Have a 501CM opinions on doing digital

[simonpg]

Touche Nicole. Got to love those 6x6 trannies - you can "feel" them!

And when you ever want to "go digital" again, just buy a Hassy digi back for your 501.

Redundancy proof V series!

 

[rogerxnz]

An aspect that no one seems to have mentioned, is the problem of how/where to store large quantities of megapixel pics taken with your digital back. And how to access them quickly.

If you need a digital version of a transparency, you scan that shot alone, not all the shots you took at the time. It doesn't even matter if you lose the digital version because you can always re-scan the transparency.

With transparencies, you can file them in transparent pages in a folder and you have no worries about your storage medium becoming obsolete or wearing out. When you need to find a shot, you can throw the pages onto a light box or hold them up to the light.

All systems/media are equally prone to theft, flood, fire, etc, and digital's apparent advantage of being easy to duplicate so you can store images offsite is negated by the need to have double quantities of the massive storage capacity I mentioned at the start!
Rogerxnz

 

[fotografz]

Filing and storage of tens of thousands of transparencies is just as formidable a task as storing that amount of digital images. The biggest deterrent to safe keeping photos (analog or digital) is human laziness ... to which I admit I am guilty.

While I keep a copy of my original wedding RAW files and all of the subsequent tif corrections on two 500 gig Lacie hard drives, I am remiss in making duplicates to DVDs for safety. I do however provide complete DVDs to the clients and urge them to make copies. I refuse to take responsibility for maintaining 40,000 photographs as technology changes.

In self-defense, I have taken to being very selective in editing down to only the very best work, and maintaining those files in multiple storage areas.

 

[janikphoto]

The biggest thing with ANY format is keeping it organized. I actually had a harder time keeping my negatives organized. I make at least two back-ups on CD of my shoots and also save extra-important shoots on a big hard drive.

I don't trust the external hard drives as much, since I know people (me included) who have had them fail. Maybe a very high-end had drive would be more reliable...

Don't worry about your files becoming obsolete so soon. They may not be readile available, but CD's will at least be readable for another ten to twenty years, and at that time you can update your storage.

Yes, some people have had cd's go bad in only five years, but that has a lot to do with buying good media, burning at the slowest speed, and storing them like negatives in a cool, dry, and dark place.

I burned cd's starting around 1997 or 1998 and they are still working fine 7 or 8 years later.

 

[mwiens]

I'm back and I still have my 501CM, but I'm really serious about going digital now. After seeing all the comments, I'd like to clarify some things. This is just my hobby. I'm not a fashion photographer and I've never photographed a wedding. I mostly go backpacking with my 501 and think that seeing my shots while I'm still up there could be good. I have most of the equipment for a darkroom but still need some things like a good timer, an easel, and a way to flatten fiber prints. I'd like to decide if I'm going digital soon so I can sell off my darkroom equipment before nobody wants it. Also, I'd really like to be able to print out some large prints (16 x 20 on average). I already have a computer, Photoshop, Aperture, etc. so I already have a digital darkroom.

I got a demo of the CFV the other day and I thought it was really simple. I've had demos of the Nikon and Canon cameras and the back with all the buttons seemed confusing and could possibly get in the way when shooting.

Is the CFV the best choice for me? I'm thinking of renting one from my local camera shop for a day.

How come I never hear people talk about the Phase One backs? A P20+ could be used on V-series and H-series cameras.