APTUS 75 on GX680 III

[GabiHirit]

I received my APTUS 75 about two weeks ago and  though my english is not very good I will try to share  some impressions  after this short period of  usage on FUJI GX680 III  :

The back feels solid and tight mounted on the camera through KG - stitching adapter  . It can be attached horizontally or vertically or  you can also rotate the adapter (including the DB) like the old film back . Focus is accurate .  I do not understand why the KG One Shot Release  is so big and why it has such long wires ? . It is a "boxy" , 60-ies design thing that dongles hanged up on the wires making all the set looking very improvized . But it works well .
The back is very simple and intuitive to operate . Actually I did not even read the manual  .
The screen is good . It is not like those on the Canons but it somehow compensate by its size . After few days of use I learnt to evaluate the exposure on it . I can set gray balance on the back , which is nice . I like very much that I can zoom in at 1:1 and check the focus . I find this very useful .

The files look amazing . I'm still impressed every time I open one  .  It is not only about the detail , it is about the  3D feeling of these files , the smooth transitions and rich , natural colors . And they are very sharp  . I can't explain exactly but the sharp is natural , not "cooked" in the software  .  Very "workable" files  , they can take a lot of post without breaking apart .

Long exposures , up to 25 seconds are very clean . Between 25 and 30 seconds the noise becomes visible . For the kind of work I do it is absolutely ok . I can't remember  a job in the last years where a longer exposure was necessary .

The files at 50 ISO are incredible . The best single shot captures  ever . At 100 ISO is almost the same . 200 ISO is still clean and absolutely usable in demanding situations . At 400 ISO Leaf Aptus 75 is surprisingly good , it very much looks like film . Yes , noise can be seen but it reminds me of  the film grain . I would go further and say a 400 ISO Aptus 75 file looks  almost like a 6x8  100 ISO film .  I  have a poster in my  studio (portrait) 28x40 commercial print (300dpi) from a 6x8 Kodak E100S and to my eye , Leaf Aptus at 400 ISO , is very similar when up-sized  .  From 400 to 800 ISO the difference is noticeable and 800 can be used more for the editorial kind of work in my opinion ,  for prints up to double page spreads  or larger but you have to like the grain .

The 30G Digital Magazine is very convenient . It is not  bulky and very easy to attach and detach from the camera after you get used . As simple as inserting/extracting the card  .

Software is ok but pretty slow to process the files on my dual 2GHz 3.5G RAM . The only thing I miss in Leaf Capture is the temperature slider .  Anyway , I have it on ACR .

All in all  I'm very happy with  the purchase . It took me almost 2 years to decide between Leaf and Phase but now ,  after 2 weeks of usage I belive I made the right choice . Phase is very good too but I couldn't get over the poor screen and I prefer the look of the Leaf files .

One more thing : prior to the purchase and after  , every time I call  somebody from Leaf  I get an answer . Or if he does not answer , I can be sure he will call me back very soon .   Every email I sent  got an answer  in the same day .  This made me feel safe to choose Leaf , even if the dealer is 600 km from here , over the Phase which is next door .


GH

[KristerH]

Hi.

Thanks for that info. I will deciede any day now between Aptus 75 and Phase P45.

Please tell me a little bit more about the battery life of the aptus.

//krister

[GabiHirit]

Krister ,

I didn't pay much attention to life battery. Knowing it is short I just bought 2 more  and my assistant takes care I always have a charged one for replace . It does not cost much  , 30-40 EURO/battery ,  if I remember .

[pprdigital]

Please tell me a little bit more about the battery life of the aptus.

//krister
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=62265\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Krister:

The battery life is up to 2 hours each on the batteries (two come with the kit) that Leaf provides. These can lose power faster depending on the type of shooting. There are 4 hour batteries available, although they will hang lower beneath the back. For some, this is an issue, for others it is not. I have heard some liken the lower battery to a handy grip. Personal taste will dictate.

Steve Hendrix
PPR Digital

[GabiHirit]

Kristen ,

what should be mentioned here is that you have 2 batteries for shooting on cards but if you use the digital magazine the back is powered by it .The DM have also two batteries (included in the kit) but uses both at the time . I'll try to keep you posted about  or maybe someone else  can tell you more about how much they last .

[GabiHirit]

Hi Steve ,

I'd like  to know if you and Mark T. did that test (A75 vs P25 vs ...) and what the conclusions were ? Can you talk about it ?

[pprdigital]

Hi Steve ,

I'd like  to know if you and Mark T. did that test (A75 vs P25 vs ...) and what the conclusions were ? Can you talk about it ?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=62336\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Gabi:

I don't want to speak for Mark, but...
Let's just say that the general consensus was that image quality was a draw. In the test, the Aptus proved what has already been proven, that the screen, while still needing improvement, is superior to the Phase One screens (from all of their backs) and the speed of the Aptus 22 easily surpassed the P25.

What was fuzzier was the Leaf software versus Capture One, which is still by consensus, the better software. Ultimately, it comes down to how well one handles Leaf Capture software. If that's not an issue, then I don't see where Phase has any advantage. But for many, Capture One has become their workflow of choice. Using Leaf Capture 10 may be disappointing to that group. That being said, the nice thing about software is that it can improve and change, and with Leaf, that would be at no cost to the end user. Leaf 10 is just getting started. It's promising, but has room for improvement. Hopefully, those improvements will be forthcoming soon.

Steve Hendrix
PPR Digital

[GabiHirit]

Gabi:


What was fuzzier was the Leaf software versus Capture One, which is still by consensus, the better software. Ultimately, it comes down to how well one handles Leaf Capture software. If that's not an issue, then I don't see where Phase has any advantage. But for many, Capture One has become their workflow of choice. Using Leaf Capture 10 may be disappointing to that group.

Steve Hendrix
PPR Digital
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Thanks , Steve !

I found the LC-V8 and  LC10 to be pretty simple and intuitive software . It is not as full featured as C1 but it does the job for me and does it well . Anyway , in 99.99% of the cases I'll still need to work in Photoshop so what's the point ? The most important thing is to bring as much info as I can into Photoshop and LC is very good at that .  More than this , the noise reduction process in C1 running beyond my control would be very concerning for me . Take a look at : [a href=\"http://www.outbackphoto.com/artofraw/raw_28/essay.html]http://www.outbackphoto.com/artofraw/raw_28/essay.html[/url] . In Leaf Capture I can control this smudging with the GRAIN slider .

GH