It's easier than a 1ds2, Roland, especially with a digital back like the Aptus. Very intuitive. That said, I had to cancel my 35XL order today and switch it to a 150mm. I wouldn't be able to use it with the rotaslide on the Arca FMC. I almost decided to just get the damn Cambo+35Xl, but my Hassy 35 is a terrific wide angle solution for now, and my Uncle Tim and I agreed to turn the 6x9 into my long lens solution.
But Roland, wait till you get your Aptus and add on a Digital Magazine Tell me it's light then...
Edited by glowrider on Apr 20, 2006 at 06:09 PM GMT
Edited by glowrider on Apr 20, 2006 at 08:03 PM GMT
Really?!? That sucks! Why can't you use the 35XL on the Arca F-Metric with the rotaslide? Does that push the 35XL too far away from the sensor? Or some other reason? Does capture group have a sliding back for this that would work? I haven't checked.
The M-Line are supposed to be very precise and stable but very heavy. That would be a lot to hoof around. However, on RG I read that you can achieve excellent focus on these even at 39MP.
The Cambo sounds hard to get good focus with. But it's definately fit-in-the-back-pack sized. Good for travel...
I've amended my above statement as we're receiving conflicting info on the M line supporting the 35 with the rota. Kapture def doesnt work. Of course, you can do the gg/switch. Cambo, most shots are gonna be over 10 feet, at least for me, so you can set it and forget it really. Just takes practice, and maybe getting the lens adjusted to stop at infinity rather than beyond.
So no sliding back + 35XL. Darn. I guess you have to learn this stuff the hard way...
Manually switching between ground glass for focusing and the Digital Back sounds like a pain. But I really would like to try that 35XL with the Aptus! That would be extraordinary! I'm sure the 150 will be damn good too.
There's always the Cambo or the Alpa option and just keep it simple. I wondering if any other view cameras can handle a sliding back and the wide angle lenses.
Focusing a 35 on a 6x9 gg is just a huge bitch, period. The way to go is the wide cam for that. I'm firmly in that camp now, took about 2 hours of convincing this afternoon and the seeds were planted a couple weeks ago, but it's the way to go.
Personally the 24-35-47XL ApoDigitars should be used only with a helical mount.
These are supplied with the lens from Cambo and Alpa.
It's the only way to get accurate focus and even film(sensor)plane.
In the old days I had a Hasselblad SWC with a ground-glass and never had any issues.
However I would prefer to drop a filmholder than an Aptus-75 Ouch$$$$$$$$$$$
Regards,
Willem.
gdstaples wrote:
I would love to see those Eric as many of the older Zeiss T* lenses don't look like they test out all that well. I would like to know what can be done with a TB
From my own quick and dirty investigations so far, the older (pre-CF) T* lenses are noticeably softer than the CFs, even at f8 or so. That's with H25 or P20 on a 553ELX. I've yet to try any CFi T*s.
Here's a a shot from the TBlad (500cm/P25)this morning, 150CF@F11. Couple of 100% crops FYI. One super annoying thing about TBlad is no metadata...oh it does tell you that you used a P25, like my bank account doesn't remind me...
Sliding back adapters are a royal pain in the arse. There, I said it. Always have been, always will be. They are big, heavy, clumsy, ugly contraptions stuck onto the back of a beautiful camera body that make it look like something out of a Batman cartoon. And frankly, work just about as well. They are all plagued with problems. Can you use ultra wide angle lens, is it shimmed correctly to match the plane of focus for your back, did you move the camera setup while swinging the back into place, etc, etc, etc. I had one, and hated it the whole time I used it. Mine was a KaptureGroup, but they are all about the same.
Right now, I use a direct adapter and "Live Preview" mode with both of my MF backs. Leaf Valeo 22 & Jenoptik Precision. The Leaf Aptus doesn't support the live preview yet, but they are working on it now. THIS is the only way to fly. You need to shoot tethered, yes, but you are completely sure what you got before you tear down and leave the site. You KNOW you nailed the focus. No guesswork involved. And when a client is paying for your time, expecting you to complete the assignment by their deadline, it is a great feeling let me tell you to walk away from the site knowing you got the shot. Yes, I do need to drag my extra four pounds of Powerbook along with me, but I figure it is a small price to pay. And before you go and say "wow, I wouldn't carry that extra weight around with me" ask yourself this question. If you were shooting for an important client, aren't you going to take your laptop along anyway to check the work before you leave? You bet you are. So why not just make the whole thing much easier on yourself, use Live Preview, and dump that sliding back adapter. Which, by the way, weighs almost as much as a laptop!
I was meant to believe that the live Video on the Aptus-75,was only usable for interiors?
For outside you would need a ND filter?
Is this correct?
Cheers,
Willem.
DutchGuy wrote:
About the quality of the 645 zeiss lenses in combination with the P25
Maybe I'm just overly suspicious, but WHY did he change his mind? I can believe and accept that the digitar lenses and the P45 provide higher resolution than the Contax lenses with the P25 or P45. He does, however, seem to contradict himself. He goes from saying that the Contax 645 with the P25 is "the finest instrument for recording photographic images that I have ever seen or used in 40 years as a photographer" to saying that that the Zeiss lenses are not equal to the P25 back.
Perhaps he just has a flair for overstatement on both sides -- something is great and the best until the next thing comes along and what was great is now crap.
I think this is a situation where there is enough diversity of opinion where you need to test for yourself. There are enough questionable statements and seeming bias on the LL site that I won't place my investment in equipment soley on his proclamations. (why doesn't he post any examples of what he sees to support his conclusions -- that would be fairly easy to do). It would seem to me, from everything that I have seen, that the Zeiss lenses are quite up to the task of the 22mp P25 back but would be stretched thin and potentially beyond thier limits in certain situations with the 39mp P45 back. The Zeiss 120mm/f4 APO-Makro Planar lens being the one with the best chance of overall success with the P45. Solid testing would need to be done to bear this out.
Having watched one of Michael Reichmann's DVDs, I think he is just a photo-geek. He adores great equipment, and when he has found something better than what he owns, he can no longer enjoy it, and eventually upgrades. I guess he goes a bit overboard with his descriptions sometimes. (Yoda-voice): Grains of salt, applied must be.
I shot with the H2D-39 all the time. The files are a lot better than the 1Ds-II. Though for moving things like kids and some fashion the 1Ds is more convenient. The MF backs basically blow away the small camera.
Tell me it's light then... 