- large and bright viewfinder***
- touch screen interface (some bodies); hard to find a system you can check 100% focus on faster on a specific part of the image than an IQ or Credo
- tools like auto-horizon and auto-keystone which correct the level and pitch of the image in software based on the electronic levels in the back, making every horizon straight and every vertical parallel without manual tweaking
- Flash sync speed with standard strobes rather than dinky flashes (up to 1/1600th)
- More tactile lens response when manually focusing (large focus barrel, actual lens gearing*)
- aspect ratio (some prefer 4:3 or 1:1, especially for verticals)
- waist level viewfinder (some bodies)
- ability to shoot vertical without rotating camera (some backs)
- low ISO without ND filters (useful for dragging shutter in some styles)
- ability to shoot film with same system as digital (some bodies)
- ability to turn sensor on/off independent of the shutter/flash firing (allows to build up exposure with strobes without excessive ambient light, even in bright conditions e.g. interiors)
- ability to crop a vertical and horizontal from the same frame (even 36mp in 3:2 is not enough for many applications when cropped to a vertical)
- ability to use on specific legacy cameras (some folks just plain love Contax, Hassy 500)
- ability to use on speciality equipment like Aerial, industrial, art-repro systems (obviously a niche)
- ability to use on tech cameras like Arca, Cambo, Alpa
---- rise/fall/shift/swing/tilt on every lens (if IC allows)
---- fully mechanical/traditional shooting
---- extremely precise focusing for specific distances (some bodies)
---- extremely precise focusing for hyperfocal distances (some bodies)
---- absolute best glass, period
---- ground glass (some prefer it regardless of other options)
---- small/light pack size for a body and several lenses (depending on which body and lenses of course)
- compatibility with view cameras
---- close focus possible with many lenses, not just select macros
---- rise/fall/shift/swing/tilt on every lens, not just select TS lenses
---- ground glass (some prefer it regardless of other options)
- less frequent updates required to stay competitive in image quality (we still have many happy studio shooters using H25 backs users, which at base ISO and in the studio easily beats a 5D Mark 3 which is many generations newer; I don't know many happy Canon 1D shooters)**
- longer software support (original Phase One Lightphase from 1998 is still fully supported tethered in OSX 10.7 and Capture One 6, while the Canon 5D from 2006 isn't even officially supported tethered in LR4 or EOS Utility in OSX 10.7, nor 1Ds II in Windows 7 64 bit)
- consistent shooting speed; an IQ or Credo can maintain it's frame-rate indefinitely with a fast CF card, any Canon/Nikon can shoot much faster but unless you restrain yourself you can easily hit a buffer and the camera won't fire when you think it should. The IQ or Credo will be slower (around 1.2fps for the 40mp model) but it is reliably consistent - you know when you can shoot next and can develop a rhythm.
- larger bodies (for some this will be a big negative, but for others their hands are simply too large to comfortably use a camera like the D800, even with the optional vertical grip)
- differentiation: like it or not, fair or not, some (both pros and enthusiasts) will want to have a camera that Uncle Bob does not own, and that Art Director John doesn't use as their point and shoot.
- longevity/durability: some backs are built like tanks and have no moving parts. Anything can break, but the number of field-failures on a P1 back are very low.
- interesting lens selections with unique looks (e.g. Mamiya 80mm /1.9, Zeiss FE 110/2)
*As opposed to e.g. the Canon 85/1.2 with fly-by-wire focusing and a dinky focus barrel
**This is not just a question of cost since of course the 1D owner could have updated to a 1DsII and a 1DsIII and spent about the same; some photographers just dislike the hassle of switching cameras - new batteries, new chargers, new cables, new settings, new button locations, new software, new look (forcing them in some cases to expend time/energy getting the new camera to produce the look of the old camera). Some photographers love getting new gear, some despise it.
***I never understood why this isn't mentioned/discussed more often; you have to look through the viewfinder for nearly every frame you take - it's your portal to the world you are capturing.
The thread is titled "the end of medium format?". My answer is no.
I agree that it is not the end of medium format digital, but high end DSLR cameras have reached quality levels that are in the same realm for the lower end MFD
cameras still made and very close to the high end ones. The big leap forward was the D800 with it's very big jump in dynamic range.
Medium format has it's place. It has it's place with those that have affection for it and it has it's place in some specific areas of image making.
However it's niche is getting smaller.
Let me elaborate on Doug's list:
- large and bright viewfinder***
***I never understood why this isn't mentioned/discussed more often; you have to look through the viewfinder for nearly every frame you take - it's your portal to the world you are capturing.However with the Phase One DF this large viewfinder is severely cropped with many of the backs. A 40mp sensor on a DF will need a mask and the image will not have the magnification
of a full frame sensor. So for most users the view finder will not me that large. Hasselblad on the other hand has a second prism option optimized for crop sensors.
- touch screen interface (some bodies); hard to find a system you can check 100% focus on faster on a specific part of the image than an IQ or CredoTouch screens are nothing unique. The Canon Rebel has one. Google is making a strong push into the camera market and has introduced large touchscreen android
based interface on cameras from Nikon and Samsung. I think that we will see some interesting developments there.
As far as focus checking the implementation on the IQ backs is nice, but hardly state of the art as far as on camera image review goes.
On the D800 you can zoom in with one click using the center button of the multi controller on the back next to the screen
and in a beat navigate quickly to any point.
But there more to it than that. When the camera zooms in it automatically zooms into the area of the focus point that was used for the shoot.
And that is either a manually chosen point or the automatically chosen points.
What is also nice about it is that you still have the regular zoom in button that zooms into the center of the frame.
This is very nice for fashion work. Set you focus point on the face/eyes. Then review the photo. One button pops right to the face while the other to the waist.
Here is what I'm talking about.
With the focus point chosen being the one with the green dot when you zoom in with the multi function center button the display
automatically moves to the face. Using the regular magnify button is zooms into the center of the frame.
But there is more. If you are shooting fashion even with manual focus the camera will also zoom into faces using face recognition regardless of where the face is.
It will magnify the face choosing a crop that shows eyes and mouth regardless of the size of the face in the shot. You can then go even closer with one or two clicks.
And there is even more to it. If there are more than one model in the shot you can jump instantly through all the faces in the shot.
Not only is this useful for checking focus, but also useful for quickly checking for closed eyes etc in a large group. This face recognition in review (playback) mode
works without interfering with other review functions and it's invoked by the front wheel that normally controls aperture. It's a seamless thumb and index finger thing.
http://youtu.be/yNajUFMpISs Video of face recognition in review more. The photographer here is using low magnification setting.
closer setting crops automatically to eyes and mouth/chin
What is also very handy is that image review on the d800 can also be diplayed on larger HDMI monitors, both off camera and on camera.
With these you can also get focus peaking in live view before the shot is even taken. This is really nice when using tilt shift lenses.
- Flash sync speed with standard strobes rather than dinky flashes (up to 1/1600th)Contrary to what dealers and Phase One would lead you to believe High Speed Sync with strobe can be done with the D800.
And it can be done at upto 1/8000th of a second.
Here are the numbers I get with my Elinchrom AS 3000 packs and s-heads.
It's Elinchrom's top of the line fully asymmetric digitally controlled flash pack. It goes from 188w/s to 3000w/s total (as low as 64w/s if 3 heads are connected.
With the S-Head 1/1,600th has an aperture range from f3.5 to F16
With the S-Head 1/8,000th has an aperture range from f1.4 to F8
With the x 3000 N twin tube head using one tube 1/1,600th has an aperture of f2.8 at 188ws
With the x 3000 N twin tube head using one tube 1/8,000th has an aperture range of f1.4 to f8. However if I discharges the same 3,000 w/s total (2x 1,500) I could get F11
So I get an exposure change by simply adding the second tube. This is because it speeds up the flash duration putting more of the light into the shutter scan time.
More detailed discussion of high speed sync here:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=71679.0Also regarding what you call "dinky little flashes" The Nikon and Canon speedflash systems offer functionality that has no equivalent in MF.
They small, but remarkably useful. Some very nice examples by Simon right here on the forum:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=28709.0;attach=70851;imagehttp://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=28709.0;attach=70945;image- More tactile lens response when manually focusing (large focus barrel, actual lens gearing*)*As opposed to e.g. the Canon 85/1.2 with fly-by-wire focusing and a dinky focus barrelNikon 85mm 1.4 is not fly by wire. Manual focus works mechanically and will still work even with the lens off the camera.
You can also get Carl Zeiss fully manual focus lenses with traditional mechanical focusing.
Mechnical focusing on MF lenses results in slower AF due to the barrel rotating... and it's noisy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0bLssgTM4I&feature=share&list=ULn0bLssgTM4I- waist level viewfinder (some bodies) Phase One offers none, Mamiya only on the RZ and and it's full frame 6x7, not optimized for 645 or smaller sensors.
The Hasselblad H is only really usable in horizontal. The Rollei with the right back has the best implementation.
There are however many ways to work with waist level viewing with a 35mm DSLR through live view.
One from Zacuto. Expensive, but really neat.
Flip out screens on many cameras, just add a loup.
Oh and the image isn't flipped horizontally.
Their is even wireless live view now for many dslrs:
Includes wireless remote camera control
- compatibility with view cameras
---- close focus possible with many lenses, not just select macrosYou can use extension tubes with virtually any Canon and Nikon lens.
- low ISO without ND filters (useful for dragging shutter in some styles)Lowest ISO on the d800 is 50. Lowest ISO on IQ180 is 35. What is that? 1/3rd of a stop..... IQ160 is ISO 50. Some older backs go lower to 25
Since when has putting a 1 stop ND on a 35mm DSLR been a problem?.
- consistent shooting speed; an IQ or Credo can maintain it's frame-rate indefinitely with a fast CF card, any Canon/Nikon can shoot much faster
but unless you restrain yourself you can easily hit a buffer and the camera won't fire when you think it should.
The IQ or Credo will be slower (around 1.2fps for the 40mp model) but it is reliably consistent - you know when you can shoot next and can develop a rhythm.Based on this logic everyone should buy a slow car so you don't hit the car infront
This really makes little sense. If someone can develop a rhythm that goes with a camera that is limited to one shot per second they can just as easily
shoot at that rythm with a faster camera.
The B800 can keep going at 1 frame per second no problem at all. I would say though that it is a huge advantage to be able to shoot a burst of faster frames if something like a gust of wind
blows the models cloths. With card write speeds of 1000x this is really a non issue.
- interesting lens selections with unique looks (e.g. Mamiya 80mm /1.9, Zeiss FE 110/2)The choice is much larger when it comes to Nikon and Canon. The selection is huge. I did love the Zeiss FE 110/2, but there are equivalents
for the D800. Carl Zeiss 85mm 1.4, Nikons 85mm 1.4G.
Regarding the selection:
Nikon
Zeiss
Schneider
Sigma
and all the way over to the toy lenses from lens baby.
Not to mention mounting MF lenses with adapters.
The announcement by Zeiss that it is developing an ultra high end lens like for high MP count DSLRs is very interesting.
The optical giant has thrown it's weight behind high end DSLRs while no longer developing for MFD.
- larger bodies (for some this will be a big negative, but for others their hands are simply too large to comfortably use a camera like the D800, even with the optional vertical grip) Hmmm. I'm 6ft 4inch. I have size 14 shoes and hence large hands, 11 inch span, 9 inch from wrist to finger tip.Very hard to find gloves.
I have no problem at all holding the Nikon D800 either with or without the vertical grip. Maybe Shaq?
I'll hand him the camera next time I shoot him
Even if your 6'4" Shaq makes you feel like your 3'3"