I
Iron Flatline
Guest
Ok, I have tested various systems, and have decided not to buy into any of them. I'm simply not ready.
Instead, I bought a Canon 1Ds Mk III. I got a good price on it, and I have a lot of good Canon and Leica lenses that work on the EF mount. I did buy a 24mm Tilt-Shift lens, and I am very happy with it.
The dMF gear is extremely expensive, and I needed to evaluate buying the $7,500 1Ds vs. a $40,000+ system with new camera, lenses, and a digital back that would substantially exceed the 1Ds results - in my hands. There are more competent photographers who could eek breathtaking files out of such cameras, but the projects I'm working on haven't taken me to the edge of the Canon's abilities.
I tested the Hasselblad H system with a Hassy back and a Phase One back, and I also tested the Sinar/Leaf system with a Leaf back. There is no competition in my mind, the Leaf wins hands down.
I also wanted to evaluate a more classical form of photography, potentially by including ground glass as part of the capture. I've decided against that though, because I want to focus on what I know, and get the shots I like.
But there are several minor, and one major issue that ultimately clinched it for me:
minor: the Canon is familiar to me, and though the UI is different than the 5D (and the D60 before it), it is so similar that I can just concentrate on the creative work, and not have to pause and think about every little adjustment. It makes me move between my two brain halves too much, and takes the fun out. Obviously in relatively short time, I would get past that though.
minor: I have two systems already (Canon EOS, Leica M) and a third system strikes me a little pointless.
major: I have said this before, but it loomed large for me: photography is a hobby, not a job. I have periods where I switch systems because I want to shoot a certain way, and I was worried that having a mega-expensive system resting on the shelf would make me feel pressure to use it all the time, to get the most out of all the money I spent on it. And that would not be fun, which is the point of all of this for me. I do a lot of business, and there is some pressure.
Fortunately I've been quite successful and while others buy Italian sports cars, I buy cameras (and German sports cars...:er
- but photography for me is about creativity, just getting away from the desk and capturing things that I see. A new system (regardless of cost) would not help.
I believe this first session was the proof of the pudding. The JPG is crap, and I'm working off a tiny laptop, not my main system back in Berlin. Nonetheless I believe it will be a good print once I work on it for a while.
Canon 1Ds, 45mm TS lens (rented).
Oh, and I bought second camera, and honestly it's the best piece of gear I bought in years: the Canon G9. What a fantastic camera... and I bought the underwater housing for it, too... and am getting great shots of the boys in the pool.
Instead, I bought a Canon 1Ds Mk III. I got a good price on it, and I have a lot of good Canon and Leica lenses that work on the EF mount. I did buy a 24mm Tilt-Shift lens, and I am very happy with it.
The dMF gear is extremely expensive, and I needed to evaluate buying the $7,500 1Ds vs. a $40,000+ system with new camera, lenses, and a digital back that would substantially exceed the 1Ds results - in my hands. There are more competent photographers who could eek breathtaking files out of such cameras, but the projects I'm working on haven't taken me to the edge of the Canon's abilities.
I tested the Hasselblad H system with a Hassy back and a Phase One back, and I also tested the Sinar/Leaf system with a Leaf back. There is no competition in my mind, the Leaf wins hands down.
I also wanted to evaluate a more classical form of photography, potentially by including ground glass as part of the capture. I've decided against that though, because I want to focus on what I know, and get the shots I like.
But there are several minor, and one major issue that ultimately clinched it for me:
minor: the Canon is familiar to me, and though the UI is different than the 5D (and the D60 before it), it is so similar that I can just concentrate on the creative work, and not have to pause and think about every little adjustment. It makes me move between my two brain halves too much, and takes the fun out. Obviously in relatively short time, I would get past that though.
minor: I have two systems already (Canon EOS, Leica M) and a third system strikes me a little pointless.
major: I have said this before, but it loomed large for me: photography is a hobby, not a job. I have periods where I switch systems because I want to shoot a certain way, and I was worried that having a mega-expensive system resting on the shelf would make me feel pressure to use it all the time, to get the most out of all the money I spent on it. And that would not be fun, which is the point of all of this for me. I do a lot of business, and there is some pressure.
Fortunately I've been quite successful and while others buy Italian sports cars, I buy cameras (and German sports cars...:er
- but photography for me is about creativity, just getting away from the desk and capturing things that I see. A new system (regardless of cost) would not help.I believe this first session was the proof of the pudding. The JPG is crap, and I'm working off a tiny laptop, not my main system back in Berlin. Nonetheless I believe it will be a good print once I work on it for a while.
Canon 1Ds, 45mm TS lens (rented).
Oh, and I bought second camera, and honestly it's the best piece of gear I bought in years: the Canon G9. What a fantastic camera... and I bought the underwater housing for it, too... and am getting great shots of the boys in the pool.
![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/37/37602-1ef8dbb1c2d0e4ff347ee65d328c3603.jpg?1619738147)
