Personally, I've found this thread really interesting. It's brought up a lot
of good points about what equipment people use and how it works under
different situations. I think it's also clearly pointed out that everyone's
requirements will be different and the best thing to do is to find a system
that works for you.
Here's what I'm working with right now.
Almost all of my shooting is currently done using my OM kit. Since I got it,
it's been 1000f my 35mm shooting.
In the medium format arena, I have a Mamiya M645 and an 80mm lens. I've
debated upgrading this kit, replacing it with another MF kit, or completely
dropping MF.
In large format, I have an Arca-Swiss 4x5 with 75mm and 210mm lenses. I
really like this system but I'll admit that I haven't used it very much yet.
It's a much slower process than the 35mm work and I like the way it's more
deliberate. I also have a 6x9 back for it which is one of the reasons I've
been considering dropping MF. On the other hand though, an MF system would
be much easier to work with than the 4x5.
The other thing I found interesting about this thread is that I've gone
through similar "gear envy" phases. As I mentioned above, I've considered
expanding my MF equipment. I've debated a lot of different options from
expanding my lens selection for the Mamiya to adopting a completely
different setup. I've also been seriously looking at 35mm rangefinder
equipment (Voigtl*nder, possibly the odd piece of Lei$a glass).
However, I'm not ready to go to digital yet. I really enjoy working with
film and I like the feel I get from working with a mechanical camera. For me
it's as much a question of enjoyment of the process as it is concern over
the results. I like the way a small mechanical camera handles and I haven't
found a digital camera that has the same feel. As well, I like not being
dependant on batteries. I think that the resolution has probably reached a
point that I'd be happy with but the bigger issues (for me) are noise,
available iso, size/weight, and cost. I think that the resolution wars are
going to slow down in the near future because it's to a point where most of
the users will be happy. I think the next advances are going to in the areas
that I've addressed, so in the next few years I think a company will come
out with a system that I will like.
Andrew "frugal" Dacey
frugal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.tildefrugal.net/
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