On 04 Feb 2004 22:26:48 GMT, (SoarHead) wrote:

this is
very easy with digital. In fact just about everything is much easier
with digital, and you'll get better results, too!! (let the flames
begin...)

No flames here. I went all digital last year with my Mamiya and Kodak 645M and
love it. I also went Fuji S2 and Nikon D2H and they have improved my game
considerably for sports and photojournalism. The Medium format 16 megapixel
Kodak does a great portrait job. I was curious how the 14N was working in that
department.

It seems to me that the CCD for the 14n must be similar in behavior to
that of the 645, except for being 4536 X 3024 instead of 4080 X 4080.
My understanding is that these backs have a 150% lens factor, so the
physical sensor size must be somewhat similar. You appear to have
made intelligent choices for your specific applications; I certainly
wouldn't favor using the 14n for applications outside the studio or in
situations where I couldn't control the lighting adequately. I'm
still trying to work around the well-known problems with shadow noise,
and am also experiencing some peculiar artifacting with highlights.
The oddest thing--sometimes overexposed skies contain areas that
appear to be filled with some sort of PC layout pattern, possibly an
image of the CCD die itself...do you ever see this or are my eyeballs
going? I love having the extra resolution to permit cropping, and RAW
imaging to help control exposure & color problems.

On the whole aspect of shooting weddings for some cash, but not to sure about
shooting people...
If I had a buck for all the people that want to kill the wedding photographer
for poor lighting etc...
Pre-plan by visiting the site...finding out what the couple wants.
Get some friends, relatives to help you test your lighting setup and practice
your people skills.
Dress up to their level and wear a happy face. Try to plan photo windows in
the schedule and get the formal bride shots out of the way before the ceremony.
They should be your first shots of the day...tell her how pretty she is and
have fun...(and don't drink until you're done...I have my wedding pictures as
examples.)
Vince

Excellent suggestions all--common sense but often ignored or
forgotten. I'd only add that an extra set or two of batteries for the
flash, a backup camera, backup everything actually...you only have a
chance to get it right once. For many interior situations I like the
results I get using barebulb flash with a 400 W-S Quantum-X.