NickTrop
Veteran
Okay, I've established:
1. SLRs - necessary evil. Better than RFs for interchangeable lenses. Must have/necessary evil. Need a fast 50 - almost any will do. I have the old radioactive 1.4 Tak. Also, a portrait lens is mandatory. The Jupiter 9 Sonnar copy is the best. It's f2, compact, has a 15 blade aperture, and I love the delimiter ring. If you "must" have a wide the 24mm (4.4 Photodo rated) Sigma is a great choice. Anything beyond this for a wide, like anything faster than f 1.4" are for "spec drunk" gear collectors.
Small, light, virtually same body as the Cosina Bessa fakes with the 1.4 Tak, 24mm Sigma, J9 portrait lens (and a cheap 19mm super wide) = best SLR kit, hands down, bar non. I have the best SLR kit.
Next...
2. DSLRs are futzy, big, and loud. They cause people to run from you when you want to take their picture. They are overkill for how 90% of people who own them use them, posting pics on the web, or making small prints. Chimping shots is no fun, handing the creative control over to a microprocessor is no fun. You can keep them. Don't own one, don't want one. Besides, they're all basically the same.
Best "non-purchase" of an overrated technology that everyone else bought - ME!
3. However, digital has its place. Compact super zooms! A 35-420 35mm equiv. zoom with image stabilization that can be used hand-held with f2.8 brightness across the focal range of the zoom is a luxury and useful! Best camera for this is a hacked Panasonic FZ1. (Hacking the firmware gives it aperture and shutter priority modes. It kina sucks w/o it...) While it only has 2.1 megapixels it's 3x as much as you need for the web, and enough to give you 250 (approx) dpi on 6x4s. 5x7 even look okay, and I've even printed acceptable 8x10s with this camera.
Smartest use of digital award goes to, ME!
So, we have our "interchangeable lens" base covered, needed mostly for portraiture, verrrrrrrrrry smartly. We recognize the advantages of digital - takes the place of the big zoom, covered smartly with a tiny ultra light super zoom.
3. It's okay to have a "novelty" camera to fool around with for fun. That's the Zorki 4K with the Summar... I have the "funnest" novelty camera/lens to fool around with.
Next, we move to other formats. No small format (35 mm) can match medium format. I don't care what lens, or what camera you have. The problem with MF cameras, however, is they tend to be BIG, and lugging them around is a PAIN. Did someone say TLR? Bahhh... Who wants to see reverse images. It's unnatural and annoying.
That brings us to folders. Most folders, however, are too crude. I especially dislike scale focus, which cheats the lens. You might get "acceptable" focus if you're good at guessing depth, but you'll never achieve the kind of critical focus as you can with a rangefinder or an SLR.
So, if you want optimal quality in your photographs, you need to "step up" in format. You need a folder for their portability but one with RF focus to get the most out of the lens. I chose the Iskra. Portable, great lens, RF focusing, and a film counter (mine works)! Beautiful results, better than any 35mm. Period. And because it's easy to carry, I actually use it - often.
Best SLR system - me
Best non-purchase of a dslr - me
Best "novelty" camera w/ Leica lens - me
Best use of digital (for their hand-held zoom capability) - me
Best MF camera - me.
...to be continued.
1. SLRs - necessary evil. Better than RFs for interchangeable lenses. Must have/necessary evil. Need a fast 50 - almost any will do. I have the old radioactive 1.4 Tak. Also, a portrait lens is mandatory. The Jupiter 9 Sonnar copy is the best. It's f2, compact, has a 15 blade aperture, and I love the delimiter ring. If you "must" have a wide the 24mm (4.4 Photodo rated) Sigma is a great choice. Anything beyond this for a wide, like anything faster than f 1.4" are for "spec drunk" gear collectors.
Small, light, virtually same body as the Cosina Bessa fakes with the 1.4 Tak, 24mm Sigma, J9 portrait lens (and a cheap 19mm super wide) = best SLR kit, hands down, bar non. I have the best SLR kit.
Next...
2. DSLRs are futzy, big, and loud. They cause people to run from you when you want to take their picture. They are overkill for how 90% of people who own them use them, posting pics on the web, or making small prints. Chimping shots is no fun, handing the creative control over to a microprocessor is no fun. You can keep them. Don't own one, don't want one. Besides, they're all basically the same.
Best "non-purchase" of an overrated technology that everyone else bought - ME!
3. However, digital has its place. Compact super zooms! A 35-420 35mm equiv. zoom with image stabilization that can be used hand-held with f2.8 brightness across the focal range of the zoom is a luxury and useful! Best camera for this is a hacked Panasonic FZ1. (Hacking the firmware gives it aperture and shutter priority modes. It kina sucks w/o it...) While it only has 2.1 megapixels it's 3x as much as you need for the web, and enough to give you 250 (approx) dpi on 6x4s. 5x7 even look okay, and I've even printed acceptable 8x10s with this camera.
Smartest use of digital award goes to, ME!
So, we have our "interchangeable lens" base covered, needed mostly for portraiture, verrrrrrrrrry smartly. We recognize the advantages of digital - takes the place of the big zoom, covered smartly with a tiny ultra light super zoom.
3. It's okay to have a "novelty" camera to fool around with for fun. That's the Zorki 4K with the Summar... I have the "funnest" novelty camera/lens to fool around with.
Next, we move to other formats. No small format (35 mm) can match medium format. I don't care what lens, or what camera you have. The problem with MF cameras, however, is they tend to be BIG, and lugging them around is a PAIN. Did someone say TLR? Bahhh... Who wants to see reverse images. It's unnatural and annoying.
That brings us to folders. Most folders, however, are too crude. I especially dislike scale focus, which cheats the lens. You might get "acceptable" focus if you're good at guessing depth, but you'll never achieve the kind of critical focus as you can with a rangefinder or an SLR.
So, if you want optimal quality in your photographs, you need to "step up" in format. You need a folder for their portability but one with RF focus to get the most out of the lens. I chose the Iskra. Portable, great lens, RF focusing, and a film counter (mine works)! Beautiful results, better than any 35mm. Period. And because it's easy to carry, I actually use it - often.
Best SLR system - me
Best non-purchase of a dslr - me
Best "novelty" camera w/ Leica lens - me
Best use of digital (for their hand-held zoom capability) - me
Best MF camera - me.
...to be continued.
Last edited:
FrankS
Registered User
It's great to see that you're taking your confidence pills Nick! 
Pablito
coco frío
NickTrop said:
is there a trophy? a ribbon? a sash? prize money?
sjw617
Panoramist
And yet another late Saturday night 'Nick is always right and the rest of you are wrong' rant. Tiresome Nick.
Iskra 2
Kodachrome Rules!
No!!!! No!!!!! Mine is infinitely better than yours!!!
No!!!! No!!!!! Mine is infinitely better than yours!!!
Chuckle. Nice to see Nick, that you've taken alot of recent advice from people on this forum in establishing your perfect system. Education is powerful. Regards. :angel:
No!!!! No!!!!! Mine is infinitely better than yours!!!
Chuckle. Nice to see Nick, that you've taken alot of recent advice from people on this forum in establishing your perfect system. Education is powerful. Regards. :angel:
JeffGreene
(@)^(@)
1. SLRs - necessary evil. Better than RFs for interchangeable lenses. Must have/necessary evil. Need a fast 50 - almost any will do. I have the old radioactive 1.4 Tak. Also, a portrait lens is mandatory. The Jupiter 9 Sonnar copy is the best. It's f2, compact, has a 15 blade aperture, and I love the delimiter ring. If you "must" have a wide the 24mm (4.4 Photodo rated) Sigma is a great choice. Anything beyond this for a wide, like anything faster than f 1.4" are for "spec drunk" gear collectors.
Small, light, virtually same body as the Cosina Bessa fakes with the 1.4 Tak, 24mm Sigma, J9 portrait lens (and a cheap 19mm super wide) = best SLR kit, hands down, bar non. I have the best SLR kit.
Nick:
Opinions are what make RFF such a great place! I like my NIkon FE, bought it new, and it's never let me down. Have a 50 1.4, 100 2.8, and a 200 4 with a 2X extension tube, why else.
Next...
2. DSLRs are futzy, big, and loud. They cause people to run from you when you want to take their picture. They are overkill for how 90% of people who own them use them, posting pics on the web, or making small prints. Chimping shots is no fun, handing the creative control over to a microprocessor is no fun. You can keep them. Don't own one, don't want one. Besides, they're all basically the same.
Best "non-purchase" of an overrated technology that everyone else bought - ME!
Check out the new Oly E410 with its prime 50. Reminds me of the 1N, 2N, 3N & 4N series. It might make a believer out of you!
3. However, digital has its place. Compact super zooms! A 35-420 35mm equiv. zoom with image stabilization that can be used hand-held with f2.8 brightness across the focal range of the zoom is a luxury and useful! Best camera for this is a hacked Panasonic FZ1. (Hacking the firmware gives it aperture and shutter priority modes. It kina sucks w/o it...) While it only has 2.1 megapixels it's 3x as much as you need for the web, and enough to give you 250 (approx) dpi on 6x4s. 5x7 even look okay, and I've even printed acceptable 8x10s with this camera.
Smartest use of digital award goes to, ME!
So, we have our "interchangeable lens" base covered, needed mostly for portraiture, verrrrrrrrrry smartly. We recognize the advantages of digital - takes the place of the big zoom, covered smartly with a tiny ultra light super zoom.
Panasonics are great as long as you keep to the low ISO's. I have a LX2 and love it.
3. It's okay to have a "novelty" camera to fool around with for fun. That's the Zorki 4K with the Summar... I have the "funnest" novelty camera/lens to fool around with.
Next, we move to other formats. No small format (35 mm) can match medium format. I don't care what lens, or what camera you have. The problem with MF cameras, however, is they tend to be BIG, and lugging them around is a PAIN. Did someone say TLR? Bahhh... Who wants to see reverse images. It's unnatural and annoying.
That brings us to folders. Most folders, however, are too crude. I especially dislike scale focus, which cheats the lens. You might get "acceptable" focus if you're good at guessing depth, but you'll never achieve the kind of critical focus as you can with a rangefinder or an SLR.
So, if you want optimal quality in your photographs, you need to "step up" in format. You need a folder for their portability but one with RF focus to get the most out of the lens. I chose the Iskra. Portable, great lens, RF focusing, and a film counter (mine works)! Beautiful results, better than any 35mm. Period. And because it's easy to carry, I actually use it - often.
Best SLR system - me
Best non-purchase of a dslr - me
Best "novelty" camera w/ Leica lens - me
Best use of digital (for their hand-held zoom capability) - me
Best MF camera - me.
I like my Mamiya 6. Like that square format, although I'm definitely interested in exploring the new Fuji folder all are talking about. Come join us for the Tattoo show this April!
Jeff
Small, light, virtually same body as the Cosina Bessa fakes with the 1.4 Tak, 24mm Sigma, J9 portrait lens (and a cheap 19mm super wide) = best SLR kit, hands down, bar non. I have the best SLR kit.
Nick:
Opinions are what make RFF such a great place! I like my NIkon FE, bought it new, and it's never let me down. Have a 50 1.4, 100 2.8, and a 200 4 with a 2X extension tube, why else.
Next...
2. DSLRs are futzy, big, and loud. They cause people to run from you when you want to take their picture. They are overkill for how 90% of people who own them use them, posting pics on the web, or making small prints. Chimping shots is no fun, handing the creative control over to a microprocessor is no fun. You can keep them. Don't own one, don't want one. Besides, they're all basically the same.
Best "non-purchase" of an overrated technology that everyone else bought - ME!
Check out the new Oly E410 with its prime 50. Reminds me of the 1N, 2N, 3N & 4N series. It might make a believer out of you!
3. However, digital has its place. Compact super zooms! A 35-420 35mm equiv. zoom with image stabilization that can be used hand-held with f2.8 brightness across the focal range of the zoom is a luxury and useful! Best camera for this is a hacked Panasonic FZ1. (Hacking the firmware gives it aperture and shutter priority modes. It kina sucks w/o it...) While it only has 2.1 megapixels it's 3x as much as you need for the web, and enough to give you 250 (approx) dpi on 6x4s. 5x7 even look okay, and I've even printed acceptable 8x10s with this camera.
Smartest use of digital award goes to, ME!
So, we have our "interchangeable lens" base covered, needed mostly for portraiture, verrrrrrrrrry smartly. We recognize the advantages of digital - takes the place of the big zoom, covered smartly with a tiny ultra light super zoom.
Panasonics are great as long as you keep to the low ISO's. I have a LX2 and love it.
3. It's okay to have a "novelty" camera to fool around with for fun. That's the Zorki 4K with the Summar... I have the "funnest" novelty camera/lens to fool around with.
Next, we move to other formats. No small format (35 mm) can match medium format. I don't care what lens, or what camera you have. The problem with MF cameras, however, is they tend to be BIG, and lugging them around is a PAIN. Did someone say TLR? Bahhh... Who wants to see reverse images. It's unnatural and annoying.
That brings us to folders. Most folders, however, are too crude. I especially dislike scale focus, which cheats the lens. You might get "acceptable" focus if you're good at guessing depth, but you'll never achieve the kind of critical focus as you can with a rangefinder or an SLR.
So, if you want optimal quality in your photographs, you need to "step up" in format. You need a folder for their portability but one with RF focus to get the most out of the lens. I chose the Iskra. Portable, great lens, RF focusing, and a film counter (mine works)! Beautiful results, better than any 35mm. Period. And because it's easy to carry, I actually use it - often.
Best SLR system - me
Best non-purchase of a dslr - me
Best "novelty" camera w/ Leica lens - me
Best use of digital (for their hand-held zoom capability) - me
Best MF camera - me.
I like my Mamiya 6. Like that square format, although I'm definitely interested in exploring the new Fuji folder all are talking about. Come join us for the Tattoo show this April!
Jeff
NickTrop
Veteran
sjw617 said:
Tiresome - to some, perhaps,
But certainly true,
As true as,
1 + 1 = 2...
|
Last edited:
brachal
Refrigerated User
" arguing on the internet is like running in the special Olympics, whether you win or loose, you are still a spastic..."
Laughed coffee up my nose.
Laughed coffee up my nose.
NickTrop
Veteran
JeffGreene said:
Jeff - what tattoo show? Regret missing the camera show. The Mamya 6 is certainly nice. A beauty.
MikeL
Go Fish
Keep the 'truthiness' coming Nick!
Where's mention of the Yashica HG (Holy Grail) in this thread though?
Where's mention of the Yashica HG (Holy Grail) in this thread though?
NickTrop
Veteran
Iskra 2 said:
You understand RF-style photography 100%. All who agree with me do. I will soon compile a list of all those who understand RF photography, it's essentially a list of all posters who agree in full with what I've said here, and on the Electro thread. Congrats - you made the cut, and understand RF photography.
NickTrop
Veteran
MikeL said:
That's forthcoming. You have also "made the list" of photographers on this board who understand RF-style photography. Congratulations!
moretto
EFKE Lover
@ everybody: don't You just love this guy?
@Nick: just added You to my buddy list
@Nick: just added You to my buddy list
chikne
Well-known
NickTrop said:
Haem, 1 + 1 = 11
Point, bar, better, none..........
NickTrop
Veteran
shiro_kuro said:
Konichi wa, shiro_kuro san! Sushte, arrigato goes imashta. Nihon ne dono-good-eye edashi mashta ka?
(Hey, listening to all those Pimsleur Japanese tapes on my shlep in to work actually paid off - er, I think. Forgive the phonetic romaji, hope you understand it. I forget hiragana, and only 1/2 learned katakana, but can't type it on my keyboard anyway. Forget kanji. How you cats from the East are able to read stuff mixing the three of these I'll never understand (but certainly admire
Andrew Sowerby
Well-known
This thread is like eating a big pile of jelly beans. At first it's fun, but the further you go, the worse you feel.
jack palmer
Well-known
Truly one of the best threads on the forum. The man knows what he's talking about.
FrankS
Registered User
jack palmer said:
You're just sucking up to get on the list!
jack palmer
Well-known
I don't like lists , tags , labels or logos. I cut ALL the tags off my clothes, peel the stickers off every consumer item that I buy.Even my Ford F350 no longer says FORD anywhere. I hate being an advertisement for anyone or anything. But if Nick wants to add me to his list.......
Al Patterson
Ferroequinologist
I have a Leica CL as well as the two other cameras in my sig. I tend to use the Canon or the Yashica more than the CL. Their lenses are almost as sharp as the Leica, and less than 10% of the price. I only grab the CL when I know I will need to change lenses.
I also have a Canon A-1 with the 35-105 f3.5 zoom. Great lens. This is my main kit for out chasing trains. I pair that with a DSLR with the 18-55 kit lens (for now). I'm definately looking for a longer zoom for the DSLR, but I'm pretty much done camera wise, except for a few repairs I need to have on some eBay rangefinders I want to try out.
And I'm not done, as there are plenty of inexpensive cameras floating around that I might want to pick up at some point.
No sour grapes here...
I also have a Canon A-1 with the 35-105 f3.5 zoom. Great lens. This is my main kit for out chasing trains. I pair that with a DSLR with the 18-55 kit lens (for now). I'm definately looking for a longer zoom for the DSLR, but I'm pretty much done camera wise, except for a few repairs I need to have on some eBay rangefinders I want to try out.
And I'm not done, as there are plenty of inexpensive cameras floating around that I might want to pick up at some point.
No sour grapes here...