Gimme a Hy6

Recently, I've had the privilege to try out the Sinar Hy6 along with the 45 degree prism finder and the Sinar eMotion 75 LV digital back. Perhaps I'll post a follow-up review sequel to Michael Reichmann's now 1 year old review. :D

Tech spex: Shot with a Nikon D200, AF-S 18-135G DX

It's a Hasselblad

Today I plonked down serious money for a Hasselblad Ixpress V96C medium format digital back from Procamera.com.my, Shriro Malaysia's official online webstore to bring my Bronica SQ SLR system into the digital era.


Tech spex: shot with a Nikon D80, AF-S 18-55G DX-II lens, Nikon SB-22 flash

The digital back features a Kodak 16-megapixel CCD sensor with an active sensing area of 36.7mm x 36.7mm, a far cry from the full 6x6 frame which is 55.6mm x 55.6mm, producing an effective 1.5x crop on all my lenses, effectively meaning that I no longer have a viable wide angle on my Bronica.

RIP S2 Pro

My Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro has been plagued with the so-called "black frame death" problem since it first happened in it's 11th month that I owned it. Luckily, at that time it was still under warranty and that covered it's repair in full. However, for the past 8 months I've been experiencing the occasional random recurrence of the "black frame death" symptoms although it would only happen once every say, 100 frames shot. However, last week, it finally gave up the ghost again, and this time, repair is not an option. It's simply too old and obsolete. Ironically, I think it doesn't matter that much, as I am shooting mostly with the Sony CyberShot DSC-V3 and the medium and large format cameras on film these days.


Tech spex: afocal shot with a Sony CyberShot DSC-V3 through the viewfinder of a Bronica SQ-Ai, Bronica 80mm f/2.8 PS lens

Big and Small

I was fiddling around with a Voïgtlander Bessa R3A borrowed from my boss this evening and thought to compare it with my own Bronica RF645. Interesting how they are so similar (for good reason of course), but so different in size.



I also happened to have the office Sony HDR-FX1/E to compare with our own Sony HCR-HC1000E, a similar comparison!


Tech spex: Fuji S2 Pro, Tamron SP 24-135, Nikon SB-28

Nikon D2X 12-megapixel Shoot-Out

My cousin Sam came over last night to conduct a 12-megapixel digital SLR shoot-out with the new Nikon D2X D-SLR. Shoot-out against what? Why, against my venerable Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro, of course! Naturally, we didn't expect too much, since there should be no way that a US$5,000 camera can possibly be matched by a much cheaper US$1,500 camera.


Photo info: Nikon D70, Nikon AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 ED IF DX, Nikon SB-600 flash

All the tests were performed with the following lenses:

• Nikon AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 ED IF DX
• Nikon AF-D 60mm f/2.8 Micro
• Tamron SP 90 f/2.5 Manual Focus Adaptall (to test manual focus lens support on the D2X)

All test shots were performed with the camera on a Manfrotto tripod, self-timer shutter release and the same, identical lens fitted to the body being tested. Test subjects were a snail shell, some potpourri and the night-time landscape through our condo window. All images were shot as 12 megapixel JPEGs.

I won't go into too much detail or nitty gritty of the test as I think that is being covered already in very great detail on other sites, but my conclusions are:

• Not surprisingly, the D2X captures an extroardinary amount of detail, certainly much more than the S2 Pro.
• But, having said that, given that the S2 Pro is after all a 6 megapixel camera at heart, it did very well, the 12 megapixel JPEGs comparing very very well with the D2X JPEGs. The D2X JPEGs of course had that extra bit more cripsness and detail, but the S2 Pro produced a very respectable set of 12 megapixel JPEGs.
• D2X has a much more solid build and is infinitely more configurable and customisable. It is of course, much heavier. Heavier even than my Bronica RF645.
• Surprisingly, we experienced a little bit of focus hunting with the D2X, and none on the S2 Pro with our potpourri test subject. We would have expected it to have been the other way around.

Ultimate conclusion? If you have an S2 Pro already and are wondering whether it produces decent 12 megapixel images, the answer is definitely yes. Does it produce excellent 12 megapixel images like the D2X? No, of course not, but you do save a packet in the process.

Photo info: Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro, Nikon AF-D 18-35mm ED IF, ISO 800

Bronica RF645

Yahoo! Mum has arrived with the Bronica RF645!



The kit consists of everything in the current Bronica line-up, but missing the 100mm f/4.5 portrait lens that seems to have been taken off the market due to insufficient demand, presumably. So, camera body, 65mm f/4 normal lens, 45mm f/4 wide angle lens with it's accessory viewfinder and the RF20 dedicated speedlight.

It's incredibly solid feeling, even more solid, though lighter, than the Bronica SQ-Ai. About the same weight and size as the Fujifilm S2 Pro, as you can see from the photo below.



And yes, it is a fairly big beastie. Plus it makes curious wheezing and clicking noises when you release the shutter. Although it looks like a traditional all-manual SLR, it is actually an all electronic hi-tech camera.