New to MF. I need advice on which digital back to get for my H1

[funkdegas]

Hello all I have been reading the posts about digital backs and I'm a little bit confused. I'm a photography student and I recently got an H1 but I'd like to be able to shoot digital with it. Lately I have been trying to find a H1D 22 but I have had no luck, I'm also concerned about the investment, I mean is it money well spent ? or should I just get a Canon 5D Mk. II instead of the digital back ?  Any advice would be great.

[Dennis Carbo]

I guess it would depend on where and what you intend to shoot ....

[MarkoRepse]

reread the above post. i would also like to mention that MF digital is a lifestyle choice as well. there are compromises and its up to you if you can live with them, as one example. so it also depends on your personality.

[Juanito]

Unless you have good, specific reasons to get a MFDB and you have the money, don't bother. Save your money. Photography is not an easy business to get into so you'll need every penny you've got to help you out along the way. Now, if you've got a trust fund backing you up, you may consider the Leaf Aptus 22 or the new Leaf Aptus II - 5 (which is basically the same as the 22).

John

[Frits]

Newbie here, Hi all! 

Personally I like the Phase One backs for their relative (to me) ease of integration into the older bodies.
I went the Digital Road with my 500 C/M with a Phase One (P21) and I have been very pleased with it. Works great and the IQ is excellent.

I have been a Nikon DSLR shooter since a long time, but since dabbling with MF digital I am seriously contemplating making it my main platform. That would mean going with a used H1 / H2 (need to keep cost reasonable).

[funkdegas]

Thanks for the info, I'm considering getting the H1 and I have red that Hasselblad can upgrade this camera to H2, do you guys have any idea about how this is done ?

[Frits]

I understand that to be something that can be done by some authorized dealers, who have been provided with the FW upgrade kit. Takes only a few minutes.

[Doug Peterson]

Thanks for the info, I'm considering getting the H1 and I have red that Hasselblad can upgrade this camera to H2, do you guys have any idea about how this is done ?

Last I checked it was done by Hasselblad's service center in Parsippany. $275 for just the body or $550 with battery grip.

You could double check with your local Hasselblad rep, or call the Parsippany office at (973) 227-7320. Or perhaps David Grover could chime in.

[Nick-T]

When compared to the H1 the H2 is all about integration with Hasselblad backs so if you are using a third party back the upgrade makes little sense except for the fact that it is a cheap way to get the newer (and much better) battery grip (and charger).
Nick-T

[vandevanterSH]

Hello all I have been reading the posts about digital backs and I'm a little bit confused. I'm a photography student and I recently got an H1 but I'd like to be able to shoot digital with it. Lately I have been trying to find a H1D 22 but I have had no luck, I'm also concerned about the investment, I mean is it money well spent ? or should I just get a Canon 5D Mk. II instead of the digital back ?  Any advice would be great.

" I'm also concerned about the investment, I mean is it money well spent "
*****
For a student it's not an investment....If you have plenty of cash then go for it, otherwise shoot film with your H1 and perhaps get an Epson scanner to get into digital MF workflow.

Steve

[Juanito]

I don't believe that Hasselblad is doing the upgrades anymore. I checked a couple of years ago and the guy in the department said they only had a few kits left. I really didn't see much value in it. The rechargeable grip is good, but I can just buy that if I decide I need it. I'm very happy with my Aptus 22/H1 combo.

John

[ondebanks]

On a student budget, your best choice of digital back for the H1 would probably be a Kodak DCS Pro Back 645H (yes, it's a bit of a mouthful). Used ones sell on ebay for around $2-3k. It's square format, 37x37mm, 16.7 Mpix, 9 micron pixels.

I have the Mamiya-mount version, the Pro Back 645M, which works really well on my 645AFD. Image quality is comparable to well scanned 6x6cm film.

The 22 Mpix backs are basically the same (9 micron pixels etc.) apart from being 33% bigger in one dimension (48x36mm) and a lot more expensive. However, they have better software support - Capture One etc. - although the Kodak software (free to download BTW) and Photoshop CS2 suit me fine.

[Steve Hendrix]

On a student budget, your best choice of digital back for the H1 would probably be a Kodak DCS Pro Back 645H (yes, it's a bit of a mouthful). Used ones sell on ebay for around $2-3k. It's square format, 37x37mm, 16.7 Mpix, 9 micron pixels.

I have the Mamiya-mount version, the Pro Back 645M, which works really well on my 645AFD. Image quality is comparable to well scanned 6x6cm film.

The 22 Mpix backs are basically the same (9 micron pixels etc.) apart from being 33% bigger in one dimension (48x36mm) and a lot more expensive. However, they have better software support - Capture One etc. - although the Kodak software (free to download BTW) and Photoshop CS2 suit me fine.

Who performs hardware repair on Kodak Backs?

For a student, a little more makes a big difference, but we have had P25 pre-owned backs that we have recently sold between $4,500 - $4,900, which include full 6-12 month warranty and complete case and accessories. Maybe a reach, but just as an option. Purchasing a used back for $2K - $3K might be the only way to go if funds are limited to that budget and you don't want to consider a 5D/D700, etc. But a repair to a used back out of warranty could quickly turn that into an expensive mistake. I generally don't feel medium format is the best way to go for a student starting out with that budget because funds are limited and repairs can be costly.

Fundegas - you mentioned you were concerned about it as an "investment". Any digital capture device you purchase as an investment will be a depreciating wonderland, so that is a fairly even playing field at that price point. However, if you mean from a budgetary standpoint, then I don't know if medium format is the right place for you at this stage. Maybe it is, but that might come down to your own subjective feelings about the camera options you have in front of you.


Steve Hendrix

[ondebanks]

Who performs hardware repair on Kodak Backs?

Midwest Camera Repair Inc. I bought mine in March this year and the previous owner had just had it serviced by them. He spent $500 for a complete overhaul, "meaning it is like new and ready to go for years to come".

Purchasing a used back for $2K - $3K might be the only way to go if funds are limited to that budget and you don't want to consider a 5D/D700, etc. But a repair to a used back out of warranty could quickly turn that into an expensive mistake.

It is indeed a risk, and this is why I pulled the trigger only when I came across that just-serviced one (it also had very low actuations - not that that really matters much, with no moving parts).

But OTOH, there are no inexpensive options here - avoiding risk does not necessarily save you money. To keep renewing the standard warranty on a PhaseOne back like the P25, year after year, costs $999/year to $1499/year (http://www.captureintegration.com/phase-one/buy/ & scroll down). So 2-3 years of just paying the warranty, would cover the cost of completely replacing the Kodak back with another one.  And what if someone doesn't make their PhaseOne warranty payments, and it then needs a repair? That's a €1000 minimum repair fee in Denmark and probably a lot more - basically it's probably an even more expensive mistake!