Hi, I have two questions:
1)- Anybody have experience with P25 and contax 645 with the long exposures?
Are there any tricks?
Is impossible use the B exp with contax and any others digital back, only in Av exposure, and after 32 sec. the camera stop to work.
I bought Phase One becouse there are no problem with the long exp, I tasted it with Hasselblad H1 and I didn't know the contax limits.
2)- My work is normaly out of the studio, and for my photos I always used Polaroid for the first test medium and 4x5 format. Now with the P25 the Lcd monitor is like polaroid for me, but it's too little and I don't want take my PowerBook 12" becouse is too big and havy in a lot of situations. I now that Leaf it will be better, but after a lot of tests I decided Phase One for the quality file and C1P software. Do you know if exist some little Hard Disk or PC with monitor that i can use with phase One Back?
Thank you
Fabrizio

Can't help you with your Contax 645 problem, but I wanted to thank you for coming out with that spray that keeps my furniture smelling fresh.

As for number one, there are no tricks and B doesn't work with the P25/45. I am told there is some issue with the electronics in the Contax grip. You are limited to using the auto or manual exposure modes with an overall limit of 32 seconds. On the other hand if you are using a view camera you can use longer exposures with the P25-45.

I cannot help you with number two. I back up my cards on an Epson P2000 and the image quality seems fine on the screen, but I don't think that is the direction you wish.

Mark

it seems that the next upgrade for Phase products will be the live preview focusing (+ maybe screen?) for its P series backs, and mainly, wireless transmission of images.
so you could hold out for that, though it will be $. (personally these things make little difference to me, but to some it will matter).

meanwhile you could get an ultra portable laptop - a really tiny one like the new Sony UX50 that was announced recently, and use that tethered via F/W.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/07/sony-va...0-on-pre-order/

its full version Windows XP, so should do the job, if a little slow.

if you are looking for something like an I-Paq handheld, that wont work at present with Phase products.

as for the 32 sec limit. yes, its annoying, I came up against it recently.
sadly we are using hybridised devices - with the latest digital backs stuck onto old film cameras, and really the cameras arent up to the technological game.

hopefully at Photokina this year, things will change.

Hi Fabrizio,

as a former owner of the Contax/P25 combo i once read something about the use of Kapturegroup Cable to expand the exposure time. Maybe it was at the phaseone forum, member2member forum or at the RG forum. The post came from one guy of the PhaseOne Team.
I am sure that he has found out that if you trigger the back with the (expensive) cable you can go beyond the 32sec limits. I think it was connected to the remote cable connector of the Contax body...
Sorry for not giving you more detailed information about that.

jørn

Thank you jørn,
it's great,
it is an expensive cable but can be work.

this is the Phase one address forum
http://forum.phaseone.com/viewtopic.php?t=1461

I'd be interested to find out your experience with it. I'm wary when someone says "It's tight but I made it fit".

Mark

i was asking a dealer about that very thing( im going with contax too). he told me about the cable solution, but he said the p25 wasnt too good with long exposures. gets a bit grainy. but does a better job than the aptus 22. i think 30 seconds is pretty good, definately enough for me.

paul

. gets a bit grainy. but does a better job than the aptus 22. i think 30 seconds is pretty good, definately enough for me.

Hi Paul, I made a test with a Hasselblad H1 before buy P25 with an exposure of 1,30 min, and I havn't seen nois or big grain. Aptus 22 was really worse.
Thank you.