Shooting the Hasselblad 500 for the first time made me truly want to own my own and l sharp details I got from it were fantastic! But what I was most impressed with was the eye piece used to help focus in on the subject matter. Wow! That alone was amazing! Such a beautiful overall design feature and one day will own one for myself! Great work as per usual Matt!
Don't you think this is way too expensive just for the back considering it's a similar sensor to the Pentax 645Z that cost around 8k for the full system?
Just bought one of these for my 503CW. Really love it. It is just like digital film, and the camera still feels very analogue to me. I tend to select 'square crop' under custom setting/aspect and use it like my 6x6 film back.
Have been using these with CFV backs for years and Hasselblads since (1972) yep! we are getting on a bit! CFV's 16's can be picked up for £2,000 or less these days as apposed to £8,000 when they were first introduced. Fix a quick release Arca Swiss plate on the base of the camera to line up the body with a battery fitted. Bear in mind that some of the pixels will deteriorate over time and leave white spots (As ours have started to do) These backs are also used with our Sinar P2 and Schneider lenses, with sliding back on a Cambo Stand. (We love old kit with new technology) Always check used digital backs for pixel loss, it will happen and it can be overcome with post production. I think the CFV 39 are a better option, the 50's are huge files and not that significantly different. However, as there was not auto focus etc with this camera and that we did not like the new Hasselblad design we included the Nikon system in our tool boxes. Manual focus with the hasselblad 500/CM and 503CW is a slow process by comparison. We purchased an older chrome 500CM and C lenses so that we could use the pistol grips and quick focus handles along with the viewfinder options, we just love the classic version of this camera, the newer lenses by Carl did have a problem with plastic bits falling off but we bought into it. We still shoot film for the fun of it and scan, so good all round! :)
I'm still not sure if it can beat the res of film!! Yes, Skin tones are down to the film you choose to shoot and you DO have to shoot at the correct meter reading using film. However...... I am a little disappointed at the fact that the diggi back doesn't shoot 6x6! Which IS why I love to shoot my Hassy
This is probably a blast to use, but you don't just need the back, you also need the body and lenses. So you are looking at more like 20-30k, even more if you want AF. With that kinda money I would buy a new Nikon DX body instead (the crop factor is very useful for what I shoot), some new lenses and then I would spend the rest on one or two vacations to shoot at some really interesting locations.
Check out used V-series film cameras on eBay. They're well priced for what they offer. It really just depends on whether you're interested or completely turned off by film.
It depends if you got work for this kind of camera's. For the normal hobby photographer who put his pictures on the internet, it is simply useless. 50MP get an enormous downgrade when you watch it on an 1900 x 900 screen. But when you are making pictures for advertisement that needs to go to the print house, then you do have something on this kind of camera's. I think people should learn to look more realistic to what they do and where they need something for.
Excellent piece - I lust after that back - I could never justify the cost. I love the handling, feel and process of using my old Hasselblad - even the sound is evocative. Technically, the thing I miss is the leaf shutter.
Hi Matt. Someone mentioned to me a few weeks back that larger sensor cameras have issues with over heating during long exposures. Is this something you had to take into account at any point or is it a non-issue?
Matt M You can check out Phase one's product details I think you will get good answer. Short answer is, yes, but people have ways to deal with that and you are totally fine
I got a question on my channel regarding using a ZD-back on a RB/RZ-67 and if that would be “worse” today then a Nikon D850 or Sony A7r. I thought that it wasn’t just Mp-count but also sensor aria that made a camera good. What’s your take on it?
Thank you. I have an old 500, screens are not interchangeable. Here is the "kicker", it would rather expensive to replace these lenses and accessories (bought around 1970) - 40mm - 80mm -120mm -250mm Once again, thank you for your great videos, very informative
9 лет назад
Wow! Thanks, Matt! I love my 503CW and am seriously considering this back. Great overview review. Would love more detailed image reviews. I'll rent one one day and check for myself!
Som jag befarade. En sensor i 6x6 eller 4.5x6 finns då tydligen inte. Så vad är vitsen med en mindre sensor, priset? Tur då att system med 24x36mm kan får för ca: 1500€ Vad många inte tänker på att det behövs kortare brännvidd för att få samma vinkel. Tex har jag 4.5mm i stället för 8mm till min CANON EOS 7D pga APS-C. Annars en intressant video.
Some very good images by Charlie Waite in the Inspiration Columns at Hasselblad, using this CFV-50 c and old C lenses. By next Christmas this one will be offered at $5000. (Looking at the price of oil at 10 year lows). This Christmas the stores in New York are offering it at $ 9995. Appreciate Hasselblad for not completely alienating the old C lens system lovers. That is how I felt in the last decade. I continue to hear complaints about it being a Sony follower now.
It is only MAMIYA what have "full format" in medium format? I think i can ask hasselblad, har ni inga "fullformat" eller har era kunder inte efterfrågat att bli av med bredndvidsförlängning. I think prise is ti hight. But in "full format" you can get for 1500€ for "fullformat" CANON EOS 6D cost about 1500€
if you're into "real estate", there's nothing like the 67 medium format. Straight up film. But if you're in it for business then digital would be a suited choice. But if you love photography then the larger the better. Thanks for the video Mr. Granger. Very informative as always.
Matt, what is the reduction factor number of this back? For $15,000.00, many senior shooters (or shooters that make $150K+ salary) and struggling photographers would rather go for amateur cameras like the Sony A7r II or Canon EOS-5Dsr (many shooters have Canon with fast lenses & you have 1/1 images). No fool would buy 100% great optics and want to use just 50% of the glasses. Do you close one eyes so you can get twice the magnification (you've just lost 50% of viewing), as they claimed a 2X factors?
wow totally lucid articulate comprehensive review a complete education in full flow - thanks so much (looked around for ages and found this) - respect : ) just saying thanks really
So they designed the wonderful back to match the 500 series, then threw a complete wobbly integrating the battery? Would love this on my old 500 Classic, but the price! I'll stick to my 645Z.
I love seeing your opinions on more niche gear like this. Even if I'll never buy it, it tends to reveal some interesting alternative styles and ways of thinking! Would love to see your opinions on the Sony a7s. (I know you did one on the a7r) I actually already own the camera, but would be interested to hear your thoughts on it. If you need to borrow one and are in the NYC/New Jersey/Pennsylvania area, I'd be happy to lend you mine!
I'm really glad you did this review, Matt, as much as it may not appeal to as many people. I got a 203FE because I really wanted the integrated metering and with that also comes aperture priority as a bonus. It's still full manual focus, but I appreciate that as part of the "meditation" of shooting the Hasselblad V series. I could never reliably nail focus until I swapped out the matte focus screen for a split prism. One of the reasons that I got the 'Blad, as opposed to some of the other MF options out there, was the potential to swap film and digital in and out. Unfortunately, I didn't realise at the time that the 203FE requires an electronic modification by Hasselblad to talk to the digital back. The result is that film ISOs then need to be programmed into the body, which defeats the purpose of swapping the expensive electronic (E) film backs. A little inelegant, IMO. I love the fact that the digital back still requires the full camera action, "winding on" to re-cock the mirror, which I find very aesthetically pleasing. Beyond being "just a tool", it's such a beautiful camera system. I wish that Hasselblad had never abandoned their classic V series line! If you're going to shoot a lot of film, you can buy, process & scan for much less than $100 a roll. I develop and scan at home, for the very reason that I don't want to wait a week or more to see the photographs. There are some major downsides, though. I'm pretty much limited to black & white, but even that can be creatively inspiring: it's a different sort of photography. I don't have the patience for the temperature control required for colour development processes, so I still send those for development only. As the labs are de-skilling in film development to due low volumes, I've be disappointed in some of the results for colour. Developing film myself is also time intensive, which I admit is the main disincentive to shooting more. Having the fantastic Epson negative scanner makes that process cheaper and more controllable, given that scanning is an important part of the workflow. It can also be used to digitise all my old negatives, and those from the family way back to the 1930s. Overall, I'm still learning to slow down and adopt the more meditative approach that film demands. I've become too habituated to trigger-happy digital. I'd love to have the digital option that you reviewed but the still-huge cost, the crop factor, and camera modification are all disincentives at the moment. If Hasselblad fixed those issues, or at least ameliorated the cost and made use with film backs seemless on the 200 series, I suspect that there would be a flood of serious amateurs photographers with the V series buying into digital backs. For now, the price point is wrong for that market. By the way, you might be interested in a simple PocketWizard setup that allows me to use a DSLR in manual mode to set up studio shoots with Speedlites before committing to film on the 'Blad (triggering the same lights). You can probably figure it out yourself... Thanks so much for the review, Matt. I really hope to see a lot more of your 500 series on the channel. Congratulations!
Thanks Matt. With that battery, it doesn't look like it can be used on the EL bodies, which are my main studio Hasselblads. A power port alternative on the side of the digital back, for connecting to an external battery pack would have been an inexpensive feature to include in the design. Pity. There are several ways of powering the EL models they could have learnt from. I guess the designers of the CFV-50C were too young to know the full scope of the original Hasselblad system. It would also be worth checking to see if the batteries impede it's use on an SWC Hasselblad. Thanks again. Very helpful review.
Very comprehensive video. I was tempted to add the video back to my 500 system, but at the end of the day I feel there are too many compromises in going to the digital back. I've spent many years developing the craft of film development and printing in a darkroom and feel the spirit of this series hasselblad is film related.
I used to have a 503cw with four lenses, 40mm, 80mm 100mm and the 150mm running a Phase One P25. It was an amazing kit but as Matt mentioned, very clunky to use. It did produce absolutely stunning images but did require some patience. I sold it all and got the D800e. You can now pick up a second had digi-back on ebay for a few grand.. maybe worth considering if you are looking to get in to medium format digital..
the reason for this apparent "grainy" i.s.o. look is that the Nikon has 21 M pixels , BUT at a higher pixel density as compared to the 6 x 6 sensor, aka those 50 M pixels are distributed over the 6 x 6 cm area, not the 24 x 36 CM area as on the Nikon, which appears to us as a grain like on film, when you ENLARGE it too far (essentially what you did with the digital image- enlarging the file by cropping or digitally adjusting the exposure.)
Thanks for this Matt. What we need now is a 'speed booster'. I can't even think of wasting the full, magnificent image creation one enjoys with the Zeiss Hasselblad lenses.
Perhaps someday, Matt, I can break down and get the 50CV back! Always appreciate your straightforward reviews. Some issues, however. I have 3 Hassy bodies, and only one, the 503CW, sounds like it will work reasonably well with that back. My 903SWC has that demanding 38mm Biogon, and my 500 EL/M may be too fast for the 50CV buffer. I’m lucky to have a beautiful Nikon Super Coolscan 8000ED for scanning to 4000 DPI those great 2-1/4 images! Keep the nice reviews and comments coming. Muchly useful. (Lenses I. My Hassy kit are the 38mm Biogon (obviously) the 40mm CF, the 100mm CF and lastly the superlative 250mm Superachromat.). My only hesitancy (aside from price) is the loss of image area with the multiplier affect.
Coming from a film background, it's the same reasoning for its use as for one using and ARRI Cinema camera vs. a Blackmagic. Both can deliver great results, but when there's a significant budget and product involved, why wouldn't you be shooting with the best that is available?
Hmm. I am shooting a 203FE with the older CFV 39 back, it has a little larger sensor, yet its CCD which I love of course at base ISO only yet there is no focus check, the LCD is terrible on the older backs. I am trying to get my hands on a demo to do a comparison. Hey Matt, if you ever want to sell that 40mm CF IF lens let me know.
I've got two 500 series cameras and a bucket of lenses accumulated through the 70s and 80s. I find it interesting that the prices of the old used cameras has basically doubled or tripled over the past couple of years. I bet as these backs get better and less expensive, the values of the used cameras will be climbing.
Isn't the main purpose of these backs for those that have a lot of old film cameras to switch them over to digital. I didn't realize there was a crop factor and using a 645 format as well. There is a lot to be said for having a square format, especially for weddings. Albums are a lot simpler to assemble when you don't have to concern yourself with vertical or horizontal orientation.
It seems crazy buying a $15,000 back, and having to focus manually, and doing the manual aperture. I would rather shoot Hasselblad with film, have the negatives scanned, and after a few weeks decide whether is worth buying the Hasselblad back.
Hey Matt, nice video. I was just thrown off by the film calculation. If you go ahead get a scanner (like epson v850 or so) develop and scan yourself, it cuts the cost down to nearly only the roll.
Martin Digital has reached or exceeded 35mm but it's not touching MF film. A quality film like Portra, Ektar or 400H is on a whole other level to this day. Even with flatbed scanning the tonal range is noticeably better, with drum scanning the images are breathtaking.
David Liang Well the current high end MF backs do reach about 80 MP or so which is in the same ballpark, but they don't exceed it. 100 MP is not even really an issue for the highest resolution film available in MF.
When I digitize film, my scanner will only scan 3-120 frames at a time and I scan it at 1200 ppi because I want hi res. This process takes appx. 30 minutes. To be exact without fault, the 3 frames consistently take 27 minutes to do this. Keep in mind that I have an older Epson 4100 series and the latest generation 27" iMac not a Mac Pro. Newer scanners that do film may be faster.
also Matt, the Hassy is cleaner, as not just the size is bigger, but as the whole area is bigger, each SENSOR is bigger, even with 50 million of them!, so technically each gets more light than a similar sensor pixel would in the nikon, As well as the fact you are not enlarging the final image as much, so less noise, in the hassy case; the ISO is also lower in the hasselblad, due to the more light photons captured by this sensor, so less gain (iso)is applied to get the correct exposure, so any push\pull as with a film negative does better as there is less digital noise to be concerned with, as well as more data in the file (colours, tones, textures) so losing a little is LESS noticable, partly due to the fact a larger print is viewed from further away than a small one, so any noise is like wood in a forrest of trees, it blends in.
Thank you Matt - I been looking for information on this before, but there is really nothing out there about this backs. Cool - now I have an idea how it works. Someone need to be really into it to get this over a D810 with all the great lenses available.
Pretty awesome. I still think a digital version of my Bronica RF645 would be such an amazing camera. Maybe Fuji will bring us a fixed lens digital version of something like the old GS645S. That would be incredible.
More than would i need in some areas and less than would i need in other areas. So great to watch the review but I am very happy with the flexibility of my D800
There's a Hasselblad body for sale in our local photography shop in town, for about 700 euro's but the back for 15000 is too much. If I were a professional studio photographer it might be viable. Shame it doesn't do video with that large sensor :)
Pretty much. That's the great thing with medium format. They're so modular. You can pick up a used cheap body for next to nothing (comparatively) then throw on a whole host of extra goodies and swap bits out. Don'y like your view finder? Put another one. Don't like your grip? Put another one. Want a different back? Simple, swap it out. They're so versatile.
I'm currently also into the "manual experience"... but in my case kept everything a little bit smaller ;-) Bought two all manual lenses - an excellent Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.4 and a Tamron 90mm f2.5 Macro (in deed I bought two and kept the better one ;-) )... adopted them to my X-T1 with the nice, big EVF and modern focus-helpers (peaking and zoom)... really enjoy to play with this small and light system. It's like meditation after a busy day...
I love my Blad, but I have to admit something: it was a gift to me by a friend (one hell of a gift, I know). I've shot with medium format of other makers and to be very blunt, most people -- I would even say the grand grand majority of people -- even professional photographers would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a Hasselblad image and an image off of a Pentax 6x7. The major point of influence is, of course, the lens. You stick a converter on a 6x7 body to take a Zeiss Planar or other German or Leica lens, and they images are essentially identical in quality and character. The body looks terrific, but that's basically what the hubbub is all about. Hasselblad has essentially ascended to the levels of camera mythology, like the Patek Philippe of cameras. And frankly, it's reputation is a bit inflated. I'm not saying it isn't a wonderful camera, but so many other makers don't get the same level of celebration. I recently picked up a Pentax 6x7 mentioned above and I have to tell you, I think I like the shooting experience more. And the images are equal to that of the Hassy's. Plus, I'm not stopped in the street by gawking onlookers because the 6x7 looks like any other SLR. But even amongst the waist-level viewfinder community, Blads get so much attention I begin to wonder if there isn't some underground cult worshipping this thing. It's a terrific camera, but I think the hype is a bit much.
Still have my complete old set with a phase1 10mp digital back which is crap. I would love to get this one but at 15K ? why don't they come out with a 1,5 to 2K 24mp back I think a lot of people would dust off their old sets and start shooting.
crop factor is a very strong limit for this price, but I'm very curious to try it in particular for bad lights situation where digital is safer then pushing a film 4 sops.
My Dad used to swear by his Hassleblad and his X-Pan one too!! Honestly the quality was so great!! Me, I am Sony A7 shooter, from Nikon. My dream is to get a Hasselblad..... But the price of it, I could get a around-the-world ticket for my Sony to play in :/
You called it 6x4.5. Actually it's closer to 3x4.5, that is, half-frame to the 6x4.5, which itself was roll film's half frame to the original 6x9cm (2 1/4 x 3 1/4). Camera makers sometimes like to call these "digital medium formats" 645 because they use 6x4.5 bodies, but they're really 345.
DaveDangerous74 Short answer: 60mm. But those aren't common, so probably 70mm. 55mm is the diagonal for a 44mm x 33mm sensor. That's usually considered the focal length of a normal lens. So, for 56mm x 56mm medium format, it was typically an 80mm lens. For 24mm x 36mm, normal was 43mm so both 40mm pancakes and 50mm primes are considered normal. Of course, 50mm on 135 is a bit long compared to 80mm lenses for 6x6 format. So, the equivalent of 50mm on full frame 135 format would probably be a 60mm lens on 44mm x 33mm cropped 645 format. For full frame 645 (56mm x 43mm), a normal lens is 70mm. 70mm is probably typically used on digital 645, but they are a bit long due to the digital crop factor.
i think the pentax 645z is way more bang for buck than this digital back. if you want a ccd sensor, there's also 645d. but, one advantage of this thing is the hasselblad's leaf shutter. very handy on studio shoot.
interesting camera with superb image quality but the price of it is huge, i thing it is going to good for portraits skin tones looks great and details are fine. love it but its expensive as well. Are we gonna see any more videos of this camera?
Matt Granger Are all digital MF backs cropped? Is there any as big as the native MF film area coverage? Also whats the name of the track playing in the background?
If you compare the native Hasselblad V series film format (56 x 56 mm) against the available '645' medium format sensors (43.8 x 32.8mm), you'll find that there's a diagonal crop factor of about 1.45. By way of comparison, "Full Frame" 135 format has a crop factor of 1.83 against Hasselblad V film. I'm not aware of any commercial MF silicon sensors being much larger than the 645. They're just not economical to manufacture. Film, on the other hand, can be scaled up easily.
Sort of like the appeal of the Nikon Df,save for the AF, using the old manual focus Hasselblad bodies is, as you said, a meditation. But if I just want the image quality coming from the new CMOS sensor, I'd rather go for the Pentax 645Z.
@@mattgranger Oh! Sorry... but since cfv 50 m2 is out, (which I mistook it for), wouldnt that be a great video to compare pixel by pixel with Fuji GFX 50??
I have a couple of 500CM's (one will not trip the shutter any more) but I find that they are the hardest camera to focus, nothing looks sharp, I swapped out the focusing screen to a split image one but again very hard to focus. I end up putting the camera on a steady tripod stopping down to at least f16 and using the hyper focal distance. Now the Mamiya RZ is a joy to focus and use as is my Rolleiflex 6002. Why buy a back such as this when you can buy a full frame camera at 36MP for a lot less money!
Matt Granger How do you honestly feel about these MF backs compared to the D810 for dynamic range and tones. I had Phase One call me today to test drive a IQ180 complete rig and I'm not concerned about it just on a purely money standpoint I just can't see the justification in the image quality differences. I guess I will know more when the Phase One gets here, but to me it's a pretty hard sale especially when the D810 is still at the top of the DXO ratings.
DXO ratings.....LMFAO......if you are so knowledgeable about photography and camera's that you can justify a MF camera then why would you even consider DXO?
There is a site with LF and MF images the LF image offer super detail a lot more than what you'd expect. I do think the focal length is always a problem though at the higher formats as all the images are of things say 10 meters away or mountains and you can clearly see climbers etc but none of them are portraits etc.
After a poultry 6 years of shooting I figured a while back that portrait photography is what I like best. This setup would be awesome for me. If I didn't have 3 kids (oldest in private school, still two to go), a wife, a mortgage, and a car payment I'd definitely consider this option (at least going mf)!
I'll be pretty happy with my D810 thank you.. :) I'm done with the retro styling. I've shot a good amount of film and manual focusing in my time and must say autofocus and all modern aids are godsent. A digital back won't solve anything. Retro Hasselblads and Leicas became consumer toys for the rich enthusiasts.
![COLOMBIA vs. CHILE [4-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TDjN4W3yy1k/mqdefault.jpg)
Shooting the Hasselblad 500 for the first time made me truly want to own my own and l sharp details I got from it were fantastic! But what I was most impressed with was the eye piece used to help focus in on the subject matter. Wow! That alone was amazing! Such a beautiful overall design feature and one day will own one for myself! Great work as per usual Matt!
Can’t wait to get this and post my pics on FB!!!
Haven’t used my Hassys since the 90s
Don't you think this is way too expensive just for the back considering it's a similar sensor to the Pentax 645Z that cost around 8k for the full system?
Just bought one of these for my 503CW. Really love it. It is just like digital film, and the camera still feels very analogue to me. I tend to select 'square crop' under custom setting/aspect and use it like my 6x6 film back.
2021- Now you have the 907x (CFV-50 II) option for circa £6k GBP
Good overview, Matt. Best out there.
Matt your videos continue to get better and better
redauwg911 Thanks mate - Tina helped me film this one
Hey Matt, can you tell me title of the song running in the background of this video?
Very fine review. Did you feel that it was awkward to shoot verticals?
Have been using these with CFV backs for years and Hasselblads since (1972) yep! we are getting on a bit! CFV's 16's can be picked up for £2,000 or less these days as apposed to £8,000 when they were first introduced.
Fix a quick release Arca Swiss plate on the base of the camera to line up the body with a battery fitted. Bear in mind that some of the pixels will deteriorate over time and leave white spots (As ours have started to do) These backs are also used with our Sinar P2 and Schneider lenses, with sliding back on a Cambo Stand. (We love old kit with new technology) Always check used digital backs for pixel loss, it will happen and it can be overcome with post production.
I think the CFV 39 are a better option, the 50's are huge files and not that significantly different.
However, as there was not auto focus etc with this camera and that we did not like the new Hasselblad design we included the Nikon system in our tool boxes. Manual focus with the hasselblad 500/CM and 503CW is a slow process by comparison.
We purchased an older chrome 500CM and C lenses so that we could use the pistol grips and quick focus handles along with the viewfinder options, we just love the classic version of this camera, the newer lenses by Carl did have a problem with plastic bits falling off but we bought into it. We still shoot film for the fun of it and scan, so good all round! :)
I'm still not sure if it can beat the res of film!! Yes, Skin tones are down to the film you choose to shoot and you DO have to shoot at the correct meter reading using film. However...... I am a little disappointed at the fact that the diggi back doesn't shoot 6x6! Which IS why I love to shoot my Hassy
Iain Hamilton-Cummings Agreed!
This is probably a blast to use, but you don't just need the back, you also need the body and lenses. So you are looking at more like 20-30k, even more if you want AF.
With that kinda money I would buy a new Nikon DX body instead (the crop factor is very useful for what I shoot), some new lenses and then I would spend the rest on one or two vacations to shoot at some really interesting locations.
The body and lenses are not THAT expensive unless you want to go all out and crazy. Body and standard lens can be had for $800 easily
Check out used V-series film cameras on eBay. They're well priced for what they offer. It really just depends on whether you're interested or completely turned off by film.
It depends if you got work for this kind of camera's. For the normal hobby photographer who put his pictures on the internet, it is simply useless. 50MP get an enormous downgrade when you watch it on an 1900 x 900 screen. But when you are making pictures for advertisement that needs to go to the print house, then you do have something on this kind of camera's. I think people should learn to look more realistic to what they do and where they need something for.
Excellent piece - I lust after that back - I could never justify the cost. I love the handling, feel and process of using my old Hasselblad - even the sound is evocative. Technically, the thing I miss is the leaf shutter.
Hi Matt. Someone mentioned to me a few weeks back that larger sensor cameras have issues with over heating during long exposures. Is this something you had to take into account at any point or is it a non-issue?
Matt M You can check out Phase one's product details I think you will get good answer. Short answer is, yes, but people have ways to deal with that and you are totally fine
Matt, thanks for the review. I am definitely going to get one of these, I have been lust over it ever since the announcement.
I got a question on my channel regarding using a ZD-back on a RB/RZ-67 and if that would be “worse” today then a Nikon D850 or Sony A7r. I thought that it wasn’t just Mp-count but also sensor aria that made a camera good. What’s your take on it?
Thank you.
I have an old 500, screens are not interchangeable.
Here is the "kicker", it would rather expensive to replace these lenses and accessories (bought around 1970)
- 40mm
- 80mm
-120mm
-250mm
Once again, thank you for your great videos, very informative
Wow! Thanks, Matt! I love my 503CW and am seriously considering this back. Great overview review. Would love more detailed image reviews. I'll rent one one day and check for myself!
One day I'll own this. I'd sell all the other gear I have to be in bliss with this setup. I do not mind slowing down
Som jag befarade. En sensor i 6x6 eller 4.5x6 finns då tydligen inte. Så vad är vitsen med en mindre sensor, priset? Tur då att system med 24x36mm kan får för ca: 1500€ Vad många inte tänker på att det behövs kortare brännvidd för att få samma vinkel. Tex har jag 4.5mm i stället för 8mm till min CANON EOS 7D pga APS-C. Annars en intressant video.
Some very good images by Charlie Waite in the Inspiration Columns at Hasselblad, using this CFV-50 c and old C lenses. By next Christmas this one will be offered at $5000. (Looking at the price of oil at 10 year lows). This Christmas the stores in New York are offering it at $ 9995.
Appreciate Hasselblad for not completely alienating the old C lens system lovers. That is how I felt in the last decade. I continue to hear complaints about it being a Sony follower now.
Thanks Matt. Hmm .. that battery. My main studio Hasselblads are the EL/M models so the battery will not permit the use of that digital back.
It is only MAMIYA what have "full format" in medium format? I think i can ask hasselblad, har ni inga "fullformat" eller har era kunder inte efterfrågat att bli av med bredndvidsförlängning. I think prise is ti hight. But in "full format" you can get for 1500€ for "fullformat" CANON EOS 6D cost about 1500€
if you're into "real estate", there's nothing like the 67 medium format. Straight up film. But if you're in it for business then digital would be a suited choice. But if you love photography then the larger the better. Thanks for the video Mr. Granger. Very informative as always.
Matt, what is the reduction factor number of this back?
For $15,000.00, many senior shooters (or shooters that make $150K+ salary) and struggling photographers would rather go for amateur cameras like the Sony A7r II or Canon EOS-5Dsr (many shooters have Canon with fast lenses & you have 1/1 images).
No fool would buy 100% great optics and want to use just 50% of the glasses.
Do you close one eyes so you can get twice the magnification (you've just lost 50% of viewing), as they claimed a 2X factors?
Hi Matt Granger! How is the batteries on those backs? I'd think their thirstier compared to a 35mm sensor
wow totally lucid articulate comprehensive review a complete education in full flow - thanks so much (looked around for ages and found this) - respect : ) just saying thanks really
So they designed the wonderful back to match the 500 series, then threw a complete wobbly integrating the battery? Would love this on my old 500 Classic, but the price! I'll stick to my 645Z.
I love seeing your opinions on more niche gear like this. Even if I'll never buy it, it tends to reveal some interesting alternative styles and ways of thinking! Would love to see your opinions on the Sony a7s. (I know you did one on the a7r) I actually already own the camera, but would be interested to hear your thoughts on it. If you need to borrow one and are in the NYC/New Jersey/Pennsylvania area, I'd be happy to lend you mine!
I'm really glad you did this review, Matt, as much as it may not appeal to as many people.
I got a 203FE because I really wanted the integrated metering and with that also comes aperture priority as a bonus. It's still full manual focus, but I appreciate that as part of the "meditation" of shooting the Hasselblad V series. I could never reliably nail focus until I swapped out the matte focus screen for a split prism.
One of the reasons that I got the 'Blad, as opposed to some of the other MF options out there, was the potential to swap film and digital in and out. Unfortunately, I didn't realise at the time that the 203FE requires an electronic modification by Hasselblad to talk to the digital back. The result is that film ISOs then need to be programmed into the body, which defeats the purpose of swapping the expensive electronic (E) film backs. A little inelegant, IMO.
I love the fact that the digital back still requires the full camera action, "winding on" to re-cock the mirror, which I find very aesthetically pleasing.
Beyond being "just a tool", it's such a beautiful camera system. I wish that Hasselblad had never abandoned their classic V series line!
If you're going to shoot a lot of film, you can buy, process & scan for much less than $100 a roll. I develop and scan at home, for the very reason that I don't want to wait a week or more to see the photographs. There are some major downsides, though.
I'm pretty much limited to black & white, but even that can be creatively inspiring: it's a different sort of photography. I don't have the patience for the temperature control required for colour development processes, so I still send those for development only. As the labs are de-skilling in film development to due low volumes, I've be disappointed in some of the results for colour.
Developing film myself is also time intensive, which I admit is the main disincentive to shooting more.
Having the fantastic Epson negative scanner makes that process cheaper and more controllable, given that scanning is an important part of the workflow. It can also be used to digitise all my old negatives, and those from the family way back to the 1930s.
Overall, I'm still learning to slow down and adopt the more meditative approach that film demands. I've become too habituated to trigger-happy digital.
I'd love to have the digital option that you reviewed but the still-huge cost, the crop factor, and camera modification are all disincentives at the moment. If Hasselblad fixed those issues, or at least ameliorated the cost and made use with film backs seemless on the 200 series, I suspect that there would be a flood of serious amateurs photographers with the V series buying into digital backs. For now, the price point is wrong for that market.
By the way, you might be interested in a simple PocketWizard setup that allows me to use a DSLR in manual mode to set up studio shoots with Speedlites before committing to film on the 'Blad (triggering the same lights). You can probably figure it out yourself...
Thanks so much for the review, Matt. I really hope to see a lot more of your 500 series on the channel. Congratulations!
Sorry, RUclips has discarde 75% of what I wrote...
Strep Pneumoniae no it hasn't just click on read more and the whole lot comes up.
the sensor it's actually not 645, that's what's annoying. It's 43.8 x 32.9mm, not 60x45mm. But again, none of the digital backs are, am I right?
So do you own the camera .... or did you borrow it??
Thanks Matt. With that battery, it doesn't look like it can be used on the EL bodies, which are my main studio Hasselblads. A power port alternative on the side of the digital back, for connecting to an external battery pack would have been an inexpensive feature to include in the design. Pity. There are several ways of powering the EL models they could have learnt from. I guess the designers of the CFV-50C were too young to know the full scope of the original Hasselblad system.
It would also be worth checking to see if the batteries impede it's use on an SWC Hasselblad.
Thanks again. Very helpful review.
There's a battery adapter for the EL, I believe. If you download the Hasselblad user manual, it shows you the options.
hi Matt, what lens did you use in this video?
Matt Granger, I really want to get the Haselblad 503cw is there any way to get a mint condition?
Very comprehensive video. I was tempted to add the video back to my 500 system, but at the end of the day I feel there are too many compromises in going to the digital back. I've spent many years developing the craft of film development and printing in a darkroom and feel the spirit of this series hasselblad is film related.
I used to have a 503cw with four lenses, 40mm, 80mm 100mm and the 150mm running a Phase One P25. It was an amazing kit but as Matt mentioned, very clunky to use. It did produce absolutely stunning images but did require some patience. I sold it all and got the D800e. You can now pick up a second had digi-back on ebay for a few grand.. maybe worth considering if you are looking to get in to medium format digital..
Matt, is the back worth the cost to your requirements?
the reason for this apparent "grainy" i.s.o. look is that the Nikon has 21 M pixels , BUT at a higher pixel density as compared to the 6 x 6 sensor, aka those 50 M pixels are distributed over the 6 x 6 cm area, not the 24 x 36 CM area as on the Nikon, which appears to us as a grain like on film, when you ENLARGE it too far (essentially what you did with the digital image- enlarging the file by cropping or digitally adjusting the exposure.)
How much does a roll of 120 cost? In Canada you can buy a primo scanner for $1200 (Epson v800 I think - I have a V550 which cost me
Thanks for this Matt. What we need now is a 'speed booster'. I can't even think of wasting the full, magnificent image creation one enjoys with the Zeiss Hasselblad lenses.
Perhaps someday, Matt, I can break down and get the 50CV back! Always appreciate your straightforward reviews. Some issues, however. I have 3 Hassy bodies, and only one, the 503CW, sounds like it will work reasonably well with that back. My 903SWC has that demanding 38mm Biogon, and my 500 EL/M may be too fast for the 50CV buffer. I’m lucky to have a beautiful Nikon Super Coolscan 8000ED for scanning to 4000 DPI those great 2-1/4 images! Keep the nice reviews and comments coming. Muchly useful. (Lenses I. My Hassy kit are the 38mm Biogon (obviously) the 40mm CF, the 100mm CF and lastly the superlative 250mm Superachromat.). My only hesitancy (aside from price) is the loss of image area with the multiplier affect.
Coming from a film background, it's the same reasoning for its use as for one using and ARRI Cinema camera vs. a Blackmagic. Both can deliver great results, but when there's a significant budget and product involved, why wouldn't you be shooting with the best that is available?
When you are using film, what type do you usually use?
Wow! The dynamic range is freakin' amazing!
I'll be staying with my Mamiya RB67 Professional SD ( Do you know if Mamiya Leaf will be offering a digital back for their legacy cameras ? )
Hmm. I am shooting a 203FE with the older CFV 39 back, it has a little larger sensor, yet its CCD which I love of course at base ISO only yet there is no focus check, the LCD is terrible on the older backs. I am trying to get my hands on a demo to do a comparison. Hey Matt, if you ever want to sell that 40mm CF IF lens let me know.
I've got two 500 series cameras and a bucket of lenses accumulated through the 70s and 80s. I find it interesting that the prices of the old used cameras has basically doubled or tripled over the past couple of years. I bet as these backs get better and less expensive, the values of the used cameras will be climbing.
Thanks for the video. Whats the crop factor? If i had my 80mm 2.8 what would the crop factor be? 1x?
Isn't the main purpose of these backs for those that have a lot of old film cameras to switch them over to digital. I didn't realize there was a crop factor and using a 645 format as well. There is a lot to be said for having a square format, especially for weddings. Albums are a lot simpler to assemble when you don't have to concern yourself with vertical or horizontal orientation.
How was the focus, both on the OVF and live view screen?
What is the cropped factor of this aps medium digital sensor for $16,000.00?
It seems crazy buying a $15,000 back, and having to focus manually, and doing the manual aperture. I would rather shoot Hasselblad with film, have the negatives scanned, and after a few weeks decide whether is worth buying the Hasselblad back.
Matt Granger *Offtopic* Any thoughts about testing the Samyang 135mm f/2 nikon version ?
You made me really miss my old 500C.
Hey Matt, nice video. I was just thrown off by the film calculation. If you go ahead get a scanner (like epson v850 or so) develop and scan yourself, it cuts the cost down to nearly only the roll.
But you still loose the time factor, digital is instant and much higher res.
Digital higher than 6x7 MF? Hardly.
Martin Digital has reached or exceeded 35mm but it's not touching MF film. A quality film like Portra, Ektar or 400H is on a whole other level to this day. Even with flatbed scanning the tonal range is noticeably better, with drum scanning the images are breathtaking.
David Liang Well the current high end MF backs do reach about 80 MP or so which is in the same ballpark, but they don't exceed it. 100 MP is not even really an issue for the highest resolution film available in MF.
When I digitize film, my scanner will only scan 3-120 frames at a time and I scan it at 1200 ppi because I want hi res. This process takes appx. 30 minutes. To be exact without fault, the 3 frames consistently take 27 minutes to do this. Keep in mind that I have an older Epson 4100 series and the latest generation 27" iMac not a Mac Pro. Newer scanners that do film may be faster.
also Matt, the Hassy is cleaner, as not just the size is bigger, but as the whole area is bigger, each SENSOR is bigger, even with 50 million of them!, so technically each gets more light than a similar sensor pixel would in the nikon, As well as the fact you are not enlarging the final image as much, so less noise, in the hassy case; the ISO is also lower in the hasselblad, due to the more light photons captured by this sensor, so less gain (iso)is applied to get the correct exposure, so any push\pull as with a film negative does better as there is less digital noise to be concerned with, as well as more data in the file (colours, tones, textures) so losing a little is LESS noticable, partly due to the fact a larger print is viewed from further away than a small one, so any noise is like wood in a forrest of trees, it blends in.
will you get your hands on the new mirrorless from hasselblad? would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Thank you Matt - I been looking for information on this before, but there is really nothing out there about this backs. Cool - now I have an idea how it works.
Someone need to be really into it to get this over a D810 with all the great lenses available.
Reminds me of the Kodak DCS system. Crop Kodak sensors "ghettoed" on 35mm film bodies
Pretty awesome. I still think a digital version of my Bronica RF645 would be such an amazing camera. Maybe Fuji will bring us a fixed lens digital version of something like the old GS645S. That would be incredible.
More than would i need in some areas and less than would i need in other areas.
So great to watch the review but I am very happy with the flexibility of my D800
Why you compare apples and oranges? What is the size of the sensor on d7100 and the size of CFV-50c?
Victor Dynamic range is not necessarily related to sensor size...
Matt Granger
Why didn't you compare it to something sensible like the D810
I'll take two!
To be serious, interesting review as this is not my usual camera - thanks.
There's a Hasselblad body for sale in our local photography shop in town, for about 700 euro's but the back for 15000 is too much. If I were a professional studio photographer it might be viable. Shame it doesn't do video with that large sensor :)
So it's basically a true manual camera with a digital image processor?
Pretty much. That's the great thing with medium format. They're so modular. You can pick up a used cheap body for next to nothing (comparatively) then throw on a whole host of extra goodies and swap bits out. Don'y like your view finder? Put another one. Don't like your grip? Put another one. Want a different back? Simple, swap it out. They're so versatile.
I'm currently also into the "manual experience"... but in my case kept everything a little bit smaller ;-)
Bought two all manual lenses - an excellent Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.4 and a Tamron 90mm f2.5 Macro (in deed I bought two and kept the better one ;-) )... adopted them to my X-T1 with the nice, big EVF and modern focus-helpers (peaking and zoom)... really enjoy to play with this small and light system. It's like meditation after a busy day...
The grooves are the light seal, not a weather seal.
The Hasselblad Scanner is even more expensive... Which company have it in Australia except the Dealer?
I love my Blad, but I have to admit something: it was a gift to me by a friend (one hell of a gift, I know).
I've shot with medium format of other makers and to be very blunt, most people -- I would even say the grand grand majority of people -- even professional photographers would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a Hasselblad image and an image off of a Pentax 6x7.
The major point of influence is, of course, the lens. You stick a converter on a 6x7 body to take a Zeiss Planar or other German or Leica lens, and they images are essentially identical in quality and character.
The body looks terrific, but that's basically what the hubbub is all about. Hasselblad has essentially ascended to the levels of camera mythology, like the Patek Philippe of cameras. And frankly, it's reputation is a bit inflated.
I'm not saying it isn't a wonderful camera, but so many other makers don't get the same level of celebration. I recently picked up a Pentax 6x7 mentioned above and I have to tell you, I think I like the shooting experience more. And the images are equal to that of the Hassy's. Plus, I'm not stopped in the street by gawking onlookers because the 6x7 looks like any other SLR. But even amongst the waist-level viewfinder community, Blads get so much attention I begin to wonder if there isn't some underground cult worshipping this thing.
It's a terrific camera, but I think the hype is a bit much.
Still have my complete old set with a phase1 10mp digital back which is crap. I would love to get this one but at 15K ? why don't they come out with a 1,5 to 2K 24mp back I think a lot of people would dust off their old sets and start shooting.
crop factor is a very strong limit for this price, but I'm very curious to try it in particular for bad lights situation where digital is safer then pushing a film 4 sops.
My Dad used to swear by his Hassleblad and his X-Pan one too!! Honestly the quality was so great!!
Me, I am Sony A7 shooter, from Nikon. My dream is to get a Hasselblad..... But the price of it, I could get a around-the-world ticket for my Sony to play in :/
anybody here using this digital back for professional fashion work? how does it fare? is it worth it?
thanks a lot, i was a curious about this back, very helpful review.
how about comparing it side to side to the new sensors from nikon and canon (36,50) ?
You called it 6x4.5. Actually it's closer to 3x4.5, that is, half-frame to the 6x4.5, which itself was roll film's half frame to the original 6x9cm (2 1/4 x 3 1/4). Camera makers sometimes like to call these "digital medium formats" 645 because they use 6x4.5 bodies, but they're really 345.
Nice video.. That camera is gorgeous, but way too expensive for me
I am a phase one shooter, if I had the extra funds I would get this in a heartbeat.
So what would a 50mm full frame lense be the equal to on this camera?
DaveDangerous74 Short answer: 60mm. But those aren't common, so probably 70mm. 55mm is the diagonal for a 44mm x 33mm sensor. That's usually considered the focal length of a normal lens. So, for 56mm x 56mm medium format, it was typically an 80mm lens. For 24mm x 36mm, normal was 43mm so both 40mm pancakes and 50mm primes are considered normal. Of course, 50mm on 135 is a bit long compared to 80mm lenses for 6x6 format. So, the equivalent of 50mm on full frame 135 format would probably be a 60mm lens on 44mm x 33mm cropped 645 format. For full frame 645 (56mm x 43mm), a normal lens is 70mm. 70mm is probably typically used on digital 645, but they are a bit long due to the digital crop factor.
i think the pentax 645z is way more bang for buck than this digital back. if you want a ccd sensor, there's also 645d. but, one advantage of this thing is the hasselblad's leaf shutter. very handy on studio shoot.
interesting camera with superb image quality but the price of it is huge, i thing it is going to good for portraits skin tones looks great and details are fine. love it but its expensive as well. Are we gonna see any more videos of this camera?
I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on film scanners and how images shot on film and scanned compare with images shot on digital.
Matt Granger Are all digital MF backs cropped? Is there any as big as the native MF film area coverage? Also whats the name of the track playing in the background?
If you compare the native Hasselblad V series film format (56 x 56 mm) against the available '645' medium format sensors (43.8 x 32.8mm), you'll find that there's a diagonal crop factor of about 1.45. By way of comparison, "Full Frame" 135 format has a crop factor of 1.83 against Hasselblad V film.
I'm not aware of any commercial MF silicon sensors being much larger than the 645. They're just not economical to manufacture. Film, on the other hand, can be scaled up easily.
Sort of like the appeal of the Nikon Df,save for the AF, using the old manual focus Hasselblad bodies is, as you said, a meditation. But if I just want the image quality coming from the new CMOS sensor, I'd rather go for the Pentax 645Z.
The skin tones do indeed look amazing.
How can you compare medium format to dx??
Why not try comparing with Fuji GFX??
This was released years before the fuji
@@mattgranger Oh! Sorry... but since cfv 50 m2 is out, (which I mistook it for), wouldnt that be a great video to compare pixel by pixel with Fuji GFX 50??
Wich song is running in the background?
How does it compare to your Nikon D5?
Like comparing apples to artichokes...
On wish list but do not think i will get a system like that in years but yea that is a dreamworkmachine for me
I have a couple of 500CM's (one will not trip the shutter any more) but I find that they are the hardest camera to focus, nothing looks sharp, I swapped out the focusing screen to a split image one but again very hard to focus. I end up putting the camera on a steady tripod stopping down to at least f16 and using the hyper focal distance. Now the Mamiya RZ is a joy to focus and use as is my Rolleiflex 6002.
Why buy a back such as this when you can buy a full frame camera at 36MP for a lot less money!
Hi Matt, will you make new video with the new digital back?
I hope so!!
How do you shoot vertical with this camera?
Prism finder.
Seems like a good update path for people coming from a canon 1100d
Thanks matt.
Matt Granger How do you honestly feel about these MF backs compared to the D810 for dynamic range and tones. I had Phase One call me today to test drive a IQ180 complete rig and I'm not concerned about it just on a purely money standpoint I just can't see the justification in the image quality differences. I guess I will know more when the Phase One gets here, but to me it's a pretty hard sale especially when the D810 is still at the top of the DXO ratings.
DXO ratings.....LMFAO......if you are so knowledgeable about photography and camera's that you can justify a MF camera then why would you even consider DXO?
There is a site with LF and MF images the LF image offer super detail a lot more than what you'd expect.
I do think the focal length is always a problem though at the higher formats as all the images are of things say 10 meters away or mountains and you can clearly see climbers etc but none of them are portraits etc.
After a poultry 6 years of shooting I figured a while back that portrait photography is what I like best. This setup would be awesome for me. If I didn't have 3 kids (oldest in private school, still two to go), a wife, a mortgage, and a car payment I'd definitely consider this option (at least going mf)!
Any chance someone will make a digital back for my Pentax 6x7?
I'll be pretty happy with my D810 thank you.. :)
I'm done with the retro styling. I've shot a good amount of film and manual focusing in my time and must say autofocus and all modern aids are godsent. A digital back won't solve anything. Retro Hasselblads and Leicas became consumer toys for the rich enthusiasts.
I'll buy it if sensor was a 1:1 size like the film. Price needs to come down and compete with dslr or mirrorless system prices.
is the background Japan?
What jacket are you wearing in the video?
In his last video, you can see the Manfrotto branding on the jacket.. Not sure of the actual model name though.
It's a custom one but I don't think you can buy that jacket anymore, as he's said that a few times, as he's wanted buy some more but can't.