e_m3

You're all right. It's the accountants that are secretly forcing people to shoot digital. In fact, our power is greater than that of Yale's Skull&Bones Society. The secret had to come out some time.

Has anyone heard if Zeiss will make the 'ZS' line of M42 lenses? In 2006 they

announced that in addition to making a series of lenses for the Nikon F mount

(and now Pentax) they would make a series of M42 mount lenes. B&H lists a

single 'ZS' lens but lists the availability as 'coming soon.' I wasn't able to

find anything on line about ZS lenses other than the 2006 press release.

Ask this question of the Kodak forum of DP Review. There are are number of people there who own both the D200 and the SLR/n.

Does anyone know of a good lab in Burbank, California for 120 E-6 development?

I used to use AIM in Pasadena, but they went under. I work in Burbank, so

would like to find a place here.

There's nothing wrong with creating a print from a tranny. Go to www.westcoastimaging.com. There you will see the work created from MF/LF transparancies. If you just give your file (or negative) to a lab then it's the lab making the print, not you. With a drum scan of your tranny you can make the print your own in Photoshop the have a lab print for you on a LightJet or inkjet printer.

In 2001 I bought a brand new Rollei Dual 66P medium format projector and a Rollei 120mm lens. It was one of the best (and weirdest) purchases I've ever made. But a projected MF slide is, as others have said, breathtaking.

>>D10<<

 

Sorry, I meant 10D, the Canon 10D.

>>There's a lot of BS being spread about how Foveon sensors have more resolution than an equivalent Bayer pattern sensor. Don't believe it. Surf over to dpreview.com and look at their SD-10 tests to see the truth.

Foveon sensors also produce crazy color shifts and weird off-colors when fully saturated. The SD-10 might be a good value at $400, but no way at $1200.<<<

 

Yes, by all means go to DP Review and download the SD10 test photos, upsample them to match the photos of the D70 and D10 (6MP cameras) and see how the D70 and D10 have little to no more useful optical detail information in them than the Sigma cameras.

 

By the way, I own an SD9 and a Kodak 14N (upgraded to the NX). So I have no bias either for or against Bayer or Foveon technology.

Here are some facts: the Managing Director of Sigma has stated that a new Foveon based Sigma (with a new Foveon chip) is coming. Here is a selection from the interview.

 

Development of the SD Series Cameras Has Not Stopped

Q: What is the state of the successor of the SD10?

 

 

Yamaki I figured that you'd ask that question. The pictures you see displayed around our booth are pictures taken by our customers of the SD9 and SD10. I feel these cameras still have quite a bit of potential of pleasing old and new customers. While you could say that our models have a longer life-cycle than most, I want to wait to release new products when we can create a product that fully satisfies everyone involved. You can be sure that we are not standing still or that we've retired the lineup.

 

Even with the SD10 we feel that there's a lot of potential in developing the software-side of the system. The Bayer sensor array has been developed and studied for a long time and I feel that they've reached a plateau in respect to resolution. The Foveon sensor, on the other hand, is still unfolding and it's only the first generation. Even so, as you can see what's it's capable of in these examples in our gallery. The growth potential of the Foveon sensor is quite huge.

 

Q: So, are you saying that the when (if?) the next generation SD camera comes out, it will use the next generation sensor?

 

Yamaki Even today, we have a close partnership with Foveon. I plan on visiting Foveon in Santa Clara before I return to Japan. I can't really speak of what we will be talking about, but our next camera will include features only Foveon can provide.

 

Q: Finally, can you give us a sense of some of the future products you're working on?

 

Yamaki First, as a camera maker, we are taking on expanding the SD series system. Then, we are building a lens lineup for digital cameras that will not disappoint our valued customers. Up to now there have been requests for lenses that covered the wide-angle segment. From here on out we see that we not only need to cover the wide-angle, but a variety of other needs. We are also planning on expanding our EX series of high-end lenses. We are looking forward to providing a wide aperture digital zoom lens at an appropriate price point.

 

This interview was published in an Asian magazine at PMA 2005. So it is current.

 

So the idea that Sigma/Foveon are not developing technology is factually wrong. Richard Lyon, chief scientist at Foveon, is still there, as is Dr. Richard Merrill.

 

The chip in the SD9/SD10 is based on pre 2000 patents and technology. (Yes, the original design is from the late 90s.) When Sigma releases its next camera then we will see what 'current' Foveon technology looks like and will be better able to judge it.

Go to the printer forum on www.dpreview.com and read the comments from Professional Photographer Neil Snape. (Or just search for Neil's name.) Neil has both the 8750 and the Designjet 130, which is the big brother of the Designjet 30. He has some comments (recently) on the difference in print quality between the 8750 and the Designjet series.

 

The 8750 is much more expensive to run than the Designjet series. But the 8750 does neutral B&W and has a great gamut. But whereas you can get one-hundred or more super A3 prints out of the Designjet 30 per set of inks you'll only get about 30 super A3 prints out of the 8750. If you print a lot the extra cost might get to you.

I have the 8750. There are a couple of advantages to the R1800: greater choice of matt papers; CD printing; roll paper.

 

Here are some things that the 8750 has and that you might like:

 

(1) Self calibrating. A laser in the printer 'reads' occasional calibration test patterns the printer prints to make sure it is working right.

(2) Internal laser is used to ensure paper alignment.

(3) Printer driver ensures that all three inks in each tri-color cartridge are used at the same rate; therefore, you don't have to worry about one ink running out before the others.

(4) Easy to produce and neutral B&W prints.

(5) Built in networking and ethernet port

(6) If you shoot jpeg you can print right from your CF card without having to go to your computer. You can print contact sheets of your jpegs on Super B paper, for example, without having to turn on your computer and run everything through Photoshop.

(7) According to Wilhelm Research prints behind UV glass on Glossy and Satin will last 130 years before noticable fading. This actually is longer *for glossy* than Epson's new K3 inks. Epson, however, has much longer life if you use matt paper.

(8) The 8750 allows you to quickly replace the Photo 102 cartridge with the 96 black cartridge, which allows you to print plain text with the printer.

 

There are downsides to the 8750. It drinks a lot of the Photogray 102 cartridge; however, I"m so pleased with the B&W and color output that I don't care. Ink use is staggared. You use the 102 Photo Gray cartridge the most. You use about 2 per every 97 tri-color cartridge. The cartridge that's used the least is the 101 Photo Blue.

Niel,

 

If you download the latest firmware from Kodak there will be a read me file that tells you what has been changed. There are also some instructions on how to use the Long and Longer exposure modes.

Neil,

 

The Long exposure mode works on slow exposures of around 1/10 of a second to two seconds. What it does is add a dark frame subtraction to the image to reduce noise. The Longer mode is for exposures from two seconds to 30 seconds. It is accessed via a special menu. In order for the internal metering to work in Longer mode the exposure must be set to 'M' for manual or 'S' for shutter priority. Aperture Priority does not work with the Longer mode.

 

Many people feel that decoding the RAW files from the 14N works better than Kodak's Photodesk. Photodesk has workflow advantages and great color. Many Kodak users experiment and use both programs.

Robbie,

 

Go for the D2x. I have the Kodak 14NX (that's the 14N upgraded with the new chip.) It's a great camera. Most negative comments here are from people who have never used the DCS system and only parrot what they hear; nevertheless, the D2x will serve you better all around. Just don't forget to add in the price of the DX lenses if you need any. That can bring the price up a good deal.

>>And someone is willing to pay $3,000 per unit for this product and base an ongoing business on using this camera? <<

 

Oh, yea, there were over 15,000 14N cameras sold, based on serial number--even more SLRn/c cameras the following year. Kodak will easily repair (in less than a week in most cases) any SLRn/c camera through 2008, at which time most of the SLR users will want new cameras anyway. All this means is that current owners won't be able to buy a new Kodak camera in a few years. It doesn't mean you won't be able to buy whatever new Nikon or Canon camera comes out. If the camera makes money for you now, the fact that it is discontinued means little. The only time things will get dicey is after 2008, when support will end. But by that time digital will be much more mature and worked out, and most people (including myself) will no longer want to use the camera.

The camera is fine for landscapes, and makes fine, large landscape prints. The grid in the viewfinder can be turned off. But then if one used the camera they would know that.

NL,

 

I had the 14N for a year and then upgraded to the 14NX, which is the same as the SLRn but without the new power management. I would say go for the SLR/N and forget the 14N. The SLR/n has much better performance up to ISO 400 and the lens optimization is much better. If you want more details, please send me an e-mail. I use my cameras for landscape.

 

Erik

Pentax has just announced an 18.6MP (Kodak chip) 645 MF DSLR body.

It was just reported on the Luminous Landscape website under the

What's New section.

You're thinking of the Kodak 14n to nx upgrade. This upgrade is no longer available, although it was for the price of 1499.00. You can tell if a camera is the nx model because when you turn it on it will say 'nx' on the rear monochrome LCD.

I think you're a crank. But a nice one. :) The fact of the matter is the peformance of a file from a camera is effected by many variables, as many posters have pointed out. Is it really 'honest' to call a 6mp bayer camera 6mp when not all of those photosites are capturing the actual color, but rely on a CFA? You've got me. I don't have the answer. I know the ISO standards organization is wrestling with the question of how to define a pixel in relation to digital capture. It's not as easy as simply saying its a spatial location on one dimension, as single pixel capture (like Foveon or scanning backs) give very different per-pixel results than a CFA design.

 

Probably the best thing to do at this point is test cameras using a variety of color resolution charts. To use B&W charts doesn't seem terribly productive.

>>dont see how recommendations can be given for the D2x since a single image taken from this camera is unavailable for review. sheep<<

 

 

A recommendation was given? Hu, maybe we have a reading comprehension problem. I do recall someone saying a D2X would be a good choice to look at once reviews are in and if it meets your needs, as group and full body shots for a wedding can benefit from the added resolution. By the way, which Canon camera do you shoot with? :)

Kevin,

 

Pay the price now and go for the D2X once the reviews are in and if it meets your needs. There is no substitute for resolution; and the 5FPS can come in handy as well. If you have to, simply finance the camera with a small loan.

Richard,

 

How far do you intend on hiking? For a few years I shot with a Mamiya RZ. But once I started needing telephoto lenses I sold the system and moved to a Kodak 14N. A full set of 6x7 lenses was too much to hike with. I also have a Mamiya 645 Pro TL. It's a much more manageable system, even if you add a 300mm lens. If you're a strong hiker and will only be hiking on day hikes, then a 6x7 is good. But if you hike and camp overnight (sometimes for more than a few days) than the weight of a 6x7 system will be too much in my opinion.

I'm not 100% sure about this, but I believe the Lexar rebates (if memory serves me well) are limited to one per household. I think this means one per household for your entire life! So if two or three years ago you got a 10 buck rebate on a 256MB card you're done for good and can't take advantage of any other future rebates. So it's really only for new customers.

Amit,

 

The Kodak 760 DSLR actually had an optional AA filter that you could purchased and used with the camera in situations where it would be beneficial. In other words, it was a removable AA filter. The new 22MP Mamiya ZD DSLR also has a user removable AA filter.