I can always pick up a full frame digital SLR in the future. I prefer to have the newest technological advances and modern user interface with film, rather than a traditional analog-style interface with digital, such as the Df. I think it is cool that the Df has the old analog-style controls, but, as a film shooter at heart, I finally decided that now is the time to bring my film SLR into the 21st century with the F6. However, it seems that we can still anticipate even further advances in FX digital SLRs over the next few years, so, even at this stage of digital SLR development, I hesitate to throw thousands into an FX body that will be obsolete in just a few years.
Late last year, as Nikon lovers anticipated the release of the new Nikon Df full-frame digital SLR body, I considered whether now was the time to finally upgrade my DX format D7000 to a full-frame FX digital SLR, such as the Df, D800, etc. I certainly appreciate those features in my D7000. Since I also use a Nikon D7000 digital SLR for everyday people and other photography, I felt little need to upgrade my SLR film bodies.Īnyway, as current day photographers, we have become accustomed to using cameras with the recent technological advances, such as advanced 3D color matrix metering, advanced electronic flash technology, more advanced and refined body design and construction, etc. So, for a time, I focused on on using my Mamiya 7 medium format rangefinder and my airline travel friendly Nikon FM2N/FE2. I mostly do landscape and travel photography, so I didn't want to lug around the full-size F5 body. When the F4 was replaced by the F5, I was one of those photographers who was put off by the relatively extreme size and weight of the F5. While I use autofocus zooms for the mid-range focal lengths, I like to use my old Ai Nikkor manual focus lenses for extreme wide angle and some telephoto applications. But, with the F90x, I missed the ability to see my aperture in the viewfinder and also do matrix metering with manual focus lenses. For a while, I used the F90x when it was in current production. However, while I love my F4 and have used it until very recently, it has obviously not been my main film body in recent years. This page, despite the fact that Photon Detector doesn't seem to be a very active site anymore, does feature some a variety of information on other brands' notch codes and additional information about a variety of film stocks.If you have been reading my Nikon pro-series reviews in order, you can see that I have been a loyal user of Nikon pro-level bodies since the days of the Nikon Photomic FTn. You can treat these resources as a reference for which notch codes apply to various film stocks.įujifilm Film Notch Code Index (PDF – This is actually a massive and awesome data guide sheet for all Fujifilm film stocks, including many since-discontinued films. 4x5 Film Notch CodesĮach 4x5 film stock has its own, unique sequence of cutouts in the top, right corner of the film that helps identify what it is when feeling in the dark. It's a bit text-heavy, but if you just want someone to explain it to you, start here. LFPhoto is a fantastic resource for those looking to get started or improve their skills in large format photography.
Here's an excellent video on how to use and load a Grafmatic 4x5 film holder. Learn how to load 4x5 film into a standard, Fidelity (or similar) holder.