Andrew CD
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 p.3 #4 · MF as a travel camera | |
Thank you so much for the thoughtful replies, which are both helpful and interesting. A few quick comments:
RexGig0 wrote:
The tool which is more fatiguing to carry, all day, due to its mass/weight, may actually be steadier in the hands, at the moment of the shot, due to its ergonomics and motion-damping mass. This assumes reasonable mass/weight, of course, as the fatigue of carrying the tool and its associated support gear could produce tremors that cannot be damped.
Oh, wait, this is not Duty Equipment Advice dot com! I should not type before consuming sufficient COVFEFE. Sorry! 
Seriously, now. It is good to see IBIS reach this level of effectiveness. I am grateful for the informative posts.
I would, of course, want to make a pilgrimage to a sufficiently-stocked camera store, in order to try handle a medium-format system, before buying. Ergonomics matter. And, I am now old enough to need every bit of assistance, in holding steady, if I do not wish to be burdened with a tripod....Show more →
Good point re. greater weight. Of course, I don’t not care about total weight to carry (being on the moon would be nice) but, in most circumstances, care more about size. However, the last thing I should ever do is visit a well stocked camera store ….
RoamingScott wrote:
It is exceedingly rare to see a photo here or otherwise that NEEDED to be taken on medium format. Of course, if you enjoy using the gear, use it...but you can get away with far less and achieve very similar results if you move past pixel peeping on your high resolution monitors.
The X2D/X2DII lenses have their own quirks like very limited shutter speeds compared to other cameras, which can be a nuisance mid-day in bright light.
The X2D line gives you incredible IBIS, but how often are you handholding 1 second long shots?
Quite so. As I said yesterday, I certainly don’t need anything different. You are also right to make the point about enjoyment; I am fortunate that, for me, that is what this is about (I freely admit to an interest in photographic equipment as well as photography, which I regard as two different things).
In answer to your question: never, because, with my limited skills, it would not work with my current kit. But it would be interesting to have the option of materially longer exposure times (I prefer not to push ISO too high). Doesn’t have to be as long as 1s, of course.
bwcolor wrote:
I’ve never shot for one second hand held, but I use the IBIS regularly. A good example might be shooting my daughters inside the hotel room at varying distances and stopping down to keep both relatively in focus. Shooting at night I might regularly use slow shutter speeds, but never ventured into ultra slow shutter speeds.
The experience is totally different than when I carry an ‘M’ camera, which for me these days is mostly when I want to shoot film. It was mentioned above that most of what you see on these forums really doesn't benefit from 100Mpixels and I agree, but the files from the X2D(ii) are really nice to work with and are useful in many ways. For example, that hotel photo of my daughters. That was a split second window of opportunity. I didn’t have time to move, or frame the shot. The image is printed large from a bit more than 1/3 of the frame and I can count eyelashes and it looks sharp from less a foot. Not always what you want, but at least it is an option.
This thread is about ten weeks old. Has it reshaped anyone’s approach to MF/FF, or Fuji/HB?...Show more →
This is spot on, IMHO. And it’s a good question. This thread, along with a couple of others, has at least caused me to revisit the question of MF for travel / landscape (I also wonder about MF film). I will probably still be trying to decide in five years’ time ….
Ne314satel wrote:
The X2D is a great camera. But I'd never take it on a long trip. After a couple of hours, I start thinking about the camera's weight, not the subject I'm trying to capture. For me, a comfortable camera weight with two lenses is up to 1 kg. Maximum 1.1 kg. Even though I have an athletic build, it's simply a matter of personal comfort, not physical fatigue. The M11 + 50mm/1.5, weighing 900 grams, is my ideal kit. Sometimes I add a 15mm (150 grams) if I'm going for a few days. But it all depends on your photography style - for landscapes, I'll take the X2D with a 35-100 and a tripod....Show more →
Fair point. Weight is very much a matter of personal preference, I think. Just about anything feels pretty lightweight relative to my old Canon DSLR and 500/4 (the lens was 3.9kg, IIRC). But I don’t mind going up mountains (admittedly only Scottish ones, although I’d be happy to do so in the Swiss Alps, too) with our A7R IV + grip + Voigtlander 110/2.5, which must be around 1.8kg, so probably a tiny bit more than the X2D II + 35-100. It is actually size — for ease of packing into a small(ish) bag rather than a rucksack — that concerns me a little more about the X2D (the A1 + 300/2.8 is a very different use case, so I don’t feel that it’s relevant). In cities, I am happier with a hip bag than a rucksack.
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