. A system being calibrated for slight under-exposure gives the impression to have more DR because it makes highlight recovery easier. This isn't DR.
Bernard, my inclusion of your name was not meant as any type of slant. Having read your posts for a good while now I know you are a very intelligent photographer who carefully asses his gear and workflow to make sure they are the best tools for the style of photography you are after.
I would agree the difference is not as large as some here have stated it. I would also say its larger than some have stated it :-). As always the truth lies somewhere in between.
We are
not using the same gear. I have significantly more experience with Canon than Nikon (we only recently became a Nikon dealer). While the ZD is no slouch if you had the chance to test it against, for instance, a Phase One P+ back you might find that the ZD does not represent the quality possible from other digital backs. Interestingly a ZD body is a bit less expensive than a D3X.
If you ever want to bring a D3X to Miami I would love to have a couple beers with you and maybe we can also do some testing :-).
I thought I had read you having done testing (for your own purposes) with a phase back, but come to think of it, maybe it was with a ZD. It's possible I'm also confusing someone else's post for yours as reading forums tends to blur together.
Fully agreed that people trick themselves into feeling that under exposing means more DR. As I stated before when testing you would take a variety of exposures and then see what the best result you could get out of each was (paying attention to both the shadows and highlights).
Hope you didn't take any offense. I have deep respect for you as a photographer who has figured out exactly how to accomplish his artist goals and your imagery is fantastic.
Pentax has just as much experience as any other player in the industry, and probably more than most back manufacturers.
Phase released its first digital system (scan back) in 1996 and it's first modern CCD sensor digital back in 1998. Leaf released its first digital system in 1992. Just saying :-) [this is NOT a slant against Pentax, just some perspective on how long the current back manufacturers have been making and refining the support parts, construction techniques, heatsinks, firmware, and raw processing]
Doug Peterson
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