Bought a Hasselblad

[jonathan.lipkin]

As you might have guessed from my last post, I went ahead and bought an H3Dii-39 with an HTS adapter. I had also tried a Phase One P45+ on a Rollei X-Act camera, but thought the Hasselblad would be a little more versatile. In fact the P45+ did a bit better with green magenta casts when using T/S

Anyhow, thanks everyone for your help and advice. I'm sure I'll have additional questions, which I'll post soon.

In the meantime, does anyone have a good workflow? For my Canon 5D captures, I simply use Lightroom as I like its cataloging and ACR integration. Here's what I thought I'd do for the H3d:

1. Use LR to import 3FR files to computer and for cataloging. Keep 3RF files.
2. For selects, jump to Phocus to process to TIFFs, after applying basic tone, color, and lens corrections.
3. Further refinements in Photoshop.

[design_freak]

As you might have guessed from my last post, I went ahead and bought an H3Dii-39 with an HTS adapter. I had also tried a Phase One P45+ on a Rollei X-Act camera, but thought the Hasselblad would be a little more versatile. In fact the P45+ did a bit better with green magenta casts when using T/S

Anyhow, thanks everyone for your help and advice. I'm sure I'll have additional questions, which I'll post soon.

In the meantime, does anyone have a good workflow? For my Canon 5D captures, I simply use Lightroom as I like its cataloging and ACR integration. Here's what I thought I'd do for the H3d:

1. Use LR to import 3FR files to computer and for cataloging. Keep 3RF files.
2. For selects, jump to Phocus to process to TIFFs, after applying basic tone, color, and lens corrections.
3. Further refinements in Photoshop.

It makes no sense to use LR to import if you still want to make the initial changes in Phocus and then manipulate it in Photoshop. For this purpose you can use Quick Phocus.

[jonathan.lipkin]

Yes, but I find Phocus slow, even on my fairly fast computer, and I don't like the fact that it's only a folder browser with little ability to create collections or browse across folders. I can do this in MS Expression Media (what became of iView Media Pro and was just bought by Phase One) since it can read 3F files. But,  I'm using LR for all my other images, and I like the cataloging features, that's why I wanted to use it in place of Phocus.

[John R Smith]

Jonathan

I use Lightroom for everything, working with Hasselblad 3FR files just like you do. I've tried Phocus, but I just don't see any reason to use it in preference to LR - except for the H lens corrections.

John

[EricWHiss]

Jonathan

I use Lightroom for everything, working with Hasselblad 3FR files just like you do. I've tried Phocus, but I just don't see any reason to use it in preference to LR - except for the H lens corrections.

John

This is what I wish I could do, but in my experience with the CFii-39MS and ixpress 528c files, Phocus is better with highlights and transitions from light to dark regions.  I think Phocus' shadow lift is better too and the color without profiles. 

[blacknwhitemike]

I recently took the plunge, going back to a 'Blad for the first time in many years, then adding a CFV-39.

Trouble is, I don't use Windows or a Mac......

So what software is available?

Well, may I suggest that you could try Photivo, which is by lucky chance also available in Windows and Mac versions

I use it for RAW conversion - Photivo user the open source dcraw for this, then send images to GIMP for final finishing and printing. Results so far are astoundingly good.

Another possibility is Raw Therapee - again Windows and Mac flavours around.

Link: http://photivo.org/photivo/screenshots

[jeringoso]

Also, you have to think that with focus you haver perfect distorsion and CA corrections... Do you want to loose them???

Regards.

[Alex MacPherson]

. Here's what I thought I'd do for the H3d:

1. Use LR to import 3FR files to computer and for cataloging. Keep 3RF files.
2. For selects, jump to Phocus to process to TIFFs, after applying basic tone, color, and lens corrections.
3. Further refinements in Photoshop.

This is what I do as well. Lightroom is far faster/more versatile  for selecting/evaluating images.

[jonathan.lipkin]

So, there's no reason to convert the 3FR files into 3F files? Lightroom won't for some reason read 3F, only 3FR. But as far as I understand, 3FR are just as 'raw' as the 3F, correct??

[Dustbak]

You can always get to .FFF when you have the .3FR files. The .3FR files are also smaller. I used to use Lightroom to catalogue my files as well and process them via Phocus. I will do so again as soon as Lightroom knows how to deal with the files from the 60MP Hasselblad.

[jonathan.lipkin]

Thanks for the replies. One last question: As part of my dslr workflow, I would have lightroom ingest images and convert to DNG. The DNG conversion served as a built-in image integrity check - after all the images were converted to DNG I knew it was ok to format the card. Is there a way to do this with 3FR files? I suppose I could point Bridge at the import folder - does this verify image integrity or simply read from the embedded preview?

[Dustbak]

I would keep the .3FR files on the card until I was done importing them into .FFF files via Phocus. I have only experienced once that a copy of a CF card was corrupt. You really want to only use Lightroom as catalogue, all the Raw processing is done best via Phocus. The moment Phocus has processed files into Tiff (or sometimes layered PSD when I have to deal with moire) I switch to Bridge/Photoshop.

[design_freak]

Some time ago, when I saw Phocus first time... I think, great job. Today I think the same, but Please guys from Hasselblad add  One trivial functionality: add the possibility of setting up the layers, giving them names. It's just that in a simple, almost trivial way to settle the problem. Export to PSD. At each layer can be made any modifications: the color, sharpness, etc. I know a lot of files will be weighed, but it's probably not a problem nowadays. But Phocus is still simple. We'll do the rest in Photoshop.

I Deviated from the topic.
 I think we lose too much by using different software than Phocus. (eg DAC) cataloging itself, is probably not worth it. It would be useful to think of another solution.