A back like this, including VAT will cost in excess of £10,000. Now taking into consideration the film and processing costs, this is still a large enough investment. Even though the camera is worth several thousands, this is clearly something that you may only consider hiring which will set you back around £230 a day, which is certainly manageable and there are leasing deal too, of course.
Moiré artefacts cause a rainbow colouration on one of the guitar strings
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A simple tweak minimises the moiré pattern effect
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That said, you can use your favourite camera that you haven't picked up in years, and rediscover the true reason you got into medium format shooting in the first place, because once tried, it is incomparable.
It’s a breathtaking combination of the quality of the lens up front, married with the technology at the back. This is exactly what these older cameras needed. Maybe larger sensors are coming in the RED system, one day; but for now here is the proven, great name of Hasselblad making a legacy product which will lead its many users one day into another system, a fully digital one.
If you were content with the system using 120 film, then the means to capture light in a more convenient, 'faster to page' way is here. The only thing you will have to do is give up your evenings tweaking the images in Phocus, as this is half the story.
The right thumbnail shows all the image with the large image showing on-screen at 100 per cent
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Whereas you used to give your film to a professional to dunk through chemistry in controlled conditions you now have to dunk 'virtually' yourself. But with some presets, and a lot of hard drive space. You will be delivering beautiful, huge, 16-bit files. Though probably having to end up making JPEG versions for the rest of the world to see.
COMMENTS
Wow.
That's just beautiful.
I never could afford a Hasselblad, nor would I ever need one, but that is artistry.
Clarification
Magnification is of course independent of format, as it relates to the relative size of the object compared to the image projected onto the imaging plane (sensor, film etc.) In this context I should have referred to angle of view.
Depth of field control
To me one of the beauties of medium format was the ability to control the depth of field so much more than with 35mm. You can decide what you want in focus and the rest then just drops out. Sure you have to think a lot more about it, but then that always improves the results anyway.
I'll second the opinion of I have no need for one, but Oh boy do I want one.
Great review BTW. Nice to read a review that goes beyond "how many pixels"
I've had a CF-39 for a couple years now.
No, I didn't purchase it for myself, it was a 10th anniversary present from my Wife. To say I was floored would be a gross understatement.
I bought the body & lenses used, right out of college, and still use it for B&W film photography. Most of my nieces & nephews are fascinated by the "ancient" technology, and I trust the older three with the enlarger, unsupervised (my darkroom's a converted walk-in closet here in the office).
Adding new tech to this old hardware was really a brilliant idea. I actually use it more now than I did when it was film-only.
