chip l.

Gary, you have to realize how some of the companies work. Hassy may have notified their

dealers that the 501CM has been discontinued, but some dealers may have inventory that

they need to move. So as long as both have inventory, you will see it offered on the Hassy

website.

This is in some ways better than the way Bronica/Tamron announced and handled the exit

from the MF SLR market.

In the end not much different from retailers offering the M6TTL bodies as new at this time.

Trevor, i work for a camera dealer. I just went back to the sales floor. A buddy of mine

informed me about some of the changes since I left "sales". Among them was a

restructuring of the Hassy line-up. The 501 series is now sold based on availability. The

503 will be the only V series camera.

I will check with my bosses and see if I can post the official list from Hassy. It was real sad

for an old timer like me to read. Add to that much of the Contax line is now gone. In MF it

appears that Mamiya is the clear winner at this point. With Hassy hanging their hat on the

H and X series. With Leica being the bearer for the 35mm RF market at this point (Cosina/

Bessa not withstanding)

Been offered a MR14-EX at a price that I can't resist. But I would be more interested if I

could use this wirelessly with my my 420EX (I have looked at the Canon website and they

say that it works wirelessly with the 550EX (I assume with the 580EX also). I understand

that i might need to go with the ST-E2.

Any help here?

Had some one tell me that Epson was now offering a set of B&W photo inks for one of their

printers. They didn't know if if it was in the US or not. I did some searching and came up

empty. Anyone know anything about this? I know that it long has been rumored. And with

the HP B&W ink, we can only hope....

the intial list of RAW support in iPhoto 5 came as a surprise to many users. The supported

RAW formats seemed to be all over the board, with little rhyme or reason behind it.

Hopefully Apple will support some of the older cameras in an update (though it would be

nice to know which), as well as some current ones.

I think it does show that the manufacturers are having their own issues with the format.

We can only hope that DNG becomes a standard that the manufacturers will embrace. We

might see something more on this, this week or next at PMA.

We are already hearing of some new products (the Epson 4990 scanner and the r1800

printer). What will PMA hold for Leica?

I hope that the rumored "tele" Tri Elmar that was mentioned in the pre-R9 digital back web

chat might see the light of day. Now that the 501CM has gone (along with the Bronica

SLRs), Leica IMO needs to show that they have some marketing muscle in order to survive.

The 90mm macro caught many by surprise, so what do you think might happen this week

or two. Both with Leica and Cosina?

The thing to remember is that cameras are tools. As such if the 1DS MkII still does what

you want 10+ years from now, then the tool is working for you. There will always be tools

that make life easier, or might get slightly better results. In the end though it matters what

it can do for you.

Here is a link at DPReview:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=12224306

As an owner of a Tri Elmar II, I can say it is a lens that is hard to let go of. I have been

thinking about letting some of my Leica stuff go this year, and the Tri Elmar is the one that

I keep waffling on (been toying with selling my M6TTL .58 BLK, the Tri Elmar II, the Elmar-

M, and the Motor M - keeping my M6TTL LHSA .72 and all the single focal lengths). It is

such a convenient lens, the perfect walkabout. But I find that digital (Canon 10D) is serving

most of my photo needs now. There is a side of me that knows I will regret selling it if I

do, but there is also the side that it is such a great lens I would rather it not sit unused as

much as it does now that I am doing more digital.

I like both LowePro and Tamrac for bags. Though I am partial to LowePro for backpacks.

they just feel more comfortable to me.

My favorite is the Pentax S40 or S50 cameras. They take regular AA batteries. And the test

I did with an S40 gave me over 200 shots with a set of Lithium AA disposable batteries. A

good close second is the Canon SD200/300 series. I like the larger screen on those. The

issue for Sony is their use of the Memory Stick standard.

You may want to see if there is a "design center" near you. Used to get catalogs of display

materials. There is a lot that could be done. It depends on the look you want. Do you ant a

look of a museum? Or do you want a more "retail" look. Keep in mind that "retail" does not

have to look cheap either.

Doubt it IMO. The RF market is fairly small. If they did do something like it, it would be

more in common with the Contax G series. For those of that truly like manual RF focusing I

think our options may be limited in the long term.

Here is a site that offers the service on some Canon models (not the 20D):

http://www.irdigital.net/

The reason that 300D is so expensive compared to other conversions and why the 20D is

not offered - according to posts on other sites from the guy that does the work - is that

the filter is harder to remove on the 300D and too hard on the 20D.

Like others have said, any camera will do.

On focal length, it is a matter of personal vision. Some see things in "wide angle", others

see more "telephoto". For myself I tend to "see" things at 28mm or 24mm. But before you

start buying a series of lenses, you need to learn the craft of photography.

There are some great bargains out there used as some have pointed out. There are even

new ones that won't break the bank:

http://www.penncamera.com/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=4462

If funds are tight, talk with relatives. They may have an old SLR or RF camera around for

you start with. My Uncle gave me his old Minolta SR7 so many years ago when I was your

age.

Keep in mind many photographers in HCB's time had only the Leica as a choice for a small

camera. IMO the legend grew from there on Leica gear. RF's are not for everyone.

.{.Z - Thanks for the post. Very well done, and thought provoking.

Edward & Thomas - I think a lot depends on where you live. In major metropolitan areas (I

live in the DC area), it is a case of just mentioning the dead with some picture from a high

school year book, or maybe a photograph of them in uniform. In some smaller towns I

have seen images like these in the paper.

Grant - To myself taking the images as individuals loses something sometimes. It is

sometimes the series that makes the statement.

(I hope that the following comments does not lead to the deletion of this thread. It is not

meant to be a "right" or "wrong" of the current war. And I have tried to provide both sides

of the debate.)

It is images like these that can have an effect, either positive or negative based on ones

views of the war. IMO major news outlets have sanitized this war. Not fully showing the

costs at home. And at times being wishy washy as to the what is happening; honor the

fallen for protecting the US to questioning the motives and direction of the war.

In some ways the government has learned the lessons of the Vietnam War well. Don't show

the coffins coming in at Dover AFB, and the people will not know the toll of the war on

those here in the States. Show the carnage of a terrorist attack in Mosel on a Mess Tent,

and the nations resolve on these "savages" is reinforced. To be fair both sides are in play

here. Reports on the internet of good deeds by our troops, or the blind hatred by some.

For those of us that respect Documentary Photography, the "truth" may not be known for

some time. I see a distinction between Documentary and Photojournalism. It is a fine line,

but a line none the less. For myself PJ is for the here and now. And by some accounts

controlled by the consolidating media. Docu work is more long term. It may end up in a

gallery or a book. In the end it is meant to be more of a look back.

In the end there way too many images on both sides that are not seeing the light of day.

We are being controlled by the beliefs we hold. We are being controlled by the "media" that

we trust or believe in. And in the end, with teh age of the internet, we are controlled by the

sources we "trust".

I guess I would have to ask that the images be from "notable photographers"? I have seen

much work here from "ordinary" photographers (and on PhotoSig) using P&S cameras. If it

is inspiration that you are looking for, it should not matter IMO whether the photographer

is noted or not.

Not slamming you. Was just curious as to why you followed up the way you did.

I have tried the bag, and like it. My only concern about buying it was having my gear

behind me in a crowd. Depending on your gear, you might look at the LowePro

Photorunner. It is the most versatile bag I have found.

You didn't say where in the DC area. But Montgomery and NOVA Community Colleges have

strong programs. You might want to check out the DC School system. They probably have

some schools that could use the gear.

Depending on the value of the gear, you could do a "contest" for deserving students. This

is how I am thinking of getting rid of my gear when the time comes.