Versatile DSLR

In article .com,
wrote:

On Aug 18, 10:22 pm, Rebecca Ore wrote:
In article ,
Paul Furman wrote:

I think you'd need a whole lot more that $3,000 to do medium format
digital.

I've seen some used backs for about that on eBay.

Really? Are you sure that it is a digital back, not the regular back
for the camera? I thought the cost of a digital back is closer to the
one suggested by Roy G.

This was in a discussion a couple of weeks ago elsewhere and I don't
have the links available easily (eBay). I have a Hassy and used film
backs for it are no where near $300 these days, much less $3,000. I'd
suggest you use the eBay search function. The backs would be older and
probably 16 MP or less.


If I have to pay that much, I may as well get
a D1X or 1D
I don't even know if there is a digital back made specifically for
M645 or RB67. The newer RZ67 is probably better fitted for such
transformation into a digital camera. What a pity!

I don't know about that but I think a lot of backs can be used on even
older Hasselblad bodies. They may be tethered, though.

Alan Clifford wrote:
On Sat, 18 Aug 2007, RichA wrote:

R On Aug 18, 2:26 pm, wrote:
R DSLR may be completely different from others. I do not want to buy a
R DSLR for the sake that it has the flexibility for having
R interchangeble lenses, but because it has a larger sensor.
R
R Go buy a Nikon D80 and their 18-200mm lens. It's all you should ever
R need.

I thought about this combination to replace my Nikon 8800 which I bought
because of its relatively large, but still smallish, sensor.

What I miss is a manual focus ring on the lens and a
bar/fresnel/ground glass focusing screen in the viewfinder. Does the
D80/18-200 combination have anything like that?

No DSLR has a focusing aid that I know of (3rd party screens excepted)
but the D80 has a uniquely large, bright viewfinder.

--
Paul Furman Photography
http://edgehill.net
Bay Natives Nursery
http://www.baynatives.com

Rebecca Ore wrote:
Paul Furman wrote:

I think you'd need a whole lot more that $3,000 to do medium format digital.

I've seen some used backs for about that on eBay.

OK, I really don't know. Maybe a scanning back?


--
Paul Furman Photography
http://edgehill.net
Bay Natives Nursery
http://www.baynatives.com

In article ,
Paul Furman wrote:

Rebecca Ore wrote:
Paul Furman wrote:

I think you'd need a whole lot more that $3,000 to do medium format digital.

I've seen some used backs for about that on eBay.

OK, I really don't know. Maybe a scanning back?

There's a Leaf Valeo 6 MP up for under $1500 from Shutterbug now. One
16 MP back is $5K and another for $3550. All prices Buy It Now. They
don't look like scanning backs and mention sensor conditions. With a
under $8K Mamiya back out there, the smaller used backs will be coming
down in price.

On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 20:44:28 GMT, CoffeeTalk
wrote:

On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 20:06:40 GMT, Matt Ion wrote:

That's the thing with SLRs,
is that the range of what's available is so wide and varied.

And a pity that there's not one lens that fits all needs. In turn it's a praise
for P&S cameras where their long-zoom lenses with fairly wide apertures are at
least approaching what an advanced photographer needs for almost every shot.

Right, except for sensor size, and the OP specifically stated they
require a large sensor.

KS

wrote in message
ups.com...

Another criteria is economics... i.e. I do not want to spend money
for a professional (read - expensive) type DSLR which costs a lot of
money. If I can afford to spend over $3000, I may as well looking
for a digital back for my M645 or RB67 (any suggestion for a cheap
one, if available?).


A MF Digital Back would cost around $25000 to $30000 and another $3000,
would get you 3 years extended warranty on it.

Roy G

Hi
Don't know if this will be of any interest to you -
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/find/n...sletter-ZD.jsp
Your still looking at $7000 but I thought the last bit might be useful info
"If you currently own a Mamiya 645AF, Mamiya will upgrade your camera to
accept the ZD back at no additional cost when you purchase a ZD digital
back."
HTH

Tim
--
http://www.timdenning.myby.co.uk/

On Aug 19, 11:53 am, "Tim" no wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...

Another criteria is economics... i.e. I do not want to spend money
for a professional (read - expensive) type DSLR which costs a lot of
money. If I can afford to spend over $3000, I may as well looking
for a digital back for my M645 or RB67 (any suggestion for a cheap
one, if available?).

A MF Digital Back would cost around $25000 to $30000 and another $3000,
would get you 3 years extended warranty on it.

Roy G

Hi
Don't know if this will be of any interest to you -http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/find/newsLetter/Digital-Cameras-Newslet...
Your still looking at $7000 but I thought the last bit might be useful info
"If you currently own a Mamiya 645AF, Mamiya will upgrade your camera to
accept the ZD back at no additional cost when you purchase a ZD digital
back."
HTH

Tim
--http://www.timdenning.myby.co.uk/

Thanks for your info Tim? What camera that you used on the photos in
your website?
About the camera back... it is still expensive to update my M645/RB67
to become digital cameras. The costs that you mentioned can buy top of
the line professional SLR!.
It is also likely that my cameras are too old for updating into
digital ones. You indicated a Mamiya 645AF. I think it is a fairly new
Mamiya (c. 1999). Mine was a c.1980 camera (M645 1000s). I think this
is getting out of my original topic, and perhaps I should switch to
the rec.photo.equipment.medium-format usergroup.
It looks like that I could not go into the digital age with old
equipments, and it is a shame just by looking at the lens for my
Mamiya. They are big and of excellent qualities.

snip
Hi
Don't know if this will be of any interest to you
-http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/find/newsLetter/Digital-Cameras-Newslet...
Your still looking at $7000 but I thought the last bit might be
useful info "If you currently own a Mamiya 645AF, Mamiya will
upgrade your camera to
accept the ZD back at no additional cost when you purchase a ZD
digital
back."
HTH

Tim
--http://www.timdenning.myby.co.uk/

Thanks for your info Tim? What camera that you used on the photos in
your website?
About the camera back... it is still expensive to update my M645/RB67
to become digital cameras. The costs that you mentioned can buy top of
the line professional SLR!.
It is also likely that my cameras are too old for updating into
digital ones. You indicated a Mamiya 645AF. I think it is a fairly new
Mamiya (c. 1999). Mine was a c.1980 camera (M645 1000s). I think this
is getting out of my original topic, and perhaps I should switch to
the rec.photo.equipment.medium-format usergroup.
It looks like that I could not go into the digital age with old
equipments, and it is a shame just by looking at the lens for my
Mamiya. They are big and of excellent qualities.

Hi
The pictures on my website were taken with a Sony P&S
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/t1.html
A nice little camera to carry around but the pictures are very noisy :-(

I've now got a Nikon D70s which I'm struggling to get to grips with - I'm
not a natural born photographer I think
The pictures on my Flickr pages wre taken with that - I use the name
Lusername on there
http://flickr.com/photos/lusername/

There are some groups on Flickr that might be of use to you - I think you
might have to sign up to see them though - but that's free

http://flickr.com/search/groups/?w=all&q=Nikon&m=names
http://flickr.com/search/groups/?w=all&q=Canon&m=names

Hope that's of some use

Tim
--
http://www.timdenning.myby.co.uk/

wrote:

It looks like that I could not go into the digital age with old
equipments, and it is a shame just by looking at the lens for my
Mamiya. They are big and of excellent qualities.



You might look for lens adaptors, or someone who can make them for you. I
have a Novoflex bellows which was manufactured to fit a Leica R4. I
bought it after determining that an adaptor was available and now use it
on Canon EOS SLRs. The price, even with the adaptor, was much less than
what used bellows to fit EOS were selling for. I suspect that off the
shelf adaptors may not be available for Mamiya MF lenses, but a good
machinist should be able to make one.

On Aug 18, 2:26 pm, wrote:
I am sure that this type of question have been raised thousands of
time, but I just want to get some more opinions from the readers.
I am thinking about a DSLR (finally). However, my requirements for a
DSLR may be completely different from others. I do not want to buy a
DSLR for the sake that it has the flexibility for having
interchangeble lenses, but because it has a larger sensor.
Another criteria is economics... i.e. I do not want to spend money for
a professional (read - expensive) type DSLR which costs a lot of
money. If I can afford to spend over $3000, I may as well looking for
a digital back for my M645 or RB67 (any suggestion for a cheap one, if
available?). Top of my budget will be a D80 or 30D range. Is the
entry level DSLR (Is XT/Xti or D40/D40x any good?)
I am open to suggestion on info related to non-popular DSLR. What zoom
lens that comes as standard package with the camera, which will allow
me the most possible range without changing lenses?
I am aware that some readers will immediately comment or ask about the
kind of photos that I am planning to take. All kinds... whatever the
camera is capable. I usually buy the camera first, and utilize its
limits or capability accordingly... without getting sucked into buying
more accessories....ie. once I buy it, I have to live with it, and no
plan for getting another set of lenses, accesories, etc.
Thanks for your input.


I'd go for a Nikon D80, D200 is better, or a Pentax K10, the Canon
viewfinders aren't up to those cameras. Some DSLR viewfiders are porro
mirror, and unmagnified, so they are like looking trough a dim tunnel,
Canon 30D is a little better than this. With film SLRs you had the
cheapest cameras being the most manual, with DSLRs this is reversed,
cheaper cameras take away or make manual operation more difficult.
This is by haveing more controls in the menus rather than by on camera
controls. Lenses are similar the consumer lenses are more difficult to
manual focus. The Nikon D200 and the Pentax K10 both can use older
lenses, though you say you aren't interested, a nice feature to have.
I would suggest getting 2 lenses, an f2.8 17-50 Tamron, Nikon if you
want to spend the $, and a 70-300, Nikon has a nice VR lens in this
range. With any of the 10mp cameras they will give your Mamiya 645 a
run for its money with a good lens. Saw a 6mp blow away a 645 in a 50
person group shot several years a go.

Tom