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Mediumformat.com

vjbelle

Well-known member
Those that are actually complaining that they 'can't afford' the subscription are probably hanging around the wrong forum. The subscription is just a waitress/er tip for me but they'll never get my money. Like I originally posted 'just a bunch of guys trying to make a buck'.

Victor
 

hcubell

Well-known member
Yes, Lloyd is a bit of a drama queen at times and seems perpetually snakebitten when it comes to defective equipment, but I can separate the wheat from the chaff. There's lots of good information there. There are things about the X1D that drive him nuts. In most cases, he is right, but every camera I have ever owned is a balance sheet of plusses and minuses. It's up to me to evaluate what's really important and what's not. Where else can you go for the kind of lens testing he does? The blog or youtube video of a Sony Artisan? A Canon Explorer of Light? A Fuji X Shooter? Useless.
 
Yes, Lloyd is a bit of a drama queen at times and seems perpetually snakebitten when it comes to defective equipment, but I can separate the wheat from the chaff. There's lots of good information there. There are things about the X1D that drive him nuts. In most cases, he is right, but every camera I have ever owned is a balance sheet of plusses and minuses. It's up to me to evaluate what's really important and what's not. Where else can you go for the kind of lens testing he does? The blog or youtube video of a Sony Artisan? A Canon Explorer of Light? A Fuji X Shooter? Useless.
Problem with Mr Chambers is that he seems not to have any access to recent Hasselblad H, Phase One or Leica S systems (and his tests of Fuji G, Pentax Z and Hasselblad X are based on short-term loaners). So, I don't know how this "gear talk" in the new magazine will work without a thorough knowledge of the main contenders, maybe he invites some Hasselblad, Fuji, Leica and Phase working professionals to interview them.

That having said, I think I will subscribe for one month in order to have a test read of the first issue.
 

hcubell

Well-known member
Problem with Mr Chambers is that he seems not to have any access to recent Hasselblad H, Phase One or Leica S systems (and his tests of Fuji G, Pentax Z and Hasselblad X are based on short-term loaners). So, I don't know how this "gear talk" in the new magazine will work without a thorough knowledge of the main contenders, maybe he invites some Hasselblad, Fuji, Leica and Phase working professionals to interview them.

That having said, I think I will subscribe for one month in order to have a test read of the first issue.
I am sure Phase One would be happy to loan him an XF and several BR lenses for him to test. Don't you think they want us to know how it would stack up against the X1D and the GFX? [G]
 

Frankly

New member
I think you guys should all volunteer at the UN and solve conflicts.

No wait, you're managing to fight over a non-existent magazine none of you will buy!
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Yes, Lloyd is a bit of a drama queen at times and seems perpetually snakebitten when it comes to defective equipment, but I can separate the wheat from the chaff. There's lots of good information there. There are things about the X1D that drive him nuts. In most cases, he is right, but every camera I have ever owned is a balance sheet of plusses and minuses. It's up to me to evaluate what's really important and what's not. Where else can you go for the kind of lens testing he does? The blog or youtube video of a Sony Artisan? A Canon Explorer of Light? A Fuji X Shooter? Useless.
Perfect response . While I might disagree with Lloyd s conclusions . This is most often because we have quite different shooting styles/requirements/subjects . He hikes into the mountains (so weight is a factor ) ,almost always shoots on a tripod and demands edge to edge sharpness for his landscapes . The closer your requirements are to his the more valid his conclusions .

His testing protocols are as good as I have found in the industry ...his examples are extensive and selected to easily show differences in gear tested . Look at his tests on a 4k or 5k screen and you can see the performance of a system ..at a full range of F stops and with several relevant subjects .

He writes from the perspective of a high end FF ILC user ..so yes Lloyd will miss some aspects of the medium format gear aimed at task focused professionals . But if you shoot landscape (as many do here at GETdpi) he knows what he is talking about.
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
The editor-in-chief Olaf posted on the X1D Facebook group that they’re looking for X1D shooters to contribute as writers and to message him if anyone is interested.

Could maybe be an interesting opportunity?
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
Perfect response . While I might disagree with Lloyd s conclusions . This is most often because we have quite different shooting styles/requirements/subjects . He hikes into the mountains (so weight is a factor ) ,almost always shoots on a tripod and demands edge to edge sharpness for his landscapes . The closer your requirements are to his the more valid his conclusions .

His testing protocols are as good as I have found in the industry ...his examples are extensive and selected to easily show differences in gear tested . Look at his tests on a 4k or 5k screen and you can see the performance of a system ..at a full range of F stops and with several relevant subjects .

He writes from the perspective of a high end FF ILC user ..so yes Lloyd will miss some aspects of the medium format gear aimed at task focused professionals . But if you shoot landscape (as many do here at GETdpi) he knows what he is talking about.
The real problem with Lloyd's reviews are that they are for the 'Lens At Hand'. Tell me what good that does for you or me? I could point out numerous cases at point like the Leica Summicron F2 Asph that was skewed.... that's an eight grand lens!! How would you like to have that one sent to you. Or his more recent Fuji GFX 110mm lens that obviously should have never left QC. He subsequently placed the second copy on his highly recommended list. Those are just two examples of the many lenses the he and countless others test that only account for the 'Lens At Hand'. I have found that his and all other lens tests are worthless to me as I will never have that particular lens but instead another that I should learn to test. My advice is to have a testing routine that makes sense to you and use it to test any lens you intend to purchase.

Victor
 

JeRuFo

Active member
Any lens test should be taken with a grain of salt. I use them more to guide me in the right direction. I'm notthe most demanding lens buyer, but for me the test is simple, I just see if it matches my expectations and if not it goes back or I sell it and try another lens or system until I found something that I'm comfortable using on the job at hand. I'm usually my most critical customer, so if I'm satisfied, most people will be. And if they are not, then maybe my style and their taste are not a good match and they should look somewhere else.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
The real problem with Lloyd's reviews are that they are for the 'Lens At Hand'. Tell me what good that does for you or me? I could point out numerous cases at point like the Leica Summicron F2 Asph that was skewed.... that's an eight grand lens!! How would you like to have that one sent to you. Or his more recent Fuji GFX 110mm lens that obviously should have never left QC. He subsequently placed the second copy on his highly recommended list. Those are just two examples of the many lenses the he and countless others test that only account for the 'Lens At Hand'. I have found that his and all other lens tests are worthless to me as I will never have that particular lens but instead another that I should learn to test. My advice is to have a testing routine that makes sense to you and use it to test any lens you intend to purchase.

Victor
Thats throwing the" baby out with the bath water “. You reject all lens tests because they are not the specific lens you would be using ? Of course when you see a result (like the Fuji ) that makes no sense .....you look for other reviews and hope Lloyd tests again with another copy .

Of course there is sample variation ...but you take any Leica M lens and I could tell you a lot about how that lens renders an image .

There are few if any real dogs in the best lens kits ..Leica,Zeiss,Nikon are the ones I am most familiar with . Yet they can produce very different aesthetics based on glass type ,coatings ,design decisions etc. :banghead:

Let me provide an example ..not specific to Lloyd . When I put together a Nikon kit to shoot in Florida about 10 years ago ...I knew it would be different requirements . I needed strong prime telephotos to shoot surfing,polo,auto racing ,wildlife etc . So I looked into the Nikon telephotos ....based on test results ..and subjective reputation ..it was obvious that the 400/2.8 was the pick of litter ...2nd up was the 600/4 . The 500 although well respected was a notch below the 400 and lacked the reach of the 600 . Nobody was using the 200-400/4 or even the 300/2.8 with the 1.4x and 2x convertors . First observation should be “well I don t shoot much like that ?” But I do. .

Test reports helped me zero in on kit that I could use NOW ....

If you follow the testing done at Lens Rentals you will find numerous tests ...specifically addressing sample variation . In almost every case you would find a cluster of results that match the design specification and a few ugly ducklings . I don t have the time or the inclination to test the hell out of my gear ..unless I feel its just not performing .

My points are simple ...use all the information you can find to select the right gear upfront : of course test or use the gear as you intend to make use of it . Requirements differ ..appreciate that not all photographers value the same aspects of image quality .
 

PeterA

Well-known member
In my experience edge to edge perfection ( whatever that is) from any lens on any camera is not only difficult to attain but also largely irrelevant. The stuff that Lloyd busies himself and his audience with is boring , repetitive and largely irrelevant if not useless TO ME - I know because I paid up for a couple of years of access to his site only to discover that the more I read the less I got. As for Ming he has a nice turn of phrase and is (like Lloyd) passionate about what he does.

Now all that said, and against this is the fact that people like Llyod and Ming can be inspiring to a lot of people. the idea of a a 'medium format.com' place for people to share experiences is a good one that might be able to be monetised - against this each brand has their own forums and places for users to share and ecxhange views - all of them different and all of them (inevitably) captured by people who have the time and inclination to inhabit those spaces. I would also add that GetDPI has a core of passionate talented and generous people who post in a largely brand agnostic forum and share and exchange views in (typcially) polite and ( relatively) informed manner.

Ultimately the success of the enterprise will rely (largely) on the energy and enthusiasm that the actual users bring with them and the ability of the site managers to marshall that energy into a communal positive force. Any forum ends up being largely captive to the culture of those who inhabit it GetDPI and its owners/administrators have to be congratulated in what has been able to be acheived - on the whole a nice place to visit, look at what people are sharing and learn from other's experiences. The energy required to formalise a regular 'publication' would be on another level and I doubt very much its sustainability as a business model - will be interesting to see how things pan out for sure.
 

bensonga

Well-known member
I do not know why Ming Thein wants to open another Hasselblad spot in a rush. It seems that the successor of the Hasselbladinfo.com forum is coming back and that one is as always for free: Home - MediumFormat.Family
+1 for the reincarnation of the Hasselbladinfo.com forum now focused on the wider medium format community. I love the GetDPI community, but like many here, I also enjoy a few other photo forums too. Dirk at the new Mediumformat.family forum is putting his time and effort into this online community so I was very happy to make a financial contribution. I would encourage anyone here to check it out. I know there are already a few GetDPI regulars here who have done so.

Gary
 

4711

Member
+1 for the reincarnation of the Hasselbladinfo.com forum now focused on the wider medium format community. I love the GetDPI community, but like many here, I also enjoy a few other photo forums too. Dirk at the new Mediumformat.family forum is putting his time and effort into this online community so I was very happy to make a financial contribution. I would encourage anyone here to check it out. I know there are already a few GetDPI regulars here who have done so.

Gary
It is a little bit confusing because both domainnames are so similar.

mediumformat.com as a payed site

mediumformat.family as a free site (ex Hasselbladinfo.com)

But can someone explain this to me:

On the .com site, I have to pay money to read interviews.

On the .family site I read interviews for free plus a big medium format forum for all brands also for free.

Why MT thinks that people will pay a lot of money for something they get for free with one click?

Also the payed site is not online yet. Just an announcement site. They still seem to search desperately for people who write there. This all seems very weired and rushed. The free site is online since a week again, but existed back in the old times already for 10 years. I just do not get it...

But good for us. Competition is always good :)
 

Wayne Fox

Workshop Member
After checking out the site and reading through the thread a couple of things came to mind.

First, what they are doing is what many try to do, monetize their internet presence. Lloyd has been doing it for a while. I think Ming has been offering tutorials as well. The price does seem high, but it also appears they intend on offering more than just a magazine, including online tutorials and videos, etc.

I personally have little interest, I’ve never thought much about Lloyds approach and recently his divergence into attacking apple for what is labeling core rot instead of just giving useful information about the performance of apple hardware as well as his often misguided conclusions about gear (although admittedly some of his reviews are better than others), just doesn’t interest me. I also wonder if Ming has too much of a Hasselblad bias, but I guess it depends on what other writers and contributors get involved.

but if they only get 1000 subscribers its $250k a year in revenue. Wish I could pull that off :)
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
$250,000 divided by how many and what is the pecking order? Regardless.... your conclusions are very sound. Like I have said before, just a bunch of guys looking to make a buck.

Victor
 

Giorgio

Member
$250,000 divided by how many and what is the pecking order? Regardless.... your conclusions are very sound. Like I have said before, just a bunch of guys looking to make a buck.

Victor
I understand publishing and media, but that is not what this thread is about.

The Leica S is the first MF system that I ever considered taking into the field. Anyone who has used this system will agree, there are are no better lenses for any camera system available at this time. Mega pixels matter but there is another factor. Be there, camera ready...
Although dated I think this is worth a look (circa 2015).
i used an 006, S70, S100, CS 120 and S180 untethered, monopod.
when I saw the images I was amazed.

MF is an amazing platform, who knows if it is for you? Maybe a DSLR is your cup of tea. The photo hardware landscape will change very quickly, good,bad. I don't know. The results are amazing.

https://issuu.com/dailyfrontrow/docs/dailysummer_07142015
cover and pages 54-71

To each their own.
Giorgio Niro
 
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