Re: Alpa

[Charles Tait <charles.tait@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi there

Well I must be one of the six.  I used various Alpas over the last 13
years.  When they work they are perfect, but several had banding,
although not the one I bought.  I ended up using 70mm Ektachrome and the
camera has a voracious appetite - something like a 6 litre V8 with a
supercharger.

It takes great shots, but the main thing is that at least in UK, you
simply cannot charge a premium for usage.  Since shots which are
acceptably "panoramic" at least in the eyes of designers and advertisers
can be achieved much more cheaply and easily, i have not used the camera
for a bit.

I ended up using a large Gitzo tripod with leveller and a large Sinar
head.  The advantage of all the weight is that you can use it in a storm
unlike the Sinar which is hard to use in Northern Scotland due to the
wind.  In that regard I have a 6x12 back which is very fine in many
ways, but why not just shot 5x4 and be done with it after all the hassle
of carting the thing around?

The problem with both solutions is that you really cannot get very far
from the car, which thus needs to be a Land Rover.  My reaction has been
to shoot 6x7 Velvia which reproduces so well at A3 that anything larger
seems superfluous.  I did also shoot a lot on a Horizon and the shots
sold just as well as the Alpa ones.  Great little camera so long as it
works, and the wind on lever does not fall off into the sea...

It all comes down to practicalities - the only option on a small boat at
sea on a rough day shooting whales and seabirds is auto everything 35mm,
using the other hand to hold on!  By the way I have just been playing
with a Nikon D1, and the quality is amazingly high.  However in light of
various HD crashes i will still shoot on film for a while, even if the
market is digital.

End of sermon and back to lurking.

Charles from sunny Orkney