Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/08/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In the old days we compared a Nikon F against an Olympus OM1 against a Rollei 35 against a Leica M or a Leica LTM. Or Leica R. They all shot 35mm film in the 24x36mm format. The results despite huge variants in body size and optical quality could be very similar when looking at a 16x20 inch darkroom print. Some people liked compactness. Others didn't mind spending some more money. But they were all buying 35mm cameras of the same format which could roughly do the same thing. We don't have that now. We have to almost read the find print to find out what format the camera we are looking at is shooting. We have cameras which look every similar but they are two different formats. Direct comparisons can not be made like they are two slightly different flavors off the same pizza. In this case a Nikon D700 feels like an unnecessarily heavy and bulky and pricey version of a D7000. But its a larger format camera. It does not look like a Rolleiflex a Hasselblad. But its still a larger format camera. The added bulk, weight and cost is easily worth it in the different class of results you get from it. This is made evident by the people using these cameras. Or by the people not using them. A DSLR camera is much more than an SLR with a D In front of it. What you can do with a full frame DSLR camera is unprecedented from my previous film experience. Its enabling but also almost unnerving. You can take my Hasselblad. You can take my Rollei 35. I'm out tomorrow with my full frame DSLR. -- Mark R.