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Going back to Full Frame DSLR

ndwgolf

Active member
Wow so many replies...........please give me an hour or so to look through them and I will get back with you all

Neil
 

Abstraction

Well-known member
It seems to me that MF digital made sense some years ago when everyone was shooting APS-C or APS-H at 3-8Mp while MF backs offered 20-30Mp. Even though the backs and their integration were clunky, expensive and perhaps not as reliable, people who needed the benefits of what higher resolution has to offer (not just in print size) had to bite the bullet and get into the MF. As time went on and the smaller formats began to catch up, the ability to slap a back on a technical camera and even greater resolution in the 50-80 range still set the MF apart, although the price delta was huge vs the quality gains. Once FF cameras hit the 40-50mp mark, MF digital stopped making sense unless it's for very specialized purposes. As I see it, only two MF systems make any sense today (aside from tech camera backs) - Fuji GFX100 and Phase 4150. If you need such high resolution, then obviously, there's no place else to go (yet). However, $60k for a Phase outfit is REALLY hard to justify even with all the benefits that it offers. I gather that in a few months, $10k for a Fuji 100 will be hard to justify as well.

So, I think there are some really good reasons to abandon MF and it's not just you being grumpy. Then again, I've been grumpy since the day I was born. :p
 

ndwgolf

Active member
Okay let me try and explain. I worked in the Oil & Gas industry (offshore oil Rigs) for 40 years. Its a tuff life in every sense. Out of that 40 years I have spent 20 years away from my family and friends working in extremely difficult environments and working hard 12 hours a day everyday,in return I have been paid really well............... Okay enough of that bit.

So my thinking was this, if I am going to risk my life every time I get onto a helicopter to go and work in the North Sea then I am sure as hell going to enjoy myself when I get home, and enjoy myself I did.

Back in 2009 I had some immigration issues in Thailand so me and my Thai wife went and stayed in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Before I came off the rig I called my wife and asked here to bring my Nikon D something camera from the bottom drawer in our bedroom as I fancied trying my hand again at photography. When I got home, after taking care of business I had a look at my old camera sitting on the kitchen table and noticed that all the rubber parts had perished, I made a few phone calls and asked around and was told that they have a big Nikon service center in KL. So later that day me and my wife went into town to visit the Nikon service Center. I asked the staff if they had any cleaner that I could use on my camera as it was sticky to which they replied for about 50 quid they could replace all the rubber parts. So I dropped off the camera and was told to come back in 2 hours time. On returning I couldn't believe it was the same camera......it looked so so new. While waiting to pay the bill I noticed a poster on the wall saying that they were holding a two day training class for the new Nikon D7000. I asked the lady if i could join the class and she said sure you can. She started to take my details when one of the other staff members came over and asked me if I had a D7000, I showed her my D something camera and said this is my only camera, she then told me that the class was for customers with the D7000 and that I would not be able to do, so me being me, I had to argue the fact that all I wanted to do was learn the basics so that I could stop shooting with the GREEN AUTO button. She again said no so we went back and forward yes/no yes/no to eventually she just walked away and didn't want to listen to my BS any more.

I paid for the repairs to my camera and walked across the shopping mall to another camera store and bought a new Nikon D7000. I walked back to the Nikon Center and asked the same lady to sign me up for the nikon class (She is giving me the look of WTF doesn't this guy understand to which I pulled out the new D7000 and we proceeded with the registration for the class.

I took the class and it was at that point I was hooked on Photography. I signed up for many camera workshops not only to learn photography but to find other photographers to go and shoot with. Over the next couple of months I had joined a group of photographers and went away on my first photo trip to Cebu in the Philippines. While on that trip I met a professional photographer called Yusuf Hashim who kind of took me under his wing and would tell me to do this and that and what for. Yusuf shoots with a Canon but because I had already bought the trinity of Nikon lenses being the 14/24 24/70/70/200 he advised me to stick with Nikon but to maybe upgrade to a full frame body. As soon as we arrived back in KL I went to the Nikon center and bought a D3S (Man I liked the look of that camera). I was on a roll and me and my beautiful wife would go out taking pictures everyday, one of the guys I met invited me to go and take bird pictures so I rocked up with my 70/200 on the D3S to see him with a cheap 24/800 or something crazy like that and dressed in full battle fatigues. As you can imaging the birding experience was a disaster. Later when I got home I called Yusuf and asked him about it. He started telling me about this new 300mm f2.8 lens that Canon had given him to go and shoot the bull races in Pacu Jawi Indonesia. He asked me if I wanted to join the trip which was in 6 weeks time (perfect timing, go back to the rig make some money and yes buy myself the 300mm f2.8 lens so that I could look like Yusuf :) That is my picture below

Neils Photography 07112015_Pacu Jawi 1939-2.jpg

While on this trip there were a couple of knobs who had Leica rangefinders with them and they were in the back of the bus talking Leica this and Leica that, to which Yusuf would say I cant wait to see your bull racing pictures taken with your bling bling shiny Leica cameras and laughing away.............I couldn't help but notice these little shinny cameras looked quite Neil like so I made some more enquiries and the following trip I bought myself my first of many Leica M cameras and lenses. By this time I was hooked on the Leica brand and to Yusuf disgust he would alway rib me about how most of my pictures were either out of focus or the composition was off or anything. Another very good photographer called Hamni was a Nikon guy, he had a D3s the same as me and we would go out shooting street photography in China Town in KL. He would have his D3s and 70/200 and I would be fumbling around with my M9 and Noctilux 0.95 missing shots and getting frustrated every time Hamni came up to me with a WOW picture on the back of his LCD.

By this time I was friendly with the owner of the Leica store in KL and vented my frustrations of why Yusuf and Hamni could always get better pictures with there Nikon/Canon gear that what I could with my Leica gear, to which he replied it probably had something to do with the speed of the AF verse the fiddly rangefinder.............2 days later I had a new Leica S006 and 3 new S lenses.

The following trip me and my wife went back to Scotland for a family vacation and I took my new shinny Leica S gear with me, on day 2 of the trip the S70mm auto focus **** itself followed 3 days later by the S30mm lens. I was gutted and yes very pissed off. When I arrived back in KL I dropped the two lenses off at Leica and was told I would get them back in a few weeks...........2 1/2 months later I got them back.

The following trip me and my wife went to switzerland and this time the camera lasted 4 or 5 days before the S120 mm lens **** itself not only that but I was spending more time pulling the battery than taking pictures.

Speaking of photographing my wife at first she was cool with me taking beautiful portrait style pictures, now when I point a camera at her she scours at me and hands me her iphone to take her picture.

So where is all this leading to. Both my mates Yusuf and Hamni still shoot with there Canon and Nikon cameras and take amazing pictures of everything. Wildlife, pretty girls landscape street photography everything. Whereas I have spent 100s of thousands of dollars chasing a dream picture that I keep getting with my Nikon gear and every now and then with my H6D100c or my S007 or my M10 Q2 and more.

Since being diagnosed with PTSD back in 2017 I no longer enjoy street photography and limit my photography to wildlife, birds and nature so the trusty Nikon gear is my camera of choice. Yesterday I sold my D810 and bought a new D850 (I guess I haven't lost the urge to spend spend spend) but at least its in the 3k range rather than the 30k range

I have sold all the Leica M gear the H6D gear and Im left with my Nikon D850 a few lenses and my film gear (maybe one day I will venture out and try my hand at that side of photography) The Leica S gear is still with me but due to the fact that it all cost me ~$40k and is now only worth 4k I will keep it and give it to one of my kids if they show any interest in Photography.

While on lockdown I decided to make a new website just for the hell of it and to pass time stuck in the house https://neilwilliamsfineart.com/ There is a mixture of FF MF LF and 120 film, but for me my favorite pictures are shot with a Nikon FF camera.

Sorry for the long post but hopefully this will answer some of your questions

Neil
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
...
While on lockdown I decided to make a new website just for the hell of it and to pass time stuck in the house https://neilwilliamsfineart.com/ There is a mixture of FF MF LF and 120 film, but for me my favorite pictures are shot with a Nikon FF camera.

Sorry for the long post but hopefully this will answer some of your questions
Well, Neil, I don't really have any questions for you.

But it sounds like you've answered your own questions nicely: If you're favorite pictures are shot with a Nikon FF camera, the heck with all the other stuff. Sell all of that stuff, keep your Nikon gear, and concentrate on your Photography ... not your camera equipment. That is the only way to achieve excellence in Photography, not chasing the perfect equipment.

G
 

Abstraction

Well-known member
Notice an interesting aspect of all this: The guys whose work you admire stick with the gear they have. They know what they need, they got the tools and now, they spend their time photographing, perfecting their craft and creating art. Gear does not make a photographer. Gear is there to facilitate getting the result you need. Nothing more. If you're doing bird photography, you need a long lens. You can't do it effectively without it. However, it makes little to no difference what make/model that lens is.

The same goes for cameras. If you're creating large prints, you need X megapixels to maintain the print quality at large sizes. However, it makes no difference which manufacturer those pixels came from. The ONE thing that you camera ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY has to be and that's reliable. So, if your Nikon is reliable and you are able to get the types of shots that you want of the subjects that you want, then stick to what you have. Know your equipment and use it to the max.

BTW, I love the bull pic. It's great.
 

darr

Well-known member
Who cares what gear you use as long as it does not get in the way.

I shoot APS-C, medium format digital and film, and 4x5. My favorite camera is whatever I am using at the moment.

If someone thinks a medium format digital camera will miraculously change their photography for the better, then they are drinking merchandising kool-aid. What it will do is make you slow down as it dictates a more methodical way to shoot than say an APS-C.

There are subject matter that is not conducive to a methodical way of shooting. I enjoy still life more than action so I continue to shoot 4x5 in a studio environment. Whatever speaks to you and brings you joy, that is where you should go.

Enjoy your Nikon!
 

Charles S

Well-known member
Just sold my H3D to go with a Fuji X-T30 (gasp).

The Blad was really superior for close studio portraits where the unique combination of DOF and FOV of an MF camera really shone, but for every other application I found that my Fuji X-Pro 2 delivered 95% equivalent images with much greater convenience and a higher hit-rate. Budget was a major consideration; it's a hobby that I take seriously, but for the budget I have and the desire to have a more maniable camera with high ISO, fast AF etc, the choices were a near new Fuji or an older larger sensor camera (5D Mk2 or 3 etc).

In terms of look etc, the look i really loved, loved, loved, was the Ixpress fat pixel back on my 500CM and a 80mm Zeiss Planar. It was unique and precious. My eyesight deteriorated and I started to miss so many shots that I needed to switch to an AF system. A deal on an H3D came along and the rest was history. However, despite being the same brand, a CCD sensor of only one generation later, the images were clean and had a commercial look, and I was never able to come close the "that look". (i know the lenses are different and the sensor etc etc, and my expectation was not to get to 100% the same). A later acquired H2D-22 with fat pixels etc came a bit closer, but was still a mile off. So while enjoying the H sytem for 3 years, 100 studio shoots, and 80K shots, the latent dissatisfaction never made me really committed to it. The COVID hiatus gave me some time to reflect and I decided to prioritize reliability, convenience and cost, and let go of my legacy gear.

I am now putting the X-T30 through it's paces to see where it can take me, and I am positively surprised. The look I loved is not achievable with this system for sure, but I will develop a new look that hopefully sticks.

In closing, I want to thank the mods of the board and the participants for their advice and support over the years
 

jotloob

Subscriber Member
Who cares what gear you use as long as it does not get in the way.

I shoot APS-C, medium format digital and film, and 4x5. My favorite camera is whatever I am using at the moment.

If someone thinks a medium format digital camera will miraculously change their photography for the better, then they are drinking merchandising kool-aid. What it will do is make you slow down as it dictates a more methodical way to shoot than say an APS-C.

There are subject matter that is not conducive to a methodical way of shooting. I enjoy still life more than action so I continue to shoot 4x5 in a studio environment. Whatever speaks to you and brings you joy, that is where you should go.

Enjoy your Nikon!
Hello Darr

Thank you for your point of view and post .
What I like most , when shooting MF and 6x9/4x5 is the slow down process . You can much more "compose" your image and perhaps you decide to wait for a better light situation or even to return on an other day . On the other hand , I love to "play" with my precision gear . It gives me a nice time and feeling .
 
M

mjr

Guest
Reading the original and subsequent posts, here are the key takeaways for me personally.

1. There are no bad cameras, just bad purchase decisions.
2. The amount of money you have is in no way related to your ability to understand what you need and buy accordingly.
3. High end or expensive cameras do not correlate with better images unless they fit specifically within your requirements.
4. Your most valuable asset is your ability to critically analyse what it is you are missing from your current system and research and identify a more suitable system. If you buy what is right for you, then how can you be wrong?

Every single genre of photography has a different set of parameters for what makes a good camera, every individual also has their own, the reason there are so many choices are because there are so many requirements. An Instagram influence carrying an IQ4150 and a tech cam makes as much sense as a corporate photographer delivering 10m wide landscapes for offices and boardrooms carrying an iphone. Making the wrong choice then realising it and going back to something that fits with your style, location, budget and wants, is in no way a step backwards equipment wise, if it allows you to work more efficiently and get more enjoyment, as these are the things that are much more likely to allow you to take better pictures .

The other things I have taken from this are, it's great if you find what works for you, but anyone who writes that they can see no reason why anyone would need or want x or y, is a fool, you not understanding it is of no consequence to those who do, let them get on with it.

Just my opinions obviously.

Mat
 

ndwgolf

Active member
Reading the original and subsequent posts, here are the key takeaways for me personally.

1. There are no bad cameras, just bad purchase decisions.
2. The amount of money you have is in no way related to your ability to understand what you need and buy accordingly.
3. High end or expensive cameras do not correlate with better images unless they fit specifically within your requirements.
4. Your most valuable asset is your ability to critically analyse what it is you are missing from your current system and research and identify a more suitable system. If you buy what is right for you, then how can you be wrong?

Every single genre of photography has a different set of parameters for what makes a good camera, every individual also has their own, the reason there are so many choices are because there are so many requirements. An Instagram influence carrying an IQ4150 and a tech cam makes as much sense as a corporate photographer delivering 10m wide landscapes for offices and boardrooms carrying an iphone. Making the wrong choice then realising it and going back to something that fits with your style, location, budget and wants, is in no way a step backwards equipment wise, if it allows you to work more efficiently and get more enjoyment, as these are the things that are much more likely to allow you to take better pictures .

The other things I have taken from this are, it's great if you find what works for you, but anyone who writes that they can see no reason why anyone would need or want x or y, is a fool, you not understanding it is of no consequence to those who do, let them get on with it.

Just my opinions obviously.

Mat
.Matt
I just put that in Google translate.......it can't, neither can I......... sorry but I'm just an old roughneck that likes taking pictures.
Neil
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Neil,

I have a simple experiment for you to play around with and it doesn't cost a thing: shoot your D850 in 4:5 aspect ratio mode for a day or three and see if you don't get a little of the MF mojo feeling out the "small" camera ;) I know it sounds a small thing, but it has altered the way I make images with my FF cam...
 

TheDude

Member
Okay let me try and explain. I worked in the Oil & Gas industry (offshore oil Rigs) for 40 years. Its a tuff life in every sense. Out of that 40 years I have spent 20 years away from my family and friends working in extremely difficult environments and working hard 12 hours a day everyday,in return I have been paid really well............... Okay enough of that bit.

So my thinking was this, if I am going to risk my life every time I get onto a helicopter to go and work in the North Sea then I am sure as hell going to enjoy myself when I get home, and enjoy myself I did.

Back in 2009 I had some immigration issues in Thailand so me and my Thai wife went and stayed in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Before I came off the rig I called my wife and asked here to bring my Nikon D something camera from the bottom drawer in our bedroom as I fancied trying my hand again at photography. When I got home, after taking care of business I had a look at my old camera sitting on the kitchen table and noticed that all the rubber parts had perished, I made a few phone calls and asked around and was told that they have a big Nikon service center in KL. So later that day me and my wife went into town to visit the Nikon service Center. I asked the staff if they had any cleaner that I could use on my camera as it was sticky to which they replied for about 50 quid they could replace all the rubber parts. So I dropped off the camera and was told to come back in 2 hours time. On returning I couldn't believe it was the same camera......it looked so so new. While waiting to pay the bill I noticed a poster on the wall saying that they were holding a two day training class for the new Nikon D7000. I asked the lady if i could join the class and she said sure you can. She started to take my details when one of the other staff members came over and asked me if I had a D7000, I showed her my D something camera and said this is my only camera, she then told me that the class was for customers with the D7000 and that I would not be able to do, so me being me, I had to argue the fact that all I wanted to do was learn the basics so that I could stop shooting with the GREEN AUTO button. She again said no so we went back and forward yes/no yes/no to eventually she just walked away and didn't want to listen to my BS any more.

I paid for the repairs to my camera and walked across the shopping mall to another camera store and bought a new Nikon D7000. I walked back to the Nikon Center and asked the same lady to sign me up for the nikon class (She is giving me the look of WTF doesn't this guy understand to which I pulled out the new D7000 and we proceeded with the registration for the class.

I took the class and it was at that point I was hooked on Photography. I signed up for many camera workshops not only to learn photography but to find other photographers to go and shoot with. Over the next couple of months I had joined a group of photographers and went away on my first photo trip to Cebu in the Philippines. While on that trip I met a professional photographer called Yusuf Hashim who kind of took me under his wing and would tell me to do this and that and what for. Yusuf shoots with a Canon but because I had already bought the trinity of Nikon lenses being the 14/24 24/70/70/200 he advised me to stick with Nikon but to maybe upgrade to a full frame body. As soon as we arrived back in KL I went to the Nikon center and bought a D3S (Man I liked the look of that camera). I was on a roll and me and my beautiful wife would go out taking pictures everyday, one of the guys I met invited me to go and take bird pictures so I rocked up with my 70/200 on the D3S to see him with a cheap 24/800 or something crazy like that and dressed in full battle fatigues. As you can imaging the birding experience was a disaster. Later when I got home I called Yusuf and asked him about it. He started telling me about this new 300mm f2.8 lens that Canon had given him to go and shoot the bull races in Pacu Jawi Indonesia. He asked me if I wanted to join the trip which was in 6 weeks time (perfect timing, go back to the rig make some money and yes buy myself the 300mm f2.8 lens so that I could look like Yusuf :) That is my picture below

View attachment 149257

While on this trip there were a couple of knobs who had Leica rangefinders with them and they were in the back of the bus talking Leica this and Leica that, to which Yusuf would say I cant wait to see your bull racing pictures taken with your bling bling shiny Leica cameras and laughing away.............I couldn't help but notice these little shinny cameras looked quite Neil like so I made some more enquiries and the following trip I bought myself my first of many Leica M cameras and lenses. By this time I was hooked on the Leica brand and to Yusuf disgust he would alway rib me about how most of my pictures were either out of focus or the composition was off or anything. Another very good photographer called Hamni was a Nikon guy, he had a D3s the same as me and we would go out shooting street photography in China Town in KL. He would have his D3s and 70/200 and I would be fumbling around with my M9 and Noctilux 0.95 missing shots and getting frustrated every time Hamni came up to me with a WOW picture on the back of his LCD.

By this time I was friendly with the owner of the Leica store in KL and vented my frustrations of why Yusuf and Hamni could always get better pictures with there Nikon/Canon gear that what I could with my Leica gear, to which he replied it probably had something to do with the speed of the AF verse the fiddly rangefinder.............2 days later I had a new Leica S006 and 3 new S lenses.

The following trip me and my wife went back to Scotland for a family vacation and I took my new shinny Leica S gear with me, on day 2 of the trip the S70mm auto focus **** itself followed 3 days later by the S30mm lens. I was gutted and yes very pissed off. When I arrived back in KL I dropped the two lenses off at Leica and was told I would get them back in a few weeks...........2 1/2 months later I got them back.

The following trip me and my wife went to switzerland and this time the camera lasted 4 or 5 days before the S120 mm lens **** itself not only that but I was spending more time pulling the battery than taking pictures.

Speaking of photographing my wife at first she was cool with me taking beautiful portrait style pictures, now when I point a camera at her she scours at me and hands me her iphone to take her picture.

So where is all this leading to. Both my mates Yusuf and Hamni still shoot with there Canon and Nikon cameras and take amazing pictures of everything. Wildlife, pretty girls landscape street photography everything. Whereas I have spent 100s of thousands of dollars chasing a dream picture that I keep getting with my Nikon gear and every now and then with my H6D100c or my S007 or my M10 Q2 and more.

Since being diagnosed with PTSD back in 2017 I no longer enjoy street photography and limit my photography to wildlife, birds and nature so the trusty Nikon gear is my camera of choice. Yesterday I sold my D810 and bought a new D850 (I guess I haven't lost the urge to spend spend spend) but at least its in the 3k range rather than the 30k range

I have sold all the Leica M gear the H6D gear and Im left with my Nikon D850 a few lenses and my film gear (maybe one day I will venture out and try my hand at that side of photography) The Leica S gear is still with me but due to the fact that it all cost me ~$40k and is now only worth 4k I will keep it and give it to one of my kids if they show any interest in Photography.

While on lockdown I decided to make a new website just for the hell of it and to pass time stuck in the house https://neilwilliamsfineart.com/ There is a mixture of FF MF LF and 120 film, but for me my favorite pictures are shot with a Nikon FF camera.

Sorry for the long post but hopefully this will answer some of your questions

Neil
At first, skimming through your posting, I thought you being sarcastic!

Only when you did not state having finally found Nirvana in PhaseOne, I realized you meant what you said. :grin:

But whatever, great B&W image. Well done.
 
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TheDude

Member
It seems to me that MF digital made sense some years ago ... Even though the backs and their integration were clunky, expensive and perhaps not as reliable, people who needed the benefits of what higher resolution has to offer (not just in print size) had to bite the bullet and get into the MF .... Once FF cameras hit the 40-50mp mark, MF digital stopped making sense ... As I see it, only two MF systems make any sense today ... Fuji GFX100 and Phase 4150.
Basically agree with your observation.

There is still a huge price difference between 44x33mm sensor and 645-sized sensor (54x40mm) but as far I can tell there is now no price difference between 44x33mm sensor cameras (that use an older sensor) and top-of-the-line 35mm cameras.

I think, Fujifilm has seen a very clever way to break into the Nikon/Cannon/Sony market by offering an "upgrade" to MF, and at the same time also have a go at Hasselblad and PhaseOne.
 
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mota25

New member
Stan

Have you tried strobes both with a MF camera and with a dedicated TTL camera ? Of course pros have been using strobes with every type of camera since the days we evaluated exposure with a HB and a Polaroid back . Strobes used in manual require either a fixed setting (e.g. studio ) or really strong craft skills. If can control the environment and have time to dial in the balance ,exposure etc ...using strobes manually works well . The advances from vendors such as Profoto have been in creating MOBILE systems (e.g. A1 ) and integrating the TTL functions into the camera . This can be a game changer for event and wedding photographers dealing with changing light situations . Also pretty darn nice for fashion and editorial assignments .

So it always depends on “what you plan to shoot “ and the “craft skills” you are willing to master .

Roger
Don't have PhaseOnes but my lowly Fuji GFX can easily do TTL with Elinchrom, Godox, Profoto. Wouldn't bigger issue with PhaseOne would be slower AF more than not having TTL? I have both GFX and Sony A7rIV and still prefer GFX. Not doing any birds, sports anymore.
 

ErikKaffehr

Well-known member
I did it about 8 years back right after the D800e was released. My take at the time was that net IQ was "close enough" to being on par with my IQ180/tech cam and newest digital MF glass that the net differences didn't matter very much. Even for big prints, which I was doing fewer of... MF color was better, but that margin narrowed significantly with the D810. It's only gotten better with the 45MP sensors. But to be 100% objective, the real impetus behind my decision back then was I was simply getting priced out of the MF market; I didn't have the financial ability to keep upgrading so got off that train...

That said, I still miss the 'gestalt' unique to using a tech cam to create.

Full course, I've recently sold off all of my DSLR bodies and most of my DSLR glass, and gone mirrorless with the Z7 and mostly dedicated Z lenses, though the line is a little thin right now -- but you can adapt darn near any lens from any manufacturer to it.

So, do I miss MF? Yes, I still do on occasion. But I do not miss what was for me an out of hand expenditure for owning the gear, especially when compared to modern FF solutions...
Well, I would say that MFD is quite affordable now, it is just that the name plate says Fujifilm and not Phase One.
GFX50R.jpg

But, I am not longing for a GFX, the stuff I have is appropriate for my needs.

Best regards
Erik
 

bensonga

Well-known member
I enjoy shooting and owning many formats (and brands) of digital and film cameras (I am still aspiring to own a 8x10 format film camera some day).

For me, it's all good. I thought it would be obvious, especially here on GetDPI...there is not any single best choice in formats or camera systems/brands for everyone for all situations and uses. Honestly, I can't believe we are still having these conversations.

I'm sure you will choose the formats, cameras etc that work best for you Neil. Everyone else here will make their own choices, for their own reasons.

Gary
 
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kdphotography

Well-known member
Neil,

I have a simple experiment for you to play around with and it doesn't cost a thing: shoot your D850 in 4:5 aspect ratio mode for a day or three and see if you don't get a little of the MF mojo feeling out the "small" camera ;) I know it sounds a small thing, but it has altered the way I make images with my FF cam...
Always copied but never duplicated. :rolleyes:

A little bit of Dante will always live in your heart, Jack.

Well, maybe at least until someone makes a FF DSLR with a 4:3 format sensor. :D:thumbup:
 

PeterA

Well-known member
On the internet I can't see any difference between any of the formats form any of the camera manufacturers - so if one shoots to show on the internet I can beleive any argument from anyone about any camera.
On large oprints I can see the difference between formats - especially depending on subject matter - my definition of large is measured in meters.
In PP I can see and experience the difference between megapixels and formats - I couldnt care less about a lot of things that people seem to value ( like high ISO peformance) or dynamic range - I do care about colour and being able to alter luminosity to suit - there are large differences to observe between the various formats as far as maleability of raw fiels go.
In useage I can feel the difference between manufacturers when using a camera - it is difficult for me to use certain cameras whose performance I like - because they just dont suit my large hands and or their viewfinder experience is not what I can put up with - I shoot 100% mirrorless these days.

I don't think my experiences differ much from any random experienced photographer.

I do have a bias for Leica gear - that is an admission I'm happy to make -but I also like my Fuji GFX100 a lot - prepared to put up with its weight in body and lenses - for the IQ when it comes to large prints.
 

ErikKaffehr

Well-known member
Reading the original and subsequent posts, here are the key takeaways for me personally.

1. There are no bad cameras, just bad purchase decisions.
2. The amount of money you have is in no way related to your ability to understand what you need and buy accordingly.
3. High end or expensive cameras do not correlate with better images unless they fit specifically within your requirements.
4. Your most valuable asset is your ability to critically analyse what it is you are missing from your current system and research and identify a more suitable system. If you buy what is right for you, then how can you be wrong?

Every single genre of photography has a different set of parameters for what makes a good camera, every individual also has their own, the reason there are so many choices are because there are so many requirements. An Instagram influence carrying an IQ4150 and a tech cam makes as much sense as a corporate photographer delivering 10m wide landscapes for offices and boardrooms carrying an iphone. Making the wrong choice then realising it and going back to something that fits with your style, location, budget and wants, is in no way a step backwards equipment wise, if it allows you to work more efficiently and get more enjoyment, as these are the things that are much more likely to allow you to take better pictures .

The other things I have taken from this are, it's great if you find what works for you, but anyone who writes that they can see no reason why anyone would need or want x or y, is a fool, you not understanding it is of no consequence to those who do, let them get on with it.

Just my opinions obviously.

Mat
I would say that there are bad cameras.

  1. Cameras that fail on the job.
  2. Cameras that cannot deliver on their promise.

In the first category I would put cameras or lenses that fail during shooting. Of course a photographer always needs to carry some backup. But cameras that won't let the photographers down are far to preferable to those that do.

The other point is that it is quite possible that a camera cannot deliver on it's promise. Some examples:

  • The first model of the Sony A7r had a lot of shutter induced vibration and there was little in way of mitigating it. The problem was eliminated on later models by adding electronic first shutter curtain.
  • It may be that some systems could not achieve correct AF. It could be argued that any systems requiring 'focus recompose' introduced a systematic error. Hasselblad had 'true focus' to compensate for that.
  • DSLRs needed to have their focusing systems calibrated, with mirrorless that is no longer the case, as mirrorless uses the sensor itself for AF.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to give a concrete example without pointing a finger, but this image may give some indications:


From this article by Jim Kasson: https://blog.kasson.com/a7riii/better-d850-autofocus-accuracy-presentations/

This shows a systematic error with the D850 - It doesn't take focus shift with aperture into account. The D5 seems to suffer less. This is not intended to point a finger to Nikon, it is just that Jim Kasson is a Nikon user.

I would think that correctly adjusted MFD gear, shot at near optimal apertures and using best focusing and shooting practices can achieve magnificent results. Also quite true, images can be magnificent without achieving the ultimate sharpness. But, I would still assume that image quality is one of the reasons spending on MFD.

I would think that the new mirrorless systems like GFX and X1D may be pretty ideal, in the sense that they offer accurate auto focus across a large part of the sensor area. Also the lenses are calculated for the sensor size.

Magnified live view, best combined with peaking at shooting aperture eliminates most of the inaccuracy of manual focusing. I would guess having that option on digital backs is also a god bless, especially with technical cameras.

Capture.jpg
Michael Reichmann's Hasselblad zoom breaking up into two parts in Namibia...

Best regards
Erik
 
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