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Nice images. Have you ever had issues with the magnets and light leaks?taken with the cfv50-c, 32mm rodie and combo acts a very nice setup
and probably the same lens, not sure;
Hello Jim. Did you get my message? I just joined here a few days ago so I am unused to this site.no issues. as a matter of fact, i was using my own flat lens boards, as the cambo boards were unnecessarily recessed. the rear standard was cambo and all the bellows magnet connections work fine.
Been there, done that! (With Phase One CMOS back and the touch screen LV on/off).2. there are two sliding rails for the rear standard, one is geared, both have locks. after you carefully focus using live view, set the locks, or inadvertently pushing the P button to turn off live view may move the rear standard. (duh!, but it happened to me)
Love the files out of this camera but HB... For the price tag could I get an LCD screen with some damn resolution? LV focusing is a real pain in the a** . I have to stop way down to see the screen, wide open is a completely white screen even at ISO 100. You just have to trust the camera. I LV focus and I can't confirm 100% it's in focus, it's close, then when I import files they're perfect but in the field damn, shakes the confidence a bit.
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Love the files out of this camera but HB... For the price tag could I get an LCD screen with some damn resolution? LV focusing is a real pain in the a** . I have to stop way down to see the screen, wide open is a completely white screen even at ISO 100. You just have to trust the camera. I LV focus and I can't confirm 100% it's in focus, it's close, then when I import files they're perfect but in the field damn, shakes the confidence a bit.
Daniel,Love the files out of this camera but HB... For the price tag could I get an LCD screen with some damn resolution? LV focusing is a real pain in the a** . I have to stop way down to see the screen, wide open is a completely white screen even at ISO 100. You just have to trust the camera. I LV focus and I can't confirm 100% it's in focus, it's close, then when I import files they're perfect but in the field damn, shakes the confidence a bit.
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Love the files out of this camera but HB... For the price tag could I get an LCD screen with some damn resolution? LV focusing is a real pain in the a** . I have to stop way down to see the screen, wide open is a completely white screen even at ISO 100. You just have to trust the camera. I LV focus and I can't confirm 100% it's in focus, it's close, then when I import files they're perfect but in the field damn, shakes the confidence a bit.
It's annoying for sure, would love to see a firmware update fix it. But I find that when I stop down to F8 and give it a few seconds to refresh the view, it starts to step down to where I can easily hit focus. And lets be real, if an MF lens looks focused in live view at F8, it is indeed focused.
A polarising or ND filter also helps take care of business right quick as well.
Daniel,
My 2 cents - If you're losing sleep over it, get rid of it now. If you'd lose sleep without it, follow Graham's advice and shoot it 24/7.
I have spent way too much on a few things. One (the most expensive by far) I've never regretted and feel fortunate that I even had the opportunity to acquire it. Another (yes, camera equipment) I feel daily guilt over, but as it has lost 95% of its value I don't think there's anything useful I can do about it. I should sell it, take the loss, and do something enjoyable with the proceeds.
So it depends.
Good luck! And whatever you have, shoot it a lot.
Matt
Daniel,
Sometimes the pleasure of an object is in its distance and the desire it evokes.
The depreciation in dollar values of a digital camera is immediate ... the day you buy
it you lose a significant amount and then the decline is much less ... until the manufacturer
cuts your legs off by discounting the new ones by 40% to churn the market.
Since you have paid for the initial depreciation ... Graham is correct ... use it to the full measure
and then some as it will not go down in value much with that use as long as it is not abused and
shows abnormal wear. If another camera would bring your work more value then that is quite
another matter.
The "reality of an unemployed MFA student " is that your employment is the MFA and you have a
tool to potentially make that something it would not have been without the MF DB. Maximize its
utility in this situation ... lemonade from limes ... or something like that.
Bob
Daniel,
Since you you own the camera I'd recommend shooting the butt off of it as if you'd stolen it. Cameras don't make art but they do make the experience pleasurable and rewarding. Trading out of your current gear would cost you money so why do it for something that at best matches what you have or more likely won't be as able?
We've all struggled with purchases - did we need it? Was it more important than that other thing we really need? How to explain (or not) to our partner/family/etc.?From a practical perspective it's made me realize a lot about my work, my workflow, and realistic output. I still prefer BW large format film (nothing beats an 8x10 contact print) but color film is all but dead to me. I suppose the shock is just the upfront financial reality I put myself through, as opposed to spending the same amount on sheet film over time.
The whole process of me going digital was important for my work, not that it made me "better" but it allowed me to push concepts farther, faster, and so my output now is at a wonderful level. The MF DB bug bit me with print sizes, of which I am regularly making 40x60 prints without blinking an eye now.
Thanks for your words of advice and wisdom, sometimes I forget where I am age wise, my career, etc etc etc and what it all means. I can't shake that frugal working class upbringing; my parents would fall to the floor if they knew what I dropped on the CFV-50C.
I completely agree regarding the rigor.We've all struggled with purchases - did we need it? Was it more important than that other thing we really need? How to explain (or not) to our partner/family/etc.?
Times have changed - now the cost of improving a MF setup is much much higher than it used to be. Back in the past, one could look at a Hassy V or a Rollei: there were always used ones in the pipeline, affordable for a student who could scrape up some money. And the results were special.
Today the cost of entry to MF (digital) is much higher than the old used gear we all used to have. Yes, there are some modestly priced backs. So instead you went a bit up the ladder and got the CF50V....its price is not as bad as some of the really expensive stuff. If it helps your work, profoundly so, then its money well spent. If its just "well, I liked this, tomorrow I'll like something else", then a rethink might well be in order.
I keep seeing all this stuff as today's version of shooting 4x5 or LF: the cost profile may be different (much more $$ needed upfront), but the level of diligence and rigor is about the same, and the results are comparable, both having a special quality. Film would be cheaper (better bang for the buck) but has a huge time/hassle component. If you do take advantage of the time savings inherent with using a digital back, and apply that to doing better work, then its clearly a good thing.
Hope this helps.
FWIW, now listed as "In Stock" and shipping at $9995 at B&H.Looks like the below 10K gig is up at least according to B&H, kudos to those of you ( and I ) who snagged one. Gotta say though, some off the so called reviews despite being positive are really odd, more like people pontificating just to hear them selves speak than actual reviews. Hell, I have used the back professionally since the Fall and I still don't feel like I am qualified enough to write a "review".
But that the Internet photo scene I guess, writing "reviews" are equally as popular as actually using the gear.