Should I move away from MFD for now?

[Mike Dote]

Hello!

I'm writing this post at about 4am with a wistful feeling in my heart.

I currently have a leaf aptus 22 and a mamiya afd2 with a couple amazing lenses.

For a while it was my only camera system and I've grown very accustomed to it. I greatly appreciate everything I've done with it. I've had it for 2-3 years now and the times have been good.

With that said, now I find myself shooting Nikon a lot more often now than I do MFD. While I love the feel of shooting with the mamiya/leaf system, it is very slow, and I am finding I can capture a much more spontaneous image with the Nikon. The image quality has now grown very close.

So, my question is this- should I abandon ship and sell the aptus 22 and the mamiya system and invest more in Nikon glass and a d800 body?

Regardless of what I do, I will surely rent MFD for the big jobs, and a better one than I currently own for sure... but I'm just unsure of how practical it is to own my own system for now...

Any feedback?

 

[torger]

I'd make a budget. See if it's economical to own or if it's better to rent.

If you don't have a D800 now, I think it's a very good addition to your Nikon system, you can then do some very decent high-res work too that previously was only possible with MF. On the other hand perhaps you could go with the IQ250 and with its CMOS flexibility be able to use that in the cases you use Nikon today, ie shoot almost only with an MF camera. It will be a very expensive system though, so it could be cheaper and better to own a simpler MF system and a Nikon system simultaneously.

Also think about what you enjoy using, it should be fun shooting. If you really love shooting with an MF camera, it can be worthwhile investing in it even if the financial numbers don't turn out in its favour (as long as it's sustainable of course).

Also note that your current MF system is probably going to sell for a similar price in a year from now, it's already at the bottom, so there's no hurry selling it.

If I was you I'd start with trying out the D800 and make up my mind of how far I think it reaches into MF space, and then decide what MF system I would need to complement that. And when that is decided figure out how often I would need that MF system, and then make a budget to see if it's better to rent or own.

 

[shlomi]

What kinds of jobs do you do?

 

[fotografz]

Mike, I'd say you probably will be surprised how little you will get selling the MFD kit. If yours was a more recent cutting edge MFD kit that is depreciating like a rock off a cliff, that would be different. However, what you have probably has bottomed out to a trickle.

We all go off into other realms of photography from time-to-time, and some favored gear languishes for a time … but trust me, you often come full circle and wish to return to some well loved method of making images.

Rental is a great idea IF we would actually do it … but all to often, the mood strikes you to do this or that and the process of gathering rental gear, checking it, learning it, and then returning it often becomes a block to action … unless it is a for pay job.

Resolution is one thing, but the whole "fat pixel" file quality still is an intriguing and beautiful thing. I miss it and wistfully wish I had kept my 9um back and Hasselblad 203FE kit. I still like those files better than those from my 36 meg Sony wonder cam.

If I only knew then what I know now …

- Marc

 

[Mike Dote]

What kinds of jobs do you do?

I shoot primarily fashions, portraits and beauty.

 

[kdphotography]

If the Leaf 22 is what satisfies your soul, I'd keep it.

It sounds like the Nikon fulfills your faster needs---DSLRs typically do. That's what my Canon DSLR does, but it fails miserably at fulfilling my personal photographic enjoyment (not to mention all the other image quality advantages of a MFDB).

Maybe consider upgrading your AFD2 body (*gasp*) which will give you a "faster" MFDB platform from which to work with. Both the Mamiya AFDIII/Phase AF are significant upgrades from the AFD2---and even moreso the DF/DF+ bodies.

ken

 

[SergeiR]

You got to decide for yourself. Thats all. No one else holds your money. No one else looks through your viewfinder, and knows what you after.