to digital or not to digital ?

[goofball]

for those who take their pictures seriously maybe you can help me out ? i am trying to decide whether or not to join the world of 0's & 1's. i know digital has its advantages - 1 edit and all prints are exactly the same, greater dynamic range (but does that make it to the print ?), instant review. and that is the way the photographic world is moving. prints from chromes are no more unles you scan them. prices will have to keep falling and qulaity keep improving before negs are entirely displaced, but i think that is where the imaging corporations want to go. so one day film will die but as a retro hobby.

anyway, from your expereince how well does a digital print from, say, a nikon d80 or comparable digi compare to a photograpic print from 6x6 or 645 ? how about to a scan and print of a 6x6 or 645 ? do chromes work better for scans or are negs just as "crisp" ? w/ the longer exposure times required in canyons do you see any "unfavorable" color shift from reciprocity ? color is still a new world, my love was always b&w, and it is inner city fare i sought. and it is all about resolution for me. i demand sharp clean images. in the final print can one really see the difference between digi and optic ? assuming high quality goods are used throughout each process ? and i want to be able to go big if a choose. i know what to expect from film as i was a lab tech for several years, but am in the dark w/ digital enlargement and where it begins to fall off.

help out a digital dummy !

thx.

[R]

http://kenrockwell.com/tech/filmdig.htm

[JP]

35mm is going by the wayside :haha: If I were you, I'd take the step into the realm of digital photography. Pick out a descent camera and read, like the link that Rich posted. Hey, if you don't like it, you can always fall back to film. Read up on the papers, printers and such. You always get what you pay for :haha:

[rockgremlin]

I'll probably come under fire for what I am about to say...but...I have yet to see a digicam perform like a medium and/or large format film camera can...at least as far as enlarged prints are concerned (poster-size).

However, 35mm film is pretty much a thing of the past. Digicams have gotten so good that they now outperform 35mm film cameras IMHO.

Go ahead...let me have it! :2guns:

[Alex]

rock you are probably right about the professional equipment. But when it comes to hiking/backpacking/canyoneering, I doubt you would be hauling your medium equipment with you, or Richard would haul his SLR backpack. On the other hand, I would have my trusty waterproof 5 megapixel 3x optical digi P&S to capture the pictures, moments and people with.

I guess it depends on what occasion the camera is used for, hauling a heavy photography equipment on a canyoneering trip is just not feasible to me. It never hurts to have the best of both worlds though :2thumbs:

[rockgremlin]

Kazak - you're right. Hauling medium format equipment down slot canyons and other remote places is just not very practical. If you have a lot of time, and a strong back, it could work out for you, but otherwise the digital (and portable) cameras rule.

[R]

Actually, my camera choices for hiking vary greatly with the difficulty and length of the hike, but for the most part, I take at least one SLR. The cameras themselves don't contribute to the load nearly as much as lenses, so that becomes a more key choice - versatility versus quality versus weight versus expendablility. That said, for short hikes I carry two SLRs and my heavy glass, like the 180mm f/2.8, 300mm f/4, 12-24mm f/4, etc. For long hikes I usually carry one SLR, an 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5, and a 70-300mm f/4-5.6. For very long hikes that involve scrambling or other rougher situations, I like to pack just my Minolta with it's 28-200mm.

If I were outfitting for hiking today, I would be inclined to look hard at the Nikon D80 and the 18-200mm VR.

I haven't shot a single frame of film at work or on the trail for more than two years, and I don't miss it, both for workflow and for quality.

http://richardbarron.net/equipment/

-Richard

http://richardbarron.net/pix/canysig.jpg

[goofball]

thanks all for the replys.

i have schleped around 4x5 in canyons and mountains before, not fun but it doesn't bother me in teh end. but also that was the whole point of it, maybe a bottle of water was all else i carried. scout and return. a 6x6 i would not mind packing on a regular basis for outings. although maybe partners would mind when i spend 30 minutes at a time setting up and breaking down :frustrated:

i can get a good deal on a mamiya 645tl pro w/ 2 backs and 2 lenses right now, as well as an eye level viewfinder. no ttl, but i prefer a spot and gray card anyhow.

plus i have been eyeing the new pentax k10d since it has weather proofing.

hmmmm...

thanks for the link richard, although it has been frustrating researching online as i see differing opinions in abundance.