Digital & 67 - am I just being silly

[tijean]

This has a point. Trust me:

 

Back in the day, I had an ol' K-1000, 50/2.0, and free darkroom

access. I knew nothing except that I was in love. I knew that medium

format was this big, confusing abstract *thing* that was

prohibitively expensive and unnecessary. Blah! Who needs medium

format!?! I have my K-1000!

 

Then came life, equipment lust, moves, education on the technical

aspects of photography and, finally, digital. Yay digital! Nikon

Coolpix 4500 and then Pentax *ist DS to be exact. It was digital and

it was good. Instant everything. Control. No more film. Digital!

 

Somewhere in there (about a year ago) I aquired what I thought was a

harmless new toy - a Moskva 5, medium format (6x9 and 6x4.5,

depending on insert) Russian rangefinder. It does not focus perfectly

(the lense is not exactly perpendicular to the film plane), it is

cumbersome and hard to fpcus, it has no light meter. The negatives

that come out of it are beautiful. They're black and white and

gorgeous. I suddenly want my darkroom, my chemicals, a sheet of 11x14

and an enlarger that can handle it.

 

I'm. so. screwed. I thought that it would go away. It has not.

 

So the actual question I'm buring in all this babble is, how many of

you are running duel systems? Anyone gone from digital TO medium

format? Basically, how ridicuous would it be for me to invest in a

medium format system when I have a digital one? I'm not getting rid

of the *istDS by any means, but I've come to see it's strong point as

quantity of output. The output is GREAT for what it is. It is not a

6cm negative.

 

Okay, so I realize that I am on the Pentax 67 forum, so I may get a

biased response, but what they hay.

[blknwhtfoto]

Awesome jessica! I've been seeing more and more people who've switched to digital, and now are coming back, if only for the nostalgia. I don't really care what the impetus is, but this is fantastic. Ooh, i for one do work both Digi and Film. I don't think its ridiculous at all, MF still has better quality not to mention better B & W capability. Rent a darkroom, or go down to your local community college and take a class with them so you can use your darkroom.

[jeff_drew4]

After nearly 35+ years of doing pix, I still love the darkroom! The special smells and

ambiance of film, paper and chemistry still interest me. Yet I spend 10 hours a day

glued to

a computer & network, 'cuz it pays better! Digital? Yes, I have done Minox to 4x5"

and have tried digital and still have a couple of digicams on the shelf. They work fine

and deliver what they promise. Most of my digital images and those of my digital

mongering friends range from "okay - to - really sucks" when compared to Hassy or

P67 images, given similar situations & intentions and assuming 8x10 or bigger sized

enlargements! In B&W, film still rules IMHO! Even my Minox 8x11mm delivers better

results and is easier to use in some venues than digital! Pentax67 on a tripod, with

good film, will deliver way more tonality than nearly any current digital camera! For

snaps & convenience, digital is great, but film still dominates me.

[WJT]

Hi Jessica, I don't think your are being silly at all. It depends on what your goals are, what genre you want to pursue, and how deep your pockets are. I shoot almost exclusively 6x7 now, but I also shoot some digital and 135 as well. The types of subject that I concentrate on can be seen <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation?presentation_id=263127" >HERE</a>. With landscapes, for example, MF wins over digital hands down. Better resolution, better color (I am a color addict), and wider latitude are some of the reasons. And there is no fear of making really big prints. I consider an 11x14 a smaller print. With this type of subject, one need not have to hurry (unless you are trying to catch that last elusive light before twilight); infact, haste can be detrimental. The 6x7 is perfectly suited for this task.<p>

It is also perfect for portraits. Though I do not generally shoot these, my dad use to. I inherited my first 6x7 from him when he passed away. I still use it and it's great.<p>

On the other hand, nature photography often requires deft camera operations and BIG GLASS. I have tried some bird photography with the 6x7 and while the quality is superb, it is difficult to do. Especially trying to shoot hummingbirds in flight. Although the Pentax lenses are considerably less expensive than others, a long telephoto such as an 800mm is a big investment (and is equivalent to only a 400mmm in the 135 format). This kind of system is very unwieldy in the field. It is also helpful to see the results immediately when shooting thses subjects. There are MF digital backs but, so far, none are available for the 6x7. Therefore, for these subjects, I feel a digital SLR is more practical.<p>

So, Jessica, I would say to you, keep the digital system handy but also get involved with MF. People are literally throwing them away on Ebay and, if you are careful, you can get some great deals. Personally, I like KEH in Atlanta. They have some nice used equipment and customer satisfaction is a high priority with them.<p>

As long as they keep making 120 film I will be feeding into my camera. Regards.

[gustav1]

I?ve done quite a bit of work with the new DSRLs and they are great as a substitute for aps or 35mm work but the feel in the images is no where near the 6x7 format. No matter how you put it the dsrl uses to short focal-lengths to produced suggestive and romantic images. Dsrl is very inexpensive and does what it does but I can't see how anybody can staty that they will replace medium format. Maybe Digital backs will in the future, but yet they are ridiculassly expensive and if you're not a pro, don't even bother contaplating them.

 

Medium format will be around for a long time. If the filmcompanys discontinue the 120film there will always be others. Mamiya released an updated rzII a couple of months ago, they will see to it that you will be able to load it for quite some time. Happy shooting!

[tijean]

Walter, those photos are incredible on screen, but I cannot even imagine how stunning they must be as prints.

 

To answer a couple of questions:

 

The depth of my pockets is somewhat limited, but on a positive note, as a self-supporting community college student (read: poor as dirt, but no dependants) I have access to the school darkroom for a very nominal fee. The main expense will be film and paper, which should not be bad if I am careful and order film online ($8 for 36 exposure Ilford Delta 3200 135 from the local dealer, just as a point of reference.)

 

A few have mentioned tonality. THAT?S IT! It does not matter how many different ways I learn to convert a digital image to B&W, it just does not have the range and (for lack of a more technical term) creamy detail.

 

I have decided on the 67 format over the 645 because it fits my needs better. I shoot a lot of landscapes, rural stuff, and am just beginning to forge into portraits. My interests already lean towards things that are not moving very fast and the *ist DS always seems to have a manual focus prime on it, despite the fact that there are a couple of capable autofocus zooms in my bag.

 

And the prices on eBay are really promising. I know that a source like KEH will be charging a bit more, but just the fact that I will be getting in WELL under a thousand makes my day. I?m saving my pennies now and hopefully it won?t be more than a couple of months until my first attempts are scanned.

 

Thanks so much everyone for all of your encouragement. I think my working plan is the same as that of a few others - to use the dSLR for the immediate needs (carry around camera, event shooting, local sports, ect), and the 67 for the love and beauty of photography.

 

I don?t think I?ve felt like this since I ran my first roll through the K-1000.

[mark u]

Is the love affair with format or film? Provided you can afford the entrance fee, Pentax have just announced that you can play with 645 in digital form:

 

http://www.pentaximaging.com/footer/news_media_article?ArticleId=6458800

 

and

 

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0503/05031502pentax645digital.asp