steven_chan3

<i> A lot of people believe that Canon is actually losing money on the full-frame 1Ds, but it gives people the impression that Canon

has leading-edge technology and helps selling its low-end DSLRs ... In other words, full-frame DSLRs will be a high-end, low-volume,

niche item for years to come. </i><p>

 

Flagship products from any company are always lower volume, but more importantly, they are <b>higher margin</b>. The F100 is $1000 while the F5 $2000, the 1D is $4500 while the 1Ds is $7500, the BMW 3 series is $40,000, the 7 series is $90,000. Do you think Nikon, Canon, and BMW are losing money on the F5, 1Ds, and 7 series, respectively? I HIGHLY doubt it. The reason the 1Ds is priced at its price point is because Nikon has yet to introduce a viable alternative.

<i>The small sensor is producing sufficient

quality even for most professional use and brings DSLR prices to the very affordable sub-$1000 ranges, which is something those

costly large sensors cannot achieve. </i> <p>

 

Why are you so sure that it is the smaller sensor which is making DSLRs "affordable"? Competition probably has as much, if not more, of a determining factor. <p>

 

Furthermore, lack of competition (from Nikon) is probably what is keeping the Canon 1Ds "unaffordable," not sensor size. I bet if Nikon suddenly came out with a full-frame DSLR, the 1Ds would be more "affordable" quite quickly.

Daniel, Bill - Thanks for the help. I guess the bottom line is I need to try them for myself. I just bought a couple of filters and will test them out soon (and the stocking too).

I'm looking for a soft focus filter. I tried a Tiffen

Warm/Soft FX 1, and it's a little too subtle. I'm going

to try FX 2 and 3, but was wondering if anyone has any sample

images taken with these filters. I'm also considering a

Softar I as well as B+W Soft Image. Does anyone have examples

of these or other soft focus filter? I'm looking for something

that will give a warm tone and improve skin for outdoor portraits.

 

Thanks.

I recently got a MF outfit and noticed that I have to be much more

careful about flare than with my 35mm system. Are MF lens more prone

to flare? The front element of my Hasselblad 150 isn't any large than

my Nikon 80-200/2.8. I have been using a dedicated hood on the 150,

but I've read that I can extend the hood to shield it more. I was

using a stobe to blow out a white canvas background the other day, and

the lens flared quite a bit until I reduced the power of the strobe.

The digicam I was using to test lighting didn't have any flare

problems.

Eric - Thanks for the info. That's what I wanted to know.

 

Steve - Yes, I know that. I guess I wasn't clear. My question is why are people selling the 28-70 for the 17-55, when the 70/2.8 makes a very nice portrait lens with shallow DOF in full-frame 35mm, while the 55mm 2.8 is not as nice DOF-wise for portraiture.

I see a lot people now selling their 28-70 AFS. I presume this is

because of the new 17-55 DX lens. At the 55mm end (equivalently

82.5mm in full-frame) this would make a nice portrait lens. However,

isn't it true that you get the DOF of a 55mm lens in full-frame, which

isn't as nice as say a full-frame 85mm for portraiture.

 

I don't have a DSLR or the 28-70. Just trying understand what's going

on. I just picked up a used Hasselblad with a 150/4 and love the

shallow DOF and relatively wider angle I can see with this focal

length and image format.

This might help:

 

http://www.polaroid.com/service/userguides/photographic/packfilms_guide.pdf

 

I had a similar problem with a Hasselblad polaroid back. I loaded it incorrectly. The yellow band is probably from the white strip not being pulled out completely before pulling out the film assembly. The above link explains the problem.

Try www.theclab.com

 

They are open on weekends, but I don't know if they have 24hr turn around on weekends.

My wedding photographer used the 80 and 140. I loved the 140. As Gary said, it's very harmonious and smooth - great for wedding portraits. I like it so much in fact, I wanted to get a Contax 645 myself. Unfortunately, I think the price is out of my reach, even used. I bought a used Hasselblad 500C with a chrome 150 C instead. I haven't gotten my first roll back yet, but anyone have experience with both the Contax 140 and the Hasselblad 150?

I just bought a used chrome Hasselblad 150 C lens and have a couple

of questions. The first is how to disengage the EV lock on the

lens. Do I just pull the metal tab on the aperature ring toward the

body? That seems to work, but it looks a bit weird because the ring

looks distorted when you do that.

 

Is the button under the EV lock the DOF preview?

 

On the left side, there is V X M. I think I know what these mean,

but how do I change the selection. The button next to the selector

is next to impossible to press or select.

 

Thanks for any help.

I owned the Tokina 28-70/2.6-2.8 - it was a decent lens from f5.6 and up. However, wide open, it left a lot to be desired. If you're interested in shallow DOF, you'll probably be disappointed with this lens (especially at 28mm). I know I was. I sold it.

John,

 

Have you considered buying a used 20-35/2.8? I think that would work nicely for you, and you can sell without much loss if you switch to digital.

 

I carried a 20-35/2.8 and a 80-200/2.8 over 20 miles of day hiking in Argentina without a problem using the Kinesis belt system (this was a low elevation though, so for you, this might be too much). I would highly recommend you look into this system if you don't know about it already. Before I used this system, one body and 2 primes would be heavy and would hurt my shoulders and back. Getting the camera out of the backpack and changing lenses would be a pain that I'd miss shots.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that Nikon USA has rebates out on the old models, and the rebate offer doesn't end until Dec 31st. I bet on January 1st, the Nikon USA web site will be updated to showcase the new models. Probably soon after that, retailers will have them in stock. But who knows...

Jemini,

 

I don't mount my slides anymore because it's easier to scan that way. I've gotten so tired of downloading data and printing labels and pasting them, that I don't even bother anymore. Since I just got a used F5, I thought getting a MF-28 might be cool. But here's the only info I have about the MF-28 from usenet:

 

******************************************

 

you have actually discovered a problem with the combination of Fuji

films and MF-28. On the MF-23 for the F4, Fuji films imprinted perfectly

whilst Kodak films were lousy. MF-23 uses LEDs to imprint data and the

Kodak films didn't like that much.

 

The situation is reversed on the MF-28. For a start, the imprint betwen

the frames, which is the only really useful mode, is done with CCD and

it turns out Fuji films have an emulsion backing that isn't transparent

to this light source. Kodak films on the other hand imprint with no

problems at all. This is called progress, ?

 

I addressed Nikon with this problem nearly 3 years ago and they did

produce an update of the circuitry of the MF-28 that amplies the light

gain considerably. After my MF-28 was modified, it produces passable

results on most Fuji films given that the "L" mode is selected. I mostly

use Provia and the imprint is clearly legible although a bit on the weak

site. Velvia results are variable - sometimes the imprinted data show

clearly, sometimes not. That doesn't bother me too much because I

download the shooting data including the date stamps and exposure

readings with the Photosecretary for F5.

 

Take your MF-28 to the nearest Nikon repair facility and let them modify

its output gain. Note however you then should rate Kodak films a

category lower than by their speed alone, otherwise the imprint will be

overexposed after the modification has been carried out.

 

Regards

Bjorn Rorslett

I'm thinking about getting the MF-28 back for the F5 and was

wondering if anyone who has used it can tell me how well it works.

 

I'm interested in printing date/time and exposure information between

each frame. I've read it doesn't work well with Fuji slide film. Is

this true?

 

I've used photosecretary for the N90s, and it is a pain to download

and print the exposure info. I'd rather have it on the film. Thanks

for any info.

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips! Very useful stuff. I would love to stay for several weeks, but unfortunately, there is no way I can take that many days off from work. Since I am flying everywhere (except for the bus from Calafate to Chalten), hopefully, that will make things a little better.

 

-Steven

I'll be Argentina for 9 days at the end of November and wanted to get

some tips on what kind of film, filters, and lenses to bring. It's

going to be 3 days in Buenos Aires, 4 days in southern Patagonia (to

see the glaciers and Fitz Roy area) and then 2 days at Iguazu Falls.

 

I prefer to shoot slide film for scenics and my wife likes print film

for pictures of us, so I need to bring both. I like both Provia 100

and Sensia 100, so I was thinking about bringing one of these. Will

these films be fast enough? Are they good for glaciers? What about

Velvia 50?

 

For print film, I am thinking about Portra 400NC because I use it a

lot and like it. Will there be any need for a faster film like Fuji

Press 800?

 

As for filters, I only use a polarizer and warming filter regularly.

I guess a graduated ND might come in handy here. The cokin p type

filters seem to be pretty bulky and not well suited for travel. Any

thoughts?

 

About lenses, I was planning to bring a 24/2.8, 50/1.8, and 85/1.8.

I also have a 20-35/2.8 and 80-200/2.8, but am thinking about leaving

them at home to save weight (i.e. my wife doesn't want photography to

be the only thing we do or bring on this trip.).

 

Thanks for any tips.

Troy, <br><br>

 

You might want to look into getting a table top tripod. You can get some nice night shots with it. I use the Bogen 3007 with micro ball head (about $40). I found this could support a N90s and my heaviest lens, a 80-200/2.8. Not too bad for something you can fit in your shirt pocket. <p>

I don't have time or resources to do my own developing so I need a lab

to do it. I'm a beginner at shooting B&W. I use mostly TMZ and

Tri-X.

 

What should I look for in a B&W lab? TMZ can be shot at different

speeds. How do labs usually handle this? Do they run each roll of

film separately? What should I look out for?

 

It looks like each film has it's own developing times (Tri-X vs Tmax

vs. etc) and is different depending on developer used. Are there labs

that will run your film differently depending on type? What should I

ask a lab before I hand over my film and what should I tell them?

 

Thanks for any help.