mike_earussi1

<p>For the Nikon dslrs there are only two versions of the 30 f1.4, the original one that's sharp in the center but the corners never become sharp no matter how far you stop it down, and the new Art version which is a little better in the corners.<br> http://www.lenstip.com/190.1-Lens_review-Sigma_30_mm_f_1.4_EX_DC_HSM-Introduction.html<br> http://www.lenstip.com/370.1-Lens_review-Sigma_A_30_mm_f_1.4_DC_HSM-Introduction.html<br> Sigma also makes a 30 f2.8 for the Sony Nex and micro 4/3s cameras. <br> Of course, their best lens in that focal range is the new 35 f1.4 for full frame cameras:<br> http://www.lenstip.com/359.4-Lens_review-Sigma_A_35_mm_f_1.4_DG_HSM_Image_resolution.html</p> <p> </p>

<p>With a large buffer the only time you might notice the lack of having the fastest card is when shooting video, which has much higher data needs than still photography.</p>

<p>It's always best to start off with the highest quality file as you'll want as much "room" for post processing manipulation as possible. So an original color space of AdobeRGB with a 16 (or more) bit depth file will minimize banding and color clipping. After you're done then convert to sRGB.</p>

<p>The first question to ask is what's wrong with your present equipment that you're seeking to solve by buying a 645Z?</p> <p>Your flexibility will drop and your pixel count will increase, is that what you want? Are you printing 40x60s or wall size prints?</p> <p>The only direct comparison between the Nikon and a MF camera that I've seen is here:</p> <p> <p>and the determining factor wasn't higher resolution but the increase in DR and smooth tonality that the MF body gave. But as the camera sensor and body were different from the 645Z there's no way to know if it will also provide that advantage.</p>

<p>The Rollei has a very quiet shutter, the Hassy a much louder one. For street photography quieter is better.</p>

<p>Dip your toe into it gradually to see if it's what you really want to do. That said there are plenty of books at any library good for beginners. Also it's best to spend what money you have initially on equipment instead of expensive classes until you feel you've got your camera gear where you want it to be and have gone as far as you can learning on your own.<br> So you need to buy:<br> 1. camera gear<br> 2. a fast computer with lots of ram<br> 3. a good high quality monitor and calibration equipment<br> 4. good software like Photoshop CC and what other specialized software you feel you need. <br> 5. a good printer</p> <p>After you have all of this then worry about classes.</p>

<p>If you don't mind buying used the SD1M can be bought for under $1,000 and A7 for less than $1300. </p>

<p>If the resolution of the SD14 is good enough then why not just get the SD15 instead? The color is far more reliable and 21 shot buffer should be more than enough for portrait work. Also the 3 sec processing/file is much better than the 7 sec of the SD14 and the 15 sec of the DP3M. Plus you can buy them used for around $350 now on eBay.</p>

<p>I've owned several over the years, with the 200 being the best. Excellent lenses, especially for the money, with the 135mm being the best and the 180 being the poorest, though still not bad. Probably the biggest band for the buck in MF film cameras. Enjoy. </p>

<p>Another suggestion is the Mamiya 6, if you prefer square, or the Mamiya 7 for 6x7. They are very light weight, compact and rangefinders with extremely sharp lenses, and the 7's lenses have been tested to be sharper than either the Rollei or Hassy, with the 6 about the same. </p>

<p>I'd break the charges into separate parts: initial setup, number of hours in shoot, and prints, then get a partial payment up front and a final payment once the prints are ordered.</p>

<p>Return it for a full refund, if you try fixing it yourself the seller can claim that you damaged it. Also the seller should have been honest with you up front. I've had this problem before with amateur sellers who don't realize that the only proper way to check a lens is by shining a flashlight through it. And eBay usually guarantees the refund if the seller gives you any problem.</p>

<p>Developer is the only one you have to worry about spoiling if not stored or used up quickly. The stop and fixed are quite resistant to damage. But do be careful not to store any of them on cold concrete floors or in a cold environment as the chemicals can separate out and form crystals on the bottom of the bottle that are difficult, if not impossible, to mix back into solution properly. The concentrates should also not be stored in a cold environment for the same reason. This lesson I learned from personal experience when my darkroom was in my basement.</p> <p>Also a word of caution about replenishment of developer. If you're developing your prints by sight in an open tray then replenishment is not a problem, but if you're processing in a rotating drum, such as a Beseler system, using a fixed time, then replenishment should not be used as it's impossible to get it "right" so each developer batch is a perfect duplicate of the previous one. In fact if you are using a rotating drum system then the developer should just be thrown away after each use as it oxidizes too fast to be safely reused. </p>

<p>The smallest, lightest, fastest and easiest to use MF slr is the Pentax 645. Also the mirror and shutter are well dampened and fairly quite. For a rangefinder the Mamiya 6 and 7 are best.</p>

<p>Here's another good calculator:</p> <p>http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/technical/field_of_view.html</p>

<p>The film is loaded just like 4x5--just larger.<br>

<p>If you're shooting B&W then film, especially, large format, can be "relatively" economical. But for color the cost of processing plus film gets expensive very fast.</p> <p>So assuming B&W film, there many places that sell it, Freestyle being a good place to start, though sometimes you can find it even cheaper on eBay. Then you need chemistry, processing trays, a closeline for hanging the film up to dry, a contact printing frame and a light. </p> <p>eBay is also a good place to find 8x10 camera bodies, and if you're shooting indoors then any cheap copy type lens in the 400mm+ range without a shutter (you use the lens cap for a shutter) should cover the format.</p> <p>But before you buy anything, a lot or reading and research is in order. As long as you're willing to do that you should be fine. </p>

<p>The "look" of the Sigma comes from the fact that the color information is unique to each pixel instead of being averaged over several pixels the way a Bayer chip is. This produces more micro contrast and sharper fine edge definition giving it a more 3D look.</p> <p>Unfortunately, Sigma has yet to come up with an easy to use implementation of their chip. So if you want that unique look you have to "pay" for by using a slow camera and PP software. If you're a landscape or studio still life photographer that's not much of a problem, but it's not the best camera for people if they move a lot or are impatient.</p> <p>I use the older SD15, which with its 3 sec processing time and 21 shot raw buffer makes it the easiest to use of the Sigma bodies, but it also only the equivalent of a 10-12mp Bayer sensor in resolution. If you're just shooting for the web then it might work for you, but I wouldn't recommend it for prints larger that 12x18. </p>

<p>The max flash sync is 1/2000 sec at f5.6 and smaller.</p> <p>The IQ of the Sigma is noticeably better than any camera short of the D800/810 (at low iso) but is nowhere near as user friendly. A lot of people on the Sigma forum also have Fuji cameras and the conclusion is always the same, the Fuji is much easier to use but the IQ isn't as good.</p> <p>The Quattro has a processing speed in the 8 sec range, better than the Merrill but still not very good. But the Quattro "look" is different--better color overall, but not as much micro contrast, so it's actually preferred by some for portraits. Also the DP1Q's lens has been improved in the extreme corners slightly. But for portraits that may not matter to you.</p> <p> Something else to consider about the Quattro vs. the Merrill is that the SPP 6 software needed to process the Quattro files is still a work in process. It's very slow and buggy, especially for Macs. I've processed a few Quattro files on my PC without any problems, but it is very slow going, though Sigma is continually improving it. </p>

<p>Having a leaf shutter means that the smaller the aperture the faster the shutter can open and close, so 1/2000 sec at f5.6 is max. Wider apertures mean slower shutter speeds.</p> <p>http://www.optyczne.pl/227.3-Test_aparatu-Sigma_DP1_Merrill_Użytkowanie_i_ergonomia.html</p> <p>A write speed of 12-15 sec is about right with the fastest SanDisk 95mb/sec card.</p> <p>And I believe the manual focus has a magnifier option.</p> <p>And since you're wanting the DP1M I assume you're planning on shooting nothing but full body portraits (the DP3M would be much better for bust and tighter shots).</p> <p>For more detailed info check out the Sigma Forum on dpreview: </p> <p>http://www.dpreview.com/forums/1027?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu</p>

<p>Read <em>a lot</em> before you jump in because mistakes cost a <em>lot</em> of money.</p> <p>Questions to answer:</p> <p>1. Do you plan on shooting primarily indoors or outdoors? This will determine your lighting needs as well as what lenses you need, because you'll find more distracting backgrounds outside that require wide aperture lenses to successfully blur out the background, and wide aperture lenses cost more than the variable zooms you have now.</p> <p>2. Are you going to specialize, i.e. children, weddings, babies, fashion, etc, or are you going to try to shoot everyone? The more you specialize the better you will get in that one specific area. Also you may find you prefer one age group over another. </p> <p>3. Do you have any free models you can practice on, because you really need to have a high skill level to charge money for what you're doing.</p> <p>4. A printer will give you more control than using Wal-Mart to print photos. Plus you'll learn a lot more (and faster) from the experience. </p> <p>5. For cheap lighting tips go to the <em>Strobist</em> website. </p> <p>6. Buy the 50 f1.8 lens as it's the cheapest wide aperture lens you can get for your camera. </p> <p>And read books, not just info on the web, as books go much more deeply into the subject. </p>

<p>Marc, thanks for the classic KEH link. Their new site is too confusing to use.</p>

<p>Chip, any and all of the cameras mentioned above would work fine and fit your budget. The key is you, your style of photography, whether you prefer handholding or tripod, whether weight and bulk is important or not, whether you like to shoot fast or are more contemplative, etc.</p> <p>For light weight and fast shooting the Pentax 645 is all around the best with built-in meter and prism. The other 645s are more versatile with their interchangeable backs and viewfinders, but at the expense of increased weight and bulk.</p> <p>For the ultimate in light weight a TLR like a Mamiya is best (Rolleis are even better but out of your price range).</p> <p>For 6x7 handheld the Pentax 6x7 wins.</p> <p>For 6x7 on a tripod the RB/RZ systems with their built-in bellows are great for studio and macro work.</p> <p>For 6x9 the Fuji fixed lens cameras are about the best around, but they are rangefinders. </p> <p>Biggest bang for the buck is the Koni-Omega, but is also a rangefinder.</p> <p>And the cheapest MF cameras of all are any of the old 1950s 6x9 folders with their coated 3 element lenses and zone focusing. I picked up one for $30 and at f11 the results were surprisingly good.</p> <p>So have fun deciding.</p>

<p>6x7 has twice the area of 645, so if large prints are important then the larger format the better.</p> <p>The Pentax 6x7 is easy to use and relatively cheap. I've seen bodies plus the 90 mm lens for $400 on Craigslist. But they are also heavy, bulky, loud and the focal plane shutter kicks like a mule on a tripod. But because of the weight I've also been able to handhold mine with the 45mm lens down to 1/30 sec and get razor sharp images.</p> <p>The RB/RZ bodies are more versatile but are even bulkier than the Pentax.</p> <p>My favorite for price vs. quality is the Koni-Omega 6x7 which I've seen for $200 with 90mm lens. Excellent optics, but it is a rangefinder which you may not want.</p> <p> </p>

<p>I bought a new Epson 1400 on sale for $200. Thought it was a great deal until I started to actually use it and found that those little ink cartridges don't last very long--and cost over $20 each. I rapidly paid more than the cost of the printer in ink over the next few months until I finally got so tired of spending all that money on ink that I just quit using it. Now I own an older Epson 4800 that I bought on Craigslist, also for $200, and my ink cost has dropped to 1/5 of what it was.</p> <p>Penny wise and pound foolish is the best way to describe someone who buys a small 13" printer, no matter who makes it. And yes, I know you can use 3rd party inks, but from what I've read they fade fast. </p>