From: "R. Jackson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>>>>>>>>>>>>> So IQ is vital to you unless it isn't. Heh...I guess we could go on for a couple of days with me saying that 645 isn't a serious format and you can choose to use an inferior format if it suits your needs, but that doesn't make it worth using. ;-) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Exactly! But I ain't telling you that 645 is better than 6x7. Only that it's cheaper, lighter, easier to use, and meets requirements. Tell me that about the 4/3 cameras and you don't get an argument. But blame "digital" for 4/3's problems, tell me that it does something better, and you get an argument. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> And FWIW, a medium format SLR is only useful, IMO, if you lock up the mirror. When you start moving big mirrors like that around it defeats the purpose of using a larger format. I tried out a couple of Pentax 67s at camera shows and releasing the shutter was like tripping a mouse trap. <<<<<<<<<<<<< That's true of the P67, but the M645 delivers the goods at 1/125 handheld. About one in three images fail at 1/60. According to both my microscopes and Nikon 8000. I've seen people using P67s handheld, but that's outdoors on bright sunny days. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The Mamiya is really well-behaved, IMO. I can live without it being an SLR in exchange for not having a bid sheet of glass swinging wildly to and fro inside the body. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<< The M7 doesn't get close (without going to heroic efforts), polarizers are a pain, it doesn't really do portraits. It's a two-trick pony (43 and 65 (three if you like 80mm)), but the 43 is expensive enough that it never showed up here (oops: for 1/2 the money I could have had the GSW690III with full 6x9, but the lack of interchangeable lenses put me off). And I'm not convinced the M7 is any better on the shutter speed than the M645. If I need 1/60 or slower with either of them, the tripod gets used. People insist rangefinders work handheld, but that's a lot of film and a lot of lens to waste. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I've actually been thinking about picking up a Fuji GX-680 III. Being able to change off between 120 and a digital back plus having view camera movements (although somewhat limited) makes a pretty strong argument for owing one, but every time I pick one up at a camera show the sheer bulk of it scares me away. It's a lot cheaper option than the SInar M route, though. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< HEADS UP! The GX-680 III doesn't have movements; you need the GX-680 IIIS. I was looking at old TLRs on the lowest shelf of a glass case on the dusty second floor of a used camera shop here in Tokyo, and when I stood up and turned around, there was a Fuji GX-680 on the top shelf of the case behind me ready to pounce. I practically had a heart attack; that guy's enormous. David J. Littleboy [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tokyo, Japan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe by mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], with 'unsubscribe filmscanners' or 'unsubscribe filmscanners_digest' (as appropriate) in the message title or body