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Emotion 22LV vs. Leaf aptus 22

Stuart Richardson

Active member
I am also a 54LV owner, and while I have not had it very long, I find that it works quite well. I agree that Sinar's mount adapter system is nice to have, but it is not the kind of thing you can really change on location or quickly and easily. It is a fairly delicate operation, given that there is nothing covering the giant, extraordinarily expensive sensor as you fiddle around it with a screwdriver. Again, the adapters for Sinar cameras are not all that expensive (600 or so for the Hy6 one), but for other makes it is inexplicably double. The V mount lists at 1800 USD, but is "on sale" currently at Calumet for a mere 1500. This is for what is essentially a piece of milled aluminum (very precisely milled, I will give them that) with three screw holes in it. For the same price, you could get a Canon 50D with a lens. Anyway, rant over.
I have found the Sinar back to be quite reliable and once you get used to the interface, it is not difficult to operate. It is not entirely intuitive, but once you learn it, it operates well. The internal storage and battery are nice. The screen...well...probably would have been better left off. It is useful for demonstrating the histogram and for the backs interface. Beyond that it does more harm than good. It is comically bad. Best not to look at your shots on it, or you will think you missed the shot, when in fact you have done just fine.

In terms of working with the files, I don't really use Sinar's software for much. I just open it to convert the files to DNG, and then take them to lightroom. Capture One is another option. The Live View aspect allows you a good focus aid, but it works quite poorly in contrasty light (for example, photographing someone next to a window) or in low light. In the contrasty situations, it will blow out entirely and take the rest of the image with it, and in low light it gets very noisy. This is not like the live view you are used to on 35mm cameras. It is most useful in a studio setup where you have a lot of modeling lights and you have a normal contrast range. If you are mainly shooting untethered, this will not be an issue for you.

In the field, I have found the 54LV to be excellent -- it has pretty good battery life, and in the cold weather I have shot in, it did not skip a beat. The files have a great deal of flexibility in processing and great resolution. I will leave the rest to Graham, as he has a lot broader experience with it than I do.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Good info Stuart, thanks for sharing it!

It seems all digital backs have their own unique idiosyncrasies, and it is a great resource for folks to have a place where they investigate and discuss the significance and work-arounds. For example, in the case of Live-View --- while it may not be perfect, at least you have it available to begin with!
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Precisely. And it works quite amazingly with the Hy6. You just set the Hy6 controls to their red dot (it is an option), and eXposure will let you control essentially all aspects of the camera from the computer. With autofocus lenses, everything can be operated entirely remotely. You just click the mouse and it will autofocus. You can turn to manual and step the focus in very small amounts, obviously all the things like continuous shooting, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, depth of field preview...all of these things can be controlled remotely from the computer. It is a pretty interesting setup.
 

Graham Mitchell

New member
The screen...well...probably would have been better left off. It is useful for demonstrating the histogram and for the backs interface. Beyond that it does more harm than good. It is comically bad.
Yes, I know what you mean. I use it only to check the histogram and basic composition. But before you scare people off the back, my friend with a Phase P30 was jealous of the quality of the Sinar LCD when we had our backs side by side. The Phase was is even worse. I hope all new backs come with a VGA screen like the eSprit 65. No more excuses.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
The Phase Plus backs are much better than there older backs , seen them side by side in San Juan big difference. I don't know about the newer Sinar backs but was not impressed with one David had in PR which i think was a 75 something but not sure, he did upgrade that back though. I may get a look at the new eSprit 65 next week though. I know a lot of folks complain about the LCD's and i understand it but for some reason i don't view it that bad at all. You want to really see you need to be tethered anyway. Horses for courses i guess
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Precisely. And it works quite amazingly with the Hy6. You just set the Hy6 controls to their red dot (it is an option), and eXposure will let you control essentially all aspects of the camera from the computer. With autofocus lenses, everything can be operated entirely remotely. You just click the mouse and it will autofocus. You can turn to manual and step the focus in very small amounts, obviously all the things like continuous shooting, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, depth of field preview...all of these things can be controlled remotely from the computer. It is a pretty interesting setup.

This does sound interesting from your computer seat. C1 i am limited to really just shooting and no control speed , aperture and such. I know this is handy for some folks doing product work
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
My intention is not to scare people away from the back, but it is to call it as I see it. I have never seen an LCD as bad as the one in the Sinar. I had a digital point and shoot in 2002 that was light years better. To simply say it is bad is not to adequately describe it, and if the LCD is something that is important to your work, you will be better off with one of the newer Sinar backs, a Leaf, or with carrying a laptop with you wherever you go. I am used to film, so the lack of an LCD doesn't bother me very much. I will say though, I completely, 100% truthfully do not understand how that LCD made it past beta testers. I have seen Phase backs before, but I don't remember them being that bad. I am so glad that they have put it behind them with the VGA screen for the eSprit 65. As you said, no more excuses. If you are going to do something, do it right.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
BTW something I was not so aware of and got from David McRitchie in a e-mail yesterday . Sinar's and Broncolor in the US can be had through Samy's, B&H, Calumet, PPR and Fotocare. Let's not forget David either at the Sinar office and there crew in NJ. Obviously pricing and such no matter what is posted check with these places to see what the final number is you write on the check. This goes for any of these systems. Posted prices are one thing but what you can work out is another.:thumbs:
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Definitely...I paid about 10,000 dollars less than list price for a kit that consisted of a brand new body and a mint back that had only been used for a few jobs. (got mine from Jack Strobel at Calumet). There is no substitute for picking up the phone and talking to people. Some prices are set in stone, others are extremely flexible.
 

yaya

Active member
Hi,
I have an offer of those backs more or less at the same price. ( Sinar+adapter vs. Leaf refurbhised with contax interface. )
both have its pros and cons. What's your personal opinion about ?.
regards
Aitor my suggestion would be to try both side by side and since Ingrafic are the distributors for both Sinar and Leaf in Spain, this should be fairly easy for them to do.

Try them in your "environment" and check the provided software along with your chosen raw conversion software, be it ACR, Lightroom, Aperture or whatever.

Also ask about the future value in case you would like to move up down somewhere down the line and about the service and support should something go wrong.

Good luck and enjoy

Yair
 
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