Recent return to the P25+. Not an amateur but HELP NEEDED

[ASSEMBLY]

To make a long story short...ish

I once shot with a P25+ and a Cambo WRS. Loved the combo, but my my direction in photography turned from heavily shooting building and interiors to occasionally doing so....so I eventually sold it.

Big mistake.

5 years pass and I still pine for that old P25+.  Perfect balance of financial prudence with all the wonders of medium format.

I finally track one down on craigslist for a very reasonable sum.  But it comes with a Hassy H2 body. Not that big a deal, but I've never shot with such a thing.  I do have a 503CW with a small arsenal of lenses, but thats a V setup, not an H.  Again not that big a deal, just get the CF adapter and we're set...ish.

So here I sit with an H2, the CF adapter, a complete 503CW setup including 4 lenses, a complete Canon setup with countless lenses...plus a bevy of other photographic tools. Some large, some small. 

In other words, my wife is going to kill me.

So here's my question.   Do I sell off the 503CW gear in order to fund the purchase of H lenses?  Do I keep the 503 gear just for film and sell off the H2 body so I can eventually get back my beloved Cambo?  Do I sell off the vast majority of my Canon gear and just keep the bodies? That way I can rent when necessary.

So many questions.  Please help.  I'm sure this is not all that uncommon a dilemma.

---

To aide in decision making.  I'm an architect who shoots on the side.  Mostly buildings and interiors professionally.  But I do travel a fair amount and shoot for stock imagery or my own personal work.  I'll be heading to Patagonia in March.

[jamgolf]

One option is to keep the H2 and sell the 503CW and lenses. You can get a film back for H2. That way you'll be able to shoot both digital (P25+) and 120 film on the same body.

Another more drastic option is to sell all the H2, 503CW and Canon stuff and get a small light weight companion to Cambo WRS. You can go in many directions here, Leica, Nikon Df, Fuiji X-T1, Sony A7r etc. depending on your preference. That's the option I am going with for my Cambo WRS.

Good luck with your choice.

[ASSEMBLY]

...but the H2 is no where near as sexy as a 503 

I do have an everyday carry Panny LX100 that is basically a Leica at a quarter the price.  It's a lovely little companion camera.

I'm seriously considering the all cambo route.  In your experience are lenses widely available on the used market for reasonable ($$$, not $$$$$) prices?

Thank you for weighing in, Jam

[ASSEMBLY]

One other thing I'm considering is the all ALPA route.  Can anyone weigh in on how they behave in relation to the Cambo?  I know they come at a premium, is it worth it?

They're just such beautiful pieces of industrial design, I cant help but consider them.

[Joe Towner]

Honestly, I'd ditch the H2 body and do what you need to in order to get the Cambo.  Hide the P25+ for now, it was a price you couldn't say no to right?  That's the whole purpose right, get you back to that happy place?

[jamgolf]

>>>> In your experience are lenses widely available on the used market for reasonable ($$$, not $$$$$) prices?

I would not say they are widely available. If you are patient and keep checking "Buy & Sell" sections of various forums, you'll find listings for Cambo lenses. I think there are listings for 70mm HR, SK90mm and SK120 currently.

As to the "for reasonable ($$$, not $$$$$) prices?" part of your question,  I would say that depends on the seller.
Some sellers are motivated and want to move on, and price their equipment accordingly. Others want to recoup as much of their original investment as possible and those prices are only slightly less than the price of a new lens. So its possible to get a deal.

[ASSEMBLY]

Joe, you are 100% correct. Absolute photographic nirvana is the key.

Price on the P25+ was astonishing.

[Gel]

...but the H2 is no where near as sexy as a 503 

Agreed, but it has autofocus and film backs a plenty. The H series is a great cam.

[eronald]

I'm sure Doug can arrange a mount change for the back at a reasonable price;

[Chris Livsey]

Agreed, but it has autofocus and film backs a plenty. The H series is a great cam.

And the programmable shutter/mirror delay because sometimes locking up the mirror is not an option, I have both, some days one some the other!!

[Doug Peterson]

I'm sure Doug can arrange a mount change for the back at a reasonable price;

Unfortunately probably not. Mount swaps are contingent on availability and the availability of P25+ is not great. It would also be $3k if available, which is unlikely to be a good net value. Someone with an IQ180 wanting to change mounts - that often makes sense, and with an IQ2 back you automatically get a one-time free mount swap. But not with a P25+. With that you really want to get the mount right upon purchase.

When searching for medium format, regardless of your budget, you have two paths:
A) Find a good deal, and then look to see if it's a good fit for you
B) Figure out what's a good fit for you, and then look for a good deal on it

Many people start out on (A). But in eight years working at a Phase One dealer it's clear to me that (B) ends with a happy buyer more often.

My advice is not to make your decision based on this specific Craigslist back. Instead figure out where you want to get, and then start looking for a good deal. It's a big world, and with some patience (assuming it's not urgent), you can find a good deal on anything you narrow in on. It's very possible that the right system for you is an H2 and a P25+, but it's also possible that it is not.

I would also selfishly and self-interestedly suggest that you consider additional factors into what is a good deal. For instance warranty, dealer support (for all the questions you have, and any training you need/want), condition of accessories, assurance the back is in perfect order (no IR scratches, no fungus, operational even for use-types the previous owner didn't need, firmware up to date, calibration of sensor good).

[Doug Peterson]

One other thing I'm considering is the all ALPA route.  Can anyone weigh in on how they behave in relation to the Cambo?  I know they come at a premium, is it worth it?

They're just such beautiful pieces of industrial design, I cant help but consider them.

I see you're in New York, why not make an appointment with us to come play with a few Cambo models? We also have several Arca models and an Alpa TC / Phase One A Series.

We're in midtown, near Macy's in Herald Square, and this is what we do every day (help people understand their options in medium format digital).

You can also play with a few H lenses. (We are also a dealer for Hassy lenses/bodies).

[eronald]

Is there no H mount adapter for Cambo, Alpa, or Arca Swiss?

Edmund

I see you're in New York, why not make an appointment with us to come play with a few Cambo models? We also have several Arca models and an Alpa TC / Phase One A Series.

We're in midtown, near Macy's in Herald Square, and this is what we do every day (help people understand their options in medium format digital).

You can also play with a few H lenses. (We are also a dealer for Hassy lenses/bodies).

[ASSEMBLY]

Hi Doug,

Funny you should chime in.  My original P25+ and Cambo setup came from you guys.  Many years ago.  I've always worked with Jeff Lin and I believe I've met you a time or two.  I put feelers out with Jeff on P25+ availability and he gave me the same run down you did. Which I appreciate and trust 100%

With regard to this P25+ I currently have, I have a feeling it was well cared for.  It had been used by a pro out of Minneapolis and traded in with Derrick Brown (of Image Link Corp).  He drove down to NYC so I could inspect it in person before making the deal.

--

I completely agree that one should find the complete set of tools that deliver on all requirements, rather than trying to put together a setup piecemeal.  However, the P25+ served me well in the past and I'm afraid an IQ1 or 2 is just too far beyond my pay grade for the regularity and type of work I do. I'm hoping I can make the H mount work one way or another, but I'll just have to wait and see.

I WILL take you up on your offer to stop by and chat through my needs.  I greatly appreciate that.  I assume I should set it up with Jeff?

All the best, Sean

[Doug Peterson]

I WILL take you up on your offer to stop by and chat through my needs.  I greatly appreciate that.  I assume I should set it up with Jeff?

I'll let him know to expect your call .

[Doug Peterson]

Is there no H mount adapter for Cambo, Alpa, or Arca Swiss?

There absolutely is. All mounts for all tech cameras. Even a Hy6 adapter on most tech cameras!

If you're only looking for a tech camera it is very freeing regarding which mount you buy.

But in the case you also want an SLR alongside the tech camera it matters a great deal.

In any case it seems I misread earlier, he has already purchased the P25+ so it's a moot point.

[ASSEMBLY]

And the programmable shutter/mirror delay because sometimes locking up the mirror is not an option, I have both, some days one some the other!!

Care to elaborate on this? I believe you're speaking of the delay prior to mirror up or shutter release which can be setup via the menu.  Any way to setup a bulb timer via the menu?  That'd be super handy.  OR is the only option to buy a timer cable release?

[eronald]

There absolutely is. All mounts for all tech cameras. Even a Hy6 adapter on most tech cameras!

If you're only looking for a tech camera it is very freeing regarding which mount you buy.

But in the case you also want an SLR alongside the tech camera it matters a great deal.

In any case it seems I misread earlier, he has already purchased the P25+ so it's a moot point.

So he can do Cambo with his P25+ anyway - that should make him happy!

Edmund

[Chris Livsey]

You can delay everything 
I refer primarily to the mirror delay as they call it which is actually a shutter delay but in microseconds!!
You pre-set mirror delay - You can set a 25ms to 200ms delay for the mirror up to shutter fire sequence . So the sequence is: fire shutter set delay kicks in as mirror vibrations settle then shutter fires.
Of course you can just lock up the mirror conventionally and fire shutter, with a normal self time delay (variable in secs) or shoot with a self timer AND mirror delay, but I can't see why you would do that unless it was a selfie and you didn't want to change your mirror delay settings. I also find the shooting banks useful: As in Nikon SLRs (no Canon experience) you can set all the variables exposure mode display etc and save them as a named bank, even on my H1, so you can set up all variables for studio, sport ( ) landscape and switch with one menu choice.
The V of course offers the "pure" experience.

[ben730]

Sean with a WRS you can use this:
http://www.ebay.ch/itm/Cambo-WDS-WRS-Lens-board-fit-hasselblad-lens-phase-one-leaf-digital-back-/171643633696?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f6c20020
I bought it two years ago from the same seller and after a small modification I can shift all my V lenses up to 12 mm.
The CFE 40 IF is now a very important lens for my interior photos.

Ben