brodeub

Had similar problems with D2H and sandisk 512 mb ultra II downloading the pics onto a Windows XP home system using USB 2.0. Didn't matter if I tried PTP or Mass Storage USB setting. Suspected it was not card related since it happened with 2 different cards. After I upgraded my USB 2.0 driver (settings>control panel>system>device manager>Universal Serial Bus Controllers>USB Enhanced Controller>Driver>update driver), the problem went away. So, check your USB driver and make sure you have the latest version. Also, you might want to check your USB cable. Finally, try a different card in the camera, and try the suspect card in a different camera, and see if the problem turns up in a different combination. It's a frustrating problem. Brian.

Unfortunately this is a common problem with the R800 - see many posts on DPreview.com printer forum. Epson technical support has little to offer except suggesting using non-paper profiles, tacitly admitting they don't know the fix either. If you can't get the results you want with this approach I wouldn't waste the time and just return the printer. Brian.

With a D2H and one of the faster CF cards you will be able to shoot ca. 36 images in raw mode in 11 seconds. This is also with the 80-400 vr lens, and the camera set in AF-continuous. The best way to do this is to manually set the continuous low frame rate to 3 shots per second. The memory buffer will fill up once; immediately lift your finger and start shooting again. This spaces the shots fairly evenly over the stretch run. Also, be sure image review is set to off. If you prefer to shoot in jpeg mode, you will certainly get more shots. You will have to practice with the camera to determine the best strategy to spread the shots over the stretch run. Shooting in Tiff will yield fewer shots.

I use all these lenses with my D2h. People sometimes forget they are not just buying a camera, but a total system. I purposely purchased a digital body that enabled me to continue to use all the MF lenses I've grown accustomed to. It's silly to buy-in cheaply with the body only to run up the total system costs by purchasing all these gimmicky new zoom lenses. Just my 2c. Brian.

Ajay - I tried to accomplish the very same thing with a D2H, 55/3.5 micro lens with extension tube, mounted to a PB-4 bellows with a PS-4 slide copying adaptor. Tried a whole succession of light sources (flash, photolamps, direct sunlight), and couldn't get the slide to copy without significant color shift that was very difficult to correct in PS (not that I'm a wiz). Also had a lot of trouble controlling the dynamic range, and would have had to stack images to get anywhere near the quality of the original. I posted on this forum over a month ago and someone gave a fairly detailed response on why it wouldn't work well having to do with the color shift in the light passing through the slide medium and the sensitivity of the camera's CCD sensor. I'm not sure I understood it all, but I reached a dead end. Slides were 70's vintage kodachromes.

Linhof's are designed to be shot from a motorcycle - that's why they are collapsible.

A film camera.

What does going digital mean? Well maybe it means saving hours of sweat and eyestrain and lots of dollars scanning and color correcting your negatives and slides. Maybe it also means being able to make lots of nice big "dry" prints from a printer anytime you want. And finally, if you're lucky like with this new Epson, it means being able to effectively use all that wonderful glass that you've invested in and learned the character of through the years. Leica is the classic case of too little too late, and kudos to Epson to recognize the latent demand from the installed base of Leica users watching their significant investment in the expensive Leica systems verge on technological obsolesence. Brian.

At your point in life and for your purposes absolutely yes! Clearly the Hassy 500 gear is more appropriate to your interest in fashion photography than the Leica - bigger images, more accurate focusing, more control over depth of field, more lens choices, etc. MF is the standard for fashion photography, or at least has been for many years, with maybe some recent displacement by more expensive digital formats. MF will also give you superior performance for landscape for a lot of the same reasons, but it in part depends on how much you intended to blow up your images. As a student I suspect you will want to have the flexibility to experiment. You can get into Hassy more cheaply than the 503 by going the 501 route, and may not have to sell all your Leica equipment. I suggest you rent some Hassy equipment and use it side by side to form some conclusions. There is absolutely no reason for a student to hold on to unused equipment while begging for equipment for what he wants to learn. I won't comment on the fetish aspects of Leica equipment except to say your instincts are correct in what in part is its appeal.

I like the Canon A80 - relatively small, can get as close as 5cm, can control the lens aperture, and have a good lcd that gives you true WYSIWYG in terms of color balance, focus, and exposure. The other good thing about it is that it has an easy to use manual focus option. This should be a key consideration for you since some of the things you are shooting may not have sufficient contrast for the auto focus to lock in macro mode. The camera is relatively small but produces a high quality image. In addition, it can be operated with one hand fairly easily (if you have to do something else with your other hand). My suggestion is to purchase a number of cameras from a local retailer and return the ones you don't like. Most local camera retailers have fairly liberal return policies. See DP Review for reviews of all these cameras. Brian.

One concern about digital cameras is their limited dynamic range, which becomes especially apparent in exposures with snow in strong sunlight. There are image stacking techniques available that are used to compensate for this, but you should be aware of it. I don't know how much the dynamic range of CCD sensors varies by brand or model, but it may required some experimentation to determine.

The 135s strike me as being too slow for the varied lighting conditions I'm likely to encounter. I going to use color print film to have some margin of error with exposure, and only want to hand hold down to 1/15th of a second. I'm concerned that the 75 won't give me enough magnification; it may in the black box if I sit in front, which is not my intent. The 85s in Leica screw mount appear to be available for much less than the 75, although I recognize it's optically inferior. The handholding will to some extent offset the benefit of the sharpness of the 75. I will focus using the 90mm framelines, although I could also use an Imarect finder I have. The plays I'm photographing are amatuer productions where I know the cast members; one is in a black box, the other a modest sized auditorium. I appreciate all your useful suggestions and experiences.

Brian.

Thanks for the useful suggestions. I'm leaning towards buying one of the 85mm/f1.5 tele's made by Nikon/Canon in Leica screw mount or the Summarex and using it with the M4 with spot metering.

 

Brian.

Is the M7 quieter than the M2 or M4, or are they all about the same? Is there any M body that's known for being "quietest"? Thanks.

Thanks for your replies. I plan on shooting for myself from the audience at a performance, not rehearsal, which is why I'm concerned about the noise. If would also consider a quieter rangefinder that can use fast tele lenses.

 

Brian.

In a few weeks I'm going to need to take some pictures at two

theater productions and want to be as quiet as possible about it. I

have a bit of a mismatch in that my fast telephotos are Nikon AIS

(85/1.4 and 105/1.8), but my quietest bodies are Leica (M2/M4). I

know that the Nikon lenses can be mounted on the Leica bodies, but I

understand that I won't be able to use the rangefinder and scale

focusing the tele's wide open leaves little room for error. My

Nikon bodies (F2/F5) are just too noisy, even with the mirror up.

I'm leaning in the direction of acquiring a 75 or 90 'lux, or maybe

a Canon ltm screw mount (100f2), but before I did so I wanted to

make sure I hadn't missed a better alternative. Thanks in advance.

I just did this replacement on my 1958 vintage 500c with one of Bill Maxwell's screens and it's pretty straightforward - no where near rocket science. Buy a screen from him and you'll get a great screen and detailed instructions. The only other thing you will need is the right size screw-driver for the 4 small screws that hold in the fame. The screws are clearly visible when you remove the finder. You'll also need a good magnifying glass or loupe to reset the screen focus at infinity (as you screw it back in) - not that difficult. It didn't take me very long at all and works perfectly.

Brian.

I shot a roll of film with a M4 midday today to test some light

meters and the prints indicate that for the last 8 frames the

shutter had some problems - slowed down. It had been outside maybe

40 minutes at that point and the temperature was 28F but clear and

dry. The camera was not in a case. Is this typical for the camera

or do I need to have it serviced? Brian.