Dan Beaty wrote:
Lately I have been enjoying the advantages of a Pentax k20d dslr, but I have
great hesitation to sell my MF systems just yet. The RZ quality is awesome,
and the 15MP digital is getting closer to 645. But I am wondering if digital
645 ever becomes more affordable, I will then want to keep my fine selection
of manual focus 45, 55 and 80mm lenses. Of course my original M645 body will
never accept any new backs, so the only reason for keeping it would be to
shoot film with it.

The 645 lenses would not get me much anyway, not nearly as much as it would
cost to replace them with AF later.

Anyone have any ideas regarding the future of MF, or advise for me here?
Remembering how the demand for TLR's returned just a few years ago, I am
wondering if my Mamiya equipment might later become valuable again. Or
should I unload it while film is still holding on?

I was chatting with a pro last week and she _never_ uses her MF gear for
jobs anymore. Totally digital. And her 'ignorant' (her words)
customers insist on digital even if she believes a job is better done on
MF. She only uses MF for personal work now.

If you're going to keep a MF system, go with the largest format, IMO, so
the RZ67 if you have it already. (Almost bought same a few years ago
but ended up with a hassy system instead).

I hear some people say that there is resurgent interest in MF film, so
prices should not drop. (No proof seen,...). In one California store a
few weeks ago they had plentiful stocks of MF film (color & B&W), so it
looks like a viable format for the near term.

As I bought a Nikon 9000 scanner a couple years ago, it is a long way
from having done enough scanning to justify it ... though a recent dozen
rolls have yielded about 20 great shots. Maybe 5% of the way there...

FF 35mm format cameras (Canon, Nikon and soon Sony) at 20+ Mpix yield
clean, sharp images, however and I have a better lens system for my
Minolta/Sony system than for my Hasselblad... it will be harder and
harder to shoot MF just for the cost of film and processing and the time
scanning.

I have no idea if Pentax will go FF. Sony have supplied sensors to
Pentax in the past. I personally hope Sony get a lot of sensor demand
as it creates competition for the bodies while reducing Sony's costs due
to volume.

Cheers,
Alan.

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