dMF - H2, P45+, 5.4, and the broken water

[Iron Flatline]

Well, I rented a Hasselblad H2, with a 39 Meg back, the P45+ from PhaseOne.

I have to admit I found it daunting and clumsy to use a bunch of gear that I don't know well, but that was to be expected. I was shooting industrial landscapes in bright daylight, trying to test out the dynamic range.

Unfortunately there was a 5.4 earthquake here in LA, and then my wife's water broke, and we had a baby... so I never got to do my nighttime shots with it.

Oh well.

Baby and wife are quite fine, as are my other kids. The camera was returned unharmed.

I am beginning to have the feeling that digital MF is a lot more than I need. I think I may end up buying a 1Ds, it just seems money well spent.

More on this later.

 

[Alpha]

Why not compromise and look into a pre-owned P1 or Leaf back from an authorized dealer? Ok, so what if the 1ds also has 22mp. You get more flexibility with the larger format system.

 

[soylentgreen]

Congrats on the new addition to your family. I wonder if camera insurance covers earthquakes? Dropping a MF rig like that cannot be cheap. :mrgreen: At least the 1Ds will save you about $30K.

 

[Alpha]

Congrats on the new addition to your family. I wonder if camera insurance covers earthquakes? Dropping a MF rig like that cannot be cheap. :mrgreen: At least the 1Ds will save you about $30K.

His back is rented.

And sorry but you clearly don't know what you're talking about. Digital MF backs start as low as $7k new these days. It's only the ultra-primo ones that break $20k. $30k will get you an entire Leaf AFi with the back.

 

[usayit]

Congrats on the new baby!

Think of it this way.... the 1DsMIII will fit the workflow you are already accustomed from your 5D. It will also leverage your investment in the Canon L lenses (and Leica R lenses) you already made.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Yeah, and the Leaf is a wonderful system, I still have a crush on it. But it can't expose longer than 30 seconds, and the two projects I have in mind are longer than that, probably around 45 - 60 seconds. I am hoping for some kind of firmware / software fix that is being promised. Photokina is eight weeks away, who knows what will happen. Leaf acknowledges it's a weakness, but I know I'm one of the few photographers who wants to do it. Phase One is the only company that does it well, but only their newer backs... and those are the most expensive ones.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Congrats on the new baby!

Think of it this way.... the 1DsMIII will fit the workflow you are already accustomed from your 5D. It will also leverage your investment in the Canon L lenses (and Leica R lenses) you already made.

Thank you!

Yeah, the whole exisiting workflow and gear thing is hard to ignore...

 

[Alpha]

Got a temporary address in LA where I can send you a Padron or two?

Congrats on the baby.

 

[Mike_E]

Congrats from me as well!

You know there are MF rangefinders. There are even German ones.

Not Leicas of course but still.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Max, I appreciate the thought. I don't think you're out west right now, or I'd invite you over to meet the boys - then we could go to down to El Coyote. Best tequila selection north or south of the border. Not the biggest, just well chosen. They're not on the menu, but they are in plain sight behind the bartender.

Mike, there are MF Rangefinders... but they use that dreaded film that still stalks me in my nightmares...

As an aside, I (once again) recommend a DVD entitled Manufactured Landscapes by Edward Burtynsky. He shoots MF film, but also has an RF around his neck. His book (same title) is half-half, very good stuff.

 

[Alpha]

You know, if you bought a digital MF back, I could also congratulate you on the other new baby.

 

[Iron Flatline]

It's only a question of time...

Who knows, I'm really torn. I am tired of the whole gear thing. I really want to be creative, not worry about the gear. So the Canon stuff I know, and I won't feel like I have a lot of expensive gear sitting there staring at me...

I'm renting a Leaf next week (again), we'll see how that feels.

 

[Alpha]

I'm thinking about making the move myself. There isn't much in the used market, though, unless I buy a ZD back or shoot tethered with an H20/25. I'm pretty torn as well, not over the equipment starting at me but my bank account staring at me. I'm gonna watch and see if prices on pre-owned backs drop a bit now that the new ones are out. The P1 backs seem to be more affordable than the Leaf ones. Unfortunately, I can't rent where I am.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Phase One has a really great upgrade program. There are few used backs, because owners get a lot of value from P1 when they trade up. It's great for everyone, because it ends up in a loyal relationship that funds continued development. The downside is there are few used backs (and even fewer good used backs) and it requires an initial investment to join the club.

 

[Alpha]

The trade-up program is great. I actually don't see it as much of a downside to the used market because it means that pre-owned backs are often double-checked and controlled by the company itself. It's sort of like buying a "certified pre-owned" car from a dealership versus buying it from some random person.