is there such a thing as a digital back for a large format camera particularly mamiya rb 67? or an attachment to regular 135 SLR camera to convert it to a digital camera?

-- henry frejas (henry@hleoburnett.com.ph), August 20, 1998

Answers

Backs for large-format cameras (eg, 6x6 or 6x7 film format) have actually been around for a while, but be prepared for a steep price tag! The Leaf Digital Camera Back was the first such unit in the field, has been updated at least once, and is now being sold by Scitex Corporation, as well as Calumet (I think). I don't know the current prices, but last I saw, it was running ~$25-30K. It shoots three successive exposures through an RGB color wheel, so won't work for moving subjects, but produces a true 2Kx2K image that takes enlargement very well. Other players include PhotoPhase, with their PhaseOne scanning back (also not for moving subjects) in models ranging from $10-$20K, and MegaVision, with their T2 model (don't know the price of this one offhand). Calumet (out of Chicago) would be a good place to start with these, as they've made a substantial investment in staffing and demo models to support the pros. (Actually, you should be able to find dealers for all the brands mentioned in any large metro area.) Unless you spend *REALLY* large amounts of money, you won't find anything that can shoot moving subjects, but for studio work these various high-end backs produce superb results.

-- Dave Etchells (web@imaging-resource.com), August 23, 1998.