gavin.zougmail.com

David and all friends, Thank you for your suggestions. I think I will wait for a while and calm down myself before I jump into the ocean of MF. A question is always in my mind: why should I go MF? I don't have a good answer right now. better pic quality, requirement for skills, better control? I'm not sure.

But I think if I will go MF, 6x6 should be the start. That is a challenge to a 35mm user like me and I like it. That's why I prefer Hasselblad to Mamiya.

And I know what does HasselBlood mean. Like in 35mm, I will work with very few lenses, as 3 lenses for my EOS bodies. So I think I can live with 80mm in MF for a while and I don't need wide angle and tele-glass in the near future.

Another important thing is I want a camera without battery. If I'm not wrong, 500c/cm doesn't need battery while all other MF SLRs like Mamiya, Rollei, Bronica need electric power. This advantage makes me think it's convinient, firm and "stable". Am I right?

Thank you, guys. Your suggestions are very helpful. I think right now I should not be in a hurry to jump into such a deep water. Instead, I will first rent these MF gears and take some pictures.

I know Hassy is firm and its wonderful picture quality is from its Zeiss glass. How about Mamiya's lenses, comparing to Zeiss? I think it should be the first concern because eventually it's the glass not the body that yield pictures. In 35mm world, the difference is big between pro and comsumer glass. It that the same in MF world? If so, I'd be prone to Hassy.

Hi, I'm a 35mm user and in the door of MF for a while. Now I'm

thinking of buying a MF camera. With limited budget, I look at an old

Hassy 500C Outfit with 80mm and A12, which works fine and costs $650.

Another one is an open-box Mamiya 645E outfit with 80mm and 45mm for

$645. Which one is a proper choice for a newcomer like me? Your

suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks for your suggestions. I did a little research. Death valley is the second hottest place on earth. The first is the Dallol Depression in Ethiopia. But it doesn't matter. The highest recorded ground temperature in DV is 201 degree. Perfect cookie plant, right?

OK, OK, I will call the rangers there first. Last time I drove a 4x4. It was fine in 110 degree air temperature. I even left the car and hiked a half mile alone. This time, I'll drive a minivan. Not sure about the radiator and tires. Anyway I won't leave the pavement too far. Hopefully to see some snakes in shadow.

On my way from vegas to Yosemite, I'll run through Death Valley. Can

I do it, with a Minivan? How should I adjust tire pressure? Water

and water, I know it. Last time I walked alone in 105 degree in Gold

valley for a while. This time, I won't do it, 'cause it's 120 degree

now! But besides this extreme experience, can you guys give me some

hints to catch the feeling of hot, I mean, in my pictures? I saw a

lot of pictures that are great, but plain and cool. How should I

picture the boiling heat? Maybe it's interesting topic. Thanks in

advance.

Thank you, guys. In fact I have done some homework before asking the questions here. So the existence of those adapters is not a problem. What I'm concerned about is the picture quality. Jay said Leica R can be used. It's true, except for some wide-angle glasses. How about the infinite focus point? And if I use a "cheap" EOS body like Elan 7/ IIE/ 10D which cannot add manual focus screen (correct me if I'm wrong), how to get accurate focus? And how is picture quality like contrast and color, is it worth doing that?

Why not take a Leica? In fact one reason I don't want to take a Leica R body is those thieves are aware of the price of a Leica and will let a Canon go :P

Hello,

I'm sorry if this is a silly problem. Is it possible to use Leica

screw mount glasses in EOS mount? By possible, I means the optic

quality is not ruined after adapter. And how about if I use Zeiss

optic for Contax mount with adapter in EOS? Your sharing experience

is welcomed.

Hi,

I'm looking for some backup batteries for my 10D body. The Canon

battery is expensive. But those in Ebay are rather cheap $10-20.

Does anybody have experience with those cheap ones? Are some of them

still usable, or all of them are dangerous to the DSLR? Thanks a lot.

Hello, In searching a sturdy ball head for my gear, I found this

ballhead: Bogen Midi Ball #488RC2. It seems there is few review

about it. My gear includes a EOS elan IIE/BP-50, 540EZ flash and an

EF 100- 400L/IS lens. I prefer a ball head because I want to shoot

birds in wild. #488RC2 can hold 17.6 lbs. It doesn't have a tension

control. I don't know if it's a must. You experience and any

suggestion are welcomed. Thank you.

Thank you all for your valuable suggestion. I do feel regret after I went to 14 national parks and 17 states without getting good pictures. I think it's partailly because of the lenses I used. So I determine to change my gear.

Now in the middle of the debate, I'm still a little confused. What criteria should I go with? optical quality, weight, flexibility or adaptability. As for the budget, I think it should be below $1500 'cause I'm still a graduate for my third degree, yeh, not rich. So the 70-200/2.8 IS + 2xTC is kind of expensive. 100-400/4 IS +1.4xTC seems a reasonable choice, but as you guys said, it's heavy and big and optically inferior to most L tele lenses. 70-200/4 is good, but it doesn't have an IS version. And as the case when I was in Everglades NP, I do want a lens beyond 400mm to shoot beautiful birds there. 300/4 is less flexible, though I know it's a birdwatcher's choice with a TC. Sigma APO is also in my sight, I'm looking for some comparison work of it.

What should I do? My next trip will be in the middle of Jan. Hopefully I can get a wonderful gear before my trip to smoky mountain in winter. Your further suggestion will be greatly appreciated.

Happy Holidays, guys,

Here is a problem of mine. I am thinking of ungrading my gear in

tele range and must make a choice between EF 300mm/4L IS and EF 100-

400mm/4.5-5.6L IS. Your suggestions are welcome.

I know natural photographers prefer 300/4 because it's shaper than

100-400 in some range, and lighter in weight. But basides wild

animal, I also want to do some landsacpe and city/street work.

I travel a lot to fulfill my plan to go through all 50 states and

national parks. So I have to limit my budget and package to hold

just one tele. According to your experience, which one should I go?

Thank you very much.

Thank you guys so much. Now I got some basic idea.

I used to consider old Canon rangefinder but at last found it only useful on street. Now Rolleiflex SLR is in my eyes. It looks good but I'm still not familair with it just after reading manual.

On the other hand, I got suggestion that old cameras in market are filled with dirt. Is that so? Though I can try to clean them, the dirt does harm to mechanics anyway. Your suggetions are welcomed.

Gavin

Maybe it's an old question. I'm looking for a light but good camera

to try B&W landscape photography: a camera that yields decent

pictures and doesn't need a battery. It's greatly appreciated that

you share your experiences with me.