ALPA Cable Release for the Max. Derek 01/26/10
I recently received a shipment of some ALPA Cable releases for the 12 Max. I believe this is a "must have" accessory for any Max user that hand- holds their camera. I have two lenghts in stock. Contact me for more info.
Pictures courtesy of ALPA.
Mola Softlights. Derek 12/16/09
Optechs Digital is happy to have recently become a Mola Softlights dealer. These softlights are simply awesome. The dish is designed to be very efficient, thus ensuring that you're getting the maximum output from your stobes while at the same time providing a pleasing quality of light. The dishes come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 22" to 43.5", they can be adapted to be used with most of the common stobe systems, and can be purchased with one of three different interior surface finishes (white is the most common).
Contact me to arrange a demo or to set up a rental.
Ted testing the Mola Softlights in our new demo area.
Mola!
Paul (Mola, Leaf Aptus II 10, 75-150, shot by Ted).
A 100% crop showing the very cool catchlight created by the Mola.
Alpa Pro Grid Screen. Derek 12/01/09
I recently received our initial deliveries of the new ALPA Pro Grid Screen Ground Glass for ALPA 12 cameras. I can say without a doubt that this new screen is the finest I've used. This new ground glass is optimized for use with digital backs. The "tooth" or "grain" of this screen is incredibly smooth, so very fine details can be seen and used for focusing. My test subjects really snapped into focus, then quickly blur as I rotated the helical mount. There was no sense of vagueness that is sometimes experienced when focusing on a lesser quality ground glass. Another nice feature is the etched grid lines which are space at 4mm intervals as opposed to 10mm on the older ground glass.
The previous ALPA ground glass can be upgraded with the new glass- good news for owners of the older style unit. The user simply swaps out the old ground glass with the new screen. This is a worthwhile upgrade for sure!
I currently have the ALPA upgrade/ replacement screens and complete Ground Glass sets in stock, contact me if you want more information.
 
Elinchrom Monolights! Derek 10/20/09
Optechs Digital has the Elinchrom BX Ri 500 and the RX 600 on the floor and ready for you to check them out. These lightweight and compact units are very easy to use. The Skyport wireless controller is awesome, and so simple to setup. Complete packages start at around $1500! Contact me if you want to arrange a demo. Also, and we have a bunch of very cool battery powered strobes and modifiers on the way.
ALPA Collapsible Frame Sports- Viewfinder. Derek 09/08/09
Here's a preview of the brand new Alpa Viewfinder which just arrived to our office a few hours ago. I was thrilled to hear that Alpa was developing this product as it is PERFECT for photographers like myself that carry their gear into the backcountry. I haven't put it on the scale yet, but it feels substantially lighter in weight than the Alpa optical viewfinder. It is also very compact which is nice when packing up the gear and hauling it into the mountains.
Landscape photographers will love this finder.
The specific unit we received is optimized for use with different formats ranging from 6x6 through 6x9 with focal lengths of 80mm (6x6) and 120mm. Adjustment are made by positioning the rubber rings. There will be more configurations coming soon, of particular importance will be the MFDB (645) version. But I'm confident that I'll be able to adapt to the unit I have.
Check back soon to read my field report and feel free to call or email with questions. Anyone who is in the area can come by the office and check it out themselves.
Cheers, Derek
The Versitility of the ALPA Max. Derek 09/01/09
When used in it's standard configuration, the ALPA Max has 43mm total rise and fall and 36mm total shift. So when doing multi-row stitching with the Alpa stitching adapter (see our videos), you always end up with an image that is in a portait (vertical) orientation.
I was recently asked how one would achieve the same size stitched image in a landscape (horizontal) format. The solution is to simply mount the camera to a sturdy L-braket. In this case, I used a Manfotto bracket that is normally used with their QTVR head. I then mounted the Alpa viewfinder to what is normally the side of the camera. A lens with a large image circle should be used to take advantage of movement the Max provides.
Typical ALPA- simple, solid and effective.
Phase One Hasselblad V to Mamiya AFD Lens Mount Adapter. Derek
01/09/09
We spent some time experimenting with the Phase One HB mount today. Take a look at the below image. Yes, that is a Carl Zeiss Distagon 4/50mm T* lens mounted on a Phase One/AFDIII camera body! The Phase One 645 AF-HB mount is cool little adapter that allows lenses made for the classic mechanical Hasselblad "V" camera to mount onto the modern Phase One or Mamiya AFD body.
Of course you loose autofocus, you have to use stop-down metering (spot only) and changing the aperture is a little awkward, but after a short time I got used to those limitations. The ability to have access to such a great range of lenses makes the those limitations easy to accept, particularly if you already own a bunch of V glass. I was also pleased to find that that focus-confirmation is still active, that's helpful considering that the provided stock screen is not that great for manual focusing.
Personally, I like the modern AF lenses, especially the new "digital" models. But I also feel that the HB Mount is a great way for existing Hasselblad V users to transition into a modern auto focus digital camera system without having to purchase a complete new range of glass.
Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Alpa Max. Derek 01/06/09
I took some pics of our Alpa Max. Our unit is outfitted with Alpa Soft Touch Grips, Shift Stick, Shift block, Accessory Shoe, and Ground Glass.
ALPA demo systems arrives at Optechs! Derek 12/31/08
It took a bit longer than I thought it would, but it was certainly worth the wait. The Alpa Max and TC are absolutly beautiful.
Here are a couple pics of our Alpa TC with a Phase One P45+ attached. I took these with a Phase One P45+ on the Alpa Max w/ Schneider 72mm Apo Digitar. Both the Max and TC are very nice to shoot with.
I plan to update this blog over the next few weeks as we continue to use these exciting cameras. Don't hesitate to contact me if you want a demo!
Two of our friends featured on Seattle Channel. Derek 11/05/08
Congratulations go out to photographers Barry Wong and Angie Norwood Browne for being featured on a recent episode of City Stream on the Seattle Channel.
Watch the video here: http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=3070831
Phase One P65+ first impressions. Paul 11/03.08
Optechs Digital was very excited to present the first opportunity to see the exciting new P65+ 60.5MP digital back in Seattle Friday, Oct 31 at our office. I had been very excited to see this new back from Phase One ever since it was first announce a few months ago.
One of the things that really surprised me was actually seeing the physical size difference between this sensor compared to that which is used in the P45+ back. I didn’t expect to see much difference but it is in fact a very noticeable size increase on the P65+. This also became evident when comparing an identical image captured from the P45+ to the P65+. Not only is the P65+ a noticeably wider view it is also quite significantly larger when comparing the images side by side at 100% view.
It was also very amazing to see this back capture full raw files at a rate of close to 1 frame per second on the Phase One/Mamiya camera system. I did not believe this would possible when I first saw it published in the Phase Ones specification list.
At 60.5 megapixels this back clearly won’t appeal to everyone. However, it was fun to witness the excitement of our architectural, landscape and art repro clientele after they saw and realized the new potential and opportunity that this new product offers for their work.
I believe that this new P65+ back coupled with an Alpa camera system and the new Rodenstock 23mm lens will open a whole new level of possibility and quality in the architecture market. This is a package that Optechs Digital will be presenting at its earliest availability (early 09.)
Of course the operation of the back was no surprise. It is identical in look fit and finish to the whole P+ family of backs and performed flawlessly.
Take a look at the image of the construction site and check out the detail views, I think you will be as excited as we are about the detail that this back is capable of rendering even at great distance.
Optechs digital will receive its first P65+ demonstration unit in December 08.
The below image was captured by Ted Pedersen with a Pre Production Phase One P65+ on a Phase One camera with Phase One 80mm.
Please do not copy image.
|
