Owner of a 503CX system and a Sinar F2, I'm looking toward digital MF photo

[esox]

Hello,

I know that there are many pots on similar subjects. But...

Here is the situation : I have a 503CS HAssy plus 50CF, 80C non T*, 150CT* and 500CT*. I have also a Sinar F2 plus 8/75 Schneider, 5.6/150 symmar S, 5.6/210 symmar S and a symmar 300.

I do mostly landscape (city, natural and industrial), architecture photos and some portraits.

Here are the questions :

Do a H4D50 or H5D50 have the same possibility in architecture photo than a view camera has ?

I read a lot about the fact that to have sharp, in focus images with a CFV50 on a handheld 500 body (503CX) is quite impossible. Would it be bettre with a h4D or H5D with V lenses adapter ?

Is it possible to put a H4D50 or H5D50 digital back on my sinar F2 ?

What would be the best solution : my 503CX with a CFV50 or a H4D or H5D with "standard" lense (80mm or Hassy zoom) plus adapter for V lenses.

And would it be better for achitecture photo to have a digital view camera (like linhof techno or Linhof M679CS) than a H4D or H5D with tilt shift adapter ?

Any suggestions are welcome !

[julienlanoo]

I'll just give you my opinion and experience..

Keep the 503 !! , it's a bit more clumbsy to work with, than the modern 645, but the build quality is SOOOOOO much better..

I made the mistake to buy the Phase/mamiya body when going MF, and every day i am affraid it will break on me..
That's why i got a Technical camera ( Arca Rm3di), i was looking to the Linhof techno to.
But with some help of LM forums, an other owner, AND the quite "cold" reception of the Linhof people at Photokina, i went for the Arca, ...
As it also has a sliding back but it's less flimsy ..

Also, Watch out for focussing digital wide angles on the Linhof, you'll need some practice.. As from 35mm / 47mm on it's quasi impossible to see what you're doing..  you'll have to work blind..

The thing is , if you don't need wide angles concider the Linhof, Only, a 679 or Arca M or F is much more precise ( you also have 2 moving planes instead of 1 on the techno)...

If i could do it again ( and i think i'll swap my Phase One 645 back soon for a Hasselblad V mount soon), ( whatever back you choose), keep your Hassy 503cx, back to the good old quality, and maybe find a bigge magnification to see what you're doing..
OK you'll need a synchro cable, but i prefere that over not knowing i can shoot;..

I have also loads of colegue/friends, with the same problem with the 645 (mamiya or hassy), when using them hard they will fail much sooner than the older hassies..  ( i even have 1 friend with a "large" commercial studio, sending in bodies weekly for repair, he has 12 in rotation, 4 in repaire, and 2 on shooting reserve, using  6 on the studio..)

ah and the hasselblad tilt shift solution is "OK" , but a good old fashion technical camera ultimately gives you much more...
It's a choice, the hassy solution isn't bad at all, but in architecture you'll block soon, just go for a good technical camera with the apropriate lenses, and some practice..  

Again Watch out for focussing the techno and wide angles, try renting a "pancake" camera, arca, alpa, cambo, sinar, etc etc.. you can focus blind on those, and it's a big help..

[Rob C]

Posts like that could get you stoned!

Tread carefully; the rocks hide ninjas. So, of course, do the bushes and gulches.

;-)

Rob C

[julienlanoo]

I started by saying it's my opinion and experience, ..
Isn't that what LM is about ? sharing experiences ? ..

[esox]

Exactly ! I like those experiences. First of all, "excuse my french" because I'm french and my english tends to be a bit "muddy".

When you speak about the pancake camera, you stuff like Alpa cameras ? You speak about the  Arca Rm3di, but do those bodies accept lenses that are not wide angles ? I really love those cameras, nothing but essential photography.

You said about tachnical pancake cameras : "you can focus blind on those". What do you mean ?

Isn't it to difficult to have sharp in focus pictures with a 503 handheld and a 50mp digital back ?

I already bring my hassy a bit everywhere (to do landscape somtimes you have to go in the middle of nowhere...). I need something that can be operated handheld, very robust and a perfect image quality (I do very often backlight shots with the sun right in he middle of the lense). I'm very happy with my hassy with films, but now one needs digital pictures if one wants to go on "commercial" pictures, no client would anymore understand you need to process films...

A last thing, to shoot in "portrait" (vertical) it's a bit hard with the classic hassy viewfinder...

[Rob C]

I started by saying it's my opinion and experience, ..
Isn't that what LM is about ? sharing experiences ? ..

Of course, but things get muddy as threads progress. However, my post was supposed to be half in jest; just ignore it - no harm to anyone - probably lost in translation.

;-)

Rob C

[Brian Hirschfeld]

Of the Hasselblad options the CFV would certainly be best, since it has its own battery and operates independently (meaning that it can be used on those technical cameras like those from Alpa, Arca as well as others like Cambo, Linhof, Sinar and so on. But if you are looking for something to be used on the 503CX, as well as other cameras (Hasselblad SWC, ArcaBody, FlexBody and so on as on technical cameras) why not look at the options from PhaseOne and Leaf? they come in V mount's and can be mounted either horizontally or vertically in the case of PhaseOne IQ backs and Leaf Credo backs (and possibly Leaf Aptus, but certainly the rotating sensor models).....the CFV can be shot in square mode, which I do not believe the PhaseOne / MamiyaLeaf backs can be, but I may be wrong.

Also the Shift adapter is also a 1.5 TC, which is what allows for it to increase the image circle artificially and allow for tilt and shift, while clever this means that all lenses become less wide.

PhaseOne IQ backs offer the incredible focus mask which allows for focus confirmation beyond the excellent screen quality and zoom-in capabilities. The focus mask has been incredibly helpful for using the Mamiya 80mm f/1.9N and the Mamiya 300mm f/2.8 APO lenses which have incredibly shallow DOF, and I know from others that the focus masks is an effective if not essential tool for them now when using their tech cameras.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

You may check this thread, too: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=73688

Best regards
Erik

[esox]

Thanks for the anwers. The other thread speaks about smaller resolution backs (25-30mpix). I'm more looking towards higher resolution backs.

Regarding the IQ backs, they are really expensives. From what I saw, here in France, event the P+ backs are more expensives than the Hassy cfv backs (at equivalent resolution of course). That's right that the phase one backs can be oriented vertical and horizontal, they need a sync cable wich is not really a problem.

Anyway I think that the standard hassy viewfinder is not the best solution for digital backs. I suppose prism 90° viewfinders are more reliable for that purpose.

The P45+ is also a great solution, but I'm not sure if it discontinued or not.