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H Obsession

D

DMIMAGE

New Member
The past year I have been dreaming about Hasselblads H system but I haven't had much luck finding image results with the 35mm lens on the H4D series.

Where would I find such results, landscapes, abstracts, infrared etc..

I've been studying the H1's 2's but when you add the digital back, its pretty well more affordable to be looking at the newer H4D-31, I never knew those DB's were so pricey. Maybe one day, I'm so obsessed I go to the Hasselblad site a few times a day and read the brochures over and over. :)
 
DMIMAGE said:
The past year I have been dreaming about Hasselblads H system but I haven't had much luck finding image results with the 35mm lens on the H4D series.

Where would I find such results, landscapes, abstracts, infrared etc..

I've been studying the H1's 2's but when you add the digital back, its pretty well more affordable to be looking at the newer H4D-31, I never knew those DB's were so pricey. Maybe one day, I'm so obsessed I go to the Hasselblad site a few times a day and read the brochures over and over. :)
Click to expand...

Time to indulge your obsession!

Don't even bother with an H1 or H2 ... they are discontinued cameras and do not provide all of the functions and software advantages that a later integrated models do. Depending on what you want to shoot, the H4D/31 is quite a machine at an affordable price .... and it provides all of the advantages of the H4D body (including True Focus), and all of current Phocus software features.

If you go for a 31 back, I'd strongly suggest the HCD 28/4 over the HC 35/3.5 ... being an older lens, the 35 isn't as good optically as the 28. Plus, the H4D/31 is a 1.3X crop frame sensor, so multiply the 35 focal length by 1.3X= 45mm field-of-view. The 28 is just about a 35mm field-of-view when shooting with the 31 and 40 meg H backs.

Best Luck to You!

-Marc
 
I had no idea medium format cameras had crops, this is new to me. Thanks so much for the information. I should try reading the brochure instead of looking at all the pictures, kinda of like a Playboy magazine, lol.
 
All MF cameras we know now were at one time film cameras with lenses to suit.

Hasselblads H series was designed for 6x4.5 film format with digital in mind.

That means all lenses except the 28 mm were designed for 56x41 mm film frame.
The arrival of 60 Mp sensors a couple of years ago gave us as good as full frame coverage.
 
"Crop" is a relative term. As Paul says, it is in reference to traditional film sizes for 645 cameras ... meaning the "film gate" is 6X4.5 cm.

There are still no production digital sensors that are exactly 645 size ... however, the 60 meg and 80 meg digital backs are only a hair smaller. All other digital sensors are cropped frame ... the most common being 1.1X and 1.3X. The 1.3X crop frame backs usually offer a higher ISO capability ... Hasselblad's 31 and 40 meg digital backs are 1.3X and offer up to ISO 1600 ... where the 39, 50 and 60 meg backs top out at ISO 800. The trade-off is that the lowest ISO of the 31 and 40 meg backs is 100, compared to the ISO 50 of the other backs.

There are two "digital" HC lenses in the Hasselblad lens line-up designated by the preface HCD: the HCD 28/4 and the HCD 35-90/4-5.6. These both were ground-up designs specifically to meet the increasing resolution demands of digital capture and did not harken back to film size requirements. Both lenses fully cover any 1.1X digital sensor (22 meg [discontinued], 39meg and 50 meg), and slightly less than the 60 meg sensor (producing 54 meg file).

With the advent of the H3D, Hasselblad made a decision to integrate their whole H system in order to utilize CPU data in the software and allow for lens corrections called DAC (Distortion, and Aberration Corrections). This effectively closed the system to any other make of digital back. It also allowed Hasselblad to accept slight compromises in the lens designs and keep them relatively less expensive. Hasselblad was also criticized for this approach by other makers who have since adopted the same practice. Even Leica S lenses, who at first claimed "perfection" now utilize software corrections ... although not needed as much as other MFD optics. The Leica S2 is the first digital Medium Format cameras not owing to any legacy film system.

With the advent of the H3D-II, a H film back could no longer be used, and they now produce a H2F body for those that wanted to shoot film or use their now no longer available CF line of backs.

In short, crop fame is relative to Medium Format and is still vastly superior to 35mm sized sensor cameras.

To date, no other traditional 645 camera with a digital back can equal the Hasselblad H camera in handling, performance and features. Which is why there was such a howl of protest when the H system became closed to any other make of digital back, and the H1 and H2 stopped being produced. The only other real contender is the Phase One DF ... which is Mamiya 645 AFD with a bunch of band-aids all over it (and a real clunker of a camera IMHO). Strong rumors suggest a new Phase One camera is in the making ... we'll see how it measures up to the H in it's present incarnation.

So lusting after a H4D is a worthy adventure ... go for it!

(Were it me, I'd sell a Kidney and get the H4D/40 Stainless Steel limited Edition ... LOL!)

-Marc



Here's a few fun questions for the forum historians ...

Which came first ... 6X4.5 or 6X6?

Who made the first 6X4.5 SLR camera?

Who made the first really popular 645 production camera?
 
fotografz said:
(Were it me, I'd sell a Kidney and get the H4D/40 Stainless Steel limited Edition ... LOL!)

-Marc



Here's a few fun questions for the forum historians ...

Which came first ... 6X4.5 or 6X6?

Who made the first 6X4.5 SLR camera?

Who made the first really popular 645 production camera?
Click to expand...

No contest without a prize of course.
The winner gets a Limited Edition H4D40 made available by a very generous Marc Williams.
Thanks Marc!
 
polypal said:
No contest without a prize of course.
The winner gets a Limited Edition H4D40 made available by a very generous Marc Williams.
Thanks Marc!
Click to expand...

Sorry, one kidney is already gone, and the other is mortgaged to get my H4D/60 and Leica S2.

Will a verbal pat on the head suffice as a contest award? It is all I have left ... LOL!

-Marc

And the answers are .... ????????????
 
I thought you had three kidneys.
Since you only have two, the reward offered is accepted with thanks.
 
polypal said:
I thought you had three kidneys.
Since you only have two, the reward offered is accepted with thanks.
Click to expand...

See it positively: at least he didn't sell his kidney to buy an iPad like that Chines lad allegedly did..
 
I can send you a 3FR File from H4D-40 with HC 35mm lens if you are interested.
But it is Peoplephotographie :)

regards
Dieter
 
Focal length !! - no matter the crop factor..

DMIMAGE said:
Thank you, PM'd.
Click to expand...

Have readed some mis understanding around the focal of the HC range lens, according to the fact that the number on the lens refers to a 24x36 film, the relative focal length for ex. an H4D-31 / 40 is reduced by a the factor of the difference betrween the diagonal of a 24x36 frame by the diagonal of a 33x44 frame, so relative focal is DIVIDED ... for example the normal lens 80mm have focal relative to a 63 mm (a little more than a normal lens), so the 35mm lens have a focal relative to a 27,5 mm, the 28 only differs in the circle of image that's is made to cover the "small" sensors of the line, but it's relative focal length is calculated in the same way, the 28mm on an H4D-40 is like to a 22 mm lens on a 35 mm, that is not bad.
Best regards, Dominic.
 
Dominic said:
Have readed some mis understanding around the focal of the HC range lens, according to the fact that the number on the lens refers to a 24x36 film
Click to expand...


Not quite correct :

The focal length for the H series is related to the 6x4.5 film frame giving 70 mm as focal length for a standard lens.


Paul
 
Quite the same

You are right, by the way in the HC range there isn't a 70mm lens to have the correct length relative to a 50 mm on 24x36 system.
In synthesis to calculate the perceptible focal lens on a H4D-40 camera is simple applying a multiplication factor of 0,7875 the magic number obtained dividing diagonals of the sensors, this factor changes according to the sensor size.
Dominic.
 
We consider a lens to have the standard focal length if it offers the same angle of view that corresponds with the AOV of thehuman eye.
It means a diagonal angle of about 50 degrees.

In fact the 50 mm focal length accepted as standard for 24x36 film frames is a bit longer than the diagonal of the film frame.


Paul
 
polypal said:
We consider a lens to have the standard focal length if it offers the same angle of view that corresponds with the AOV of thehuman eye.
It means a diagonal angle of about 50 degrees.

In fact the 50 mm focal length accepted as standard for 24x36 film frames is a bit longer than the diagonal of the film frame.


Paul
Click to expand...

Thank You Paul, it seems You are very prepared about this arguments, despite all the theory I'm convinced to don't care about the crop factor, i know the lens focal view and distortion it introduces according to the length... using them when I need... if I have to frame more I go a step behind that's because I use only fixed focal lens..

Regards, Dominic.
 
Hello Dominic,

You are quite right to keep focused on the correct image and framing.

Standard as in standard lens also means the perspective is similar to what the human eye sees.


Paul
 
polypal said:
We consider a lens to have the standard focal length if it offers the same angle of view that corresponds with the AOV of thehuman eye.
It means a diagonal angle of about 50 degrees.

In fact the 50 mm focal length accepted as standard for 24x36 film frames is a bit longer than the diagonal of the film frame.


Paul
Click to expand...

I think that the "standard" lense and crop factor come up as people are trying to fit the FOV to what they were used to. For modern digital cameras with so many sensor sizes, every new photographer will just frame the image to their liking, and that is it.

Any way we were always trying to enhance the FOV of our eyes, by going in for wide angle lenses at one end and telephoto at the other.

Yes a larger sensor will always give a "wider" view, so the wide angle lenses are better utilised, and the smaller sensors give a narrower view, which gives the Telephotos an edge (larger relative magnification). Ultimately we are totally dependent on the sensor manufacturers, and they are mostly catering to the largest buyer segment, so we have to live with "cropped sensors", till the fabricators come up with inexpensive process to produce large sensors.
 
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