edward_feltman Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 I am upgrading my camera equiptment and have an opportunity to buy a package from a professional photographer. The equiptment is about ten years old, but has had a cla every year. Does anyone have a feeling for weather it is better to buy used equiptment from an amature that may not have had as much use, or from a pro who has taken care of his equiptment. I am of course interested in longevity as part of the equation. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_teale Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 Edward, If you can get it for a good price from a pro and it doesn't look like it's been hammered I'd say go for it. I bought a Bronica ETRSi from a studio going digital for a steal and get the impression it will keep on going long after my Canon EOS30 - it was built to take regular pro-level treatment (with regular maintenance) and I figure that my using it is the equivalent of convalescence for it ;) I'd be reluctant to sink too much money into a 645 system with the advances of digital as they currently are. I think that (and it's only my thought) 35mm digital SLRs will rival 645 image quality within 2 years and their price will come down pretty quickly too. In the meantime I'll get plenty of use from my 645 and using an Epson 2450 will produce great images (ahem) for not much money. Try and get him to chuck in anything he had for it but might have forgotten about e.g. spare darkslides and interchangable screens etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_teale Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 Edward, Another consideration to bear in mind is whether the camera may take a digital back for future expansion possibilities (realistic or otherwise ;). I find an interchangeable back system like on the Bronica ETR cameras to be such a boon and with the gradual purchase of extra backs I can have several on the go at once e.g. colour slide, colour print, B&W etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 Edward, as stated above, one consideration is whether the pro equipment in question can eventually take a digital back. Not necessarily the exact body you are buying, but the make of camera (for example Mamiya 645). That way, the lenses will be usable well into the future and retain their value. The price of 645 digital backs is bound to drop, ( Kodak was even offering $1,000. off their 645 ProBack during PhotoPlus in NY this past weekend, so you can see the future prices pretty clearly). An investment in lenses is always a sound one if they can be applied to a digital system later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_dewberry Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 The high end digital SLR exceeds 645 image quality NOW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff_mcauliffe Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 "The high end digital SLR exceeds 645 image quality NOW." No way. What possesses you to make such a claim? 35 mm film is comparable to about 25 million pixels and 645 film even more. High end digital is about 11 million plus pixels in 35 mm size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward_feltman Posted November 5, 2002 Author Share Posted November 5, 2002 Thank you, good input from all. Digital compatibility certainly may be an issue, but with prices for a digital back for a 645 at many thousands of dollars, I think it will be a while before it comes into price range that this pooor amature can afford. Though I do think about it from time to time, I like my hands in the soup, and probably will not switch untill I am forced to. My main concern for the pro equiptment is the stress that it may have been under from 10 years of pro use...springs, shutters etc. Perhaps this stuff is built so well that with regualr CLA, it just does not wear out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_dewberry Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 35 mm film is equal to 4 megapaixels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_teale Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 ...assuming a scan of 1800dpi you'd get 4.2 megapixels. Assuming a scan of 4000dpi (generally touted around here as pretty much extracting all the usable detail from film) you get around 20 megapixels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 Uhhh, if I might make a correction or two. A 35mm color neg scanned at 4000dpi yeilds a 61 meg file @ 8 bit and a 122 meg file @ 16 bit....not 20 meg. A D1X 5.7 meg camera yeilds a 18 meg file @ 8 bit. A Kodak DCS 16 meg ProBack yeilds a 47 meg file @ 8 bit and a 94 meg file @16 bit. Also, the size of the sensor plays a bigger role in image quality than most people understand. 35mm digital SLRs are limited to the area of the image 24X36, where medium format has a ways to go to max out their digital image area yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_teale Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 The confusion here - mine included I think is alluded to from Marc's post. The sensor measured in megapixels for a digicam is only part of the equation for file size and resolution per se. I was doing the sum 1.42" * 0.95" X 4000dpi to get 5680 X 3800 dots or 21.58 million dots - split the dot into the three colours, 8 bits (1 byte) each, gives 60 odd megapixels ? I think I understand ;| Just buy the camera Ed ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_teale Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 ...sorry...60 megaBYTES not pixels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diegobuono Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Why a photographer must put attention to mathematics calculation, bit, byte, pixel, dimension of the sensor? I work all day with calculation, computer, I have studied informatics, but..... when I want shoot a picture I don' want be involved in electronics or mathematics problem. I want only put a film in my camera and shoot! I HATE DIGITAL!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwstutterheim Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Edward, You did not say which pro package you are in for. The brand would be an issue in my view. Some brands are built to last for ever, others will be worn after 10 years of heavy use. In a general way I would prefer a set used by an amateur and give it a good CLA now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward_feltman Posted November 6, 2002 Author Share Posted November 6, 2002 In this case its a Mamiya RB67. I am also considdering a 645. Though there is a big difference, dollars are always an issue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan brewer Posted November 9, 2002 Share Posted November 9, 2002 Ask for a money back guarentee, you will quickly find out what he thinks of his own gear, if he's selling 'as is', walk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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