dave_jenkins1

Thanks, Danny. I'm aware that Nikon now offers Custom Function 4, but

at what price? Canon has had that capability on every body in the

line since the 630 of around 1990 vintage. The only exceptions are

the very cheapest Canons -- the entry level Rebel, and maybe the first

Elan.

I've owned many EOS models (10s, RT, A2, Eos-1, various Rebels), but

never an Elan. Before I moved to Canon I owned a Nikon 6006 and an

8008s. The photographer with whom I share studio space owns the N90,

N90s, and the F4. So I have working familiarity with both operating

systems. I found the Nikon system difficult to use, almost impossible

for one who brackets most of his shots. As Phil says, autofocus

turned his Nikons into enemies. I would imagine the overall quality

of both systems is pretty much a toss-up. I am a Canon user almost

entirely because of one feature -- Custom Function 4, which allows me

to take focus off the shutter button and put it on a little button

under my thumb. I point the sensor at whatever I want to be in

sharpest focus, press the button, the camera focuses, I take my thumb

off the button, and the camera stays focused at the point of my choice

until I want to change it. I think of it as kind of an electronic

Leica.

 

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Having said all that, I will say I found the 6006 to be the most

user-friendly Nikon, and it has auto-bracketing built in. OTOH, the

technology of that camera is very old and the autofocusing isn't all

that great.

I made about 60 percent of the photos in my book "Rock City Barns: A

Passing Era" (look it up at amazon.com) with the EOS 28-105. The

photos have been mistaken for 4x5 work by a number of professionals.

The 28-105 is also my main wedding lens. At one time I owned both the

28-105 and the 28-80L lens. After using both for some time, I sold

the L. It was sharper at the edges, but I did not consider it enough

better to justify carrying around the extra bulk and weight. The

28-105 is a very sharp, very practical lens. Unless you're prepared

to carry a lot of bulk and weight and shoot everything from a tripod,

which I think negates the flexibility and spontaneity which is the

main reason for using 35mm, you're not going to be able to tell much

difference between the better consumer lenses and the L lenses. The

quest for ultimate sharpness is not what photography is all about,

anyway.

Strictly as a user camera, I think I would be very interested if it

had programmed exposure automation, reasonably easy film loading (not

like the screw-mount Leicas), and a good viewfinder. And, if the

price were right.

Does anyone have time and temperature recommendations for Ilford Delta 400 and HP5+ developed in Xtol? I would like to know starting points for both 400 and 800 e.i. If this information is available on some web site, I would appreciate being pointed in the right direction!

 

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Thanks,

Dave Jenkins

If you like Kodak products, there is absolutely no benefit to be gained by using VPS over PMC in a 6x7 format camera. In fact, you make problems for yourself by using a slow film.

 

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I have recently completed a test in my studio in which I photographed my assistant with seven different color negative films under the same lighting setup. I used a Canon EOS A2 with the 85mm f1.8 EF lens, and made all exposures at f8.5 as read with a Minolta flashmeter. I place my model so that her head was in the center of the viewing screen and made several exposures on each roll of film. After processing, I used a 10X Peake loupe to select the sharpest negative in each set, then took the film to a custom lab where the enlarger was set for a 20x30 print size, but only the center of the negative was printed on a sheet of 8x10 paper. I was thus able to evaluate my test at 20X magnification without actually paying for 20x30s.

 

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The films tested were Fuji's Reala, NPS-160, NPH-400, Superia 400, and NHG-II-800, and Kodak's VPS and PMC-400. The 160-speed films were rated at 125. Reala was superior to the other films, although one experienced printer had difficulty discerning Reala from NPH. VPS and NPH-400 tied for second. They were about equal in sharpness, with the grain a little finer in VPS but better color in the NPH. The Kodak films displayed a grayness in their skin tones that I don't care for. Kodak's PMC-400 was the least sharp of the films tested, actually less sharp than Fuji's NHG-II at 800 speed. The Fuji 800, by the way, is a revelation. You will simply not believe that a film this fast could be so good. Remember, all these tests were at 20X magnification, the equivalent of a 20x30 print from a 35mm negative.

 

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The Fuji NPS-160 was the big loser in this test -- there's really no reason to use it. The grain is no better than NPH400, and it's actually less sharp than NPH. Fuji did photographers a real disservice when they discontinued Reala in 120 & 220 sizes and tried to ram an inferior film like NPS down our throats. I quit using Kodak products because of tactics like that. As for Fuji Superia 400, an amateur film,it's almost, but not quite as good as NPH. I will certainly use a lot of it for family snapshots with the confidence that it will make an easy 16x20 from 35mm, and a pretty good 20x30 if I should ever want one.

 

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Getting back to the original proposition -- If you want to use Kodak, then use PMC-400. You will not likely be able to see the difference between it and VPS on a 20x24 print from a 6x7 negative. If you want to make a real improvement, load up with Fuji NPH-400.

Some years ago, in the late '80s, I put together an outfit exclusively for wide angle use. It was a Mamiya Universal body with a 6x9 roll-film back and a 50mm lens and viewfinder. It was great! I wish I still had it. A photographer friend borrowed it frequently and kept pestering me to sell it to him, so I finally did. That was a mistake I still regret. It was a big klutz and slow to handle, but it did a great job and could be used hand-held or on a tripod. I remember one job in particular, where I had go up in a cherry-picker to photograph a business jet on the runway apron. If you could find a similar outfit, I think you would like it. However, if I were to assemble a wide-angle outfit today, I think I would get a Pentax 6x7 with a 45mm lens if I could possibly afford it. Good luck! You can't go wrong with the Mamiya U & the 50.