Medium Format On TV

[Justin Berman]

So, my girlfriend is an avid follower of America's Next Top Model (Tyra's Next Top Tyra as we like to joke) and I generally watch the photoshoot segments and the review of the best images. My question is thus:

Most of the photographers that ANTM features use Hasselblad, an overwhelming percentage of them I would say.

Does this indicate:
A ) Hasselblad is just an extremely popular choice for fashion photographers?
B ) Hasselblad sponsors ANTM in some way and thus their cameras are on set?
C ) This is a total coincidence and the photographers featured are not a representative sample?

[Carsten W]

Most of the photographers that ANTM features use Hasselblad, an overwhelming percentage of them I would say.

H or V cameras? There is a similar show here in Germany, and the photographer uses an EL/M, I believe. I am not sure what back, but it is tethered.

[Graham Mitchell]

So, my girlfriend is an avid follower of America's Next Top Model (Tyra's Next Top Tyra as we like to joke) and I generally watch the photoshoot segments and the review of the best images. My question is thus:

Most of the photographers that ANTM features use Hasselblad, an overwhelming percentage of them I would say.

Does this indicate:
A ) Hasselblad is just an extremely popular choice for fashion photographers?
B ) Hasselblad sponsors ANTM in some way and thus their cameras are on set?
C ) This is a total coincidence and the photographers featured are not a representative sample?

I noticed the same. I doubt that it is sponsorship. I think that it probably represents how things are in a few select US cities where rental is the norm because there is enough demand to allow for cheap rental and it's just part of the culture. There's one one rental outfit within 500 miles of me that I know of, and they only hire out a Leaf AFi, afaik. I get the impression that Europeans don't hire MFDBs much. At least I don't know any that do - they all own their own, like me. Would be interesting to compare with UK and German versions of the show, which I haven't seen.

[David Grover / Capture One]

I noticed the same. I doubt that it is sponsorship....

Woah there!

We did actually sponsor a Top Model a while back (2005) and I worked on couple of the shoots.  Attached is an image from Paris and St Tropez.

[attachment=11891:IMG_1830.jpg]

[attachment=11892:IMG_1837.jpg]

They (production team) also sponsored a photographer last year(?) who exclusively used an H3D.

I guess the rest of the photographers use Hasselblad because it is the best!*

As for rental there are several outfits in the UK that rent MFDB.

http://www.procentre.co.uk/hire_list_price...sselbladhsystem

Cheers,



David

*Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Justin Berman]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. And to answer the above question, it seems to be almost all H cameras on ANTM.

[gwhitf]

I think that it probably represents how things are in a few select US cities where rental is the norm because there is enough demand to allow for cheap rental and it's just part of the culture.

To me, this is connected to the recent thread about F/H as well. I think part of the reason that that Hy6 never took off is because they never came out of the gate in a BIG way. And part of BIG means you dump a ton of inventory into rental shops, and you begin to circulate the camera on a large scale. The only Hy6 I ever saw in person was in a glass case at Kurland in NYC, for sale. I just think, in today's tough economy, you've got to come out big, or else you just get lost in the middle. And the H has come out big. Look at ForSale ads, and compare the listings for WantedToBuy with ForSale. Check out WTB ads and you see Hasselblad HC lenses. It is a growth area. (But for use on Phase backs; sorry couldn't resist).

The H is in no way a perfect camera, but it's the best of the lot, and it's out there for consumption. And for rental. I don't know many guys who will/can afford to keep a full stock of every H or Sinar or Rollei lens in their bag, so it's very useful to be able to call NY and have a lens Fedexed for a job. Bill it to the job, even if you have to bury it, and you're free of paying for the lens, maintaining the lens, and insuring the lens.

Whether or not Hasselblad pays to get their stuff featured is immaterial. What is true is: Hasselblad H is in the culture. You see them everywhere, and they're EASY to rent.

No one likes to see a camera system go away. That Hy6 looked promising, and it kept MF out in the culture. MF should not go away. But there's somewhat of a critical mass that you must reach, before something can gain mass acceptance, and I don't think that Hy6, or any of its twin brothers, ever even remotely approached that critical mass. And with Sinar's reputation of arrogance, whether true or not, it only added to the Fear Quotient of writing a check that large for that brand, in this current economy. I hope that that Hy6 can come back to life, but if they do, they need to find the rental marketplace, so that people see Hy6 on television, instead of the millions of H bodies out there. I just think it's human nature that people (photographers) want to feel some kind of endorsement like that, even if it's subconscious by seeing it on television, before they write a large check. No one wants to be Customer #1 to wade into uncharted waters.

[ChrisJR]

I noticed the same. I doubt that it is sponsorship. I think that it probably represents how things are in a few select US cities where rental is the norm because there is enough demand to allow for cheap rental and it's just part of the culture. There's one one rental outfit within 500 miles of me that I know of, and they only hire out a Leaf AFi, afaik. I get the impression that Europeans don't hire MFDBs much. At least I don't know any that do - they all own their own, like me. Would be interesting to compare with UK and German versions of the show, which I haven't seen.

I watched a few episodes of Britain's Next Top Model and the photographers used, if my memory serves me correct, Canon's.

There was one woman, a hideous old plastic scandinavian thing that was also a judge, using a Hasselblad H series camera with a digital back but frankly her photography was shit, nowhere near as good as anything that was being produced on ANTM.

[jonstewart]

@ Chris

+1 and ROFL! re the Scandavian  

[David Grover / Capture One]

 

[Snook]

I watched a few episodes of Britain's Next Top Model and the photographers used, if my memory serves me correct, Canon's.

There was one woman, a hideous old plastic scandinavian thing that was also a judge, using a Hasselblad H series camera with a digital back but frankly her photography was shit, nowhere near as good as anything that was being produced on ANTM.

Basically on those shows the photography is ALL shit. But they have one hell of a retouching crew....:+}

In any case they are using H series becasue they can rent it anywhere and on the american version (Show) I have seen several times rental marks on most of the equipment.

Snook

[JDG]

Basically on those shows the photography is ALL shit. But they have one hell of a retouching crew....:+}

In any case they are using H series becasue they can rent it anywhere and on the american version (Show) I have seen several times rental marks on most of the equipment.

Snook

From the episodes I have seen (american) The photographers pretty well mirror much of the NYC market :: Predominantly H bodies with either Phase or Leaf backs.

[yaya]

From the episodes I have seen (american) The photographers pretty well mirror much of the NYC market :: Predominantly H bodies with either Phase or Leaf backs.

The first series had a Valeo 22Wi on an H1 for most of the episodes. They still show reruns of it over here and you cannot miss that loud BEEPing when they shoot:-)

[shutay]

On Mythbusters (don't know which season or episode) where they examined the Apollo moon landing hoax myths, Adam used an Hasselblad EL/X camera with a Leaf Aptus digital back to try to reproduce the shots obtained from the moon, don't know which one though.

[jjj]

Nigel Barker, the English judge and 'noted' fashion Photographer doesn't use Hasselblads, he uses a Mamiya RZ67 Pro IID, with a Leaf Aptus 54S and a Phase P45+ digital backs.
I've also seen several photographers use Canons - and interestingly the results seemed noticably inferior to the MFDB shots, even on SD TV.

The British version is simply shocking, the set for the judges must have cost about 50p/$1 to decorate and the photography is somewhat lame as well. The presenter trying to imitate Tyra, rather than be herself is painful to watch. Oh and I just remembered the 'stylist' [?], who makes you want to kill yourself as he is so depressing.  I think anyone with charisma or personality was rejected from being on the panel
Having said that I saw a couple of episodes of the very first ANTM recently and boy was that cheap compared to later versions. Judging looked like it was done in a very small hotel room with curtains closed and had the judges almost sitting on each other they had so little room. The British version has no excuse as it was repeating an already succesful formula and never improved as time went by. Even my girlfriend, doesn't bother with UK version and she luuuurves ANTM.

[mcfoto]

Hi
We just did our second shoot for a model show here in Australia (Aus-ANTM). The first being MMASM ( Australia) which is on our web site. Both times we chose to shot with the Canon for speed, shooting faster than one f/s. During the Australian version of MMASM out of the 14 episodes I estimate 4 episodes were with the H camera & the rest were Canon (10 episodes). Really, what difference does it make when the end use is televison? We often use medium format for advertising jobs. I enjoy seeing what other photographers use as these are very demanding projects, the time constraints are huge and you cannot have equipment problems.
Denis

[David Grover / Capture One]

Judging looked like it was done in a very small hotel room with curtains closed and had the judges almost sitting on each other they had so little room. The British version has no excuse as it was repeating an already succesful formula and never improved as time went by. Even my girlfriend, doesn't bother with UK version and she luuuurves ANTM.

 

100% Correct!  At the production I worked on that is exactly how they did it.

[yaya]

Anyone watched BBC's "Christmas at Kew" in Dec' 2005?

Aptus 22 on Mamiya AFD in the jungles in Jamaica...

[david o]

Nigel Barker, the English judge and 'noted' fashion Photographer doesn't use Hasselblads, he uses a Mamiya RZ67 Pro IID, with a Leaf Aptus 54S and a Phase P45+ digital backs.
I've also seen several photographers use Canons - and interestingly the results seemed noticably inferior to the MFDB shots, even on SD TV.

The British version is simply shocking, the set for the judges must have cost about 50p/$1 to decorate and the photography is somewhat lame as well. The presenter trying to imitate Tyra, rather than be herself is painful to watch. Oh and I just remembered the 'stylist' [?], who makes you want to kill yourself as he is so depressing.  I think anyone with charisma or personality was rejected from being on the panel
Having said that I saw a couple of episodes of the very first ANTM recently and boy was that cheap compared to later versions. Judging looked like it was done in a very small hotel room with curtains closed and had the judges almost sitting on each other they had so little room. The British version has no excuse as it was repeating an already succesful formula and never improved as time went by. Even my girlfriend, doesn't bother with UK version and she luuuurves ANTM.

you should watch Canadian NTM...
don't know which season but it's so poor I hope it's an old one...

[yaya]

Airborn Leaf AFi on French TV

See more about the technology here

[bcooter]

Airborn Leaf AFi on French TV

See more about the technology here

I love the French, but if they made a bowling ball it would having moving parts.