Pages: 1 2 [3]   Go Down

Author Topic: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back  (Read 47531 times)

neilwatson

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 29
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #40 on: September 08, 2011, 02:29:18 am »

John,

Well I got out the metal saw and my SWC but just cannot bring myself to saw off the bottom plate.

Am I right in thinking that since your SWC plate has been cut off you can leave the battery in the normal orientation and do not need to use the L plate battery adapter.

What I realised is that I can use the SWC tethered to a computer without a battery.  I was able to test the lens and it seems really good.  For far distances.  Wide open is a bit soft in the corners.  From F5.6 is fine and from F8 is really good. So it's working real well with the CFV39 back. Do you use the back in SWC mode or use sync cable?

Thanks

Neil
Logged

John R Smith

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1357
  • Still crazy, after all these years
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #41 on: September 08, 2011, 03:31:50 am »

Am I right in thinking that since your SWC plate has been cut off you can leave the battery in the normal orientation and do not need to use the L plate battery adapter.

What I realised is that I can use the SWC tethered to a computer without a battery.  I was able to test the lens and it seems really good.  For far distances.  Wide open is a bit soft in the corners.  From F5.6 is fine and from F8 is really good. So it's working real well with the CFV39 back. Do you use the back in SWC mode or use sync cable?

Neil

Yes, with my shortened tripod plate I can just leave the battery in its normal position. I think that if you did shorten the tripod plate (and lots of people have, in the past) you would want to do this with the plate removed from the camera, which would involve a fair bit of dismantling. Of course, you can use it tethered with no problems, as you say.

I have never used a sync cable with my CFV-39. I found that set to "SWC" the back did not work properly with mine (I got a magenta cast on the images) but it does work just fine set to "500" - I don't know why.

John
Logged
Hasselblad 500 C/M, SWC and CFV-39 DB
an

Iluvmycam

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 533
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #42 on: August 22, 2013, 07:48:08 pm »

Do you think Hasselblad will ever come out witb an affordable FF back for the SWC? 5 mp FF is all I need.

I have to wonder why you are all so thrilled with your cropped SWC's? Couldn't you find a better digital alternative than this? I'd have no interest in the SWC unless it is FF. Sounds like your more camera collectors that shooters. (No disrespect intended.)

I loved shooting with my old SWC back in the 70's.

http://www.artslant.com/ny/works/show/691521-crazy

http://www.artslant.com/ny/works/show/691531-gypsy-woman

Now I got an up to date SWC, the last of the lead glass versions. But would like to go digital FF with it. (just  not crazy priced.)

BTW, if you still have that SWC you pictured in the htread...it is the finest vintage SWC I've ever seen!
« Last Edit: August 22, 2013, 07:51:23 pm by iluvmycam »
Logged

Ken R

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 849
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #43 on: August 22, 2013, 08:07:55 pm »

Do you think Hasselblad will ever come out witb an affordable FF back for the SWC? 5 mp FF is all I need.

I would bet on Never... :(

Hasselblad seems to be more preoccupied in trying to make a quick buck by rebadging Sony consumer cameras.

A better solution is available now though. Pick one of the smaller technical cameras from ALPA / Arca Swiss / Cambo and attach Schneider 35mm Digitar and use a PhaseOne or Leaf back.

Here is an Alpa 12 TC.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2013, 08:11:03 pm by Ken R »
Logged

Doug Peterson

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4210
    • http://www.doug-peterson.com
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #44 on: August 22, 2013, 08:49:13 pm »

A better solution is available now though. Pick one of the smaller technical cameras from ALPA / Arca Swiss / Cambo and attach Schneider 35mm Digitar and use a PhaseOne or Leaf back.

Or RC400:

Iluvmycam

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 533
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #45 on: August 22, 2013, 09:13:45 pm »

I would bet on Never... :(

Hasselblad seems to be more preoccupied in trying to make a quick buck by rebadging Sony consumer cameras.

A better solution is available now though. Pick one of the smaller technical cameras from ALPA / Arca Swiss / Cambo and attach Schneider 35mm Digitar and use a PhaseOne or Leaf back.

Here is an Alpa 12 TC.


WOW! That is pretty. How much will it cost for that setup?
Logged

rogerxnz

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 526
    • Hayman Lawyers
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #46 on: August 23, 2013, 07:16:15 am »

I am confused by these technical cameras without bellows. I have been looking at getting a 6x9 view camera with bellows to attach a Credo 60 to in the hope I can work out the movements and get sharper images with view camera lenses. These technical cameras are more compact than view cameras with bellows but can they do tilts at both the back and lens planes? I understand some technical cameras have lens boards with tilt facilities but wouldn't I be better off getting a "normal" view camera with bellows?

Would these technical cameras give me anything more than what I can get from my BendyBlad—a Flexbody modified to give sideways shift and tilt as well as vertical tilt and shift?

I want a package I can take into the bush for landscapes.

Any guidance would be appreciated!
Roger

 
Or RC400:

Logged
Roger Hayman
Wellington, New Zealand

torger

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3267
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #47 on: August 23, 2013, 08:37:14 am »

I am confused by these technical cameras without bellows. I have been looking at getting a 6x9 view camera with bellows to attach a Credo 60 to in the hope I can work out the movements and get sharper images with view camera lenses. These technical cameras are more compact than view cameras with bellows but can they do tilts at both the back and lens planes? I understand some technical cameras have lens boards with tilt facilities but wouldn't I be better off getting a "normal" view camera with bellows?

Would these technical cameras give me anything more than what I can get from my BendyBlad—a Flexbody modified to give sideways shift and tilt as well as vertical tilt and shift?

I want a package I can take into the bush for landscapes.

Any guidance would be appreciated!
Roger

The "pancake" cameras have quite limited movements. It can be hard to figure out exactly which movements there are as tilt can be available through adapters or special tilt mounts available in a limited set of focal lengths. The orientation of tilt can also be limited. What you gain compared to a traditional monorail view camera is small size, high precision focusing together with a laser distance meter (no need for ground glass for critical focusing, some don't even use it for composition) and better parallelism which can be important for wide angle photography. For table top photography a studio view camera like the Linhof M679 or Sinar P3 provides way more flexibility.

The advantage compared to the "Bendyblad" would be the distance scale focusing and better precision (parallelism) which the shaprer Digitar and Digaron lenses might require for best performance. What is the widest lens you can use with the Bendyblad? I'd guess wide angle options and performance is likely to be a lot better, while there will be a smaller difference for longer lenses. Concerning movements there's likely little to gain, possibly even lose some depending on which package you choose.

If you want something "in-between" you can look into Arca-Swiss MF-two or Linhof Techno. I'm myself using a Linhof Techno for landscape photography. The Techno is best appreciated if you use tilt often and have many lenses including longer ones (where the lower lens mount cost and weight becomes significant).

When you evaluate these systems look into which focal lengths you will be using, both at first and in the future and check out which options there are and which movements you get. An Arca-Swiss RM3Di has built-in tilt in the body, but it's fixed so you can't tilt diagonally, and the +/-5 degrees will be limiting on longer lenses / closeup. Cambo has not built-in tilt but has it on special lens mounts, more expensive and not available on all lenses, but the advantage that the mount can be turned so you can tilt diagonally if you wish. ALPA has a tilt adapter.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2013, 08:51:10 am by torger »
Logged

Doug Peterson

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4210
    • http://www.doug-peterson.com
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #48 on: August 23, 2013, 09:42:58 am »

This summary of tech camera capabilities is not all encompassing. There are many caveats and "but also note that" sort of details across the world of tech cameras. But this page will at least get you started. If you work with a good dealer they can help walk you through the shockingly-wide array of options for pancake cameras and get you a demonstration, evaluation, or rental of the options that you think fit you best.

This is an area of equipment which is especially tactile. Frankly all the major brands make very good tech cameras. Whatever fits your hands, and whatever has knobs where you think they should be and has the set of options that you need is the right choice. It's hard to narrow in on that entirely by spec sheets.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2013, 09:47:48 am by Doug Peterson »
Logged

ondebanks

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 858
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #49 on: August 26, 2013, 06:09:53 pm »

Do you think Hasselblad will ever come out witb an affordable FF back for the SWC? 5 mp FF is all I need.

Well, a 5MP, 56x56 mm back would be unusual, to say the least. It would have 25 micron pixels...you could shoot everything at f/45 (!) without worrying about diffraction dragging down your detail, because it's the sensor that would be dragging it down: all wider apertures would give an optically sharper PSF which is then buried and lost inside the uber-fat 25 micron pixel. The ISO range and dynamic range would both be incredible though.

The problem is still cost. Sensor costs in this business don't scale primarily with pixel count; they mainly scale with sensor size, and what you are asking for is 44% larger than the current largest digital back sensors.

Ray
Logged

Iluvmycam

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 533
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #50 on: August 26, 2013, 09:22:17 pm »

Well, a 5MP, 56x56 mm back would be unusual, to say the least. It would have 25 micron pixels...you could shoot everything at f/45 (!) without worrying about diffraction dragging down your detail, because it's the sensor that would be dragging it down: all wider apertures would give an optically sharper PSF which is then buried and lost inside the uber-fat 25 micron pixel. The ISO range and dynamic range would both be incredible though.

The problem is still cost. Sensor costs in this business don't scale primarily with pixel count; they mainly scale with sensor size, and what you are asking for is 44% larger than the current largest digital back sensors.

Ray

That is too bad about the scale to price. Without FF the SWC has no interest for me. I love that cam, shot lots of great pix with it back in the day.

http://www.artslant.com/ny/works/show/691521-crazy

http://www.artslant.com/ny/works/show/691531-gypsy-woman

But film is not very practical nowadays. At least with color neg. I got to mail it away for developing.
Logged

ErikKaffehr

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11311
    • Echophoto
Re: Hasselblad SWC with a Digital Back
« Reply #51 on: August 28, 2013, 10:04:44 am »

Hi,

Ray is right about the costs. The cost of sensors is mainly related to chip estate (surface). There is a premium for higher resolutions but that is probably mostly due to marketing reasons.

Best regards
Erik

That is too bad about the scale to price. Without FF the SWC has no interest for me. I love that cam, shot lots of great pix with it back in the day.

http://www.artslant.com/ny/works/show/691521-crazy

http://www.artslant.com/ny/works/show/691531-gypsy-woman

But film is not very practical nowadays. At least with color neg. I got to mail it away for developing.
Logged
Erik Kaffehr
 
Pages: 1 2 [3]   Go Up