Dslr

[George Stewart]

I'm about to purchase my first DSLR (35mm-style, either pro or semi-pro model). It will mostly be a companion to LF when I do landscape work. Although a DSLR can be a serious tool, I'm still of the mind-set that it will be more of a toy (compared to pure LF) than a tool for fine art B&W. I'd like to hear from those who carry a DSLR with them when they do their LF work. What do you have, and why? What would you like to have? Do you find that it benefits you LF photography to have that immediate feedback?

[Walter Calahan]

Here's my review of the Nikon D200 camera:

http://www.sportsshooter.com/news_story.html?id=1630

Walt

http://www.walterpcalahan.com

[Brian Ellis]

If you're buying it only for the purposes you describe then I don't think there's any reason to buy a dslr. A small, inexpensive point and shoot would better serve your purposes I think. Most of the dslrs with which I'm familiar (Canon and Nikon mainly) are fairly big, heavy cameras that together with their lens(es) I certainly wouldn't want to carry along with my LF equipment. I suppose if someone forced me to buy a dslr for your purposes I'd probably buy the Canon Rebel. It's fairly small for a dslr and with a single lens is relatively inexpensive (about $1000 I think). I'm sure there are other and perhaps better comparable cameras but that's the only small, light dslr with which I'm familiar. But for your purposes I'd look for the smallest, lightest point and shoot I could find, probably something in the $250 range, that had the newer, larger lcd screens.

I don't use my dslr (Canon 5D) as an adjunct to LF, I use it independently as a second camera system. But FWIW, if I did carry it along with my LF system (that would be fun, the 5D and a couple L lenses don't weigh a whole lot less than my 4x5 system) I don't think the immediate feedback would be of great value. Even the newer screens are still quite small so you can't see many of the details in the image. It's also difficult to see the image very clearly when you're in day light. And what you can see isn't necessarily an accurate indication of what the image will look like when printed. When I'm using the 5D I don't use the lcd screen for immediate feedback about the composition, I only use it to look at the histogram and then only if I have some doubt about the exposure. But others here who actually do use a digital camera for the purposes you describe might have different and better thoughts.

[Jack Flesher]

FWIW, I used to carry a Canon 1Ds2 and assortment of my best lenses with me on my LF expeditions -- emphasis on "used to". The problem for me was if the light wasn't perfect, I'd grab the DSLR, take a snap and move on. Or I'd grab the DSLR for "conveninece" when walking a mile up the trail to see what was there, telling myself I could always go back to the car and grab the view cam if it was "worth it". As you might imagine, I missed some great LF ops due to magic light "happening" while I was there with my DSLR or I'd moved from a decent spot where I normally would have waited for something to happen at, only to have the something happen a half hour later in an area where there was no subject. Basically having a really good DSLR handy encouraged to be impatient and go search out good images with perfect light instead of setting up on a good subject and waiting for the light.

So then I switched to a smaller Canon 20D with a do-it-all zoom as a snapshot camera. While it still makes quite excellent 11x17's, it's not up to my standards for serious imaging on larger prints. However, I recently picked up a really small 6MP digital P&S and that generates surprisingly good prints up to 8x10 and it is coming along more often than the 20D. The big advantage is I can easily carry that with the view cam outfit wherever I am going. (I have a friend that just upgraded to a 3MP cell phone for the same reason.) I use either kind of like a painter might use a sketch book, making notes for future reference. Offered only FWIW, but this has worked far better for me.

Cheers,

[Frank Petronio]

I've gone back to using a Nikon D70 with small prime lenses - the 24, 35, and 50 - after going up to a D2X and a super zoom (17-55/2.8) and some fancy glass (28/1.4). Now part of that is economics - I hated to tie up $7000 in a camera when I really need the money for tuition and taxes and crap. But - and maybe I am rationalizing abit - the little D70 and small prime combo is the most "Leica-like" combo that I've found in the digital world. At least until the M8 comes out

I use it as a meter too. The P&S cameras are a little funkier to translate into equivilant large format f-stops but with a dSLR I can set the lens to f/16 and ISO to 320 and I can get exposure information in a flash...

I am going to get a D200 soon, which is slightly more robust than the D70, although I can't complain about how the D70s (I've had four over 2.5 years) hold up. I would just like a little more resolution and the better finder and AF of the D200. But I will continue to use the small, cheap primes (the $250 35/2 tested better than the $1600 28/1.4 I had...)

Anyway, I use it all the time and it weighs about 2 lbs... but I no longer carry a Pentax spot. And I use it for more fleeting things and so many opportunities that LF would struggle with.

So go for it IMHO.

[David Luttmann]

My 10D comes with me every time I'm out with the 4x5. I love using it to check lighting and exposure, as well as to grab a quick shot when the lighting is changing quick. I only bring the 24-105L with it now...the 24TSE, 16-35, 50, 85, and 135 were getting to be a bit heavy. Used to bring the 1Ds but I recently had an issue with kicking a tripod leg out and send camera and tripod over a cliff, onto some rocks, and into a creek. Tripod survived....1Ds didn't (the 135 did though....go figure!)

[MJSfoto1956]

When I'm shooting 4x5, I bring my Mamiya 7 as my lightweight "snapshot" camera. Weighs less than a Canon 20d system and delivers lovely 6x7 negatives. (I also bring along a tiny Sony P200 digicam for family "snapshots" while on holiday).

So all told, I tend to bring 3 cameras with me when traveling: 4x5 for formal studies, 6x7 for quicker/looser shots, and a digicam to capture those informal moments.

[Jack Flesher]

I bring my Mamiya 7

Interesting J Michael... I have been considering selling my Mamiya 7ii since I hardly use it anymore. Admittedly I love the RF framing style, so maybe I should give it another chance...

[Dominique Labrosse]

My dSLR is a D70s. The reasons being, that I was already invested in Nikon gear and it fit the price point. However, I have never really thought to bring it with me when I use the 4x5. I guess if I'm throwing gear in the car it's just one more bag. However, I'm afraid that I'll get lazy and just use the dSLR instead of the Graphic View, so we'll see. Though squeezing off a few frames with the D70s is alot cheaper than Polaroid.

Frank, we have a D200 at work, while it is definitely a more professional tool than the D70s please note that it is heavier. If you're looking simply for more pixels the new D80 might be a better choice for as it is physically smaller than the D70s. I agree that the primes are great though. My favorite lens on the dSLR is my old 55 Micro that I had ai'ed by a local camera shop.

[Howard Slavitt]

I actually sold my view camera last year -- a Horseman 6 x 9 -- for various reasons (including that with my young son I found I wasn't using it) and purchased a Canon 5D -- heresy on this forum. While not a view camera, I am using it in a way that accomodates the contemplative style I most liked about using a view camera, and that still gives me the advantages of digital. I am using only prime lenses. One of them is a Canon 45mm tilt shift lens, which is also wonderful for flat stitching panoramas, yielding a fov similar to a Hasselblad xpan normal lens. . . . The 24mm tilt shift is next on my list. I also have some very small lenses that I love using -- including a wonderful Olympus 18mm f3.5 rectilinear lens that has almost no distortion and weighs about 8 ounces. Easy to use with an adapter. I get great metering using stop down metering. I also have a Canon EE-S screen installed, which was modified with Maxwell's hi lux treatment, and is a pleasure to use. I just ordered a 28mm Nikon f2.8 AIS prime, that I'm waiting to get. It's reputed to have NO distortion, and also to be sharp edge to edge. I have an ultra light tripod that is plenty sturdy for my lens setup. Unless travelling somewhere far, I typically only take 1 or 2 lenses with me. Small Canon primes I use and also like, or love, depending on which one, include the 24mm f2.8, 35mm f2.0, and 50mm f2.5 macro. I've put black gaffer tape around all insignas on the cameras, and use Tamron lens caps (they're better than the Canon ones and also lower profile), so the camera is unassuming. . . . If you want small and light with primes, I'd also look at the new Pentax that is supposed to be announced at Photokina -- it apparently will be 10 megapixels, and has in camera image stabilization. Pentax makes some really tiny pancake primes for the 1.6x sensor, including a just announced 21mm. Pentax also has some 6 megapixel cameras out now that are very inexpensive and will also use the pancake primes.