BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: New Questions

buying the right equipment, help!

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March 03, 2002

Camera Bodies:
- Canon EOS D60
- Nikon D100
- Contax N Digital
- Fuji Finepix S1 Pro
- Kodak DCS 760 (Nikon F5 body with Kodak digital back)

Medium Format Backs:
- Kodak DCS Pro Back 645 (replaces film back on Mamiya 645AF or Contax 645).
- Kodak DCS Pro Back Plus (replaces film back on Hasselblad 6x6, Bronica 6x6, Mamiya RZ67 Pro II 6x7 and Fuji GX680 6x8).

The five camera bodies are professional grade with ~6 Megapixel CCD's that produce maximum image dimensions of approximately 2,000 x 3,000 pixels. Kodak's medium format digital backs are about 4,000 x 4,000 pixels.

*Minimum* size for a digital print is about 250 dpi and the digital file needs to be very, very "clean." The 6.1 Megapixel cameras can just barely create an 8x10; they would be woefully inadequate for the 16x20 size you want. The 16 Megapixel medium format backs are better, but still fall short at a maximum of 11x14 or 11x16 standard print size capability. Kodak's marketing department claims its DCS 760 is capable of 16x20's (125 dpi !!) and its medium format DCS Pro Backs are capable of 40x40 inches (100 dpi !!!!). The CCD resolution and what's required for acceptable prints tells me something much different. Kodak's marketing notoriously exaggerates capabilities in its advertising. For an *acceptable* 16x20 print size, the absolute *minimum* is 4000 x 5000 pixels, and that's a "print ready" resolution.

"State of the art" digital technology cost:
~6 M-pixel bodies: approx. $6,000 to $7,000 *without* lenses
~6 M-pixel MF backs: approx. $15,000 to $19,000
[didn't list these above; back only *without* body or lenses]
~16 M-pixel MF backs: approx. $20,000 *without* body or lenses

By comparison, my 20-25 year old 35mm cameras and lenses are capable of producing the equivalent of 3600 x 5400 pixels, or about 19-20 Megapixels, with more color information than digital contains. It's why their limit for acceptable printing is 11x14 or 11x16. For larger prints I pull out the medium format equipment (with film) and use it. Even at 11x14, the difference between 35mm and medium format is apparent with close scrutiny.

The cost for digital "state of the art" is extremely high, without lenses and for medium format without even a camera body, and cannot produce an acceptable 16x20 print. Probably not what you wanted to read. It's based on factual information tempered with what I've seen digital and film equipment capable of producing in large prints. My best advice is downsizing your desired print size to 8x10 or 8x12 for a digital studio, or using medium format *film* cameras for reliably creating 11x14 and 16x20 prints.

-- John

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March 03, 2002

Lights:
A basic setup is two lights, with light stands and umbrellas. You can add things such as reflectors, scrims, additional lights with snoots, barn doors and other accessories later. IMO the most versatile and portable for on-location work are "monolights" which include the power supply in each light; it allows each to be used separately and independently of the other. You can slave the triggering of one from the other. I consider 500WS (watt-second) to be about minimum power for each monolight. You want to be able to use umbrellas or softboxes, ISO 100 or ISO 160 film, and still be able to stop down to f/11 or f/16. Look at kits with a pair of lights, umbrellas, light stands and a box or case to hold it all. Elinchrom, Photogenic (Powerlight PL series), SP Systems and Speedotron should all have kits. There are other good systems as well. Budget about $1,000 to $2,000 for the lighting (depends on what you buy and how powerful it is).

Flash meter:
Not on your list, but an essential tool for studio work to adjust lighting power and set exposures. Look for one that can do both reflected and incident readings; most use incident metering for nearly all their work. There's a wide range in pricing on them; you need not spend a fortune for it. The standard for many years was the Minolta Flashmeter IV. The Gossen Luna-Star F2 is also a very popular one (and simple to operate).

Backgrounds:
*The* standard studio colors are white, black and a medium gray. Consider these before other colors, especially the black and the white. The medium gray is not an essential color, but it is neutral and you want something relatively neutral between black and white. If not gray, then some other neutral mid-tone. There are two basic methods: paper rolls and cloth. The paper rolls are just that, enormous wide rolls of colored paper. The roll is mounted just below the ceiling on the wall and sufficient paper pulled down to cover the wall and start across the floor. Most popular width is 107 inches. IMO this generates a paper trash problem as the paper cannot be used long before it must be torn off the roll and more pulled off. For cloth backdrops, look for at least similar width and try to keep it seamless. Most of them are made of muslin. Look at Photek's Background-in-a-Bag and Calumet's "Tote-a-Round Muslin" system. You need a length that can go from the ceiling and extend out across the floor to cover the wall/floor seam and the area under the subject. You won't have to consider and watch orientation of background perspective lines if they don't exist. There are other cloth backdrop systems similar to the ones I mentioned.

-- John

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March 03, 2002

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February 17, 2005