chris_berry

At what aperture? The image circle of the lens will increase as you stop the lens down thus reducing vignetting.

I have a late '70s 50mm f2 AI. It is the sharpest lens I've ever used on a 35mm camera. I used to use it with an old FM... those were the days! Loading the FM with Techpan then putting it on a tripod and stopping down to 5.6 or 8 resulted in beautiful prints that could easily pass as medium format. Alas, I've not used it in years!

I just got my rebate check for the SB800 that I purchased at the end of December. In October I purchased the 17-35mm and in November I purchased the 60mm Macro. Nikon came through with all three checks.

Who cares! Any printer is only as good as the operator using it! This is especially true for a digital printer like the Fuji Frontier.

Oops!

 

I also forgot the incredible Durst Lambda!

Sorry, I forgot to mention the Noritsu contingent and KISS who I believe won the PMA 2004 and 2005 DIMA award for the quality of their minilab production.

"The "fair" way to compare is, inkjet or Frontier printed DSLR image vs a wet print on photographic paper or a Cibachrome from film."

 

What's so special about the 300dpi Fuji Frontier?

 

The Konica R1 1400, R2 and R3 are all 400dpi printers that produce stunning prints! ZBE's Chromega and the Cymbolic Lightjet are both 300dpi printers and both create amazing prints! And lets not forget Agfa's D labs!

Benny,

 

Don't use a shutter speed faster then the sync speed (1/80)otherwise only part of the frame will recieve flash exposure.

 

It sounds like you will not be using TTL flash. If this is the case then I would use your option 2.

 

Set the auto aperture on the flash to either one or two stops bellow the f stop you are using. Eg If your exposure is 1/80 @ f11 then set the flash to f5.6 to add a little fill (2 stop under) or add more fill (1 stop under) by selecting f8 as the auto aperture on the flash.

 

Hope this helps.

Maynard,

 

The chart on page 50 of the manual clear shows that with high speed crop off NEF files will be 20.7mb while "L" TIFF files would be 36.5mb. With high speed crop on the NEF file will be 11.6mb while the TIFF would be 20.5mb.

Thanks to all! Now I understand.

Hello all,

 

Well, I'm anexiously awaiting my D2x which has been on order with

Calumet since Oct. Anyway, I was looking at the manual that I

downloaded from www.nikon.com and am now quite confused!

 

On page 50 it states that a 12bit NEF file, with high speed crop

off, would be 20.7mb. However, a an 8bit TIFF file would be a

whopping 36.5mb.

 

How could this be when the NEF has 50% greater color depth?

FM with a 50mm f2 and MD12

"I don't want to get an MD-12 if it's going to beat the FM2 to pieces or be unreliable"

 

From my experience that will not happen. Years ago I used to work as a cruise ship photographer. We would shoot dozens and dozens of rolls each and every day. Generally, we would do this for 6-9 months but I've done a couple of stints that lasted over a year on the same ship! Obviously this was extremely demanding on our cameras which were the personal property of each photog. We all used a mixture of FM2s/MD12 and F3HP/MD4s. Due to the 250 sync speed we used the FM2s for all the outside shoots. The F3s were mainly used inside where the fast rewind came in really useful especially for shoots like "Captains Handshakes".

 

Both setups were extremely reliable and rugged. On the rare occasions that we experienced problems it was always a result of dropping the camera onto a hard surface or a finger/film going through the shutter while on a tender boat etc. On occasion I have experienced an MD12 jamming but only on a camera that needed to be serviced or if it had worked at little loose from the camera body (the MD4 never seemed to work loose). I've never heard of either an MD12 or an MD4 requiring service but I'm sure it's happened. Obviously the MD4 is faster especially with the MN-2 NiCad but both units should serve you well. In my opinion the big difference between the two drives is the fact that the MD4 powers the F3 body and the MD12 does not provide power to any camera body. This is also the main difference between an MD12 and MD15 on the FA; the MD15 provides power to the FA. Obviously, there are pros and cons to the body being powered by the motor drive. However, be careful of the MN-2, it's a great piece of kit but like all NiCad batteries, when it goes flat, it has a tendency to die quick and without warning leaving you with no choice but to use the awkward mechanical release on the F3 body.

Check out the employment opportunities at Nikon USA as I feel they may soon be looking for a new webmaster! http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?goingto=rc_main

Thanks Ted, I thought it was just me going crazy again!

"The concept of a lens "surpassing" a sensor, or a sensor "surpassing" a lens serves only to show that those making the statements have no more than a very loose grasp on the basic principles of optics".

 

Mr. Atkins,

 

After reading Mr. Domkes's post it is clear that he claims no "grasp on the basic principles of optics" regardless of whether he has one or not. Mr. Domke simply posses a question that obviously seems elementary to you but the answers to which may be of interest to other readers of this forum.

 

In my opinion your post only serves to intimidate many and educate none. Your post says nothing other then to promote "an article on this". I suggest you get of your soapbox unless you something constructive to say.

 

Lets just concentrate on the creative and the things that matter!

My concern is with the future development of Super Wides for the DX sensor. I don't claim to be a lens designer/physicist etc so forgive me if I'm missing something here.

Here are the facts, at least as I understand them. The lens plane to focal plane must be the same on Nikon's digital and film SLRs, if it wasn't then the focus scale would have to be different for digital and film camera bodies.

That said, we have to deal with the age old problem of retro focus wide angle lenses on SLRs unless your happy using mirror lock-up whenever you want to use a wideangle. Few would argue that a retro focus WA lens could perform as well as a lens of non-retro design of equal coverage and focal length. Anyone that's shot with both a Hasselbad SWC and their 40mm knows what I'm talking about.

I?m sure we all understand that 12mm is going to be about the same as 18mm on a full frame camera. But... because that 12mm has to perform on a camera body with an equal lens plane to focal plane distance then it would have to be designed with very serious retro focus capabilities. These capabilities would have to be far greater then the 18mm. Like I said I don't claim to be an expert in terms of lens design but I would guess this can't be good in terms of overall lens performance.

Ed,

 

The camera is not exactly a 23S back on a 23SW. It's a 23S back on the SW23/23S Hybrid. The min/max bellows extension on this camera is 38-255mm so there's no need for the extension back etc. To see the full specs of this camera go to www.ebonycamera.com and in the "Cameras" section you'll see "made to order" and there you'll find the Hybrid. But you'll notice that the rear standard is only capable of rise and that's why I wanted the camera built with the rear metal frame and movements of the 23S. Basically, the camera will be a 23S with the wide-angle capabilities of the SW23. But it will have 20mm less bellows draw (255mm as apposed to 275mm on the 23S).

Hi Ed,

 

You hit the nail on the head! I know I'll want to use a 47XL a lot with the camera and didn't relish the thought of doing so with a recessed board. With the Hybrid I'll be able to use it on a flat board and still have plenty of movements. Additionally, in the future I think there's a strong possibility that I'll want to use either a 35mm Apo Grandagon or a 38mmXL and this would never be possible on the 23S. Furthermore, with the Hybrid, on a flat board, there's still enough bellows extension to use a 270mm tele Nikkor/300mm tele Fujinon or focus 1:1 with up to a 120mm etc. You could even use a 360mm tele Nikkor/400mm tele Fujinon with an Ebony extension board!

 

For me, I know the loss of the rear movements would become frustrating, especially shift. So the Hybrid with the rear movements of the S was the perfect solution.

 

Jeff at Badger Graphic told me the price of the Hybrid is the same as the S. There was an up charge to add the rear movements of the S and another for the Horseman hood. All in all it will cost about the same as a SV23.

 

I've not got any lenses just yet but have ordered a Nikon W 105mm to start with. I'm going to use the camera for a while and get used to it before purchasing more lenses. However, I plan on getting a 65mm Nikon, 200mm Nikon and of coarse the 47mmXL. Also, in years to come perhaps a 360mm or 400mm tele and 35/38mm. Any thoughts?

Hello Shawn,

 

Michael gave some excellent advice. I think you should first decide which lenses and movements you will require, both now and in the future. Then find the camera specs that best fit. I can't comment on the functionality of any Ebony since I've not yet used one. However, thanks to the excellent advice I found in this forum, yesterday, I placed an order for my dream camera with Jeff at Badger Graphic.

 

I almost went the SV45Ti route and had I done so it would�ve been because the Mahogany version weighs over a pound less and it also costs less. As I�m sure you�ve noticed all the SV cameras can handle a remarkable range of focal lengths and still retain an excellent range of movements.

 

After much thought and soul searching I decided not use sheet film but to get a 2x3 instead. I also decided to move away from folding cameras and started to look at the 23S and SW23. However, neither was perfect. But thanks again to this forum I found out about the 23SW/23S Hybrid that Ebony will make to order. This camera was almost perfect for me but thought the movements on the rear standard would prove to be a little limiting. So I gave Jeff a call and asked if Ebony would make the Hybrid but with the rear movements of the 23S. Jeff got back to me the next day and said yes they would. Additionally, Ebony will be fitting a Horseman folding focusing hood and all this at a very reasonable up charge. Finally my dream camera!

 

If you shoot a lot of B&W using the zone system or think you might then 2x3 may not be for you. But if you don�t and you don�t plan on printing bigger the 16x20 on a regular basis then I would take a good look at the Ebony 2x3/6x9 cameras. I think this is especially true if you plan on going digital. Also, if you don�t see exactly what you want then ask if a custom change can be accommodated. From my recent experience I think you�ll find the answer is probably yes. Providing you don�t ask for that 2lb 8x10� view camera with a 15~1200mm f1.4 auto focus zoom lens and 6fps motor drive ;-)

 

If you do decided to go with the SV45xx then I would get it with the Universal bellows instead of the regular ones that come standard.

 

Hope this helps now I just have to wait a month for my dream machine!

I agree!

Hi James, Ron Wisner has a workshop in Marion, MA. But it's a five

day workshop running from August 11-15.

http://www.wisner.com/newengl.htm

 

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Good luck!

>>Since you have the brochure, can you tell whether the new AE prism is more of a "high-eyepoint" design with greater eye relief for eyeglass wearers?<<

 

>>And the big question ... how much ?<<

 

I have the same problem and sometimes find it hard to see the corners of the frame even when I take my glasses off! With this in mind I bit the bullet and ordered a 67II from Camera World in Portland OR. Well the guys there are doing a great job of torturing me because the body is on back-order but they have already sent the AE prism to me! As you can imagine I now know Camera Worlds phone # by heart!!!

Anyway, the AE prism does offer much greater eye relief and I can now see the corners of the frame without problem, even with my glasses on.

 

As for price well Camera World is the cheapest I've found $1480 for the body and $630 for the AE prism plus shipping.