david_distefano1

<p>i only read it for the pictures. he who shall remain nameless (k.r.) does have good reviews on nikon lens and i do look at the whats new section once in a while. that happened yesterday. but as my subject line states "who made him allah." to state point blank that anybody who shoots with 35mm size cameras are only amatures. this man, and i use the word loosely, would never have been worthy to hold the camera strap of galen rowell. dan burkholder uses everything from view cameras to iphones to produce great images. the d800 i just purchased is my first 35mm. i have used view cameras up to 8x20 and still shoot film on my 4x5 and hasselblad. the camera is just a tool. nobody has a right to denigrate the tools a person uses. i wonder if painters argue over their tools as much as photographers do? photographers need to quit worrying about the next latest and greatest equipment, take what you have and go out and shoot and enjoy the world we live in. record the magic. it takes practice to become a very good photographer. galen rowell put in the effort. that is why his 35mm work sings. ansel adams put in the practice. that is why his large format work sings. it was not their equipment that put them at the top in their chosen format, it was their effort. as for he who shall remain nameless, me thinks he is compensating for short comings in some other area.</p>

<p>i placed an order for the 16-35 lens from adorama about 5 weeks ago and i knew that it was on backorder and was willing to wait. but what i find hard to understand is when you can go on ebay and find dealers here in the u.s. who have 10 or more in stock but are selling them for $300 to $400 above retail. i understand supply and demand but how do these dealers get supply from nikon while adorama and b&h can't seem to get supply. is kickbacks involved?</p>

<p>i'm not good at moving items to the net from files. the hasselblad that is handheld is the one in kings canyon of the bending earth.<br>

<a href="http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=5808276027/a=5650067027_5650067027/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/">http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=5808276027/a=5650067027_5650067027/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/</a></p>

<p>machael fatali still backpacks with his 8x10. best landscape work produced today. if you go to zion you have to see his gallery. hell i use to take an 8x20 with an 8x10 rear assembly backpacking. that was fun</p>

<p>if there was to be a d4x that would fill the bill. but reading nikon rumors, which has a pretty good batting average, the d4/d800 is the starting lineup for foreseeable future.</p>

<p>i should have put my age also. i am 60 in june. i look at hiking and backpacking as twofold. one to get out and photograph and two to do cardio with nature in all its glory. i live next to yosemite and sequoia/kings canyon. my wife has a d300 and when i try to use it the camera in my hand moves as if the wind is blowing at 100 mph but put that same lens on my f5 and the camera is steady as a rock. my hasselblad with its heavy lens hand held is steady. i will not spend money for a d3x which is old tech. all i was trying to say for people like me with large hands a d4 body with d800 sensor option would be nice. the add on battery pack does not have the solid feel</p>

<p>i <strong>was</strong> i the market to purchase a d800, so i tried a friends d700. the d700 felt like a tinker toy in my hand and the specs say the d800 is smaller than the d700. the auto industry for the last 30 years or so have gone from designing cars for men to designing cars for women. it seems as if nikon and the rest of the camera makers have changed their designs to make cameras for small handed people who can't lift a feather. i can hike all day with a f5 and lense and hasselblad, roll film backs, digital back and lenses. i have large hands and the dinky d700 felt weighless in my hands and i couldn't hold it steady. i never have that problem with the f5. what nikon should have done was offer the d4 body with the 3 sensor options, d4,d800,d800e. similar to a car body with different engine options. yes i tried the d700 with the add on battery pack but it does not have the same feel as the solid body. i am sure there are other men out there who have the same complaint that i have trying to handle these tiny toys in their large hands.</p>

<p>about 2 years ago a a question was asked on luminous landscape about the rarity of hasselblad digital backs on the used market and i believe there is something to this. i can count on 2 hands the number you can find on ebay or other private sellers but one dealer alone had at least 20 phase one backs from the 45+ all the way up to the iq 140. i know that phase one makes backs for different camera bodies and hasselblad doesn't, but is the number that large or do phase one users just trade up to newer models at a faster rate. i really want to trade up to a cfv-39 or 50 but the used prices are damn near the price of a new one.</p>

<p>the cfv-39 has a pixel size of 6.88 while the d800 has a pixel size of 4.88 so even though the mp count is similar the light gathering per pixel is not. now the nikon d700 and the cfv-16 both had pixel size of 8.9.</p>

<p>Peter that was my point exactly. it's like comparing 35mm film to 2 1/4 film , but if new people do not come into medium format we will not see new technology except at the high end medium format domain. i have a hassalblad cfv-16 which i love and was considering cfv-39 but i need to reconsider, i just may go with the 4x5 for most landscapes and use the cfv-16 for intimate landscapes and d800e for everything else. i just can't see spending $14000-$17000 for 39mp-50mp. Granted the cfv-39 has pixels that are 41% larger but is that worth $11000?</p>

<p>Question: now that nikon has come out with a 36mp camera at a $3,000 price point and taking direct aim at the lower end of the medium format digital backs such as the hasselblad 39mp back at $14,000. (yes the hasselblad has larger pixels but it is much poorer in low light and does not have near as many lenses to choose from) does anyone think that medium format digital back manufacturers will contemplate lowering their prices to stay competitive?</p>

<p>i know i am a day late and a dollar short but i have had the cfv-16 before there was a 39 or 50 and i had the magenta problem until tech told me about the menu for long exposures and from then on it has been the most enjoyable experience. shooting both digitally and with film, having the best of both worlds. with the fun i am having i will trade up to the 39 or 50 and use the 16 as a back up. i have no fear of either on on my 501 body.</p>

<p>i think i have come up with a solution. with the arca-swiss and hasselblad systems i will shoot velvia. there is something magical looking through a hasselblad square viewfinder and looking at your results that came through zeiss lenses. the cfv-16 has a pixel size of 8.95 microns which is fantastic but its low light capabilities is poor and a few generations old. the nikon d3s has a pixel size of 8.45 and great low light abilities (the best until the d4 came out). so sell the cfv-16 and purchase the nikon d3s, since their prices are starting to drop on ebay, and i already have my lenses from my f5.</p>

<p>i have an arca-swiss 6x9 system plus the 4x5 adapter so i can shot 6x6, 6x7, 6x9 and 4x5. at the same time i have a complete hasselblad system which i love to shoot. and to top it off i bring along my nikon f5 and lenses. the view camera lenses cover a wider range than the hasselblad, and weigh a heck of a lot less. the hasselblad sets up a lot quicker. i can't get rid of the 6x9 because i need the system for the 4x5. i also have the cfv-16 but i can attach it to the 6x9 system. i know to keep both systems is redundant. what are some peoples ideas out there.</p>