Some CFV fun : -)

[bensonga]

A few thoughts:

So, the intelligent path for MF lovers is to take hand-me-downs ... a 22, 31, or 39 meg back for their V camera will probably never be surpassed in Image Quality by any 35mm DSLR ... and if the technology changes for DSLRs, it will change for MFD also ... and a few years afterward will be availble used at a more reasonable price.

Hi Marc,

For those of us who want to stick with a square format sensor I think there are no hand-me-down options here....is that right? Basically, just the CFV/CFV-II and the Phase One P20/P20+, both at 16 megapixels. Is there something else out there I'm not aware of? With one of the rectangular format backs and an appropriate Hasselblad V adapter, are you able to simply change the back from horizontal to vertical position or do you have to flip the camera itself on it's side?

Not that I'm personally looking to upgrade yet....

Gary Benson
503CWD-II

 

[blowupster]

The enter tiket for "MF film" is particulary low with actual second hand market. The digital MF ticket is out of main budget even for professional.

The digital 135slr market alows to enter for the cost of few months use of films.

Then you will see for the next digital body if you needed to invest more.

With digital MF a link is missing, a low prize for basical digital back (12 Mpix for about 5'000$)should help any to enter and then to continue or not.

The CFV /CWD II are not far anyway. Perhaps a (real ) new model for lower prise (than the actual CFV) shoul boost the sales.

Watching the B for years to complet my equipment, I saw that the second hand Hasselblad market prize are 30% heigher than 2 years ago. The difference between second hand and dealer's prises are close for some stuffs

A "CFV III" close to the best 24x36 sensor in pixel number (22Mpix) for equivalent prise (8'000$) will give big problem for Hasselblad V new increase production. Not only for the digital back but for lenses bodies and all other stuffs production.

Perhaps we are not far from a new market evolution. The 24x36mm is close to the physical limites of quality (20 Mpix) and the MF digital back are close in prize from the 20Mpix 24x36 bodies.

A coutoisy marketing help should help as well:
Loader and attery icluded and a "free digital 203FE convertion voucher" promo for new CFV sale.

 

[fotografz]

Gary, yes you can rotate the near 645 digital backs on the V cameras. You do not turn the camera on it's side like you do with the 645 cameras. Two MF cameras offer rotating mechanisms so the digital backs do not have to be removed to change from Landscape to Portrait ... Mamiya RZ and Rollei (Sinar Hy6)

How long a digital back will last is not known. I once talked directly to the head of Kodak digital services and he said there was little to mechanically wear out. Things like the firewire port connection can come loose and stuff like that maybe.

Used digital backs are available from Kodak (Proback and Proback Plus); Leaf Valeo and Aptus; Phase One, Eyelike; Imacon prior to Hasselblad merger; Hasselblad CFV.

As far as image quality is concerned, just about any one of these older models will outperform the latest high meg DSLR. The Kodak Proback produces better images than the Canon 1DsMKIII ... trust me, I owned both. Nothing made by any 35mm DSLR maker can match the file quality from a CFV, let alone a 39 meg digital back.

I do not agree with Blowupster that MF digital is out of range even for the Professional. While film and camera/lens gear is much cheaper than MF digital, film, processing AND professional scanning is not.

Virtually ALL reproduction of professional photography is now digital and requires digital files be provided to the printers. Clients no longer will tolerate scanning charges for a majority of professional work. For example, a common catalog shoot with 100 images @ $50. per scan average = $5,000. plus film and processing. A used Kodak ProBack Plus can be had for $4,000. or less. It does not take many jobs to pay off a digital back.

The second considerable difference is that where the film, processing and scanning charges were passed on to the client and were outside expenses with no income captured by the photographer, most Pros now charge a digital rental and capture fee which is paid to the photographer IF they own their own equipment.

The day rate to rent a MF digital camera is at least $500. or more a day. If the Photographer owns their equipment they capture that rental fee to help pay for the MF back. 50 days of $500. rental fees pays for a $25,000. MF digital camera. That is just one job a week per year.

This is one of the reasons I've said that MF digital is geared toward the professional photographer, and less so the advanced amateur. However, if one doesn't have an obsession with buying new, the price of digital backs becomes more attainable.

A Phase One P25 back for a Hasselblad V camera can be had for $10,000. This combination will outperform a $8,000. Canon with no problem.

 

[blowupster]

I do not agree with Blowupster that MF digital is out of range even for the Professional.

That's not what I wrote:
"The digital MF ticket is out of main budget even for professional".
Perhaps my sentens is not good anyway.
I consider that for most of Hasselblad owner, the MF digital entry is out of the budget now

Most of professional have 135digital and have MF too.
But I see here that not all have MF digital yet.

Of course the prize of a promo H3 31Mpix is not so heigh if you consider the cost of any worker-place in big cities.

If you compare to the most expensiv canon, the CFV is a good deal, but if you compare to a 5d: it's good for 90% of jobs.
Not every photograph is a stars with a lot of bussiness.

 

[fotografz]

That's not what I wrote:
"The digital MF ticket is out of main budget even for professional".
Perhaps my sentens is not good anyway.
I consider that for most of Hasselblad owner, the MF digital entry is out of the budget now

Most of professional have 135digital and have MF too.
But I see here that not all have MF digital yet.

Of course the prize of a promo H3 31Mpix is not so heigh if you consider the cost of any worker-place in big cities.

If you compare to the most expensiv canon, the CFV is a good deal, but if you compare to a 5d: it's good for 90% of jobs.
Not every photograph is a stars with a lot of bussiness.

Yes, there are different "professionals" and not all need MF digital ... or MF film for that matter. They are not the market for these MF digital backs.

Wedding/Event photographers, and for the most part many Portrait shooters (like the huge Senior/School market in the USA,) are a good example. None of them need MF film or MF digital at all anymore. A Canon 5D does the job well enough. So, they are not the market for MF digital gear.

Journalists and sports shooters don't use MF and haven't for a lifetime. So they are not the market for MF digital.

A 5D is NOT good enough for 90% of the remaining professional work. I have purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars of professional photography in recent years, and only a small few "editorial" type shoots were done with a high end DSLR, none of which were a 5D ... all the remaining were done with MF digital cameras or digital backs on a view camera.

I do not know the state of Art and Landscape shooters. But there seems a lot of interest in MF digital, and many that I know have already switched from film.

 

[bensonga]

A Phase One P25 back for a Hasselblad V camera can be had for $10,000. This combination will outperform a $8,000. Canon with no problem.

And the 503CWD-II with the 40mm CFE IF lens for $13,000 is a real bargain! 16 megapixels is enough for my purposes, for now anyways.

Gary

 

[christian_r]

Here's another CFV image.

Btw, I just gotta say that I'm blown away with the colors this back produces, it's really night and day compared with a FF 35mm camera.
The DR and the sharpness is also really impressing.

Feels like I'm finally taking Photos.

 

[fotografz]

Here's another CFV image.

Btw, I just gotta say that I'm blown away with the colors this back produces, it's really night and day compared with a FF 35mm camera.
The DR and the sharpness is also really impressing.

Feels like I'm finally taking Photos.

Cool!

 

[macmx]

I was just playing around with the CFV and 120mm Makro. This back is just such a performer. Shadow detail and color rendition is fantastic. The picture below is amazing (to me at least), even though the subjects are just some socks!

 

[vandevantersh]

Very nice!!!

Steve

 

[polypal]

Feels like I'm finally taking Photos.

That is what a CFV back will allow you to do.
Nothing wrong with digital when you get results like these.

 

[simonpg]

The more I see the CFV results the more I feel it is capable of superb image quality the equal of positive film.

Marc. you referred to the:
"Used a Boda Dry Lens Bag (small) to tote the 350/4FE ... (this bag is a marvel of design and made carrying the big lens for hours a breeze.)"

Can you post an image of it? I've never heard of it before.

And again, great shooting!

 

[fotografz]

The more I see the CFV results the more I feel it is capable of superb image quality the equal of positive film.

Marc. you referred to the:
"Used a Boda Dry Lens Bag (small) to tote the 350/4FE ... (this bag is a marvel of design and made carrying the big lens for hours a breeze.)"

Can you post an image of it? I've never heard of it before.

And again, great shooting!

Boda makes 2 sizes. I use both depending on what the needs are. I use the smaller one most frequently.

http://www.goboda.com/

All kinds of pockets ... including a zippered compartment with built-in Memory Card holders. These are not heavily padded carrying bags, for transport ... but soft shoulder bags designed for quick access to a couple of lenses. I also use the Boda Small to carry a complete Metz 75 flash kit when shooting MF digital.

 

[erie_patsellis]

MF digital can be affordable, it depends on what market you're working in. I do mostly product/catalog work and am just about done adapting my PhaseOne StudioKit scan back to my RB67 (or any Graflock compatible back). It's not a perfect solution, but should yield about a 6mp image, fine for what I will be using it for, and the lack of a Bayer pattern sensor and the accomanying AA filter make a world of difference in the sharpness and detail captured. About 90% of the work I shoot doesn't need view camera movements, the ability to use a reflex finder will speed up work considerably. The only downside is inherent in a scan back, it's not a single shot device and a 3 min scan is just about enough time to top up my coffee and stretch a little.

I've been trying to find a way to buy a CFV, but at least until I get a few more clients (or at least clients that don't pay on a 60 day cycle), it will have to wait.

erie

The enter tiket for "MF film" is particulary low with actual second hand market. The digital MF ticket is out of main budget even for professional.

The digital 135slr market alows to enter for the cost of few months use of films.

Then you will see for the next digital body if you needed to invest more.

With digital MF a link is missing, a low prize for basical digital back (12 Mpix for about 5'000$)should help any to enter and then to continue or not.

The CFV /CWD II are not far anyway. Perhaps a (real ) new model for lower prise (than the actual CFV) shoul boost the sales.

Watching the B for years to complet my equipment, I saw that the second hand Hasselblad market prize are 30% heigher than 2 years ago. The difference between second hand and dealer's prises are close for some stuffs

A "CFV III" close to the best 24x36 sensor in pixel number (22Mpix) for equivalent prise (8'000$) will give big problem for Hasselblad V new increase production. Not only for the digital back but for lenses bodies and all other stuffs production.

Perhaps we are not far from a new market evolution. The 24x36mm is close to the physical limites of quality (20 Mpix) and the MF digital back are close in prize from the 20Mpix 24x36 bodies.

A coutoisy marketing help should help as well:
Loader and attery icluded and a "free digital 203FE convertion voucher" promo for new CFV sale.