GrahamWelland
Subscriber & Workshop Member
There are problems when it comes to lens movements with the P30+ due to the microlenses on the back. Generally that means that the P30+ is not recommended for technical camera use.
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Thinking about getting a Technical Camera HELP :)
- Thread starter shortpballer
- Start date
shortpballer
Member
Yea I thought so, now looking to trade for a full frame such as p25+ or p40+
kdphotography
Well-known member
"Full-frame" means no crop factor, so P65+ for you! Congratulations!
Y'know, I bet the IQ160 or IQ180 is worth looking at....
(Hey, life is short....)
GrahamWelland
Subscriber & Workshop Member
... And the pit bottomless :ROTFL:"Full-frame" means no crop factor, so P65+ for you! Congratulations!
Y'know, I bet the IQ160 or IQ180 is worth looking at....
(Hey, life is short....)
:grin:
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Don Libby
Well-known member
You might consider a slightly slower slightly cheaper entry and look at a P45+. Great back for a tech cam entry and while not breaking the bank will offer good image files with slight crop factor. The next step up is a P65 which is full frame and different sensor and slightly more money. The creme de la creme for tech camera work is of course an IQ whether it's a 160 or 180. Just be prepared to live life without a kidney.
Of course there are dealers who have all these backs in their back rooms and are used which saves you the loss of the kidney. They are often willing to entertain trades.
Don
When I included "slower" I meant by using a P45 as an entry back to be later traded for another back. Start with a P45+ and work your way up to the next back all the while gaining the experience before making the next jump.
Of course there are dealers who have all these backs in their back rooms and are used which saves you the loss of the kidney. They are often willing to entertain trades.
Don
When I included "slower" I meant by using a P45 as an entry back to be later traded for another back. Start with a P45+ and work your way up to the next back all the while gaining the experience before making the next jump.
GrahamWelland
Subscriber & Workshop Member
:thumbs: What Don said.
I just sourced a basically new P25+ from one of our sponsoring dealers here at a very acceptable price considering warranty, service, reputable dealer support etc. I couldn't justify the expense of a P45+ (nor afford it to be honest - I have an IQ160 already too), but I'd agree with Don that it would be the goldilocks digital back if it were the only one to start with. If long exposures aren't that important beyond 30s then the Leaf range is hard to beat for a tech camera also.
Don Libby
Well-known member
I made the transition into a tech cam (WRS) by trading a P30+ for a P45+ and was very happy for several years. That is of course until Phase introduced first the P65+ then the IQ back. I ended up trading the P45+ for a gently used P65+ last year and after an exceptionally good year just traded the used P65+ for a gently used IQ160.
The thing to remember is that unlike cameras, there are virtually no moving part to a digital back. You've got the CF card cover, the CF button, the locking button and latch as well as the battery latch. The important stuff like the sensor and electronics don't move and very hard to wear out. My IQ had over 15,000 files through it and it looks and operates just as good as the day it left the cradle. Unlike cameras where the big worry is the life of the shutter.
Just another of my 2¢
Don
The thing to remember is that unlike cameras, there are virtually no moving part to a digital back. You've got the CF card cover, the CF button, the locking button and latch as well as the battery latch. The important stuff like the sensor and electronics don't move and very hard to wear out. My IQ had over 15,000 files through it and it looks and operates just as good as the day it left the cradle. Unlike cameras where the big worry is the life of the shutter.
Just another of my 2¢
Don
The 33 megapixel Leaf backs can be worth looking into if you don't need long exposures and don't want to spend too much money. Concerning second hand if you can get an Aptus 75 with a lot of use (they don't really wear out, but price still get lower) the value for money is really hard to beat.
I own one myself (I'm the third owner of it) and I think it is great for a tech cam because
- despite its age the screen is good enough for accurate focus check
- histogram and highlight / shadow blinkies and point-to-check is very good
- 33 megapixels is high enough to give similar quality as 4x5" film, and low enough to avoid the need of the most expensive Rodenstock retrofocus lenses, it is a great combo with Schneider Digitars optimized for f/11.
- low color cast issues, does not require retrofocus lenses
- no wakeup procedure, just plug in the flash sync cable and off you go
- the sensor size 48x36mm I think is the best sensor size tradeoff for tech cams, 44x33 is a bit too small and 54x41mm does make movements a bit limited on many lenses.
- good color accuracy
The disadvantages of this old back is that it is a bit slow showing and zooming in pictures and that it has a fan which is a bit noisy (always runs full speed when on a tech cam). The screen is indeed not good in direct sunlight either but never really found that to be a problem, in the rare cases I shoot in midday sun and the sun happens to shine on the screen I bring out my focusing cloth that I use for the ground glass.
I own one myself (I'm the third owner of it) and I think it is great for a tech cam because
- despite its age the screen is good enough for accurate focus check
- histogram and highlight / shadow blinkies and point-to-check is very good
- 33 megapixels is high enough to give similar quality as 4x5" film, and low enough to avoid the need of the most expensive Rodenstock retrofocus lenses, it is a great combo with Schneider Digitars optimized for f/11.
- low color cast issues, does not require retrofocus lenses
- no wakeup procedure, just plug in the flash sync cable and off you go
- the sensor size 48x36mm I think is the best sensor size tradeoff for tech cams, 44x33 is a bit too small and 54x41mm does make movements a bit limited on many lenses.
- good color accuracy
The disadvantages of this old back is that it is a bit slow showing and zooming in pictures and that it has a fan which is a bit noisy (always runs full speed when on a tech cam). The screen is indeed not good in direct sunlight either but never really found that to be a problem, in the rare cases I shoot in midday sun and the sun happens to shine on the screen I bring out my focusing cloth that I use for the ground glass.
I agree 100% with everything you've said apart from the sensor size thing as it was an issue I was advised wrongly over when I first purchased a digital back for exclusive tech camera use.
The only thing that effects the amount of movement on either a 44x33 or 54x40 mm chip is the size of the lens image circle. In a single capture, the field of view is larger on a 54x40mm chip only because the chip captures more of the projected image circle due to its large dimensions but both sizes of chip have the same potential when stitching as both sit at the exact same distance from the lens to focus.
If your sole aim is to shoot as wide as you can in a single frame then the bigger chips are obviously better, however when stitching multiple images the playing field is even and the lower cost 44x33mm backs like the excellent P40+ are a good buy IMO. The P40+ has the current generation (same as IQ140) Dalsa chips that are wonderful on a tech camera and some say give better colour and tonality than the Kodak chipped P45+. I'm not familiar with the Leaf products but I know they also do a version with the same 40MPix chip.
Don Libby
Well-known member
There great thing about using a tech cam is that if you want to go wider all you have to do is use your movements and then stitch the 2 or 3 images together for a wide or super wide (depending on your movements) image.
Can't speak from any level of experience with Leaf however I found a world of difference in the image files in comparing the Dalsa and Kodak sensors.
Don
Can't speak from any level of experience with Leaf however I found a world of difference in the image files in comparing the Dalsa and Kodak sensors.
Don