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Logic be damned I bought an ND

Isn't the Epson RD 5 megapixel. I would think the ND w/ 6 Megapixel and CZ glass would be better ...

Michael.
 
Hey DJ, I didn't focus on that guy correctly either ... he just made us forget what we were doing, LOL ;-)

Dirk, it's apples compared to oranges with the RD and the ND.

The RD isn't a full frame sensor, so wide angle shots are hard to accomplish due to the lens X factor (1.5X). Smaller sensors also limit the enlargement sizes a little compared to a full frame sensor. But it works quite well at ISO 800 and 1600. Add some really fast Leica M glass with high ISOs and the lack of a mirror, and it's quite a nice low available light camera. No long lenses either BTW.

The ND offers zooms, telephoto and full wide angle ability due to a full frame sensor, and the 6 meg is as good or better than the RD because it's bigger. The ND is slower working, and not as good at ISOs beyond 200. Much larger kit also.
 
Dirk,

Thanks for the help. I read the instructions and have followed it carefully but it is still not working for me. I'm wondering if my ISP has anything to do with this problem. I am posting this from the forum because my e-mail responses are still not getting through.

DJ, I don't know if you were addressing my earlier question on April 11 but it was also helpful and I will check out the EOS d.cams. I will also check out the MKII pics you posted in the gallery.

I often work in low light and although the ND appears to produce some really fine photos in daylight and does a good job in studio as seen in this forum I would need a second d.cam to handle low light. This does not seem practical or economical. DJ is the MkII the only full size chip in the EOS line?

Paul, I think your comparison suggestion is a great idea. It would be very helpful.

This thread has been very informative. Thanks to all whom contributed.

G. Ashton
 
Mark, the clarity of the photos you posted on this thread surprised me immensely, esp. the photo of the pidgeon and the studio shots. Until I saw those photos I had no idea the ND with Zeiss lenses could produce such fine details and in the tonal range depicted. What a pleasant surprise! Thanks for posting them.

G.
 
G Ashton... I am also an available light freak. When it comes to low light digital ... Canon rules the night like a v&ire drinking light.

ISO 1600 is a breeze for both the Canon 1DMKII and 1DsMKII with f/1.4 and f/1.2 lenses mounted ... and ISO 3200 is actually usable. Using L lenses like the 35/1.4, both cameras can AF on a black cat in a coal mine at midnight. These are the two cameras I carry to shoot weddings ... where I have no alternative but to get the shots all the time, every time.

But our newly discovered use of Zeiss glass on the Canon 1DsMKII is a revelation of clarity and beauty. It is harder to focus these manual lenses on the 1DsMKII compared to the lightening fast AF of the Canon lenses, but the sacrifice is worth it for some work. It can be seen as extending the investment in such an expensive digital body by providing even more options to achieve desired results. BTW, I recently acquired a Novoflex Hasselblad to Canon EOS adapter to use those MF Zeiss lenses on the 1DsMKII also.

While in NYC for just two days, I carried a Zeiss 25/2.8, 60/2.8 Macro, & an 85.1.4, (thought of mugging DJ for his Zeiss 35/1.4 ; -)... and never resorted to flash while shooting 5.56 Gig of RAW images day and night !!!

I am processing the NYC shots now, and while I did miss some shots due to sloppy user errors, the over-all impression is... well ... WOW!!! Zeiss Rocks on the 1DsMKII ... a digital camera able to really show what these lenses are capable of.

Here's a shot taken on a dark side street in NYC. The light is what you see and nothing else. I set the 1DsMKII to ISO 3200 AND set the compensation to plus 2! (I was using the Contax/Zeiss 60/2.8, and would have killed to have DJ's 35/1.4). I ran a simple noise reduction plug-in to clean it up a bit, but not so much as to compromise sharpness. on the full resolution file I can clearly read the "ring bell" sign on the wall behind the girl smoking a cigarette...

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Question : Why should CZ bother trying to find a partner to develop a DSLR body at this moment ? There's no compamy available with the expertise of Canon or Nikon. Even Nikon is having problems with a full frame DSLR. CZ really makes the profits in the lenses, so why not develop a EOS or Nikon mount line of lenses ? If CZ can use Leica M mount for its Zeiss Ikon camera, why can't it develop lenses with the EOS mount ? Another thing I've been thinking is, how long until Canon decides to develop a full frame CMOS sensor for Medium Format cameras ? Canon DSLR bodies and Zeiss lenses is a match made in heaven. No doubt about it.
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... this is a copyright issue. The copy right of the Leica M mount expired. This is why suddenly a Konica Hexar RF and a few others appeared on the market.

But the invention and copyright on the Nikon and Canon lens mount is AFAIK not very old. If you do some minor modifications, you can prolongue the copyright protection.

Nikon and Canon have no interest in a competition with Zeiss glass
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"Why should CZ bother trying to find a partner to develop a DSLR body at this moment ?"

What make you think CZ wants to develop a new dSLR body? :)

It appears to me that CZ has been very conservative about their strategy, such as their new ranger finder. Digital won't be their niche, it is their glass. From a business stand point, it would be crazy to compete with Nikon and Canon (although Contax has never been in the Nikon or Canon's market) unless CZ find its market niche. Being said, I can't wait to have a ND2 in my hand.

Hopefully, the new partner will turn things around. Kyocera drops Contax to me is actually a good thing and creates hope for the Contax users.
 
G. - the 1Ds and 1DsII are the only full-size sensor cams outside of the ND, AFAIK.

Marc, great night shot. I just love how handy switching and keeping track of the ISO is nowadays. One thing I do miss with the Zeiss glass is the EXIF data. Oh, well. Better the improved image than some occasionally interesting data
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.

As Marc mentioned, it's a shame web photos do no justice to the resolution the 1DsII provides. The bottom image is a full-size crop ...

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330144.jpg
 
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