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Logic be damned I bought an ND

> DJ, Contax made a battery case that goes on your belt and holds 4 D-cells. Maybe you know about it. My experience with it is I can shoot all day and still have power left over. If you want one I have two and I would be pleased to sell one for what I paid. ($60.00) It may not solve the quirky problem you describe but it solves the stuffing aa's syndrome. gary
 
Gary,

I wasn't aware they made such an animal for the ND. How does it hook up? Through the AC adapter connector?
 
Dirk, I'm sure there are no adapters from Contax to use Manual lenses, just as there are none from Canon to use Contax manual lenses. But, as you know, 3rd party makers have made them.

The larger N mount is not dissimilar to that of Canon EOS, which has available a great number of adapters to use other smaller mount lenses.

I wonder if such an adapter could be made by one of the more well known adapter makers like Zork?
 
DJ, do you have the type of charger that allows discharging before recharging? My higher powered batteries are pretty new, so I will watch if they cause the same problem you mentioned above after I have used them for some time.
 
Thanks Dirk. Shame that Zeiss says it cannot be done. I still wonder if some ingenious maker might be able to get around it as Marc suggests.I will have a word with SRB in the UK.
Cheers
 
I'd be interested to know how the ND compares to the Leica R9 with the DIGITAL-MODUL-R back. Does anyone have any experience with both?

Antony
 
Marc, yes I do, but discharging takes several hours, basically overnight. The problem for me is that I only shoot now and then, and often make the decision on the spur of the moment. So you see my quandary
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.

Anthony, considering the Leica module apparently has been delayed until at least summer, I don't think you'll be able to find a comparison for a while.
 
Hey all. Well, I got out and did some quick shooting with my new ND. Some observations as I fiddle with the files in PS:

1) The metering on this puppy definitely likes to underexpose by about a stop. Not a problem, it probably saves the highlights.

2) Shooting on an overcast day does not seem to be a strength for this camera. Even with chroma on + it is still looking pretty washed out in some cases.

3) I shot a few frames on iso 400 and, wow, I have NEVER seen such noise in my life. I had heard it was noisy but this is something to see. I am going to try running shots through "noise ninja" just to see what it can do.

4) The ND seems to do a wonderful job with "earth tones", not so well so far with grey or light matter. The "earth" shots I have of a flower bed, for instance, are looking very nice right out of the camera.

5) Raw performance is quite good. PS works perfectly with the files and they sharpen right up. Very nice.

6) The dreaded battery life report. I decided to head out and shoot with the camera on manual focus. After 120 shots and the battery monitor not moving a milimeter I decided to switch to Continuous Autofocus to take some shots of the dog. Two shots in, the camera turned off completely. I turned it back on, switched to manual focus, and popped out another 70 shots without any battery problem.

For my camera it seems like the USM motors in the 50mm lens are the culprits for the battery drain.

7) Did I mention how nicely the camera handles? Very well made, nice tactile feel, good viewfinder. I do wish the VF had the "pop" of the Aria VF for manual focusing but you can't have everything!

I better get back to processing some images
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I'll post one later just for kicks (none of these are an artistic tour de force but oh well!).

Kent
 
Kent,

Your experience is on the level with what I have come to expect. But to be truthful I got so used to the autofocus I never thought of turning it off - DOH! I'm sure part of that problem is that hefty Zeiss glass
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Yes, the overcast / flat lighting scenes come out very flat. That's what the contrast and saturation sliders in ACR are for
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. They work miracles in bringing out what's in there!

DJ
 
DJ,

Super, thanks for the info. It's also the first time shooting with it so my expectations aren't too high.

I was going to do a comparison with my D70 and it's 35/2 D lens but, as luck would have it, my lens is not communicating properly with the body. Could it be a sign from above to stick with the Contax?
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Kent
 
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