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Author Topic: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review  (Read 12653 times)

MattBeardsley

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Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« on: October 02, 2010, 02:19:37 pm »

Hello LL,

I just put the finishing touches on a write up discussing location shooting with the H4D-40 and its new True Focus system.  Awesome camera...  any corrections or comments?  Thanks!

http://mattbeardsleyblog.com/2010/10/01/on-location-with-the-hasselblad-h4d-40/
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eronald

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2010, 02:36:45 pm »

With all due courtesy to the author of this review, I don't feel any value is added by explaining every time that features absent in the H4D are useless. I particularly enjoyed getting told that Nikon or Leica S2 Jpegs are useless except for snapshots, or Pentax'es effects cumbersome to use in the field. I have sold a bunch of fashion magazine shots which were Jpegs, the buyer took the Jpeg instead of the Photoshop Raw conversion, go figure. It's also pretty useful to be able to send a Jpeg shot to someone for instant evaluation of expression and composition. The same goes for black and white renderings which can help during shooting.

As for the images in the review, I don't take portrait shots of someone wearing glasses as usefully descriptive for a pro camera review - as all of us here know if you're serious about portrait or beauty you need to be able to focus on the iris, or at least lashes,  and this is what readers of a review want to see, rather than reflections on spectacles.

Oh, and by the way, does True Focus work better than Nikon's movable focus point when on a tripod? I do wonder. Although I am sure that it is a very useful feature, we still have no evaluation of when it works and when it doesn't.

In this age of blogs, everybody is a writer. That doesn't mean that every blog post is worth reading. In fact,  I have always found  camera brochures and example shots which get posted by Canon and Nikon Hasselbald and Leica impeccably honest and more informative than third party reviews.

BTW, I listened to my local Phase dealer explain to a potential MF customer that "True Focus doesn't work that well". Maybe I should believe him. IMHO Mamiya focus doesn't work that well either, and that's my opinion as a paying customer. My biggest question every time I pick up anything -I mean ANYTHING- other than my Nikon is:

             WILL IT FOCUS TODAY ?

Edmund

Edmund



 

« Last Edit: October 02, 2010, 03:12:41 pm by eronald »
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Quentin

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2010, 03:12:01 pm »

Hello LL,

I just put the finishing touches on a write up discussing location shooting with the H4D-40 and its new True Focus system.  Awesome camera...  any corrections or comments?  Thanks!

http://mattbeardsleyblog.com/2010/10/01/on-location-with-the-hasselblad-h4d-40/

Hi Matt

A good, well thought out, review with some nice shots to go with it.  Real people wear specs, so I have no issue with that. ;)

I agree with you that true focus works well.  I shoot with a H4D-50 (when I have the time...)

Quentin
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gazwas

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2010, 06:39:43 pm »

Great review Matt. Really enjoyed your experiences and look farward to reading your views on IQ and the Phocus software.

I too see little point in camera Jpeg conversion and have never used this feature on my 35mm gear. I always thought thats what we dragged notebooks on location for.  ;) I can understand why some may find this useful.

Enjoyed your images too!
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darylgo

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2010, 10:34:13 am »

Matt, Niiiiice!!!  It appears True Focus is working very well, any plans to do a comparison True Focus on vs. off.  Also, I would be very interested in hearing your take on H3 vs. H4 series cameras/backs.  Thanks,
Daryl 
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Conner999

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2010, 02:24:11 pm »

Nicely done on the review. Your view on TF with the H4D_ jives with what I've seen and heard from pros who use or have tested the system - it works, in some cases better than some expected.
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Nick-T

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #6 on: October 03, 2010, 04:48:42 pm »

FYI
I tested the True Focus system extensively when it was in beta and it DOES work and very well. it doesn't guarantee perfect focus every time (what system does) but gives a significant improvement. My tests were done with the HC 100 @ 2.2 . With regular focus/recompose (which is my way of working) and working pretty close to a model (vertical frame model framed from elbows to top of head) I was getting maybe 50% prefect eyes handheld with traditional focus recompose. With true focus enabled the perfect focus rate went to about 75%. I repeated the test on a tripod and got 50% (again) and about 90%. I am getting better and better at using the system mainly I believe by reducing a tendency to lunge forward slightly when re-composing (thus negating the benefits of True Focus).
Nick-T
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eronald

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #7 on: October 03, 2010, 05:10:23 pm »

I wonder whether in mediocre light one shouldn't simply focus on the model's lips and recompose. The recompose will throw the focus backwards slightly towards the eyes.

The lips *always* capture focus whereas focus on the eyes is hard, even on my D3x, because a strand of high contrast hair will easily capture focus.

I did some experiments, with my 85/1.4 which I guess is equivalent to the Hassy 120 2.2, and in bad light lip autofocus works better for me than eye autofocus. One of those things where you wonder "why hadn't I thought of that before".

Edmund
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David Grover / Capture One

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2010, 06:29:51 am »

Thanks Matt for a detailed and honest review.

David

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David Grover / Capture One

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #9 on: October 04, 2010, 06:30:57 am »


BTW, I listened to my local Phase dealer explain to a potential MF customer that "True Focus doesn't work that well". Maybe I should believe him....


Really?  That is suprising!

...and I thought all salesmen were honest.  ;)
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jduncan

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #10 on: October 04, 2010, 07:33:36 am »

I wonder whether in mediocre light one shouldn't simply focus on the model's lips and recompose. The recompose will throw the focus backwards slightly towards the eyes.

The lips *always* capture focus whereas focus on the eyes is hard, even on my D3x, because a strand of high contrast hair will easily capture focus.

I did some experiments, with my 85/1.4 which I guess is equivalent to the Hassy 120 2.2, and in bad light lip autofocus works better for me than eye autofocus. One of those things where you wonder "why hadn't I thought of that before".

Edmund
Umm, thanks that looks like a good tip :) , yes it gives me the "why hadn't I thought of that before" effect :)
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gazwas

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #11 on: October 04, 2010, 07:49:46 am »

Really?  That is suprising!

...and I thought all salesmen were honest.  ;)

Mmmm, I'm looking at both systems at the moment and that was my initial experience with PhaseOne dealers also (found a good dealer now TFC Birmingham).

Trouble with PhaseOne is they have a fantastic product however, it comes in such terrible packaging and the sales pitch to divert your attention from this is so slag all the competitions great features.

"Just doesn't work, not seen a working example yet, old technology" etc, etc......
« Last Edit: October 08, 2010, 04:40:04 pm by gazwas »
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Imaginara

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #12 on: October 04, 2010, 09:43:50 am »

I wonder whether in mediocre light one shouldn't simply focus on the model's lips and recompose. The recompose will throw the focus backwards slightly towards the eyes.

The lips *always* capture focus whereas focus on the eyes is hard, even on my D3x, because a strand of high contrast hair will easily capture focus.

I did some experiments, with my 85/1.4 which I guess is equivalent to the Hassy 120 2.2, and in bad light lip autofocus works better for me than eye autofocus. One of those things where you wonder "why hadn't I thought of that before".

Edmund

Now why didnt i think of this before ;D

There are a lot of small tips & tricks out there that can be quite useful and enlightning when you hear about them. An old favourite is how to deal with red hands (which is due to the model having the hands hanging down, causing them to go red). Either you spend a lot of time colorcorrecting the hands to match the tone of the face.. or.. you tell your model to put his/her hands in the air and wave them around for a few minutes ;D  Looks silly as hell which also makes the shoot become slightly less "stiff" ;D

And to keep it on topic, true focus does seem like a good tool to have though. And since it's basically a software issue i am guessing we will see it implemented in a lot of different cameras in the future.

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geesbert

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #13 on: October 04, 2010, 10:14:52 am »

And since it's basically a software issue i am guessing we will see it implemented in a lot of different cameras in the future.




Is it really? doesn't it require some gyro sensors?
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Imaginara

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #14 on: October 04, 2010, 10:21:22 am »


Is it really? doesn't it require some gyro sensors?

Hm, you are correct, it needs to know the difference in angle from where you focused to where you end up shooting. My bad. There are a few systems that have them though (built in leveling tool ;).
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eronald

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Re: Hasselblad H4D-40 and True Focus review
« Reply #15 on: October 04, 2010, 03:50:14 pm »

I really like the hands tip. I always thought it was a skin tone issue, and had the hands made up (and the legs) to match the face.

Edmund

Now why didnt i think of this before ;D

There are a lot of small tips & tricks out there that can be quite useful and enlightning when you hear about them. An old favourite is how to deal with red hands (which is due to the model having the hands hanging down, causing them to go red). Either you spend a lot of time colorcorrecting the hands to match the tone of the face.. or.. you tell your model to put his/her hands in the air and wave them around for a few minutes ;D  Looks silly as hell which also makes the shoot become slightly less "stiff" ;D

And to keep it on topic, true focus does seem like a good tool to have though. And since it's basically a software issue i am guessing we will see it implemented in a lot of different cameras in the future.


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