CAMERA
| EQUIPMENT Though it isn't as important as a lot of people would think, I know many viewers still will want to know the details of how these images were captured. Leaf Aptus 75S Leaf Aptus 75S Digital is just the back, and the camera and lenses that supply it with an image are at least as important. The camera, a Contax 645, can also be used with a film back, but the image quality would be quite inferior. The Aptus 75S has a linear resolution of 6726 x 5040 pixels or 33.4 million pixels.While many of the images on this website were made on large format 4x5 inch transparency film, images made after May, 2008 were made with the Aptus. The Aptus 75S may not have quite as much raw resolution as scanned 4x5 film, but the Aptus has its advantages and in fact surpasses 4x5 film in many ways.The Aptus 75S has a dynamic range of 12 stops, the equivalent of color negative film. One stop increment is double the amount of light. 4x5 transparency film on the other hand has about 5 stops of dynamic range. Images can be made with the Aptus under lighting conditions I'd not even consider with transparency film. I am no longer limited to shooting in the first or last hour of daylight or under overcast conditions. While these conditions still provide the perfect light for photography, I am not quite as tied to them as with film. Large Format Film Wind is the bane of the large format photographer. The camera presents a large area exposed to the wind and the resulting camera shake and vibration can prevent a sharp exposure. With the Contax 645 and Leaf Aptus combination this is not so much of a problem. There is still considerable mass to the system, but the overall profile is much smaller and not as easily shaken by gusts. Arca Swiss Field 4x5 Though I no longer use one, many images on the website were made with an Arca Swiss Field 4x5 (shown at lower left) with the outstanding Schneider 110mm Super Symmar XL lens. in most ways it is not superior to the Leaf Aptus, but it is a lot of fun to shoot with. Shooting with a large format film camera slows one down and demands a careful contemplative approach. |
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