hosui_maeda

<p>I own several and still use them. (Not all of them at a time).<br>

MjuII = Extremely small, Good lens, Water resistant, Low price. A bit softer than Contax / Yashica in a tasteful way.<br>

XA = Small and nice clamshell design. Very quiet (no motor). Focus and control is pain. Lens is similar to Mju II, but softer, better color, darker corner.<br>

T4 T5 = Small and pocketable, Sharp lens, Water resistant, Terry Richardson looking shots especially with flash. A Hipster camera.<br>

T2 T3 = Great lens (T3 is sharper, but T2 has better color), rather large, square, heavy and expensive looking body makes me hesitate to put it into my pocket directly. I usually carry them in my camera bag. Those cameras can make that infamous Tillmans look.<br>

G2 = Heavy and large. The lens selection is nothing but unbelievable. I sold this camera and bought Aria instead.</p>

<p>Hi John, I do not want to confuse you, but I have a slightly different opinion from the other people here.<br /> <br /> If your intention is doing something like Tillmans or Shore type non-commercial film photography, plus you have already established your own style and technic, I would not hesitate to recommend you to buy another serious film camera.<br /> <br /> I don't know why you want to have Mamiya-7, but if your choice is based on the final image taken with Mamiya-7, there is no other choice, buy Mamiya-7. The lens and the flatness of the film make Mamiya-7 the world's sharpest and the most brutally honest MF camera. On the contrary, if your choice is solely based on the camera size, and you can't really tell the subtle difference in the final images between various MF cameras, I would not recommend you any new MF camera, because I honestly think you may want to learn a bit more about photography before spending too much cash for not only the camera but also the expensive MF films.</p>

<p>On the other hand, comparing to film images, digital files from 7D and 5D will look pretty much the same, unless your print is huge. The almost all the difference comes only from the lens attached and the crop rate. So unless you want to use some specific lenses with non crop sensor, 7d to 5d update would not be necessary for now, IMO.</p>

<p>In short, you may want to confirm your final photographic goal precisely before buying another camera.</p>

<p>I mainly use Mamiya 7ii and Contax T3 film cameras along with a small digital camera, (GM1 w/20-1.7 these days, but I own several), and I think I know what I'm doing.</p>

<p>OK, I didn't like Elan. The finder is almost impossible to focus and focus assistant is somewhat stressful to me. Also the body is too big. Helios hit the mirror.</p>

<p>Then I tried AE-1, Minolta X700 and Contax Aria. I didn't try AL-1. They are all nice cameras, but I really liked Aria with Planar 50/1.4, so I settled on this kit. I was originally planning to buy a Pancolar, but Planar should be good, too.</p>

<p>Now I can use my M42 Flektogon and Helios 44 along with Planar. Thanks a lot!</p>

<p>I have a Contax Aria. It is the only SLR I still own.<br /> I can see the edges with glasses no problem. The side meter is sometimes hard to see, though. The finder would be one of the brightest of the manual focus SLR and very easy to focus.<br /> Light and small. Finish is plastic, but clean and modern. Looks much better than the other plastic cameras. Motor is not quiet. Spot and center weighted metering are both very accurate.<br>

A lovely camera.</p>

<p>I'm wondering why they do not make FD-NEX adapter. I think FD mount is the most versatile mount for legacy lenses (with extra mount adapter). I don't know why they have released Alpa version, but no FD...</p>

<p>I found an EOS ELAN 7NE body (new in the box) for very low price at craigslist, and I couldn't ignore it;). I don't have M42-EOS adapter yet, so I can't test it...</p>

<p>Yes, I'll also try AL-1 and compare them myself. I'll report my impression when I finish testing both. Thanks!</p>

<p>OK. Thanks a lot!</p>

<p>Great, I have decided not to go to EOS. I think I'll try AL-1 first. Memotron and T-70/90 look good, too, but they are heavier than AL-1 (490grams).<br>

Thank you for the suggestions.</p>

<p>Thank you for the suggestions. I realized my list completely ignores "stop down metering". (My cameras have been either rangefinder or P&S and I'm not familiar with SLR technology;) I googled Memotron and AL-1 and I find both to be reasonable choices.</p>

<p>Something I'm still not sure is:</p>

<p>A. if AL-1 is better choice than EOS 7, since both have electronic AF confirmation and require manual stop down.<br>

B. if the focus confirmation is better than conventional professional bright finder on New F-1 for this situation.<br>

C. if there are any reasons to choose Canon body over Memotron for M42 lenses.</p>

<p>I'm buying an aperture priority 35mm SLR body for my M42 lenses. I narrowed my choice to following cameras.</p>

<p><br /> EOS ELAN 7S (light and newest EOS body)<br /> AE-1 Program (light MF)<br /> New F-1 w/AE finder (Professional MF)</p>

<p><br /> I would like to know which works better in terms of manual focus speed/accuracy and metering, EOS adapter with focus confirmation chip or MF FD body. I also would like to know which FD body should I choose. I prefer light camera (AE1), but I'm wondering if F-1's brighter finder would worth extra 200 grams.</p>

<p><br /> Please let me hear your opinion.</p>

<p>Thank you in advance.</p>

<p>(PS: I removed Pentax LX /MX from my list due to possible reliability issue.)</p>

<p>I think the Canon Rebel is just fine, but if you want to upgrade your Rebel for some reason, I agree with Ruben and Arie, consider 7NE. I'm pretty much sure that EOS 1 or 3 would be just too heavy for your needs.</p>

<p>I had EOS 3 10+ years ago for a short period, and I still have 7NE + 50/1.8 (hasn't used a while, though). 7NE is a very quiet and light camera for modern SLR, although the finder is mediocre. You can easily find a mint condition one on Ebay. Eye controlled focus is actually usable with 7NE after some practice. I remember that eye control of 3 was somewhat hard for me probably due to too many focus points. <br>

And you might want to re-think if film EOS to be the best film camera choice for you, before buying more EOS lens...</p>

<p>nice one;)<br>

I was planning to buy X-Pro1 when 23mm/1.4 is available, but I may change my plan, since I don't think I ever need 1.4.</p>

<p>I see many young folks carrying film cameras in Brooklyn. From Rolleiflex to Salvation Army film compact. They do look like art school students taking street photos. Probably it's nothing but a hipster fashion trend, but I can see the film is certainly coming back, at least for now...</p>

<p>I have been using Zing case until recently, but I stopped using it because:</p>

<p>1. Heavy for what it is. It is made with heavy Neoprene and it probably doesn't have almost zero protection against the shock. It is only good for scratch proof and there are much lighter material for that purpose.</p>

<p>2. Takes too long time to take the camera out from the case, even after I accustomed to it. Putting the camera back to the case even takes more time.</p>

<p>I'm a ultralight backpacker and always very weight conscious. To me, almost of all of the camera bags are too heavy when I carry only one camera with a lens attached. What I use now is insulated lunch bag something like this link.</p>

<p>http://www.amazon.com/Kids-Konserve-Moss-Insulated-Lunch/dp/B0032UXT9O</p>

<p>The good thing about this type of bag is:</p>

<p>1. Completely stealth. No one would think a camera is in my bag.<br /> 2. EXTREMELY LIGHT. my one is only 170g. Lighter than Zing.<br /> 3. Very fast to take out camera from the bag. Very easy to put it back.<br /> 4. The protection (the pad) is slightly thiner than the pro camera bag, but much better than Zing.<br /> 5. Water proof<br /> 6. Many design to choose from. From black to flower printed.<br /> 6. Price</p>

<p>The bad thing is:</p>

<p>1. The most of the insulated lunch bag on the market doesn't have long enough shoulder strap or no shoulder strap, so the shoulder strap may have to be replaced.<br /> 2. Only carry one camera, although You can carry an extra lens (in a padded pouch) at the bottom of the bag. I usually put small items in my pockets.<br /> 3. Some of the cheap lunch bag has vinyl inner lining. I think the nylon lining one (the link above) is only suitable for the camera bag, since I'm afraid that the friction between vinyl and camera body worn the camera body too fast.</p>

<p>Hi, I'm a Japanese and current Mamiya 7, former Contax 645 user. </p>

<p>In Japan, most of the amateur and professional photographers think German lenses are still superior than Japanese lenses because of their bokeh, not because of their sharpness. "Bokeh" (ぼけ) is a Japanese word, and bokeh is more important than sharpness for the most Japanese people. It's very rare to hear someone is talking about sharpness of the Zeiss lenses in Japan even in the professional conversation, they are ALMOST ALWAYS talking about bokeh of the Zeiss lenses. They do not care if Zeiss lenses are sharper than Japanese lenses or not, because they know how to design simply sharpest lens is rather easy. They think Zeiss lens is superior because it is a piece of art, beautiful by itself regardless of the photographic object.</p>

<p>I, as a Japanese, also think the strength of Zeiss lenses is bokeh (and the transition / contrast between sharpness and bokeh) and their beauty. I think the most modern Japanese lenses are sharp enough, but many Japanese lenses, especially Mamiya lenses lacks attractive bokeh and beauty that Zeiss has.</p>

<p>Then why I sold my beautiful Contax kit and bought a plastic Mamiya 7ii?</p>

<p>There are a few reasons, but the most important reason is I'm doing documentary and contemporary art photography. IMO, ZEISS lenses render the world too beautifully. They lack brutal honesty. Mamiya lenses are harsh, because they are honest. I think the reality is always more harsh than we want to see, and I believe the true beauty is hidden in this harsh reality, not in the lens. My job as a photographer is to show people the hidden beauty that they have never noticed in this rather harsh world so that they can appreciate the real world more. My intention is not to show them how I can beautifully render the world.</p>

<p>If I were doing commercial photography, such as wedding, fashion, touristic landscape, etc., I would choose Zeiss glasses, no doubt. I'm sure that the clients will be more happy with Zeiss.</p>

<p>I believe Mamiya had the same intention as me when they designed Mamiya 7. They were trying to make an ultimate documentary camera that can render the world as brutal as possible. I mean more brutal, more contemporary than Leica. Mamiya succeeded in this mission and the Mamiya 7 is the best camera ever made at least for me. Leica is still great, but it's too classic for this post modern world, IMO. </p>

<p>Sorry for my English, I hope you guys won't misunderstand.</p>