OK, kids, my CFV-39 arrived today, as scheduled.
Some quick notes here from my first couple of hours getting to know my new friend...
* Back arrived with a number of sync cables, a vertical split recticle screen with CFV-39 rectangular and square markings, an L battery adapter, paperwork, and a SanDisk 4GB Extreme IV card in the Hasselblad box. Also included in the shipping box, likely added by my dealer was the Sony branded battery and charger.
* The back writes .3FR files to the CF card, which are readable by Lightroom. If you Import via Phocus, it will write copies of your pictures, but as .FFF files.
* The CFV-39 back cannot be properly mounted with an unmodified PM-90 finder. That being said, the required additional clearance is no more than ~2mm. I'm guessing that the finder can be readily modified with a small amount of grinding. I was, with some creativity, able to get them both mounted together, but I do not believe the back was properly seated, so without modifying a bit of the PM-90 finder, it is best to consider other 90-degree finders. The finder did not block the CFV-39 screen when mounted.
* ISO 800 + Phocus = happiness! Very nice software cleanup of the chroma noise. The first time I'd consider shooting an MFDB at ISO 800 for saleable work.
* The FE 110/2 is knocking me out! Very impressive and works well with the CFV-39. I had this lens with my former Sinar/Rollei Hy6 kit, but was not this impressed with it... (It may have been the back I was using at the time.)
As luck would have it, today is grey and rainy. Still, I'm heading out this afternoon to see what I can find... I believe 'rusty metal' is the de-facto CFV-39 new owner's theme so I will go to shoot some work from an abandoned industrial site...
Take care,
-Brad