Chris_Brown
20-Nov-2006, 15:39
Greetings LF crew,
New member here, and want to get this off my chest.
For the last 5 years my Sinars have been sitting in their cases while I made a living shooting with Canon 1Ds cameras. I really, really miss working my 4x5 or 8x10 on a set, and have looked at looked at various LF digital solutions but haven't found any that can do what sheet film and a drum scan can do, at a price that is less than a car.
There are benefits to capturing digitally but, to me, shine best in the world of commercial work.
Last December my local lab closed down. Any sheet film I expose must be sent to a lab at least 130 miles away and it hinders my desire to pull out my LF gear and go hunting.
Last October I brought in the three best selling digital backs for a week-long demo/rental -- Sinar, Leaf & Phase One. Each one cost at least $30,000 with no extras. What a kludge. The sensor is small enough to make focusing on ground glass difficult, and swings and tilts nearly become guesswork. Then there's the issue with the shutter. Mechanical shutters don't communicate with a digital back without a pricey accessory. Lastly, moiré. For the price they're asking for those backs I expect a perfect capture, not one laced with moiré patterns, requiring time spent blurring the stuff. Heck, for that price I want the thing to make a margarita for me. A stiff one, too.
Anyway, I'm still hanging onto my Sinars. At the very least I go out with Polaroid Type 55 or Type 809 and hack around, dreaming of the day that technology will bend to my needs, and not I to it.
New member here, and want to get this off my chest.
For the last 5 years my Sinars have been sitting in their cases while I made a living shooting with Canon 1Ds cameras. I really, really miss working my 4x5 or 8x10 on a set, and have looked at looked at various LF digital solutions but haven't found any that can do what sheet film and a drum scan can do, at a price that is less than a car.
There are benefits to capturing digitally but, to me, shine best in the world of commercial work.
Last December my local lab closed down. Any sheet film I expose must be sent to a lab at least 130 miles away and it hinders my desire to pull out my LF gear and go hunting.
Last October I brought in the three best selling digital backs for a week-long demo/rental -- Sinar, Leaf & Phase One. Each one cost at least $30,000 with no extras. What a kludge. The sensor is small enough to make focusing on ground glass difficult, and swings and tilts nearly become guesswork. Then there's the issue with the shutter. Mechanical shutters don't communicate with a digital back without a pricey accessory. Lastly, moiré. For the price they're asking for those backs I expect a perfect capture, not one laced with moiré patterns, requiring time spent blurring the stuff. Heck, for that price I want the thing to make a margarita for me. A stiff one, too.
Anyway, I'm still hanging onto my Sinars. At the very least I go out with Polaroid Type 55 or Type 809 and hack around, dreaming of the day that technology will bend to my needs, and not I to it.