The NIKON Thread (Talk About Nikon Stuff here)

[Barry S]

  Or just get a Mamiya medium format film camera and get even better resolution at a tiny fraction of the price. I got an RB67 kit on ebay for the price of one Nikon lens and it outshoots any DSLR.
 
 

 
Nice!  I just picked up a RB67 kit locally--body, 2 lenses, 3 backs, screens, prism, compendium shade--all for $150. All I gave to do is replace the foam seals and I'm good to go.

 

[106099]

maybe some DSLR but not any.
 
Quote:

  Or just get a Mamiya medium format film camera and get even better resolution at a tiny fraction of the price. I got an RB67 kit on ebay for the price of one Nikon lens and it outshoots any DSLR.
 

 

[bigshot]

Isn't 2 1/4 x 2 3/4 equivalent to something like 80-100 megapixels? Medium format digital cameras only do 50 megapixels I think.

 

[106099]

That is the theoretical range of what medium format film can have in terms of pixels.  In use, there are more factors into play.  There is the lens and camera combination.  Then there is what kind of film.  For instance, Fuji posted in their specs that Velvia 120mm film can range from 90 to 150mp densities. Other existing films varies and are now tough to get.
Finally after the shot, you need to scan and unless there is a drum scanner involved, you have limitations in resolution from pro/consumer scanners.
Take the popular Nikon scanners with 4000PPI optical specs.  Your 6x6 centimeters converts about to a 2.4 inches with 78mp resolution.
 
Next, there is the issue of dynamic range of the scanned image.  Some of the top DSLR like the D800E, the 1DX, 5DM3, etc can give you nearly 12 f stops.  Negatives only about 3/4 that and slides even less.
 
So even if you had access to a Heidelberg floor scanner, you may not be able to go analog to digital without dropping that gorgeous film captured image.
 
 
Of course, if you do your own prints. Then all this is not your problem.
 
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[bigshot]

Most people who digitize medium format film have it done at the lab. I think most labs will do 80 megapixels. Some might do as much as 150. And with film, you usually use a light meter and work out your exposure to stay in the sweet spot of the latitude.

 

[jc9394]

 

 

[jc9394]

Love the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/21 ZF.2
 

 

[Currawong]

A medium format camera would be useless to me, unfortunately. If anything, I'm pondering a better telephoto zoom than the 28-300mm which I use to capture the kids at the park. At 300mm it is rather poor (though not too bad). I'm scratching my head between just getting a 70-200mm and cropping where required or that Tamron 150-600mm and hoping that it isn't too bad at 600mm.

 

[Yazen]

 

If I find one cheap I will definitely give it a go!
How much does good film go for these days?

 

[106099]

i love the size and flexibility of that nikon 28-300 but you're right.  it is not sharp at 300 even with D800E.  It is good enough for 1080p video though. DXOmark tested that Tamron, can you rent it before purchase?
 
 
Quote:

  A medium format camera would be useless to me, unfortunately. If anything, I'm pondering a better telephoto zoom than the 28-300mm which I use to capture the kids at the park. At 300mm it is rather poor (though not too bad). I'm scratching my head between just getting a 70-200mm and cropping where required or that Tamron 150-600mm and hoping that it isn't too bad at 600mm.

 

[106099]

Pretty much the same as price was 10 years ago.
Here's Adorama's pricing on Amazon.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-Fujichrome-Velvia-Color-Slide/dp/B000VXSGL6/ref=as_li_wdgt_ex?&linkCode=wsw&tag=billyccom-20
 
 
 
Quote:

  If I find one cheap I will definitely give it a go!
How much does good film go for these days?

 

[jc9394]

I use the 70-200 f/2.8 with TC17 for reach to 300mm, the result is acceptable but there are noticeable IQ degradation with D800E and none with D700.

 

[bigshot]

  A medium format camera would be useless to me, unfortunately. If anything, I'm pondering a better telephoto zoom than the 28-300mm which I use to capture the kids at the park.

 
No, it sure wouldn't help for that. Way too slow and deliberate of a process. But when resolution is important, like landscapes, copy work or formal portrait, you can't beat medium format film. The RB67 is a mechanical marvel too.

 

[Currawong]

  i love the size and flexibility of that nikon 28-300 but you're right.  it is not sharp at 300 even with D800E.  It is good enough for 1080p video though. DXOmark tested that Tamron, can you rent it before purchase?

 
I haven't checked if I can rent lenses locally.  I probably should! The 28-300 is fine from about -- I forgot what it was, probably 35-200mm. That's the question in my mind though: How much zoom would be worth sacrificing versus losing pixels from cropping.
 

 

  A medium format camera would be useless to me, unfortunately. If anything, I'm pondering a better telephoto zoom than the 28-300mm which I use to capture the kids at the park.

 
No, it sure wouldn't help for that. Way too slow and deliberate of a process. But when resolution is important, like landscapes, copy work or formal portrait, you can't beat medium format film. The RB67 is a mechanical marvel too.

 
You've reminded me of the Ansel Adams exhibition I went to years ago and stories of him waiting days for the perfect shot.

 

[bigshot]

  You've reminded me of the Ansel Adams exhibition I went to years ago and stories of him waiting days for the perfect shot.

 
That's what larger format photography is all about... planning. Since I was raised shooting film both small and medium format, I find myself shooting entirely different than younger people who have always known digital. My camera is in the bag most of the time while I size up the composition in my head. Once I've decided what I'm going to do, then I grab the camera and focus on the technical issues of achieving what I want. I shoot, then the camera goes back into the bag. I don't get a lot of shots, but they're almost all "keepers". When I'm shooting, you rarely see me looking through my camera, but even when the camera is tucked away, I'm still actively shooting. This technique is ingrained in me. I could never walk around with the camera on my face snapping hundreds of shots like an event photographer. But there are definite advantages for planning out the shot in the street photography I enjoy doing. My subjects don't realize there is a camera, so they don't perform for it. Better spontaneity.
 
Now shooting with the Mamiya is different. It's usually on sticks, so there is no hiding it. When I shoot with it, I try to stand between the camera and the subject blocking their view of it as much as possible. More of a challenge with spontaneity there.