Digital Substitute

[akiralx]

Not an SLR, but try a D300 or a D700. Faster than any film camera I've used in the last 35+ years. Digital doesn't have to mean slow...

Yes, I find manually focusing the D700 easy - I tend to use the camera a lot of the time with the pancake CV 40 f/2, quite a small kit which I feel comfortable taking out to, say, a social gathering, which I wouldn't with a zoom mounted.

 

[AgentX]

It's amazing just how big a hole in the market this is. None of the available solutions really works.

Those of us in that hole think it's big. I'd love a quality, reliable digital rangefinder. especially at a reasonable price. (Hell, I'd also love a manual-focus DSLR Nikon FM2/Pentax K1000 equivalent; it would, in my dreams, become a student/teacher favorite as well...)

To those looking at the whole market, it's a tiny pinhole, and one that it is obviously a tough economic case to make for filling it.

 

[BillBingham2]

I'm thinking D60 size with a CV SLII 20/3.5 (30mm equ), 58/1.4 (85mm equ) and Nikkor 180/2.8 (270mm equ). While my GRD is the perfect size and weight, it's sister GX100 does not have a long enough lens to make me happy. 70mm just does not cut it for stuff I've hit in the past month or so.

B2 (;->

 

[DougFord]

[FONT=&quot]There is no substitute.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]However there are, as mentioned, many attractive and very capable alternatives.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]How’s about a body that’s just slightly larger than the CLE with interchangeable lenses, along with a 14mp aps-c sensor that could outperform existing aps-c cameras currently on the market. Get over the form factor thing. Ultimately, for me, it comes down to operability and compactness. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Samsung nx has got my attention. Will it operate as I want it to operate? Or will the firmware (user interface) get in the way of how I would want to use the thing? [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I’ve already caught lightning in a bottle, I find B&W film’s intrinsic aesthetic nature to be profoundly glorious.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Keeping a cursorily eye on digital camera/sensor advancements is a part time gig.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]After all, there is no substitute. [/FONT]

 

[johne]

Recently I got a film scanner; I also have an OM2n with 50mm 1.8 Zuiko that is a pleasure to use. I still rely on my Barnak IIIF with 50mm Summitar for a challenging outing. Digital with Nikon D80 and 18-135 is hard to beat for flexibility.
Johne

 

[kshapero]

When I go digital, I alternate between a Nikon d200 with a Nikkor 28mm/f3.5 AI or CV 40mm/f2 or my Ricoh GX 200. They all suck compared to my ZI or Nikon FM3a.

 

[NickTrop]

I wondered what other digital photographers were doing and if it wouldn't be useful information for all of us.

Fuji Finepix F20 or F30. Don't sneer as I once did - on this very board, when someone suggested this little beauty. 1. Fuji made a unique small sensor and reduced megapixel count to a "paultry" six for very good ISO 800 images and "useable" (ymmv) 1600. 2. The camera, literally, fits in your pocket, 3. Decent f2.8 lens, 4. vg macro mode, 5. One of the best auto flash systems on any camera - powers down or up accurately and intelligently and is powerful! 6. Nice looking black and white mode - looks like Neopan to me. And - it does what no film camera can, captures video. Oh - and the colors and images are very nice. As always with these small sensor cameras, if you want "bokeh" you Photoshop it, but other than that, this camera should be owned by any hobbiest. Not made any more, have to buy used. The F30 has ap and shutter priority. Not necessary imo for a P-n-S. I went with the F20, best $80 I ever spent on a camera. It's become my "take anywhere" camera because it literally fits in my pocket. No film camera I own can make this claim - even the diminutive Konica Auto S3.

 

[JNewell]

When I go digital, I alternate between a Nikon d200 with a Nikkor 28mm/f3.5 AI or CV 40mm/f2 or my Ricoh GX 200. They all suck compared to my ZI or Nikon FM3a.

Please define "suck." Work flow? Image quality? Your enjoyment of the hardware? Other?

 

[Axel]

...I wondered what other digital photographers were doing and if it wouldn't be useful information for all of us.

When I want to shoot with my Leica M I shoot film.
For me there is no really substitute on the digital way.
Digital is different in so many ways...

So I carry around a small Casio V7 ( 😉 <-klick!) for copying
documents, using as a torch, recording stereo movies, using as
notepad, measuring light and sometimes taking a snapshot...

There are better digicams to take photos but they all need the
aid of a computer 🙄

Kind regards, Axel