miles_hecker

Leica M8 details have been leaked.

 

See http://www.macandphoto.com/2006/09/prise_en_main_d.html

Mid March optimumly at 11AM-1PM.

Be sure to bring your widest lens.

A 20mm is very good, a 16mm is even better.<div></div>

Looks like a male rufous to me Arthur.

A used 1DS should go for $2500 these days.

A new 5D for $2700 after rebate is a much better deal.

I know, I sold my 1Ds for a 5D and the 5D is a much better deal image quality wise. If you don't shoot in the rain, you won't miss the weather sealing on thw 1DS or the extra 2 lbs of weight.

The Canon 5D or if you really have lots of cash the 1DSMk2.

I have been using my Contax lenses on a full frame Canon for 2 years with superb results. These include the 28mm, 35-70mm, 28-85mm and 50mm f1.7 .<div></div>

September 13th...

The Photozone 300mmf4 IS was sent back to Canon twice before it

attained this level of performance. That's why many people including myself use the non-IS version which is almost universally excellent. The IS version originally performed poorly with the 1.4X TC.

Mark if you're really proficient you can take off your camera, put on your 1.4x convertor and put your camera back on & recompose in maybe 60 seconds. I can zoom to the exact framing I need in about one second. The shot may be gone by the time you're ready.

 

IS was designed by Canon when the average film speed was somewhere between 50 and 100 ISO. If you shoot big glass with film thats still the case with the exception of Provia 400F. Modern digital SLR's work great at ISO 400 and even 800. The increased shutter speed this gives makes up the 2 or 3 stop difference that IS used to give.

 

In general I feel the Canon faithful worship at the Canon church of IS. With proper technique on a tripod its just not needed today. Bob Atkins seems to share my views on this. I shoot the monster on a Bogen 3021 with a Manfrotto 3421 head. It's well balanced and weighs less than the Gitzo/Wimberly setup I see most people shooting with big IS glass.

 

No one will shoot the monster handheld, ever, I buy that.

To sum it all up, IMHO if you use proper technique on a tripod, watching your ISO/shutter speed interaction, using a remote shutter release, etc, the advantages of the zoom, {instant framing,focal length selection and increased battery life}, outweigh the advantages of IS.

 

Of course if you want to handhold your supertele by all means get IS.<div></div>

I have the Sigmonster as many call it. It is a superb lens.

Optically it is better than the EOS 400mm f5.6 at 400mm. I've shot them both side by side. At 500-800mm my lens is AMAZING. It is the equal of the famed Canon 500mm or 600mm glass. It is better at 700mm than a EOS 500m with 1.4x convertor.

 

It focuses at about 90% the speed of the Canon glass.

It does not have IS, but with modern digital cameras like the 20D, 1DMK2 and 5D being very clean at ISO 400, I don't find IS is necessary on a tripod with proper technique. If you want to shoot on a monopod get IS glass. I intend to publish a review of this lens in another month or so.

 

The zoom feature will get you many wildlife shots that IS won't. It's hard to sneak up on a bird or coyote carrying a 600mm f4 on a tripod.

But you can acquire the image at 300mm and zoom to 800mm!

 

I can send you some samples or post them tonight if you're serious.

On a full frame EOS-3 or a full frame digital like the 5D, the 35mm f1.4 is way sharper on the edges. On a 1.6 crop camera like the 20D it would be a tossup. You pays your money and you makes your choices!

Looks like you're having fun with your new toy Arthur. :-)

I think you enjoy the step up!

If you want the size, brightness and depth of field to match what you see on your F6, you need a full frame digital SLR. The 5D is a great camera for the money. You can even use your Nikon glass in manual focus aperture priority with an adapter.

 

The skin tones on a 5D can be tweeked by setting some in camera variables or shooting RAW and tweeking the RAW converter.

 

Ron Purdy is a New York fashion photographer and he loves his 5D.

 

See http://www.ronpurdy.com/ for his work.

You can buy a good used 28-70mm L for $900. It is better than the 24-70mm and will put thd 17-40mm to shame. Add a 20mm f2.8 on the bottom end to round things out. Good luck.

In bright light the coated version will be worth the extra $20.

If you shoot into the sun it will be worth more than that.

Hope this helps.

The Mamiya ZD 22mp MF camera is now shipping in Japan.

See http://dpnow.com/2298.html

 

I humbly eat crow! Now if Pentax actually produces a 645 digital I

may have something to do with all my Pentax glass.

 

Mamiya fans rejoice... :-)

PS: I sold my 200mm prime after I got the zoom.

The 70-200mm f4 I have is amazing at f5.6 and f8 and 200mm. I have made 20"x30" enlargements which are tack sharp. At f4 or f2.8 the prime is better by a little. Someone may have got a bad copy. Canon's quality control isn't as good as it could be.

Hello Hermann,

 

I teach photography and sell large 16x20,18x24, and 20x28 landscape prints professionally. I've shot 6x6 & 645 MF for 35 years. I just purchased a 5D and have had 1DS for the last year which I sold 1 month ago. The 1DS could, when properly used with high quality lenses match my Pentax 645N scans made on my Nikon LS8000 in everyway. In fact color and tonality was way better in many ways. If people say otherwise they don't know how to use their 1DS. The 5D seems even a bit better and much lighter!

 

To get maximum quality you must shoot RAW, jpegs need not apply.

You must also use high quality lenses and have good photoshop technique. Canons wide angles are sorely lacking. I use a Zeiss 35-70mm, 28-85mm and Leica 21-35mm zooms.

The widely used Canon 24-70mm is pretty soft at the edges below 35mm, even at f8. Other Canon zoom and primes are even softer.

 

If people are not getting good results IMO it's because they don't

know how to or care to. The thousands of pro's that have switched to full frame digital cameras to replace their MF gear are not idiots. They don't care what some romantic amateur who still loves to view trannies on the light table thinks. At 6x7 MF used with the best lenses still has a tiny advantage at 20x28 and bigger, but the hassle is not worth it for most people. If you really want the best shoot LF and put up with the hassles and joys. Of course bring your wallet when it comes time to buy film and develope it, $5 a shot is the norm.

 

Good luck,

Miles

I honestly hope Mamiya makes it.

 

A good buddy of mine, David Brookover, has done a lot of freelance work for them. That said, I was serioulsly considering a Mamiya ZD system for a project I had this summer. It didn't show in June and I got a Canon 1DS to do the job. I really don't keep my Pentax in the freezer, it's full of film and french fries. :-)

 

If Mamiya doesn't deliver the ZD at a reasonable price by years end,

IMO the companies camera division has a cold future though. I am looking forward to the Pentx 645 digital. Even a full frame 35mm finder seems tiny compared to a good modern MF viewfinder.

Ellis, the dealer is Saunders Camera located in Casper, Wyoming.

Owned by Jerry Saunders whom I've known for 25 years.

 

I don't know who his rep is or how much he knows, but I am merely

repeating what he was told by that rep. I have owned a Mamiya 645

and still have a Pentax 645Nii and 40 rolls of 120 film in the freezer. I don't report on the demise of the MF with voyeurish glee. I actually think it's kind of sad..

The Mamiya web site (mamiya.com) has been down for over a week.

The Mamiya camera division has been known to have sizable loses the

past two years.

 

Knowing this I visited a friend who owns a large camera store and is

the Mamiya dealer for Wyoming. He phoned the Mamiya wholesaler who

he's on quite good terms with and asked what's up? The answer "don't

be surprised if you see an announcement ending Mamiyas presence in the

MF camera world in the next 30 days...".

 

Very Interesting!!

Bronica & Contax gone, Mamiya soon to follow...

A copy of the Canon 5D spec sheet has been leaked on the NET at

http://alex.netfun.ro/Canon5D-specs.pdf .

 

The document properties for that PDF in Acrobat Pro 7: show

 

Author: Jim Bowes of Cayenne Communications

Manager: Mariska van Geel

 

Creation Date: 8th August @ 11:49:13+02:00 (that matches NL where

Cayenne are based - http://www.cayenne.nl)

Modification Date: 8th August @ 11:50:52+02:00

Keywords: D92 DVD Recorder (huh?)

 

Cayenne communications created the European marketing materials for

the EOS 20D.

 

and

 

If you go to http://www.gepir.org/client.htm

 

and do an EAN13 GTIN lookup on the 5D code from the brochure

(4960999295770) it will give you the address of the company that owns

that particular barcode. It's in Japanese, but here is Canon Japan's

address in English:

CANON inc. Shimomaruko. 3-302,. Ohtaku, Tokyo 1468501, Japan.

 

Very interesting... :O

I shoot landscapes with a Pentax 645N and a Canon 1DS original.

I shoot Provia 100F or Velvia 100F on the Pentax. I scan

with a Nikon LS8000. I use my Zeiss 35-70 zoom and 28mm lenses on the Canon.

 

 

The 1DS gives me 20x28 prints that are generally better than what

I can get with the Pentax 645. Tonality is way better, shadows are better and resolution is equal in the center and better at the edges. The Nikon scanners have problems at the edges and the glass holder doesn't eliminate them! A high quality drum scan of the 645 tranny is equal in detail but still inferior in tone.

 

A good sample of the Canon 24-70 zoom holds up well between 35-70mm but is a little soft on the wide end. I feel neither the 645 or 1DS holds up well to 30"x40". A 6x9 system with movements would be better but slow. In quickly changing conditions you would miss many shots. I have many 6x9 trannies shot with a Fuji 690, so I can comment with some validity. The 1DS-2 is even more sensitive to wide angle lenses and Canon sorely is lacking.

 

See some samples I've placed here on PN for a comparison.

 

A used 1DS is a relative bargain and with proper technique can yield fine 20"x30" prints. The 1DS Mk2 with appropriate lenses and perfect lighting conditions can go to 24"x36" for twice the money.

Momo, I think from looking at your photo that the processor in the 8400

pushed the black point up quite a bit to hide the noise. That's why

you see so few stars. It gets rid of the noise and the dim stars as well. Try shooting in RAW mode and looking at the results.<div></div>

Hmmmmm, read Mr Freedmans question guys.. He does not want to go to roll film let alone LF. He wants to stay with a 35mm form factor.

No one denies thar drum scanned LF is still the premier format for landscape image detail for really big prints. I do believe though that at 16x20 size it would now take a magnifying glass to tell the difference between a LF print and high end digital print which has been PROPERLY SHOT & PREPEARED. I can make that statement as I sometimes print on my Epson 9600 for a well known landscape photographer that has a large gallery here in Wyoming. He shoots with an 8x10 Wisner. At 20"x25" you can see the difference with the naked eye at a distance of 12" to 16". At sizes beyond that LF shines.