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Well i was looking for something a little bit different, something that pushed me into a different format (digital MF) and pulled me back into an old favorite.



I also picked up a Zeiss 80mm/f2 lens. So now the next thing to do is find a 35mm lens and the hard part; a digital back.

Here is a bit of a comparison in size to 35mm gear.

Andrew,

Finding the back is probably not that hard.

Paying for it is the challenge. The Phase 1 backs for the 'blads that Leigh is currently working with are in the vicinity of Au$38K each, but they produce delicious images, although the Zeiss glass is certainly helpful there too.

I still have an old ETRs here, and I love using the larger formats, and especially sheet film, but it's been a long time since I've played in that sandpit.

fantastic

i'm jealous

medium format is sweet!

Tho I havent had any experience with MF, have not got biten by its sweetness, but Im still jealous !

Gary,

You should bring it to the next meet. I wouldn't mind seeing it. Correct me if i'm wrong, but is it a Bronica?

The backs are a bit pricey. Might have to sell of one of my kids or something like that. But i'm sure he'll understand.

Wendel,

I just hope i can find a nice 22MP back second hand. Most people who get them keep them for ages.

wendellt wrote:fantastic

i'm jealous

medium format is sweet!

It is sweet!!! That's why I'm shooting MF mostly these days Pulling out my D70 very rarely

Padey,

You can apparently find them reconditioned.

ahh nice! best of luck sourcing an affordable digital back!

Nnnnsic wrote:Padey,

You can apparently find them reconditioned.

Any good place to search for them? Or eBay as usually?

Hlop wrote:

Nnnnsic wrote:Padey,

You can apparently find them reconditioned.

Any good place to search for them? Or eBay as usually?

never spend more than $3000 on ebay it's comon sense
i think in that mag photographic trader there are some second hand phase ones but i don't know why anyone would be sellign such a wonderful piece of technology

wendellt wrote:
never spend more than $3000 on ebay it's comon sense
i think in that mag photographic trader there are some second hand phase ones but i don't know why anyone would be sellign such a wonderful piece of technology

6,16 and 22 Mpixel backs a re being sold because there are 32 and 39 Mpx backs

Plus there are newer and faster versions of the less megapixel backs with better ISO ability.

I'd contact someone who sells them in Australia for buying them, even with reconditioned models and such, as they can be prone to problems depending on the unit moreso than say 35mm digi.

Thanks Leigh! Appreciate this!

Apparently L&P in Sydney has some factory reconditioned P25's going cheap at the moment. The sales chap was out here last week cos we were looking at the possibility of another back for one of the 67's.

Still not "cheap" tho! Prepare to walk away with a grin from ear to ear and a missing limb or two!

What is the ballpark for "cheap"

Well..the P25 we have was around $45k about 1.5-2 years ago.

The recon units were in the $27k+ ball park (as far as I can remember..and my memory isn't crash hot!)

That's very similar to what I know the reconditioned units go for...

Phew - for once my memory didn't completely fail me!

why not just get film scanned. drum scan better than any mf digi back.

i love the anticipation of waiting for slides to get dev'd then looking at them through a loupe on a light table.

i miss my hassy but im loving having heaps of lenses for my bronny.

Mostly cost and convenience.

A digi back will cost more immediately, but you can see the images immediately which is a big bonus.

Plus, knowing that you can shoot gigs of images without development costs is a big plus considering that the amount of film needed to develop to get the same amount of images is likely to be sky high too.

Do digital backs have to be tethered to a computer to work, or do they have storage built in? I'd hate to think of the file sizes from a ~40MP camera

Edit: Forgot to say congrats on the new toy, looks like great fun & I look forward to seeing shots from it

They can be untethered or tethered, Patrick.

how much film and developing can you get with $45k?

i like the fact that i can't see the results straight away and that i can just shoot as many pics as i want. makes me think a lot more about my composition. but if i want to see results straight away i have a polaroid back (which i love). i also shoot with a 1d but i use that only for sequences or web use and use the bronny for stills. most skate mags still wont run digi full page or cover.

thing i don't like about the digi backs is the lack of full frame. would make my fisheye useless.

but if i could afford a digi back i'd still like to have one.

dont mamiya do a 22megapixel mf camera?

may have been an english mag i looked at so i dont recall if it was pounds or dollars but i think the price was around the 10k mark.

dont recall the specs exaclty so it may not be full full frame mf, prob similar cropping to the digi slrs take on 35mm

obzelite wrote:dont mamiya do a 22megapixel mf camera?

Yes, but it's not modular and you can't upgrade the back.

http://www.mamiya.com/cameras.asp?id=1&id2=2107

That's a helluva camera Andrew. I thought you were waiting for the release of the Fuji S4 Enjoy the new toy. Look forward to seeing the images
cheers
marco

marcotrov wrote:That's a helluva camera Andrew. I thought you were waiting for the release of the Fuji S4 Enjoy the new toy. Look forward to seeing the images
cheers
marco

Yeah i still am waiting for the S4.

I'm just trialing the MF digital. Part personal use and part business.

If it's good, i'll use it more for business. Well when ever i'm out doors as the backs only go up to 800ISO and get a bit grainy at 800.

---Update/mini hands on review---

The contax that bought fell through. The owner was giving me the run around, wanting to pay into different accounts. It was all a bit odd, so I just canned the whole deal. Anyway, I ended up picking up a Mamiya 645 AFD kit in great condition. The kit comes with a film back and 80mm f2.8 lens. It even had some film in it. The downside to moving away from Contax is the slower glass; the upside is that at least Mamiya are still in business and making glass/bodies....

I was surprised at the speed of the Mamiya AF. In comparison to my Nikon gear, it’s as fast as a non AFS lens on a D200. And wow, the view finder is massive and bright. I thought the view finder on the D2x was big, but this is MF heaven. (I’d forgotten how big it was.)

As far as a digital back goes, I ‘might’ have got my hands on a digital back also. I’ll let you know once the deal is done.