Digital Medium Format

Isn't it about time there were decent medium format digital cameras?

Charlie Dickens asks:

Isn't it about time there were decent medium format digital cameras?

Catch up on the news. There are a bunch of backs out and Hassie just accounced
their own 16+ MP, IIRC. For about ten grand.

Is Hasselblad decent enough for you?

Charlie Self
"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of
common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever
ineligible for public office." H. L. Mencken

Charlie Dickens asks:

Isn't it about time there were decent medium format digital cameras?

Catch up on the news. There are a bunch of backs out and Hassie just accounced
their own 16+ MP, IIRC. For about ten grand.

Is Hasselblad decent enough for you?

Charlie Self
"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of
common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever
ineligible for public office." H. L. Mencken

Mmm. Hassleblad are good enough, but not at 10 Grand.



"Charlie Self" wrote in message
...
Charlie Dickens asks:

Isn't it about time there were decent medium format digital cameras?

Catch up on the news. There are a bunch of backs out and Hassie just
accounced
their own 16+ MP, IIRC. For about ten grand.

Is Hasselblad decent enough for you?

Charlie Self
"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of
common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever
ineligible for public office." H. L. Mencken

Well...you can double that to $20 grand and get the new and not yet released
Mamiya...22 mp....looks and acts like a 35 mm SLR with a giant sensor. I
think the link is www.mamiya.com


"Charles Dickens" wrote in message
...
Mmm. Hassleblad are good enough, but not at 10 Grand.



"Charlie Self" wrote in message
...
Charlie Dickens asks:

Isn't it about time there were decent medium format digital cameras?

Catch up on the news. There are a bunch of backs out and Hassie just
accounced
their own 16+ MP, IIRC. For about ten grand.

Is Hasselblad decent enough for you?

Charlie Self
"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor
of
common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever
ineligible for public office." H. L. Mencken

Think very expensive sensors. Not for nothing that the pro-sumer DSSRs
have a focal plane smaller even than a 35mm frame.

Charles Dickens wrote:
Isn't it about time there were decent medium format digital cameras?

Charles Dickens writes:

Mmm. Hassleblad are good enough, but not at 10 Grand.

It's about the cheapest one out there, and, anyway, is the back only. You gotta
add your own Hasselblad. If you consider the 4 to 8K it costs for a near 35mm
equivalent body, a back for 10K doesn't seem so bad.

Charlie Self
"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of
common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever
ineligible for public office." H. L. Mencken

Charles Dickens writes:

Mmm. Hassleblad are good enough, but not at 10 Grand.

It's about the cheapest one out there, and, anyway, is the back only. You gotta
add your own Hasselblad. If you consider the 4 to 8K it costs for a near 35mm
equivalent body, a back for 10K doesn't seem so bad.

Charlie Self
"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of
common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever
ineligible for public office." H. L. Mencken

Most of the digital backs for medium format cameras use sensors about the
size of a full 35mm frame but with much higher pixel counts than what is
available in the 35mm camera size.
The more pertinent question is why aren't sensors of this calibre available
in the 35mm SLR format?
To me the most interesting add-on digital back for the buck is not what is
out there for medium format cameras but what Leica is making available for
their SLR. If the Leica system is as good as advertised the buy in cost,
while high, would be less than for medium format and use Leica lenses with
their generally very high quality.
One can only hope that Nikon has a similar plan for the new F6.

"Charles Dickens" wrote in message
...
Isn't it about time there were decent medium format digital cameras?

Be careful what you wish for. A 22 mp image requires 66 MB of memory
to represent inside an image editor - before you begin any edits, before/
after saves, etc. You'd need a very fast and high memory computer to
play with it. Your disk and CD space would also be chewed up fast,
especially if you save lossless images at 40-50 MB each (and why would
you be using lossy compression if you were spending so much to get
a 22 mp image?)

I can think of some commercial applications where all this might
be justified. It's hard to think of amateur/hobbyist applications
where it would be.

Alan

P.S., I really liked your book, _Great Expectations_. But it's been
an awfully long time since you've published anything. How about
some new novels?