Digital Still Life?

[m._nechev]

I am a commercial photographer that shoots a lot of product. Right now I use a

Cambo 4x5 and am thinking of switching to digital. I am looking for a system to do

the tilt/shift/perspective control etc that I can do now, but the a lot of digital systems

are out of my budget. Anyone using a less expensive camera they would recommend?

Thanks!

[blueviews]

Have you looked at the Cambo systems that use a digital camera (Canon or the like) as the back. I would think that one of those hooked up to a 10D would be sweet.

[brian yarvin]

Those expensive systems are often available second hand and with a bit of care from the manufacturer, will deliver results that blow the competition out of the water. I have seen PhaseOne units go on that auction site for about 5% of their original purchase price. I did about as well myself with one I found on a photo store bulletin board.

 

Those dslr's are great for what they can do, but they aren't large format.

[greg_prior]

I'll second Brian's comment. You'll be absolutly amazed at the results you can get by adding a scan back to your 4x5. I went to the BetterLight user's group meeting a few months back and it was stated that if you compare Astia (the finest grain film available) to the pixel size of the 6000 scan back, you would need to shoot 30"x40" to get equivelant results. Plus you get 11-12 stops of dynamic range instead of 4-5 (for transparencies), etc, etc. You can do some really creative stuff. Just don't expect to snap lots of shots like the dslr's click off...

 

-Greg

[brian yarvin]

Greg:

 

Scan backs are like veiw cameras themselves - slow, painstaking devices that do unique things.

 

Are you aware that BetterLight has some relatively low priced models? You can even buy a new one for about $6,500. But I would still rather have a second-hand high-end model.

[brooks short]

Scanning backs are the way to go if you need really large files.

 

If you find yourself having to shoot sets with anything that moves, like candle flames, pour shots, some food items such as beer or carbonated drinks, glasses with drops of spritz, etc. then scanning backs aren't usable because of subject motion. Scanning backs also require very heavy, stable camera stands or tripods.

 

You might look into some of the single capture backs such as the Kodak Pro Back or the new Leaf 22.

 

I've been using a Kodak Pro Back Plus for two years now on a Sinar camera and a Mamiya RZ. The proback captures a 48 meg 8 bit or 96 meg 16 bit tiff with an image size of 13.3" square at 300 dpi. There's more than enough resolution for an 8.5x11 inch 4-color page printed at 160 lpi.

 

Using the swings and tilts of a view camera you can achieve very deep focus or very shallow focus, just as you would with film.

 

Here's a food shot taken with the Pro BAck over a year ago.<div></div>

[greg_prior]

Brian - you are right about slow deliberate devices like view cameras. I have a BetterLight that I use a lot. It is great. I got a great deal on it - not used, but less than half the new price.

 

As for good deals on used equipment, there looks like a good starter setup on that auction site - a Dicomed 6000 x 7520 field setup with laptop. Bid starts at 2k with buy-it-now at 3k.

 

FUN STUFF !!!!!!

 

-Greg