Full-frame digital photography for the masses

[Azuremen]

Exactly, just a crop. I agree, and I'm saying that it's not a big enough deal to say that it's really a step backwards in the overall scheme of film and digital.

Honestly, the focal length thing is a big part of why I wanted a full frame sensor. The depth of field control is more pronounced and 50mm primes are far, far more versatile on a full frame.

Like, I can see the points being made here for sure. A few hundred dollar body film camera is just amazing, while a similar priced new dSLR will feel like a toy and has horrible ergonomics. If you want to be able to change everything without looking away from the view finder, you'll need to spend quite a bit of money with digital. Or get a second hand body, which then you aren't getting the newer sensors.

This conversation has made me want to pick up an old film range finder a bit. But then I'd have to get a whole different set of lenses

 

[wfooshee]

This conversation has made me want to pick up an old film range finder a bit. But then I'd have to get a whole different set of lenses

My very own, fully functional, with f:2 Ultron lens (not interchangeable):

My Dad bought it new in 1952, I've had it since 1979. It's what I learned to shoot on. No built-in meter, so metering was with a carry-around handheld meter. No auto-flash until I bought one of those "advanced" thyristor units, where you looked up your film speed and set the aperture according to the table on the back of the flash. Shutter went from 2 to 1/500 plus B, aperture range was f:2 to f:16, and being a leaf shutter, it would sync with flash (X or M) at its fastest speed, 1/500th.

The tall plunger is the film advance, and the little button is shutter. There was a wheel on the back you turned for focus. You see the top of the focus wheel on top of the camera, where it shows as a focus distance scale with depth-of-field markings. The dial indicator on the front is frame count, which you had to set to zero when you loaded. There was an ASA indicator that you could set as a reminder of what film you'd loaded. The film loaded "backwards," with takeup on the left, so your slides came back mounted "upside-down." If you had a different camera and were used to just using the slide labels to set your slides in the tray, then they'd all be wrong.

Not exactly digital, is it?

 

[Takumi Fujiwara]

Personally, with what costs what these days, I'd skip buying a 35mm body and go straight to a medium format camera. You can get any number of 645 or 6x6 cameras for a few hundred bucks these days, and the image quality is unbelievable. They're much, much easier to scan then 35mm, too.

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The D600's price is already coming down in the UK and EU. I wonder how long until we see it drop here in the US.

 

[35mm]

The D600's price is already coming down in the UK and EU. I wonder how long until we see it drop here in the US.

I don't think it was a "price drop", but just a readjustment of the announced prices ($2099/£1955/€2150). If you considered the exchange rates, they didn't make much sense. (for example, $2099 = €1625 = £1300)

Maybe in two months or so we'll see an effective price drop, in time for christmas?