larry_hertzler

Peter,

I spent a lot of years with 35mm and added medium format about 10 years ago. The best advice I can offer is to find some place that rents medium format and try out several models - A LOT. I bought a used Hassy system after renting it several times. The compact size was great for the shooting I was doing, but I was always cropping the square format so much I wasn't taking advantage of the film size. Quality and optics were supurb. About 4 years ago, I traded the system for a 6x7 system which I really enjoy. I think that if I had rented the 6x7 system for a while, I would have gone that way in the first place and avoided losing some cash on the trade-in. The advice of spending some time thinking about what you like and want to do is excellent. Good luck, and have fun!

 

Larry

Several years ago, I came across an advertisement for a floating

photography blind. I think it was in Outdoor Photography and was

called something like the "Bog Log". The device was a small "boat"

disguised as a tree trunk. It had a small motor and you would lay on

your back in it. It also had a mount for a tripod head under the

cover. I've searched all the web engines I could find and have not

been able to locate the company. Anyone remember this thing?

 

Thanks!

According to EOS magazine (published in Great Britain), the EOS 1N has a few "pro" features the EOS 3 does not. The 1N has a 100% viewfinder, the 3 is 97%. The 1N has a built-in eyepiece shutter and built-in dioptric correction and the 3 does not. The 1N has a 2.3% fine spot metering function, and the 3 does not. The 1N also has a max flash sync of 1/250 vs. 1/200 for the 3. The 3 has a host of functions the 1N doesn't have.

 

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My opinion - As for Canon replacing the 1N, I figure the market will dictate the timing. As soon as 1N sales drop, it will be time for the new model. The Nikon F5 didn't convert all the Canon pros to Nikon as many predicted, so a new "flagship" was not needed immediately. The EOS 3 will satisfy the market for a while, even with the high price. I am wondering what features the EOS 2 will have to have to be considered the new "flagship" when it is released. Either way, I doubt I'll be able to afford it anyway.

I was able to "play" with one at a local dealer a few weeks ago. The lens uses a push-pull zoom mechanism than has a tension adjustment. When fully extended, it almost doubles the length of the lens. It was a solid lens and not quite as heavy as I thought it would be. The f4.5 min aperature made it a bit dark when first looking through it. The IS function has the dual mode feature - mode 2 stabilizes only vertically for use when panning.

Check out the LowePro Pro Roller 2. I think it will hold all you mention, although you'll spend some time configuring the pads. I just got one and love it. You can see it at www.lowepro.com.