Thank you all for your input, much appreciate it.
Here are some of my final thoughts and questions on the topic.
I don't wanna say this too loudly as I've never done studio, but at the moment a used Hassy H4D40 or H4D50 can be had on ebay for $3-4K or so.
Hassy is out of the question, I’m afraid, because I want to stay with Capture One. I love Capture One! I have invested in the Logic Keyboard + Tangent Element Tk + Tangent Element Kb and I use the Color Balance and Color Editor all the time. Could not live without it.
You might find that the lenses and color suit you even if you don't have Capture One. The Fujis can use C1.
The Fuji is so cheap, that I think a pro can afford to buy it and resell it if it doesn't work out.
You absolutely need to do a sample image under your own light of anything you buy because CMOS and CCD may have different skin "looks", but also various backs may be rendering skin tone color very differently even if they are in a similar product range on paper. Small internal differences like the IR filter can translate into a huge difference in skin complexion, especially on caucasian skin.
True. After I got my hands on some GFX 50S raw files and IQ 280 raw files that are available on the net my initial preference is toward the CCD and the IQ. The IQ files were, ironically, shot with a Hassy body and lens.
I needed to tweak both files in Capture One, but the GFX needed much more work in the Color Balance tool than the IQ one. I think this is due to lack of profiles for the GFX that I think will be added to Capture One later in the future (I think David Grover stated that on one of the LuLa’s forums).
I played with all the files and found out that the IQ 280 have the most latitude and that you can “squeeze the most fruity juice” from them.
It must be I’m a CCD guy
Please see the attached print screens for illustration. On the left is the Fuji GFX 50S studio portrait with basic tweaking, on the right is the IQ 280 one made with a Hassy. The second attachment is a 100% (Fuji) vs. 50% (IQ) zoom comparison.
IQ2 vs IQ1 differences (beyond warranty, price, and wifi) included a few features the IQ2 had that the IQ1 did not:
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- Clipping Warning (different and far more useful than Exposure Warning)
- Exposure Heatmap (very useful for judging exposure in low-key and high-key scenes)
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Thank you. Clipping Warning and Exposure Heatmap might be useful for me. Is this available only with a XF body or also with a DF+? I did not find any Phase One documentation on this topic searching the web.
You should not have a problem using your current set of lenses with the Phase XF. The difference is HUGE though in terms of usability. Autofocus performance alone is worth the price of upgrading to this camera body imho. If you are using Profoto lights, Profoto integration is another nice feature set. The Phase XF will simply make taking photographs easier. There are so many nice features in the XF.
I do use Profoto lights so this is another plus for getting also the XF. I read there are two AF modules for the XF. Is the difference between the two significant?
So I would suggest a 50 mpix back, which you can probably get for a very good price used.
With the 50 is the crop factor problem. I would settle for a crop factor only with a new camera, like the GFX. If buying used or certified pre-owned I would much rather buy the full frame back.
Tibor for the type of work you do and for your future needs, I think moving up to an IQ180 or a Credo 80 is a very sensible decision. The Credo might be more interesting because you can use the same Leaf profiles you use for your Aptus and get very similar looks.
Initially I was looking also at the Credo 80 for the same reason as you are recommending it, the Leaf portrait profiles. God, I love the Aptus 22 portrait profiles. However, the IQ has something that it would be very very difficult for me to give up with the new purchase. The Focus mask tool on the back, same as in Capture One. I love the Focus mask tool!
Also, I think with the Capture One 11 evolved Color Balance tool you can quite easily color grade the picture and get the preferred look saved in a Preset for future use.
