Confused About Digitals and Higher ISO's

[f/14]

David. IMHO the smaller all-in-one super-zoom cameras have a lot of other virtues, but when it comes to noise the 3/4 chips and smaller are no match for the "full-frame" 35mm chip sizes or for the larger medium format chips. Erwin Putz states that the full-frame M9 and the D3 are equals in noise performance up to around 650 ISO. For me that boils down to "up to the speed of Tri-X" , my favourite film. That's really impressive in itself for a small rangefinder. Higher up in the ISO range the SLRs rule the day at the moment. That means carrying around 1 Kg of camera and 1 kg of zoom lens for 24 -70mm; - and another even heavier set if a second camera with a longer tele-lens is required in the field. The "Tri-X noise-point" (a most unscientific term) of a D3 is somewhere between 3200 and 6400 ISO depending of which developer you consider for the Tri-x film. (XTOL or Rodinal) I have a drawer full of Leica M lenses and three Bessa cameras, R2/3/4As, and just dream of what I could do with a digital rangefinder that could do the low noise/high ISO.

 

[David Hughes]

David. IMHO the smaller all-in-one super-zoom cameras have a lot of other virtues, but when it comes to noise the 3/4 chips and smaller are no match for the "full-frame" 35mm chip sizes or for the larger medium format chips. Erwin Putz states that the full-frame M9 and the D3 are equals in noise performance up to around 650 ISO. For me that boils down to "up to the speed of Tri-X" , my favourite film. That's really impressive in itself for a small rangefinder. Higher up in the ISO range the SLRs rule the day at the moment. That means carrying around 1 Kg of camera and 1 kg of zoom lens for 24 -70mm; - and another even heavier set if a second camera with a longer tele-lens is required in the field. The "Tri-X noise-point" (a most unscientific term) of a D3 is somewhere between 3200 and 6400 ISO depending of which developer you consider for the Tri-x film. (XTOL or Rodinal) I have a drawer full of Leica M lenses and three Bessa cameras, R2/3/4As, and just dream of what I could do with a digital rangefinder that could do the low noise/high ISO.

Thanks I guess I'll have to wait a while or just accept that what I can carry in comfort means watching through the binoculars for the time being. I do the two camera trick at air shows but can, of course, go back to the car and sit down from time to time and get my arms back to equal lengths.

I often wonder what the dream to purchase ratio is for us Leica M users...

Regards, David