Holy crap Nokia......

[LowThudd]

In my business we call that "compression". 

[Cicero]

It's much more than just a 41MP sensor though. The sensor itself is among the largest ever fitted to a smartphone. It has a very good Optical Image Stabilization system. But the neatest trick is its "oversampling," where it combines information from multiple pixels into one pixel of the output image, which is 5 MP. Sure it's going to be not as good as an actual DSLR, but it definitely is the best smartphone for photography.

I've had quite a few Nokias in my life too, and while the company has made some truly stupid mistakes, over and over again, I wouldn't doubt their cameras. That's traditionally been a good Nokia attribute.

and 99% of the time all that tech will be used to take pictures of free trade, organic sprout sandwiches and then posted to instagram using a IZ_ or sepia filter

[LowThudd]

And here is what a REAL 40MP camera looks(and performs) like: http://www.pentaximaging.com/medium-format/645D_Black

The Pentax 645D is equipped with a 44x33mm 40-megapixel CCD sensor. To place the giant’s sensor in perspective, let’s compare it to a standard 36x24mm full frame sensor found in cameras like the Nikon D700 and Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Although the Pentax 645D is not stocked with one of the larger medium format sensors, it’s still a significant leap from full frame.

That is almost bigger than the whole effing phone, man.

[duc_fan]

^^ I'm still not a fan of digital as a photographic medium... but I can respect that Pentax medium-format camera as an excellent example of technological workmanship.

[Skybarney]

^^ I'm still not a fan of digital as a photographic medium... but I can respect that Pentax medium-format camera as an excellent example of technological workmanship.

Do you keep the film camera next to your 8 track player?   

[J5]

Do you keep the film camera next to your 8 track player?   

nah its with the vinyl and valve amp

[duc_fan]

nah its with the vinyl and valve amp

^^ This.  In all seriousness.  I am a bit of an analog geek. 

I don't have a medium-format film camera, but I have multiple Minolta 35mm film SLRs and the obligatory assortment of lenses.  My pride and joy is a Leitz-Minolta 70-210mm F4 (the one that is actually F4 through the entire zoom range... not the later, and cheapr F4-F5.6 model).  I've been looking for a reasonably priced 100mm macro to go with it... my uncle has one.  It's an incredibly sharp lens.  Anyway...

I'm not a total luddite, though.  I have a Canon G10 digital point-and-shoot for quick and dirty photography needs.

[suzyj]

I'm not a total luddite, though. 

Oh I am. I had four medium format cameras at one point:



I'm down to just one now, the Mamiya 645 on the far left, with an 80 f/1.9 and 45 f/2.8 lens and pentoprism. It's a beautiful brute of a camera.

I've also got a Nikon FE2, which shares my flock of manual focus Nikkor lenses (20 f2.8, 50 f1.2, 85 f/1.4, 180 f 2.8, 300 f/4) with my D300.

[red baron]

They still make film?

[Skybarney]

They still make film?

Yup!  You can find it next to the 8 track players at your local thrift store 

[LowThudd]

I have a rather large collection of antique cameras. The majority of them are in working order. And yes, you can find fresh film even for the more obscure cameras like Double run eight movie cameras. The bigger problem is developing. At the end of the day, it just isn't worth the hassle to run film any more. My DSLR takes as nice pictures as ANY film camera I have used, but being able to see the picture instantly is priceless. That and being able to take several hundred pics on one memory card etc.

Film still looks great to me, and has it's own look and feel. But all of that look and feel can be had by post picture taking editing. It just ain't worth it to me to run film anymore. I doubt I'll ever do it again.

Nice thing about that Mamiya is that it can always be a digital with the addition of a digital back. Not cheap, but prices will come down. Let's you use all your favorite glass and maintain the same basic camera you love.

[duc_fan]

If they make a digital back for the Minolta X700, I'll probably cave and go fully digital.  I love my cameras, but yeah, finding a lab that runs enough to keep the developers fresh is getting difficult... even more so for the last few years since I moved out to the sticks. 

Suzy: that's a nice collection.  The 645 looks like fun.    I keep flirting with the idea of medium format, but I have too many other hobbies at the moment. <shrug>

[LowThudd]

If they make a digital back for the Minolta X700, I'll probably cave and go fully digital.  I love my cameras, but yeah, finding a lab that runs enough to keep the developers fresh is getting difficult... even more so for the last few years since I moved out to the sticks. 

Suzy: that's a nice collection.  The 645 looks like fun.    I keep flirting with the idea of medium format, but I have too many other hobbies at the moment. <shrug>

Doubt that will happen. It appears also that Minolta redesigned their lens system when they went to Autofocus, so no backwards compatibility at all. That is one nice thing about my Pentax, I can still use my 50mm 1.4 on it. Takes INCREDIBLE shots. You can get nice 645s for fairly reasonable prices these days. I have almost bought a Pentax 645 on eBay on occasion. But it would not be worthwhile for me, already having a DSLR that I like.

Sony DSLRs use the later Minolta A mount, but need an adapter to work with early glass and the auto exposure will not work right.