Like to seek some comments or experience with this 2 digital backs..
Hasselblad CF-22 & CF-39
thanks in advance,
Billy
Hasselblad CF-22 & CF-39
thanks in advance,
Billy
Hasselblad CF-22 / CF-39
- Thread starter lkkang
- Start date
what would you like to know?
planning on acquiring one and want to know the pros and cons?
what will you be using the back with?
mamiya or Hassy body?
we're able to help you if it's more specific.
Otherwise, both digital backs are excellent digital backs when coupled with a Mamiya or Hasselblad body.
Don't expect low-light performance like the canons or nikons.
Resolution at 22 megapixels blows a sony 24mpx or Canon 21 mpx or Nikon 24 mpx anytime.
ISO performance is usable at 100 or 200 ISO. ISO at 400 is passable - very grainy but translates into film-like grain.
Shoot tethered into a macbook and be amazed at the detail. Doesn't matter which body you use - mamiya or hasselblad - both give fantastic results.
The advantage of using a Hasselblad body is that the lens data is translated into the RAW file and it allows the Phocus software to make adjustments for distortion, CA and vignetting & noise and moire too.
RAW is readable in Phocus and Photoshop & Aperture (on the mac). But Phocus does the digital corrections (distortion, CA and vignetting & noise and moire) where the rest cannot.
anything else i missed out? just coming off the top of my head.
planning on acquiring one and want to know the pros and cons?
what will you be using the back with?
mamiya or Hassy body?
we're able to help you if it's more specific.
Otherwise, both digital backs are excellent digital backs when coupled with a Mamiya or Hasselblad body.
Don't expect low-light performance like the canons or nikons.
Resolution at 22 megapixels blows a sony 24mpx or Canon 21 mpx or Nikon 24 mpx anytime.
ISO performance is usable at 100 or 200 ISO. ISO at 400 is passable - very grainy but translates into film-like grain.
Shoot tethered into a macbook and be amazed at the detail. Doesn't matter which body you use - mamiya or hasselblad - both give fantastic results.
The advantage of using a Hasselblad body is that the lens data is translated into the RAW file and it allows the Phocus software to make adjustments for distortion, CA and vignetting & noise and moire too.
RAW is readable in Phocus and Photoshop & Aperture (on the mac). But Phocus does the digital corrections (distortion, CA and vignetting & noise and moire) where the rest cannot.
anything else i missed out? just coming off the top of my head.
WOW... thanks a million.
I have been using Mamiya 645 for a long time. recently got a little bit hand itchy to try out digital back.
It seems like the option is not very much for me.
- Imacon 136 series..
- Hasselblad CF22/39
- Sinar ( too expensive ).
This is going to be my first digital back. I don't mind grainy stuff. I heard that with the latest firmware upgrade, CF-39 is able to reach ISO-800 ( which is a very good point for streets photography ).
I shoot mostly landscapes and love to see colors and color tone.
uses lots of filters here and there. Need to use shutter speed like 10~15 seconds.
from some forum, most people claims that there isn't much difference between digital backs from various manufacturers ( LEAF aptus, hasselblad , mamiya ) etc.. Its the post processing of the software that makes the difference. I guess, you are right to point out that Phocus is able to do a good job here. Something I learned today.
I do agree with you that MFDB is performing better than DSLRs.
I hope to hear from some experience user that .... is there some complains or some surprise things that I should be aware of ...
thanks for the contribution.
Billy.
I would like to know... how fast is the digital back respond like.
- say after the shutter is released, how fast does the image appears at the LCD ?
- are you are able to see histogram together with the image on the LCD ?
- how accurate is the display at the LCD? is the LCD usable at bright day light ?
- how many shots can a single battery take ?
thanks
Billy
- say after the shutter is released, how fast does the image appears at the LCD ?
- are you are able to see histogram together with the image on the LCD ?
- how accurate is the display at the LCD? is the LCD usable at bright day light ?
- how many shots can a single battery take ?
thanks
Billy
I've been using the Hasselblad digital backs since 2004 (from the first inception Imacon 96C on a Mamiya 645AFD) and now have the H3D-39.
Don't bother with the imacon series. The IR filter coating does not like our local humid weather and tends to fog in 3 months if you don't use it every week.
Problem is we have aircon (cool) and sunny and humid outside (hot). I had no problems in Europe with the back but here in SG, it's keeps occurring, although it takes nothing more than a trip down to Shriro to get it cleaned in 10 minutes. Don't bother doing it yourself - we don't have the chemicals that Shriro has...
CF22/39 is a good introduction digital back for your Mamiya. Some batches still utilise the problematic IR filter but don't let it be a deterrent. I've used every iteration of the CF22/39 and it never fails. That was in the days of Flexcolor. Now there is Phocus and the controls for getting the best out of your FFF (hasselblad RAW) file are second to none. I hardly use Photoshop to make adjustments. Phocus gives you a 5 stop latitude without wrecking the file - and i pull my curves and perform noise removal in it. Photoshop is for pixel magic.
The thing with the CD22/39 is to not rely on the rear screen. Don't try and see if it's sharp - you'll have to return to the roots of film photography. Shoot something and trust that it's sharp. Just bear in mind that you won't be able to do things like shoot stuff in dark rooms. Remember it's a totally different ball game compared to DSLRs.
The exposure latitude is there though, so what may appear as too dark actually has photon data. If you have a mamiya 645 for a long time, you'd be comfortable shooting with the DB, simply treat it like film. You'll be very pleased with the results - ok maybe throw in 10% disappointment. Film is still better in terms of light capturing... but not for long. The newer backs are getting better and better in terms of light sensitivities.
Don't bother with the imacon series. The IR filter coating does not like our local humid weather and tends to fog in 3 months if you don't use it every week.
Problem is we have aircon (cool) and sunny and humid outside (hot). I had no problems in Europe with the back but here in SG, it's keeps occurring, although it takes nothing more than a trip down to Shriro to get it cleaned in 10 minutes. Don't bother doing it yourself - we don't have the chemicals that Shriro has...
CF22/39 is a good introduction digital back for your Mamiya. Some batches still utilise the problematic IR filter but don't let it be a deterrent. I've used every iteration of the CF22/39 and it never fails. That was in the days of Flexcolor. Now there is Phocus and the controls for getting the best out of your FFF (hasselblad RAW) file are second to none. I hardly use Photoshop to make adjustments. Phocus gives you a 5 stop latitude without wrecking the file - and i pull my curves and perform noise removal in it. Photoshop is for pixel magic.
The thing with the CD22/39 is to not rely on the rear screen. Don't try and see if it's sharp - you'll have to return to the roots of film photography. Shoot something and trust that it's sharp. Just bear in mind that you won't be able to do things like shoot stuff in dark rooms. Remember it's a totally different ball game compared to DSLRs.
The exposure latitude is there though, so what may appear as too dark actually has photon data. If you have a mamiya 645 for a long time, you'd be comfortable shooting with the DB, simply treat it like film. You'll be very pleased with the results - ok maybe throw in 10% disappointment. Film is still better in terms of light capturing... but not for long. The newer backs are getting better and better in terms of light sensitivities.
Sorry, I didn't see this post before the last one...
>>I would like to know... how fast is the digital back respond like.
DB's response is decent. Again do not expect rapid shots like a Canon 1D. From shutter release to recording - the amount of time it takes to auto-advance to the next frame (if you were using a Mamiya AFD). So it's about 1.5 seconds - if using a CF card. The older ones using a tethered cord to an image bank took about 2 seconds.
- say after the shutter is released, how fast does the image appears at the LCD ?
Image appears on LCD in 1 second.
- are you are able to see histogram together with the image on the LCD ?
Yes you can see histogram together with image on LCD.
It's plastered across the image at the bottom of the display.
- how accurate is the display at the LCD? is the LCD usable at bright day light ?
The older displays were really crappy, can't see much under the sun. If you're referring to the newer 132CF (22 mpx) it is slightly better, but again I'd suggest you do not use it to check anything. Again - with the exception of the latest H3DII or H4D cameras, the rest of the digital backs had really poor LCDs. The pros would only use it to check that the exposure is not damaged or bad, but not to see colours or sharpness...
- how many shots can a single battery take ?
Depends on the battery used. The CF22/39 uses a single sony infolithium NP-F570 (video battery). This used to last 4-5 hours continuous use when it was attached to the image bank powering the hard disk in it together with the DB. Now it's just powering the DB since it uses CF cards. You should be able to get 4-5 hours of juice - or probably 16GB worth of data. If you buy the double capacity battery NP-F770, it'll last for up to 9 hours and give you double the capacity of shots.
An 8GB CF card gives you about 201 3FR RAWs.
>>I would like to know... how fast is the digital back respond like.
DB's response is decent. Again do not expect rapid shots like a Canon 1D. From shutter release to recording - the amount of time it takes to auto-advance to the next frame (if you were using a Mamiya AFD). So it's about 1.5 seconds - if using a CF card. The older ones using a tethered cord to an image bank took about 2 seconds.
- say after the shutter is released, how fast does the image appears at the LCD ?
Image appears on LCD in 1 second.
- are you are able to see histogram together with the image on the LCD ?
Yes you can see histogram together with image on LCD.
It's plastered across the image at the bottom of the display.
- how accurate is the display at the LCD? is the LCD usable at bright day light ?
The older displays were really crappy, can't see much under the sun. If you're referring to the newer 132CF (22 mpx) it is slightly better, but again I'd suggest you do not use it to check anything. Again - with the exception of the latest H3DII or H4D cameras, the rest of the digital backs had really poor LCDs. The pros would only use it to check that the exposure is not damaged or bad, but not to see colours or sharpness...
- how many shots can a single battery take ?
Depends on the battery used. The CF22/39 uses a single sony infolithium NP-F570 (video battery). This used to last 4-5 hours continuous use when it was attached to the image bank powering the hard disk in it together with the DB. Now it's just powering the DB since it uses CF cards. You should be able to get 4-5 hours of juice - or probably 16GB worth of data. If you buy the double capacity battery NP-F770, it'll last for up to 9 hours and give you double the capacity of shots.
An 8GB CF card gives you about 201 3FR RAWs.
Shriro has a showroom CFII 39 to let go at $ 22k .
They would have to order the Mamiya 645 ProTL mount for you to use though ...
They would have to order the Mamiya 645 ProTL mount for you to use though ...
thanks for the info. Appreciated....
but the price tag is way too high for me to reach :cry:
Come to the Home of Hasselblad - Shriro house , every first Tuesday of the month.
HUG August is on the 3rd , 7- 9 pm .
Please register early .
Try out the Hassies there .
since you are using the mamiya 645, you can consider the leaf aptus II-5 (22MP) offered by Cathay now at S$9,990. You can order one with the Mamiya mount. I am using one for my Hassy 503CX. Very happy with the results so far.
hi neuron18,
Yes, I do agree with you that the recent offer of SG$9990 is indeed attractive. Aptus II-5 has a big LCD screen behind and the noise control is also excellent. I have seen reviews that the skin tone re-production is excellent too.
I am currently using the PRO-TL, and not the AFD version. All my lens are manual focus ones... if I change to AFD, then I will have to stop down or sell them away and get the AF version ones. I love some of the older lens like 24mm fish eye and 80mm F1.9 and also the 300mm F2.8. They are still usable on the AF system, but have stop down to meter.
The CF-22 or CF-39 offers a universal mount option ( including mamiya PRO-TL ). Hence I can use back all my manual lens , with the digital back mounted to the rear
I only take on some photography assignment occasionally and cannot justify to spend too much money on my equipment.
thanks for the input,
Billy
neuron18, I have a 503CX and thinking to get a digital back. How do you like the Aptus II-5? can you share the plus and minus?
I was also looking into the hasselblad CFV 16MP back, anyone has experience with that? thanks.
I was also looking into the hasselblad CFV 16MP back, anyone has experience with that? thanks.
blu370n3, the Hasselblad V96C 16MP back is a good entry point into MF digital photography. Adapts to your 503CX perfectly (because the back is square) and even at 16 mpx is still superior in image quality to a 21 mpx DSLR (if you light the scene properly).
The digital back must be tethered to a hard drive called an Image Bank (40 GB) in order to work - so you can shoot about 1200 exposures (no need to reach for CF cards). The Sony FP-570 lithium battery (that powers the hard drive & the digital back) lasts for about 500 exposures ~ which is really good. You can shoot handheld, with the imagebank slung over your shoulder like those passport pouches. Alternatively if you're shooting on a tripod, the image bank can be hooked to the weight hook below the tripod (the gitzo ones).
One minor sticky point is that it has to be used regularly or the rear IR filter tends to become hazy (just our humid weather reacting with the coating on the filter.) Don't ask me why it's so - it never happens in Europe and the US (in the drier, more temperate countries) but it's just our tropical weather.
Overall, it's a good back - I still have mine stuck to my Mamiya 645AFD and it's 6 years old. It's a spare in case my other cameras fail but the image quality is still top. Because i don't use it so often, I have to bring it down to Shriro for a quick 5-minute filter wipe every 6 months.
I've lent the V96C + Mamiya 645AFD to friends who shoot with a DLSR and they all are just amazed that a 6-year old piece of digital back still stands up well against today's modern DLSRs.
I have the previous model which is the Leaf Aptus 22. They are basically the same unit, with the same sensor. I like the Aptus 22 very much, especially the amount of details and resolution. I think, it beats my other camera, which is the Leica M9. However, the size of the M9 makes me want to use it more often. The 503CX with the Aptus 22 or II-5 is an excellent combination, if you can live with the weight.
Hi neuron18, apprc your comments on using the Leaf Aptus II-5 on the Hassy 503CXi and 903SWC. I understand the digiback sensor is rectangular and the digiback itself needs to be mounted either for landscape or portrait orientation. Do you use the template in the viewfinder, or use a focusing screen that already have gird patterns to compose for landscape or portrait shots?
TIA
Fred
Hi fred, the sensor is rectangular and needs to be mounted either for landscape or potrait. I use the template in the viewfinder. The template sits on top of the hassy focusing screen.
one more questions please neuron18...
when using the Leaf Aptus II 5 on the 503/903 Hassy's, I saw a cable connect from the sync terminal on the CF lens to the digiback. This is simple enough. But what if I want also to trigger a flash or strobe light? Is there a splitter cable accessory that is available to both 'fire' the sensor and the flash together?
thanks. fred
when using the Leaf Aptus II 5 on the 503/903 Hassy's, I saw a cable connect from the sync terminal on the CF lens to the digiback. This is simple enough. But what if I want also to trigger a flash or strobe light? Is there a splitter cable accessory that is available to both 'fire' the sensor and the flash together?
thanks. fred
Hi sf_kang,
Not too sure of the Leaf Aptus II 5, but on the Phase One P series back, there is another port to plug in the sync cord to trigger a flash. I guess it would be the same for the Leaf backs too.
Not too sure of the Leaf Aptus II 5, but on the Phase One P series back, there is another port to plug in the sync cord to trigger a flash. I guess it would be the same for the Leaf backs too.
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