Hasselblad digital backs on Hasselblad V versus Pentax 645D

[mikeodial]

I have a Hasselblad film camera and am considering adding a Pentax 645d to my gear. Would I be better served with a used Hasselblad digital back for the 80 T and 150 T Zeiss lenses.

I shoot mainly landscapes, but some portraits of the family and still life.


Thoughts?

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

Hard to say. The Hasselblad is a competent camera and works well with digital backs. The Pentax 645D is a much more modern AF camera.

Here are some samples from my Hasselblad with the P45+: http://echophoto.dnsalias.net/ekr/Articles/Shoots/BernardSamples/

Keep on mind that the Pentax 645 is crop frame (1.3X)

Best regards
Erik

I have a Hasselblad film camera and am considering adding a Pentax 645d to my gear. Would I be better served with a used Hasselblad digital back for the 80 T and 150 T Zeiss lenses.

I shoot mainly landscapes, but some portraits of the family and still life.


Thoughts?

[Doug Peterson]

Tell us more about what you enjoy about the Hassy 500 and what you love about photography in general.

There is no one right answer to this question. It's about priorities, likes, and dislikes.

For instance if you love the waist level viewfinder then The Hassy is the clear option. Similarly if you want or need autofocus then the Pentax is clearly the way to go. If you want to keep shooting film without having to carry two cameras then the Hassy wins. Etc

It also matters a lot what your budget is and WHICH back you'd be getting. Some backs are well suited to all round shooting while others are de facto studio-only systems (very limited in ISO or only shoot tethered or have a very poor review/LCD systems).

Lots to consider, and a lot of it depends more on you and your shooting style than on any absolutes.

If at all possible I suggest getting one of each relevant options in your hands to see what works well for you.

[mikeodial]

I love the Hassy for landscape and some family/friends portrait work. I use a Sigma SD1M for digital landscape as well, flowers/closeup/macro with a 70mm Sigma 2.8 and I have a Pentax k3 with a whole bunch of FF lenses for general low light and photographing grandchildren etc.

So the Pentax 645D is attractive because it could do the close up work at high res with the 120mm FA Macro lens and the portrait stuff as well, plus I could perhaps use my Hassy lenses on it was well.

If I go with the Pentax 645d I will likely sell all the Hassy gear except perhaps the two lenses. (Not sure how they compare to the Pentax glass, it has been hard to get feed back on that front).

So there is some consolidation involved. I probably should sell the Sigma as well because of overlap, but I just love the output of the Sigma sensor, so can't see that going, even though it is somewhat of a specialized and temperamental platform. When it works it produces photos like paintings and I don't want to lose it for that reason.

I had been considering the FF Pentax, but I used to have a 6 x 7 Pentax and loved it, and am drawn to the Medium format world for the landscapes.

Hope that helps.

[tsjanik]

If you like the K-3 and the 67, get the 645D.  I have all of them and they are clearly from the same family.