Dream Camera thread

[Frank F.]

Friend of mine had hers replaced with a new D600 which had the same issue; then she returned that one and got a D610. She saw my D810 and sold off the D610 and is much happier with the D810.

I ran around with the d600, d750 and D810 plus a collection of fine glass from my bag. I tested them thourougly.

All three had their merits. All three had issues I did not like so much. In the end I decided that the step up from the d600 is not big enough to justify another investment. The D500 was another thing and quite possibly the next D8xx will be too. An the next D7xx.

The fifth generation is a huge leap forward in many respects. Also the High ISO performance of the D5 is mind bending if you need ISO 100.000 capability in your daily work.

 

[Peeb73 1]

The D500 would go nicely with my D610. The dream would be that camera PLUS the 200-500 and maybe a 1.4x to boot. Then all birds would be MINE. Bwa-ha-ha! (evil laugh)...

 

[Frank F.]

Peeb. I had the 200-500/5.6.

Took it to Scotland for birding. Very bulky and heavy. The zoom ring goes a loooong way and slow. Difficult to aim. Difficult to handle with or without monopod.

The right lens for a hideout with a gimbal head sitting in a comfy chair with a hot beverage beside you, possibly a feeder station within reach.

Carrying it is a pain. Aiming is a pain. Zooming is a pain.

I gave it back and got myself the 4/300PF.

A dream in any respect.

 

[Frank F.]

More details (copied from my post in Nikongear forum):

I caried the 200-500/5.6 through Scotland. Optical performance, AF and VR are great.

The ungripped D500 is a tail for the dog 200-500, so I took the tripod collar -- which is actually quite usable -- as a carrying grip.

For me the combination was to heavy for days of walking, although a lot of fun.

I tried it with a monopod. Was not helpful in many cases, so I skipped the monopod after a while.

Now I have the grip which makes the D500 a much better camera ergonomically but I gave back the 200-500/5.6 and aquired the 4/300PF instead.

Frankly I have much more fun with that combination: 1.5 kilo Camera plus 750 grams of lens is a wonderful package for a whole day of shooting, whereas the 2.3 klios of the 200-500 does not balance well with the 900 gramms of the ungripped D500 IMO.

CAVEAT: Because the front of cameras like the D810 and D500 is made of some plastic compound you should take care of the joint between heavy lenses and these bodies D3/D4/D5 are of more solid build.

 

[Peeb73 1]

^ Yeah, I was interested in the 200-500 on account of the terrible size/heft of the sigma 150-600 I tried. If the Nikon is a beast as well, I might be thinking 300PF plus 1.4, but that is probably a thousand dollars more, so that staggers me a bit...

guess this is a 'dream' thread, so sure- I'm in!

 

[PropilotBW]

Needed to update: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark ii, Nikon D500, and Nikon D750. All three.

 

[Frank F.]

I had to pay 300 Euros for the upgrade from 200-500 to 300PF. Brick & Mortar shop

 

[ashleykaryl]

I haven't used the Hasselblad X1D but that is definitely the direction I'd love to go. Nikon and Canon seem too wedded to their 35mm lenses but I could see Olympus or Panasonic doing this; possibly even Sony. The quality of modern 35mm cameras is fine, but I've never liked the proportions.

 

[Solarflare]

I'm super curious how expensive that one will be. But unless it would be insanely cheap, I have other things to attend to first. Either way yes the whole idea is awesome.

100.000 Dollars. Not "insanely cheap"...

Thats their estimate for the 100(?) Megapixel camera - which is of no concern to me.

I would rather like to know how expensive the 4x5 (or rather 5x5) 12 Megapixel sensor will be.

I fear that one will still be out of reach, though.

I haven't used the Hasselblad X1D but that is definitely the direction I'd love to go. Nikon and Canon seem too wedded to their 35mm lenses but I could see Olympus or Panasonic doing this; possibly even Sony. The quality of modern 35mm cameras is fine, but I've never liked the proportions.

You speak in riddles.

What "proportions" ? Do you by chance mean aspect ratio ? I have no qualms to cut out 1:1, 4:3 or 9:16 out of my 2:3 images, so a huge MEH about that one.

And you seem to be curiously ignorant that Fuji does the same thing as Hasselblad ?

 

[ashleykaryl]

Yes by proportions I mean aspect ratio. It's another way of saying the same thing or is that too hard to grasp? I am very happy that you like cropping your images. I don't.

I gather the Fuji isn't even shipping yet and no price known or final list of specs.

 

[Solarflare]

I wouldnt know whats the issue of cropping to a different aspect ratio, especially with modern high megapixel cameras. Why should I stick to 3:2 or 4:3 just because the camera sensor was done that way ?

Proportions could have also refered to the proportions of the camera, which confused me.

Why yes Fuji hasnt shipped or its prices announced. Still it was curious that you only mentioned Olympus, Panasonic and Sony, who have absolutely nothing announced - but ignored Fuji - despite the fact that Hasselblad only now started finally shipping after three delays, while Fuji's release is planned in just a couple months. I see the Fuji system as superior in multiple ways to Hasselblad and clearly inferior only in secondary categories like looks and size. The lenses wont have a central shutter, but that will also make them cheaper, thus its not a clear disadvantage - and the system will still support central shutter in adapted lenses, so its the best of both worlds.

 

[ashleykaryl]

If you work with lots of art directors you tend to find that magazines and catalogues etc are generally a similar format that is pretty much a perfect match for 645.

I used to shoot 6x6 Hasselblad and used a chinagraph pencil to mark off the 645 format on the viewfinder screen. I then ensured the main subject (usually a model) remained within those lines and viewed the composition like the page of a magazine. The art director could then move a little to the left or right if it helped the layout with inserted text, but it was essentially ready to go with no loss of quality or messing around.

You seem a bit upset that I didn't mention the Fuji. I am not quite sure why it's so important to you.

 

[Derrel]

I haven't used the Hasselblad X1D but that is definitely the direction I'd love to go. Nikon and Canon seem too wedded to their 35mm lenses but I could see Olympus or Panasonic doing this; possibly even Sony. The quality of modern 35mm cameras is fine, but I've never liked the proportions.

YES, the Hassy X1D does look very nice! Mirrorless, 50-MP sensor, larger capture area than 35mm systems, shiutter speed rsange of 60 seocnds to 1/2000 second--with flash synch at ALL speeds...to me, flash synch at the high speeds from 1/320 to 1/2000 second would be most welcome for outdoor flash work.

The one thing I find dismaying is the lack of any depth of field markings on the lenses. And...where are the footage and meter markings for distance? maybe I am missing these things, but I see...black barrels and zero markings...which would make a huge number of basic photographic tasks much, much more difficult!

But yeah, this looks like a very nice system. All-new systems usually have teething pains though; I am not 100% sold on this concept, really, for everything.

 

[ashleykaryl]

But yeah, this looks like a very nice system. All-new systems usually have teething pains though; I am not 100% sold on this concept, really, for everything.

I've no doubt there are a few details that will need refinement, though I applaud Hasselblad for trying to keep the camera as uncluttered as possible. The unmarked barrel is curious and it would be interesting to know Hasselblad's logic behind this. They wouldn't have done this just to make a fashion statement.

I once had a long discussion via email with one of their head figures in Sweden about controlling flare who explained the details of internal light dampening plus the thinking behind their bellows lens hoods with front mask. There is a PDF article about this hasselblad_avoiding_flare.pdf | Infinit

 

[Frank F.]

Derrel: I prefer the GFX-System. Fuji makes the lenses for Hasselblad anyway and the same Sony chip is in both, BUT the Fuji features a mechanical shutter unit while the Haselblad relies on builtin leaf shutters in the lenses. Last reason: I have a general brand preference of Fuji.