Hi guys.
I'm thinking of invest in a older digital back that i can mount on a Hasselblad 503cw.
I'm a slow photographer and mostly I sitting in my studio and doing still life. Flowers and sometimes portraits. Landscape i do with my d810.
The reason to buy a digital back is more for fun and i have done some looking around and i like the look of those old ccd backs.
I also like to have the opportunity to shoot film every now and then.
I do print my work up to 17x20 inch and I do sell my prints.
What backs to stay away from?, and what backs have a good reputation?!
What type of problem can i run in to when i buy and using 5-10 years old backs.
I do think the old phase one looks a bit flat compare to mamiya zd or leaf aptus 75s backs.
The two backs I mention above is the ones I so far leaning towards.
So what do you guys think?
Nothing is written in stone here so I am open for suggestions..
My budget is around 3 grand for the back
Kind regards Daniel
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Daniel -
I take you at your word. You said you like to shoot slow and measured in a studio shooting still life. You use a D810 for landscapes.
But you want to have some fun with medium format, preferably a 503CW. And you want to also be able to shoot film.
I hear you!You said 503CW. Why? Do you like the experience or the feeling of shooting an old school, manual camera, perhaps with a waist level finder? Many do. Or is it primarily about the lenses - do you like the look of the Zeiss glass for that system? Is there something else that draws you to that camera? Is shooting square with film part of the allure? Have you ever shot with a Hasselblad 5 Series camera before? (I'm guessing you have).
If shooting square is a factor, then yes, there was a square sensor developed by Kodak that resides at least in the following digital back models:
- Kodak ProBack
- Phase One P20/20+
- Hasseblad CFV-16
All are 16mp. Despite the low megapixel count - by todays standards - it yields quite a nice file. But the sensor, while square, is 36mm x 36mm, not so large for a 60mm x 60mm camera (56mm x 56mm imaging area, roughly). But the price certainly fits well under your budget, you'll benefit from a viewfinder mask showing you the image capture area, and (for Kodak and Phase One digital backs), a $20 short cable that will connect the sync post of the lens to the miniphone port in the digital back for synchronization. A firewire cable if you desire to shoot into a computer and have images appear as you shoot. If it is a Phase One P20+, there is a sort of live view feed that one can use when shooting tethered to computer to magnify images for accurate focusing and composition (I think also the CFV has this ability, not sure of the ProBack). It's not the best live view, you need just enough light not too much, and it can't be too low, and the signal has a slight delay, but for your pace, it can work well.
If the square sensor is not super important, there are more options in your price range. Phase One P25/25+, Leaf Aptus 22, these are a few good ones. I would avoid the ZD, even though it uses the same sensor as the Aptus 22. Just trust me. These are rectangular sensors that employ a 4/3 ratio. But, there is the possibility of shooting square via a square viewfinder mask and pre-set square crop that automatically applies upon import. Just a thought. The sensors are relatively large (48/49mm x 36/37mm), so a wide angle lens becomes a possibility, and of course your viewfinder is larger too, as a result.
While the Phase One P/P+ backs looked a bit "flat" to you, I can tell you they are as rock solid as any digital back ever made. They will last and last.
Another thing - if this is mostly about the lenses, and the camera really doesn't matter to you, then you might consider a digital back in Mamiya 645 interface, since there is a Phase One adapter for that camera that accepts Hasselblad V lenses. The adapter costs about $650, however, it is not unusual to find them for less, and there are other manufacturers that produce Hasselblad V to Mamiya 645 adapters (FotoDiox, etc). Not sure of their quality first hand, but for the price (often less than $150), perhaps worth a play if there's a good return policy. Traveling this route means a Mamiya/Phase One 645 AFD/AFD-II/AFD-III, as the DF models did away with the film back option. One of the benefits here is that there is more abundance of digital backs available in Mamiya/Phase One 645 interface than Hasselblad V. Your choices and options will widen.
Daniel, for the scenario you've described, I find this is emminently reasonable, if you know this is what you want.
Downsides?
- Digital Back repairs can be expensive.
- The camera technology may be frustrating compared to your experience with the D810, however I imagine you've already considered that.
- You might think it is fun and that you'd like it, but $3,000 is $3,000. I would take steps to hedge this bet (an eval rental, etc).
- People who play in the mainstream might make fun of you, but often this is a solid endorsement that you're on the right track.
Good luck!
* Side note (slightly self serving, hope you don't mind), we can be of help, should this path become serious for you. We do carry the models listed above, we test and inspect them extremely thoroughly, and even on a $3,000 digital back from 10-12 years ago, we'll place a 1 year warranty on every one we sell.
Steve Hendrix/CI
