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macbook air and live view

danlindberg

Well-known member
Has the simplest macbook air 11" the power to run live view software for tethered shooting in the field?

If so, I can see the possibility of accurate focus and full control of composition with movements/tilts outdoors.

With a specialmade flexibel but strong arm on a tripod leg where you can easily snap on the mac air, maybe it is not too bulky....thinking Rm3Di and even skipping the viewfinder and using the 11" screen instead. Batterylife will outperform any DB so that is not a problem.

Anyone tried this?
 

rupho

New member
What back are you using?
MBA don't have FireWire connections
To my knowledge only the IQ series can utilize USB3 connection and that is pending new firmware updates from P1
 

danlindberg

Well-known member
No back or tech camera yet. I'm in the 'studying process'.

Good point, with usb connection vs firewire. I have been looking at Leaf for the reason of price. The Aptus II 8 is about 70% cheaper than an IQ140 with as I understand it essentially the same sensor and final image quality. Lot's of money that I can buy one or even two lenses for instead! But if it is not possible to connect, then maybe I must reach deeper into my pocket....

Looking at the smaller sensor is not only price, but also that it allows for a little more movements and more often using the sweetspot of the lenses. Since the idea here was to frame and focus via live view, then the tinyness of GG focusing with this sensor is eliminated. 40mp is plentiful in my world.

It would be great to here some real life experience about this :)
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Might even want to think about a used P40+ at 14k and get a new 13 inch Macbook Pro. At least the 13 inch you can process with as well. Just looked about 1700 with 8gb of Ram than drop in a SSD drive and your in. if your going to be tethered than the Interface will really not be needed as the IQ series. Now if you really wanted to stretch yourself you could go used P65 at 23k. Great time to buy a used P series back. I know one just went in on a P40+ with less than 4k in actuations. I have been shooting the P40+ for quite awhile now and it lacks for nothing. It is a crop sensor which is really the only difference than a P65. BTW the crop sensor DOES use the sweet spot of the lenses and believe me on some that is a advantage not a disadvantage. You could go for the AFDIII body and a 80mmD lens for a decent price as well. Something to think about here.

If I was jumping in today with a goal of keeping it all under 20k for a system a P40+ is a excellent choice. Also this back will work on any tech cam and almost any lens you can throw at it even a 24mm XL Schneider.


Case in point Alpa TC 24mm XL with a P40+. My foreground here is about two feet away.


Need help here let me know.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I did this shot just before the new LCC tech wide in C1 so yes there is a touch of cast but now with that new LCC conversion tech wide this would go away.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
You could also do P40+ a Cambo WRS tech cam and a 35mm Digitar XL for right around 20k.
All systems you can build off of as well.

Just a thought.

Im thinking a Cambo myself or a Arca. If I ever decide to finally jump in on a tech cam. Actually just played with both all this week.
 

danlindberg

Well-known member
Would you go for a P40+ before an Aptus II 8 ? To me the Aptus seems more 'current' than the P40+?

Yes, the Cambo could also be a contender, the WRS seems nice, but somehow the Rm3di has more appeal :eek:

I have looked into the Alpa STC as well and to be honest this would be a nobrainer for me (love it) if it wasn't for one single thing....no tilt/swing with wides. That was a dealbreaker for me.

Damn, it is difficult to make all the right decisions.....

Although I do enjoy my M9, having a longstanding relationship with Linhof largeformat and Fuji GX680 III, I have come to the simple conclusion that I cannot live without a tech camera!
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I'm a Phase guy so my heart is kind of in that camp , but the Aptus is very nice as well. Good news your in the same family and can use C1.

The Cambo is very nice and it works fine, the Arca is just more refined and precise. The Tilt/swing on the Cambo lenses is there is no indent for zero. That kind of bugged me.

I can understand the appeal on the Arca it is a beautiful piece of machinery but they both get the job done. The RM3DI is bigger which bugs me. It's always a give and take and I'm just bugged. LOL
 

jlm

Workshop Member
Guy: if you looked at the Cambo T/S mount on my 43 and 70, there is a detent for zero; I checked! not a sharp "click" but it is there
 

Terry

New member
One big problem. The MBA only has USB and you can't shoot tethered from the older Phase backs to USB. Need FireWire.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Would you go for a P40+ before an Aptus II 8 ? To me the Aptus seems more 'current' than the P40+?

....

I have looked into the Alpa STC as well and to be honest this would be a nobrainer for me (love it) if it wasn't for one single thing....no tilt/swing with wides. That was a dealbreaker for me.

Damn, it is difficult to make all the right decisions.....

!
Dan,

You sound like you are in a very similar situation to where I was a while back.

I have a Leaf Aptus 65 & P40+ that I use on my Alpa STC & DF cameras. I confess that for tech camera work where high iso performance and flexibility is much less of a requirement I far prefer the Aptus. In fact I've been tempted several times in the last 9 months to consolidate to an Aptus II 8 or 10 because of this. I just find the whole UI better tuned to tech camera work IMHO. The Aptus II series with the new UI and brighter LCDs are even better, plus the one challenge that I have with screen reflections in the field can be addressed on the Aptus using the LEE display hood. Also you don't need to mess with wake up cables and all that junk with the Leaf which again I find works better in the field.

For the DF though, the P40+ is a much better integrated back and I do appreciate the ability to shoot with higher ISO and if necessary sensor+. It is a very well sorted combination, as I'm sure the other Phase backs are. As Guy mentioned, the only difference between the P65+ & P40+ is sensor real estate.

Personally I've decided that I'm happy to stick with the crop sensors, particularly given all the pain and heartache that folks suffer with lens coverage, corner performance, color casts and banding with extreme glass. I figured that I can justify the bigger glass investment in wider lenses instead of the relatively large jump in sensor costs going to "full frame".

Regarding the OP's question about tethering in the field - I looked at this and in fact did this a while with my Nikon gear using a Sony U series micro laptop. Regardless of the connectivity issues with a MFDB requiring FireWire (IQ series excepted), the problem I ran into was screen reflection under bright conditions. I tried various screen shades but it rapidly becomes impractical IMHO. I'm sure that some folks work fine with it but it REALLY slows down your shooting workflow. I guess anyone shooting something like a BetterLight scanning back probably wonders what all the fuss is about but I know that I quickly tired of the practicality of it. I do use it at home though but that's a much more controlled environment.
 

Shashin

Well-known member
Can you do this wirelessly? I know photographers using the EyeFi to shoot the Pentax 645D "tethered." I think all Phase and Leaf backs are CF, but there might be a wireless solution (the Pentax uses SD cards).

Of course, if you go wireless, you don't get to use all those neat cables...
 

danlindberg

Well-known member
Great input Graham! It seems to me that most backs and indeed camera systems are good in one way or the other. Guy is a Phaseguy:D and you do not mind a Leaf and I have a few fellow photographers in Sweden that would not consider anything else but Hasselblad (go figure..)
I suppose at the end of the day, all current offerings will do the job alright.

The one thing that I have sort of snowed in on, is the fact that the smaller sensor brings out the best of the lenses and gives me slightly more room for movements. I'm glad you mentioned it since you rarely read about that fact! I agree completely that the investment of a wider wide is ok in the total 'package' considering a small sensor.

Although no client will complain about 80mp, you must not forget that the same goes for 40mp. I cannot see a client go 'no thanks' because you only have 40mp.
 

Shashin

Well-known member
From what I have seen. they actually transfer quite fast with the EyeFi. Just a few seconds.

Here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY6GdxDyP1w

To translate, one SD card is having JPGs sent to it, the other slot is used for the EyeFi card and RAW and JPG images (he changes image file format during the test).
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Although no client will complain about 80mp, you must not forget that the same goes for 40mp. I cannot see a client go 'no thanks' because you only have 40mp.
I agree - for me personally I don't feel at all megapixel challenged at all. My upgrade strategy is to move to the IQ140 as it looks like it solves the best of Aptus/P+ back combination with the latest UI enhancements and review capabilities.

However, I do fully understand the benefits of the larger sensors and resolutions and these aren't simply more pixels but the other more subtle advantages of colour and tonality that certainly the 80mp sensors appear to bring to the table. For DSLR shooting particularly it is nice to be able to see exactly what you are getting in the viewfinder (without using crop marks), plus the character of the lenses matches what you may have been used to when shooting film too. On the tech camera this isn't much of a concern to me personally at all. For some folks the larger sensors do also provide for a higher resolution P+ mode which certainly would be nice to have. it must be said.
 
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