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Contax NDigital (ND)

Mehrdad, thanks for the info on the Fuji S2. I have decided to buy one while waiting for Contax to upgrade the ND. I still prefer the quality and design of my Contax cameras (G2, N1 & 645)but the ND sounded like it is still a work in progress to be a truely versatile professional grade camera.

Marc, have you received you Kodak DCS 14n yet? I would be very interested in knowing how it compares with the ND, especially the image quality when you are stuck using Nikon lenses. I have tested Nikon lenses against the N1 lenses before buying, there were simply no comparisons in terms of detail, color, and depth perception.

Dirk, I too would like to add my congratulations to you on photo gallery. It is a pleasure to be able to associate photos with the names that we have seen so often in the Forum. Thanks.
 
James, The Kodak DSC 14meg full frame I have on order is due for delivery in December. This buys me time to see what Nikons' response will be (which is rumored as a 14 to 16 meg D2 full frame to alsdo be announced in December).

While I agree that Contax lenses are wonderful, I do not feel like I am "stuck" using Nikon lenses with the DSC Kodak. Nikon makes a wide range of lenses for both the amateur and professional markets. The 14/2.8, 18.2.8 ASPH, 28/1.4 ASPH, 85/1.4, 85/2.8 T/S Macro, 105&135 DC and 300/2.8 AFS II lenses I currently use on a D1x are as good or better than anything out there. And, respectfully, this is an opinion from a shooter that has owned/or used everything out there. You just can't pick any lens, some of the Nikons are "toys" for their cheap, entry level cameras.
 
I wrote a lenghtly e-mail to my dealer, who forwarded it to the Contax rep, basically enumerating the problems I had experienced with the camera.

Here is their response to my questions:

" Hello,



There are fixes for the following issues on the list of the enclosed e-mail:



1.- Continuous shooting – There is a hardware fix for this problem.

2.- Battery Usage – 1700 mah batteries last approx as noted. However, 1800 or 2000 mah batteries, available now, are considerably better. Shooting time is considerably enhanced.

3.- Noise should be acceptable below ISO 100. A yellow sheet indicating this is placed on top of the N Digital packaging inside the box.

4.- Developer Software (Raw Data Developer) has been upgraded to a full package and this is or soon will be available for download as Version 2. This version provides adjustments for changing tone curve, color and exposure of the RAW image. This software is a great improvement.

5.- The reason for delay (with the red LED) is because the firmware must read the CF card to see if there is enough room to place an image there. When a number appears telling how many shots remain – then you can shoot.

6.- Under-exposure - The N Digital offers an extremely wide dynamic range – wider than any other DSLR. The look of this range looks like under-exposure. However, if you open up the image in Photoshop, you will be amazed by the detail in shadows and in the highlights.


Other issues not addressed above are unique and I can offer no explanation for them.



This camera should be looked at again by the service department at Contax.



Blake Ziegler

Contax Technical Director"

My Dealer also told me that they have been pretty receptive and willing to help.

In other words, talk to your dealer who will have an open door to Contax.

My dealer told me that the contax people assured him that all the problems will be taken care of.

I am very happy................again
 
Dirk commented that there were no ND photos in the gallery taken with the 17-35. I put one in the landscape section just to get the ball rolling.
As an aside, I found the ND images flat at first glance, but as Blake Ziegler commented above, the detail is all there and has to be brought out in Photoshop.
 
Hi Irakly,

I have one link here, but do not know whether this is the official one. It seems to work though.

XXX

Since I do not have a ND, I do not know anything about improvements of this software.

Hope that helps

Dirk

changed on 24.10.02

Sorry I had to delete the link since it is not official yet. I will post it next week again as soon as it is ready.

Dirk
 
Marc,thanks for the info on Nikon lenses. You seems to have all fixed focal length lenses. I wonder how they compare with their zoom lenses. What is your experience? I have compared the Nikon 17-35/f2.8 with the similar Zeiss zoom and found the Zeiss lens to have more detail, better color rendition (personal preference)and less barrel distortion.
PS. I was in NY last week and managed to fire off a few shots with the ND at B&H Photos. I was quite amazed with the quality of the jpeg images right out of the camera. The auto white balance was very good and the tonality of the image is superior to those from the Nikon D100 and Fuji S2 Pro. I wonder if the larger sensor is making the biggest difference.
 
James, I do NOT favor zoom lenses for dead serious work. Every test we have run in the studio has justified that opinion. The only zooms I have and use are 2 Zeiss N lenses and 2 Leica Rs.

I certainly hope the N produces a better image than the D-100 and S2. After all, you are comparing $2,000 cameras to a $7,000 Contax N. I am still struggling with my N Digital, but have a trip to NYC coming up where I intend to concentrate on reseting all the features of the Camera and shooting a ton of shots while there. It seems I was getting better results with the ND when I first got the camera, and its been down-hill ever since ( see some of my earlier ND shots in the Contax Gallery of this forum).

FYI, I have a photo pal currently shooting political work for the next Gov. of Michigan. He's using a Nikon D1-x and a Fuji S2. His opinion is that the Nikon is by far the better performer, and the Fuji is to slow. This concerns me a bit in relation to the new Kodak 14 meg as it is based on a N-80 body also. However. Kodak has built their camera to their specs as opposed to a straight lift like Fuji did. So we'll have to just wait and see.
 
> > Posted by Marc Williams on Monday, October 28, 2002 - 11:46 am: > > (BEGIN QUOTE) James, I do NOT favor zoom lenses for dead serious work. Every test we > have run in the studio has justified that opinion. The only zooms I > have and use are 2 Zeiss N lenses and 2 Leica Rs. (END QUOTE)

Marc, Sorry to be dense, but does that mean you don't like the zeiss N zooms either? Which two do you have? If you don't like them, what don't you like?

Thanks, Lynn
 
Marc, I agree with you on the zoom lenses. I would have preferred fixed focal length lenses for my N1. Unfortunately, Contax have no wide angle lenses except the 17-35 and 24-85. I shoot mainly architecture and landscape. Wide angles are a must. Many pros I know won't consider Contax N1 or ND for this reason.
 
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