This topic does not exist yet You've followed a link to a topic that doesn't exist yet. If permissions allow, you may create it by clicking on “Create this page”.Two Links Concerning Professional Photography New Products: Canon 5D Mark IV and Fujifilm 23mm f/2 Photography Isn't About Photography Changing the Subject (Apropos Yesterday) Wednesday Open Mike: Dog Days Book Report (OT) Subscribe in a reader « The Best Bargain in a Film Camera |Random Excellence: Gary Nylander » Book of the Week Legal and social issues Quote o' the DayI've been meaning to post this for a couple weeks now but never got to finishing (or actually re-filming) the video, so as usual, it ends up being posted as is. As you could see in a previous post, I am now the proud owner of a Mamiya AFD II + ZD digital back outfit. It works a treat and delivers stunning images under the right circumstances. What I love most about this system is its versatility.

I've always loved things that I could use for more than one thing. I do not like proprietary accessories for this reason: you can only use any certain accessory for one thing, and one thing only, and because I'm on a budget, I like to get the most out of any one piece that I pay for. I think companies that thrive on propriatery accessories are the incarnation of economic evil. The Mamiya AF series, however, is versatile enough to do everything you need with one system.The same system can take either film or digital backs. The same film insert can do either 120 or 220 film. The Mamiya ZD digital back, unlike any other digital back, is designed so that the hot mirror is user-accessible and removable and interchangeable, so you can easily switch between IR photography and regular photography, for example, any time you want. Also, the digital back accepts both SD and CF memory card formats, so there. You can use anything you have on this camera. Moreover,  the camera takes 6xAA batteries so you're never stuck with proprietary batteries that could possibly be discontinued, and the digital back accepts another brand's batteries which are much cheaper than Mamiya's own make and do the same thing.

I'm using my Canon speedlites in manual mode with YongNuo's YN-622c's as remote triggers. The Mamiya that I had bought only came with a digital back though, and I just had to get a film back for it. The Vacuum Cleaner World Artificial IntelligenceBut buying them separate is not a budget-friendly idea as they go near £50 second hand. Beagle Puppies For Sale In Harrisburg Pa AreaWhat I do in such a case is simple: I pay more. 48 Fluorescent Light Bulbs Home DepotSo I got myself a nice Mamiya 645, 80mm f2.8 and film back kit. My plan is simple: keep the back, sell the rest. The seller has a second film back going separately but I missed that. The new arrival, Mamiya 645AF, never released the shutter no matter how much I tried.

It was the first version in the series and therefore not compatible with the digital back I had, so that could not be tested. Also, when I put the film back on my AFDII, the latter would not fire. It was obviously something to do with the film back, and I thought it simply required loading a film. The following video shows what happens when you remove and attach a film or digital back. In some cases, the shutter/mirror should flip up for protection but sometimes they don't. If that happens to you, find the little thing in the corner and release it quick to save your camera a possible death. Then I finally get to loading a Kodak Ektar 100 in the film back. But does that solve the problem? The videos I took above show a silly problem I had which required a silly solution. The film back simply required a new CR2032 battery. This battery is very important because it does more than just power the LCD. In fact, the LCD on the film back can be powered via the camera body's own battery.

As you could see in the videos, the small LCD did in fact reflect 120 Film @ 100 ISO even as the button cell battery was flat, and this is why I was confused and did not suspect a flat back's battery. I thought some of the things I said, especially regarding the shutter/mirror problem is very important to share, so I hope this post has been informative for someone and helps answer any questions.The requested URL /index.php?topic=111873.20 was not found on this server.Many believe the medium format camera is out of date – something that has been passed over by the development of the digital SLR – especially with the price tag that medium format systems command making professional photographers consider a DSLR a serious alternative.  As a result professionals have forgotten what medium format means and what these cameras can do. They are by no means outdated; medium format cameras have larger sensors, which means more pixels. The larger frame enables you to capture a dramatically shallow depth of field than digital SLRs can produce, which is considered equal to film like quality.

This is something to consider if you are a stickler for quality like myself. At the start of 2015 it was time to upgrade my own camera system. As a pro I spent countless hours looking for the ideal camera, since I am embarking on a the largest portrait exhibition of my career. This exhibition will feature some of the world’s greatest actors and I needed to make the right decision. Weighing up all the options I settled on medium format. The next question was affordability. Some medium format digital cameras are in the region of £25,000 without a lens! This was outside my budget making me think (but not losing hope). I found the Mamiya Leaf Credo 40 digital back with Mamiya 645DF camera and 80mm lens, retailing for £9999  at Calumet Photographic, the Leaf Credo is great value for money and an amazing quality product. Boasting a large CCD Sensor and 40 megapixel resolution, a dynamic range of up to 14 f-stops providing brilliant detail, richness of colour, low noise and beautiful tonality.

I’ve already commenced my 2015 Portraiture Exhibition and the results from the first portrait sitting with Actor Brent Spiner (above) have been stunning. The Mamiya Leaf Credo 40 delivers uncompromising detail and a richness of colour. The difference in sensor size between DSLR and medium format is in my opinion very important for the “look & feel” of the image, but also for the resolution and overall sharpness. The smaller the sensor the more problems you will run into when placing a lot of pixels in that area, this will translate for example in diffraction (loss of detail on smaller apertures). The Leaf Credo 40 with its 40 megapixel 43.9 x 32.9 mm CCD is larger than the Canon EOS 1D X (36 x 24 mm), it may not seem like much, but it does make a real difference when shooting in shallow depth of field conditions. There is a lot less depth of field when shooting with a DSLR. The 80mm F2.8 LS-D Kit Lens is extremely versatile and complements the image quality. The 645DF Camera body is sleek and easy to use.