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Old April 20th 11, 06:55 PM posted to rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Greg Faris
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Default Aero-Technika question

In article , says...



It's going to be a long time before a cost effective large format digital
sensor is produced that matches the quality and resolution of aero film.
Even so, it's such a limited market, the cost will still be high. Just
look at the price of digital backs for medium format today. And they are
only 36 x 48mm in size.



The case of oblique aerial photography is unique. Though it may be
pictorial in nature, there is a "data acquisition" aspect to it. You may be
taking a picture for a real estate agent who wants to sell a property, but
sooner or later someone is going to put a magnifying glass on it to try to
find some elusive detail. Nothing beats large-format film for this. It’s
possible to shoot a scene a kilometer wide from 4000 feet and still get a
car license plate off it. I don’t believe any digital sensor today can do
that. Flight time is expensive, re-shoots usually prohibitively so, working
pace can be fast, and you want a compact maneuverable device that can pack
in as much data as possible on every shot. You don’t have time or room to
fiddle with things. The Aero-Technika is a 4x5 point-and-shoot!

Vertical photogrammetry and remote sensing have largely moved away from
photographic means, using mostly Laser Radar (LIDAR) for preparation of
maps. The images yield nowhere near the resolution of film, but they give
other types of information, such as precise height and contour which are
difficult to interpret in vertical photographs. Other airborne scientific
applications are using digital and electronic sensors as well, so digital
has pretty much caught up with that end of aerial photography, and users
will be retiring their Zeiss RMK Top and Leitz Wild 9X9" cameras. We can
expect that digital photography will catch up with film for oblique aerial
use as well, but perhaps not quickly. Many photographers are now saying the
22MP sensors currently available are more than good enough for any type of
general photography, and there is just not much impetus for higher
resolutions. So I tend to agree with your assessment that any new sensor
able to compete with 4x5 film for aerial work will likely remain VERY
expensive for some time to come.