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Advise for 5xx turning digital

Tinker

Tinker

Member
First of all let me apologise if this topic has been dealt with before; I could not find it but it may be there (?).

I'm looking for advise:
Having played around with a H1 with Imacon back & Imagebank for a while now, I'm getting to the point where I need to confess to myself that I've probably made a mistake. Medium format photography has made me enjoy photography more than ever before, but the combination of a heavy H1 with a 'mainframe' stuck away somewhere on my body is not the right thing for me. I may sell it / I may keep it for studio work; haven't decided yet.

However, I'm thinking about turning a 5xx digital (got a few nice CF lenses) but would appreciate your experiences / do's / dont's with regards to:
which 5xx works best with which back?
It doesn't have to be a Hasselblad back; could be a Leaf or Phase One; personally I have no preference. I won't be looking for buying new; for what I want to do I don't need the latest technology or most pixels.

Anyone with a view on this?

regards,
Erik
 
The most sensible backs are the ones from Hasselblad.

Why?

They fit like a glove to any 500 series body, no need for external links from the lens to the back, they carry memory cards, and finally these backs look similar to the chrome body.

There is choice from three models:

CFV I and II with 16 MP, the later CFV 39 Mp and the current CFV 50 Mp.

Prices? around 2500 for the CFV I and II, 6000 to 10.000 for the CFV 39.
The current price for the 50 Mp is 14000 euro plus VAT
Used back prices are Incl of VAT.


Paul
 
Normally I would agree with you Paul butin this case if I had the money I would get a Phase One P65+.

Why?

Firstly it is a full frame 6 x 4.5 cm frame as opposed to Hasselblads CFV39 & CFV50 which both have a 1.1x crop factor.

But the second and more importantly for me is that the Phase One backs can be rotated to give you a 6 x 4.5 cm vertical frame for portraits without having to turn the camera on its side or to use it as normal but lose all those pixels you have paid so much for.
 
Ed Bray said:
Normally I would agree with you Paul butin this case if I had the money I would get a Phase One P65+.

Why?

Firstly it is a full frame 6 x 4.5 cm frame as opposed to Hasselblads CFV39 & CFV50 which both have a 1.1x crop factor.

But the second and more importantly for me is that the Phase One backs can be rotated to give you a 6 x 4.5 cm vertical frame for portraits without having to turn the camera on its side or to use it as normal but lose all those pixels you have paid so much for.
Click to expand...

That, and the P-series backs are really built like a main battle tank. Very nice & robust if you ask me.

Wilko
 
Ed Bray said:
Normally I would agree with you Paul butin this case if I had the money I would get a Phase One P65+.

Why?

Firstly it is a full frame 6 x 4.5 cm frame as opposed to Hasselblads CFV39 & CFV50 which both have a 1.1x crop factor.

But the second and more importantly for me is that the Phase One backs can be rotated to give you a 6 x 4.5 cm vertical frame for portraits without having to turn the camera on its side or to use it as normal but lose all those pixels you have paid so much for.
Click to expand...

If easy changing from landscape to portrait mode is important to you Hasselblad made the CF 39 Mp back with adapter plate to change from portrait to landscape in a second.

Any idea about the current price of a Phase One 65+ back?
 
polypal said:
If easy changing from landscape to portrait mode is important to you Hasselblad made the CF 39 Mp back with adapter plate to change from portrait to landscape in a second.

Any idea about the current price of a Phase One 65+ back?
Click to expand...

I don't know about Phase One, but...
The 'advise' I was given is that Leaf Aptus is to be preferred over Phase One: price & quality seem to be very competitive. I was offered a (manufacturer) refurbished Leaf 75 for around 8000 euro (incl VAT); 33 mpix, 36 x 48 mm sensor with very good high ISO performance.
Any views / comments on this ?
 
polypal said:
If easy changing from landscape to portrait mode is important to you Hasselblad made the CF 39 Mp back with adapter plate to change from portrait to landscape in a second.
Click to expand...

HELLO!

Never heard of this. This is a function I would love to lay my hands on. Do You have any more information. Cant´t find a single row about it, anywhere.
 
polypal said:
If easy changing from landscape to portrait mode is important to you Hasselblad made the CF 39 Mp back with adapter plate to change from portrait to landscape in a second.

Any idea about the current price of a Phase One 65+ back?
Click to expand...

£18,000 for refurbished
£25,000 for new

My Phase One H10 back I bought for £900 cost circa £17,000 when it was released in 1983. I just hope I don't have to wait for 8 years to pick up a P65+ for an affordable amount.
 
Tinker said:
I don't know about Phase One, but...
The 'advise' I was given is that Leaf Aptus is to be preferred over Phase One: price & quality seem to be very competitive. I was offered a (manufacturer) refurbished Leaf 75 for around 8000 euro (incl VAT); 33 mpix, 36 x 48 mm sensor with very good high ISO performance.
Any views / comments on this ?
Click to expand...


Leaf does not exist anymore.
Kodak decided to stop covering the losses Leaf generated and closed the operation.
Phase one took over parts of Leaf and may be able to service older Leaf backs.
Like Rollei's Hy6, Leaf is not the kind of gear I would invest in.


Paul
 
polypal said:
Leaf does not exist anymore.
Kodak decided to stop covering the losses Leaf generated and closed the operation.
Phase one took over parts of Leaf and may be able to service older Leaf backs.
Like Rollei's Hy6, Leaf is not the kind of gear I would invest in.


Paul
Click to expand...

That's interesting; it's only a few month ago they introduced the 80 mpix Leaf-II 12 !?!? See also their website; they seem to be very much alive... (http://www.leaf-photography.com/)
 
Ed Bray said:
Normally I would agree with you Paul butin this case if I had the money I would get a Phase One P65+.

Why?

Firstly it is a full frame 6 x 4.5 cm frame as opposed to Hasselblads CFV39 & CFV50 which both have a 1.1x crop factor.

But the second and more importantly for me is that the Phase One backs can be rotated to give you a 6 x 4.5 cm vertical frame for portraits without having to turn the camera on its side or to use it as normal but lose all those pixels you have paid so much for.
Click to expand...

Actually P5+ is 53.9 x 40.4mm, nearly there but not fully there.

For rotating the back you have to take it off and reinsert after rotating it. The Leaf backs rotate the sensor, so you do not have to take the back off. These are the Leaf Aptus-II R series - 56MP and 80MP backs.

Personally I am not in favour of going the V series way with backs, especially if you buy it new. An H4D40 system would cost as much as the V series with CFV39, and you loose - autofocus, metering and host of other functions. Only if you have a large collection of V lenses and would also like the option of shooting film, that the CFV series of backs make financial sense.
 
polypal said:
Leaf does not exist anymore.
Kodak decided to stop covering the losses Leaf generated and closed the operation.
Phase one took over parts of Leaf and may be able to service older Leaf backs.
Like Rollei's Hy6, Leaf is not the kind of gear I would invest in.


Paul
Click to expand...

Unlike Rollie, Leaf is now a part of the Phase One Empire, with new backs and software coming regularly. Looking at their products, it seems that Leaf will be the "low cost" version of the Phase One Backs. The latter have all the latest gizmos, while Leaf has the basic functionality. Further if you want a 'rotating" sensor; which can be used only in a V series or the Hy6, Leaf is the only choice.

The only problem with Leaf is their support for the older backs sold before Phase One acquired Leaf. The software is supported, though hardware support seems to be ambiguous.
 
Well I'm actualy happy with 39Mpix (CFV)….even with less pixels. Wider sensor at reasonable cost should be nice. The newer digital backs are interesting to me as they offer 54x40mm and rotating.
 
This is a Hasselblad set up made exclusively for the V series.
Of course the DB focusses to infinity, it would be impossible to focus if the set up was not according to Hasselblad specifications.
 
Digital back for landscape/architecture

Hi,

I am new to this forum, so thought I would put up my first post. I have been agonising over equipment for some time now and wanted to hear the benefit of other people's experience.

I use a 503CW with a few lenses (50mm CF my favourite) for landscape and architecture images. I shoot almost all on Fuji Provia 100 because I love its richness, smooth tonality and detail. (I find Velvia too harsh and excessively vivid). Anyway to get to the point I would love to move to digital but cannot decide which way to go - H series versus sticking with the 503CW+digital back. And if digital back, which one - CFV39/Leaf/Phase One.

I have some real reservations about H-series. Firstly I have heard they are pretty plasticky and the quality feel of my camera is an important aspect of the enjoyment of photography for me. I also shoot a fair bit in harsh environments (mostly low temperature - mountains at altitude, scandinavia in winter, greenland etc) and find the all-mechanical V series reassuringly reliable. For this reason I also like the idea of being able to clip on an A12 back should digital stop working for any reason.

What do people think?

Thanks in advance...
 
I cannot comment from personal experience on H-series robustness, but there are people on this forum who own or have owned quite a bit of H-series kit, and as I understand H-series is built with professional (ab)use in mind.

But I must say that the Phase One P-series backs impressed me with their
sturdy build quality. The Leaf backs with their large touchscreens are in my view a lot less robust. Not that I own either, too much $$ for my taste.
Should I even win the lottery I will get a Phase One, no doubt there.

Wilko
 
Have you seen the CFV 50 Mp back?
Hasselblad finally gave the V series a high grade back.
Fits any V series camera like a glove except the black versions......
 
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