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Author Topic: H4D 31  (Read 4814 times)

george2787

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H4D 31
« on: February 03, 2013, 08:51:55 pm »

Hello there!

For some time I've been thinking and rethinking the MF move, and recently got an email from hasselblad with an offer that cuts the price of the h4d 31 by half for students and teachers, right now I teach at two different schools so that's covered.

I know the camera, a friend of mine has the H4d 40 and others had H3d22 and H3dII 39 some time ago.

The price with the 80 2.8 is 5600€ + VAT, which is very tempting considering it's a new kit. Although I was tempted to buy a mamiya leaf system because I love C1, but price would almost double the one from this offer.

Any thoughts on the system and offer that could help with the decission?

I forgot to add, I'm shooting fashion and tethering is a must. Any experiences on tethering to lightroom?

Regards.

George.
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Brian Hirschfeld

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Re: H4D 31
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2013, 11:52:54 pm »

If you want to step up to medium format, it would seem to be economical for you to do this. However, MAC Group has MAC-on-Campus http://www.mac-on-campus.com did you try to spec out a similar system there? Its not clear if this is what you did but it may be worth a look since, although I have only personally used it when I purchased a Seckonic L-758DR and saved some money so this may be an option.....

You also have to consider Hasselblad's reasons for putting this item on such a seemingly substantial discount...I am not offering any commentary simply suggesting that this may be considered.

I owned a H3Dii-39ms (sorry if this review is not up to the standards of my more "modern" reviews, but it was written a while ago when I had this camera) http://brianhirschfeldphotography.com/2011/12/07/hasselblad-h3dii-39ms-and-80mm-f2-8-lens-2/ and image quality wise it was very pleasing and certainly a big bump from the cameras I was using at the time (Nikon D700, and Nikon D3s). I did take some very pleasing images with this camera, and many others with the H system (H2+P65+ and H4D-50) later on.

My last comment would be, I assume this is buying the camera directly from Hasselblad? I would suggest looking at dealers in your area (or globally) since buying from a dealer (assuming they are offering the same deal) a) builds a relationship b) generally gives you some sort of technical support c) may give you a better price then rack rate, although on something this heavily discounted I'm not sure this is relevant....support is really big, I know when I was learning how to use my 645DF+IQ180 I had a number of questions which DT's support team responded to quickly and efficiently and helped me learn the system and overcome the difficulties I was having.

Also you seem to be only considering new cameras. There is nothing wrong with a used camera, my H3Dii-39ms was used, and you may be able to get a better camera (mp or performance wise) or different system for the same cash outlay (money spent) by shopping around the used market. Again, I would heavily suggest going to a dealer since then you can get pictures of the camera you are getting, information on its condition, a trusted source, and technical support (as well as some sort of guarantee that it remains working I would assume). I would caution against ebay for the obvious risk reasons....

As I said I purchased my H3Dii-39ms I purchased it used (for a price not much different then the price point your looking at, and considering this was a few years ago, so consider depreciation on higher-mp systems which is a lot) and I purchased it from Adorama, because they had a used one for a price that pleased me at the time. While Adorama is of course trust-worthy and offers certain guarantees, it is not the same as ordering from a dealer because when I had questions, Adorama has no support structure in place (at-least not one that I was aware of) and I was left going around to the different forums asking questions which, while helpful, was not the most efficient way of going about it and I would have valued someone I could email at all hours of day and night.

Also consider the price of new/used Hasselblad H lenses...it is much much much higher then Used Mamiya lenses which are in some cases just as good...something else to consider when looking at building a kit AND buying into a system.

Those are my thoughts considering I was in a similar situation to you a couple years ago.
  
« Last Edit: February 03, 2013, 11:55:10 pm by Brian Hirschfeld »
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Pics2

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Re: H4D 31
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2013, 02:53:46 am »

Geroge,
have you tried this camera? Have you tried any digital MF camera? It's not only about the price, it's about the quality you are looking for. Just because it's a special offer it doesn't mean you have to buy it. First you have to do a lot of research and testing.
It is an older sensor and it is a small sensor. In my opinion, you would be more satisfied with bigger new generation sensor (H4D 60, or at least H4D 50 or even H3D 50). Choosing between H4D31 and Nikon D800, I would pick up D800.
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george2787

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Re: H4D 31
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2013, 05:03:51 am »

Hello Brian

The offer is from a dealer, first thing in the morning has been call the phase/leaf dealer and ask them if they had something in the price range, they told me I'll get an offer for a  P30 during the day.

Budget is important and I know H lenses are espensive, that was one of the reasons of going mamiya leaf.

Pics2, as I said I've tried the 40mp version of the camera, and the 22 and 39 versions of the h3d and h3dII. I'm afraid my budget won't allow a 50 or 60 mp camera right now so I'll try to test that exact model and compare to the 5d mkII I'm shooting right now.

Thank you for yout answers.

George.
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Brian Hirschfeld

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Re: H4D 31
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2013, 08:09:27 am »

Glad I could help, just some things to consider :)
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