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What makes your MF system tick for you?

You can make multiply choices here so. So mark the items you find most important

  • Body

    Votes: 19 41.3%
  • Lenses

    Votes: 37 80.4%
  • Back Type or Size

    Votes: 22 47.8%
  • Software

    Votes: 12 26.1%
  • System Parts and accessories

    Votes: 8 17.4%
  • Dealer or Retailer

    Votes: 6 13.0%
  • Flexibility and Integration

    Votes: 16 34.8%
  • Price

    Votes: 12 26.1%
  • Image factor

    Votes: 25 54.3%
  • Service and Support

    Votes: 9 19.6%

  • Total voters
    46

Frank Doorhof

New member
To be honest I know since yesterday that I'm keeping my Mamiya gear.
I was planning on selling everything and maybe switch to Hasselblads H2 with the Leaf but now that Leaf is a Phase one company I'm thinking about buying the new camera as soon as it's available and keep the AFD/III as backup (If I ever get it back from repairs :( )

So to be honest I'm just now looking at the whole Phase camera thing with a new eye.
 

Georg Baumann

Subscriber Member
Frank,

reading between your lines....

if you should have trouble with phase one gear and are reasonably not happy with response times, send me a PM and I gladly bring you in contact with some chaps I know... hoping they might be able to help....
 

Frank Doorhof

New member
Hi
the problems I'm having at the moment are with my Mamiya afd3 body.
I'm probably buying a phase one body when the new camera is released. I don't want to go into details on the forum.
 

Georg Baumann

Subscriber Member
Besides the new vertical grip, I was told they improved the AF as well, should be pleasing you for your line of work in deed!
 

Frank Doorhof

New member
I'm now shooting with a borrowed AFD I untill my AFD/III is back :( and although I'm glad I can shoot on location with a lighter camera than the RZ man that AF is bad :D
The AFD/II was better and the AFD/III is much better, this is the first time I shot with the AFD/I and I can understand why people don't like it :D

The new camera is very high on my wish list.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
LOL you said a mouth full Frank. The AFD is a turtle slow camera and when you go from the III it makes it even more obvious. I like the III but certainly I think every III owner would say improvements and/or new body would be welcome . But i think any camera owner of any system would say the same thing. I hold that III for a long time sometimes actually yesterday 6 hours worth and it could be more hand friendly
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
There's a car commercial where the actor asks the simple question - "when you turn your car on does it return the favor?"

I tend to see the same in my camera gear. I normally have the WRS sitting on the tripod in my living room as I generally see it as a piece of art as well as being on the ready for then the mountains out my rack yard light up. And I never tire of seeing the setup so the answer to the commercial's question is yes.

I think I've finally found the perfect mix of lens, body and back. The lenses I have are all more than capable of outstanding results - so long as I keep my end of the deal; the body is - well I believe it's "perfect for me" [what may be perfect for me mightn't work for everyone]. The third part is the back and like the lenses is more than capable of outstanding results so long as I keep my end of the deal. [This is not to say that I'm not interested in the newer backs from Phase, primarily the P65.]

Software, dealer [which in my opinion includes service and support] and manufacture all bring a lot to the table as without these there simply wouldn't be the main three items above.

Price [at least for me] is the least important and I'm not made of money either. Yes it's important however buy right the first time and save money in the long run; this is where the art of negotiation enters into the mix. Landscape photography is not my hobby it's my career and one I take seriously so when I decide on a set of tools I want the very best I can afford so I do my due diligence researching, testing the tools as well as understanding the market values. This is where finding the right dealer is so important.

I decided early on that I wanted a dealer that specializes in one medium format back so if/when there was a problem and I called I wouldn't find that the guy that specializes in that back didn't show up for work however the other guy would attempt to help me out. I also wanted a dealer that had a good reputation, not only with the manufacture but more importantly their customers. It's one thing to be named "dealer of the year" it's another having the loyalty of their customers. All this come at a price. A price that is well worth it.

There you have it, my little dissertation on what makes my MF system tick for me. When I turn it on it returns the favor.

Don

It's also interesting to me that currently "Price" is 32.69% to "Service and Support" is 23.08% I figured it would be the other way around.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
Don, in how far do you think the P65+ could be an improvement for you?
Thomas

I'm afraid the answer is rather subjective. I like the idea of having the extra megapixels the P65 has as well as the slightly larger frame size. I also like what I've read about the LCC. Now that I understand the sensor+ and binning a little better (thanks to Ken Doo) I can see some applications where I could use this. What I don't like is the limitation on the exposure time.

While I am interested in the P65 I am also not ready to jump ship from my very trusty P45+ for it. I'd need to really use the P65 a heck of a lot more before I do.

Hope this answers the question..

Don
 

thomas

New member
Hope this answers the question.
Yes, thanks!
Makes sense...
Probably slightly less movements as with P45 (due to the smaller pixels) and no gain in IQ at the edges (even with the P45 movements are limited if you look very critical at edge sharpness). But for single shots and regarding the aspects you like about the P65+ it could be worth an upgrade.
 
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