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2004 - 5 6 - 7 - 9

erickb

New Member
Hasselblad H -->
H1D September 2004
H2D August 2005
H3D September 2006
H3D II September 2007
H4D September 2009

Do you think there is a chance to see a H5D or H4D II in September 2011 ?

I was thinking of buying a H4D 40 but I prefer to wait until September to see
 
Good thinking although I do not expect a model upgrade from Hasselblad yet.

The H4 has been an expensive upgrade. The money invested has not been recovered I guess.

That fact and the slow turnover of new cameras do not make an important new camera upgrade very likely.
The same goes for larger sensors with more pixels.
Who needs more than 60 Mp?
 
Who needs more than 60 Mp?
I agree totally but try to say it on LuLa forum and you will see :)
maybe they will understand that most part of us have a A2 printer and 40 or 50 mp are enough for our needs

what I hope is FF for 40 or 50 mp , 256 s , 50 (or 25) to 800 ISO , and maybe a new HC 300 mm II
 
Hasselblad needs to finish what they started before setting off on new ventures.

The H4D/60 doesn't have live view yet, and it still needs the independent battery that the 60 back is already prepped for so it can be used on a tech camera.

The 200 meg 50 Multi-Shot option announced some time ago hasn't materialized yet.

One new feature that an upgraded 40 and 50 may offer is the double resolution LCD that's in the H4D/60.

I predict Hasselblad will cut the H4D50 from the line-up except for the 50 Multi-Shot. 80 meg is of course possible ... personally I could not care less.

Besides, I'm out of money ... LOL!

-Marc
 
Marc,

I agree with your comment.

Regarding an upgraded LCD:
Hasselblad may have opted to offer this only with the H4D60 to distinguish this camera from the H4D40 and the H4D50.

The minds of marketing people do not always follow the needs of buyers. :)


Paul
 
To my point of view, I do not need more pixels than my cfv-39 but wider sensor. For 20 years I was happy wth my 60mm with film, now with my heavy 50mm/2.8 + digital I'm realy often to long. Some time I turn the camera to get vertical shot and it's realy not pratical.

BTW I do not like so much AF cameras but I discovered the "focus confirm" when I put Leica lens on my canon and it's great. A new "503CD" with focus confirm should have real succes for digital and film users.
As 20 years ago I put a working TTL flashmeter in my PM45 (it worked like the F mode in a Leica R8), I wunder if one could realize a focus confirm prototype.

-----
Focus confirm is a red or grenn spot light when focusing is OK in the center of the sceen.
 
Hi Paul, not sure I agree ... if Hasselblad can institute a 960,000 pixel LCD in the H4D/40 they will probably do it ... Phase One has included their new 1.5 meg touch screen LCD technology in all three of their IQ DBs ... IQ40, IQ60, and IQ80. When Hasselblad first announced the 60 meg DB there was mention of the double resolution LCD for all of their cameras ... but it then wasn't mentioned again in conjunction with the 40 or 50 ... only the 60 (which only recently was actually realized with the last firmware upgrade for the 60).

If they eventually discontinue the H4D/50, or make it a Multi-Shot choice only, The distinguishing aspects of the line-up will be a 1.3X crop frame 40 meg Kodak sensor using micro-lenses that shoots faster and provides a stop more ISO performance up to 1600 at full resolution ... and a near FF 645 60 meg Dalsa sensor camera. It would not surprise me to learn they are working on a 80 or even 100 meg Dalsa unit ... in which case a Multi-Shot would be unnecessary. However, given how long it took to bring the H4D/60 to market, I'm not holding my breath in anticipation.

Another improvement Hasselblad could include for a H4D/40-II is better weather proofing.

Erick, Live View is already possible with the H4D/40 ... but not in the way you are thinking of Live View. No CCD sensor camera has Live View on the LCD like 35mm DSLRs that use CMOS sensors.
Live view with a Medium Format Digital camera is only possible when tethered to a computer ... it is not on the LCD. It is somewhat like a live video feed, and is usually used in a studio setting to check depth of focus, and to make compositional adjustments with-in a layout over-lay.

What would stun the MFD world would be a whole new concept of large sensor capture based on CMOS technology ... which would open up all sorts of possibilities in terms of real-time Live View on the LCD, faster shooting rates, and good ISOs up to 3200 and beyond ... not to mention all the emerging technologies of EVF. The question would then be: can CMOS retain the image quality of current MFDs? The most natural place to do this would be with a H4D/40 which is used differently than a H4D/60 is.

I have said this before and will repeat it ... Hasselblad has a unique opportunity to offer a new MFD Focal Plane shutter camera that can use the HC and HCD lenses either as FPS or CS ... And I believe it could be a non-modular unit (that utilizes 40 meg CMOS sensor?). This would provide a fantastic choice for all photographers to round out their H system without replacing all of their lenses.

As to meeting customer demands ... most of Hasselblad's efforts are still concentrated on commercial photographer's needs ... they are responding to their customers, just not all of them ... they have to prioritize their limited resources to some degree.

-Marc
 
Erick, Live View is already possible with the H4D/40 ... but not in the way you are thinking of Live View
I know I use it with my laptop but for landscape in the mountains you need something else, I have heard it can work with a ipad2

Is anyone has already tried with Ipad ?

As to meeting customer demands ... most of Hasselblad's efforts are still concentrated on commercial photographer's needs ... they are responding to their customers, just not all of them ... they have to prioritize their limited resources to some degree.
yes but they are loosing a big part of the market and Pentax is coming for them, I dont mention Leica S2 I am not dentist :)
 
To my point of view, I do not need more pixels than my cfv-39 but wider sensor. For 20 years I was happy wth my 60mm with film, now with my heavy 50mm/2.8 + digital I'm realy often to long. Some time I turn the camera to get vertical shot and it's realy not pratical.

BTW I do not like so much AF cameras but I discovered the "focus confirm" when I put Leica lens on my canon and it's great. A new "503CD" with focus confirm should have real succes for digital and film users.
As 20 years ago I put a working TTL flashmeter in my PM45 (it worked like the F mode in a Leica R8), I wunder if one could realize a focus confirm prototype.

-----
Focus confirm is a red or grenn spot light when focusing is OK in the center of the sceen.

When you use the 500 series C, CF, CFi and CFE Zeiss optics on the H1/H2/H3/H2F along with the CF Adapter, you can use film, digital, use Focus Confirmation and can shoot in portrait orientation ... : -) A H4D/40 Stainless Steel would look pretty cool too, but you'd be giving up film use.

I seriously doubt there will ever be a FF square format sensor for the V cameras. Not ever. It makes absolutely no sense in today's MFD world. The only digital back that makes any sense
for a 500 series V camera today are the Leaf digital backs with internal rotating sensors. Still not square of course, but solves the portrait orientation shooting issue with the V camera.

-Marc
 
When you use the 500 series C, CF, CFi and CFE Zeiss optics on the H1/H2/H3/H2F along with the CF Adapter, you can use film, digital, use Focus Confirmation and can shoot in portrait orientation ... : -) A H4D/40 Stainless Steel would look pretty cool too, but you'd be giving up film use.

I seriously doubt there will ever be a FF square format sensor for the V cameras. Not ever. It makes absolutely no sense in today's MFD world. The only digital back that makes any sense
for a 500 series V camera today are the Leaf digital backs with internal rotating sensors. Still not square of course, but solves the portrait orientation shooting issue with the V camera.

-Marc
Well I tried the cf adapter with a CFE lens. Great OK and it even suggest you a speed value with a cfE lens. Anyway I prefered to buy a CFV later.
Perhaps a rotating CFV-60 in september ?
 
I know I use it with my laptop but for landscape in the mountains you need something else, I have heard it can work with a ipad2

Is anyone has already tried with Ipad ?

yes but they are loosing a big part of the market and Pentax is coming for them, I dont mention Leica S2 I am not dentist :)

The iPad app only works in conjunction with the camera tethered to the computer. Same for Phase One.

IMO, the Pentax is no threat to Hasselblad or Phase One ... the back is not removable to use on a tech camera, there is no tether option as of this date, it is not a 16 bit capture, and there is only one lens made for digital requirements (which hasn't received stellar reviews so far). Legacy Pentax 645 lenses are hit and miss ... mostly miss for more demanding digital use. Both Hasselblad and Phase One have had to significantly upgrade their lens line up to meet the demands of today's higher resolution, smaller pixel digital capture ... Hasselblad has introduced the HCD lenses (28 and 35-90), the HC 50, 120, and 150 have recently been upgraded, and Phase One has turned to Schneider to upgrade their lens line-up and continues to do so.

Along with a H4D/60, I have a Leica S2P and all four of the currently available S optics ... I am not a Dentist, Doctor, Lawyer, Investment Banker, wealthy Entertainer or Ponzi Schemer ... I am a photographer.

The S2 is an example of a ground up design that doesn't rely on any legacy optical system ... IMO the Achilles Heel of all other current systems. For digital capture, The S2 lenses are simply the best optics I've ever encountered including Zeiss and Schneider ... not surprising given who makes them. With the Leica S120/2.5 Macro I finally found a MF macro that could beat the Contax 645 Zeiss 120/4 macro which had no equal until now. All very expensive to be sure, however ... no other brand of gear I've ever owned has retained its value like Leica, so it is all relative.

-Marc
 
Well I tried the cf adapter with a CFE lens. Great OK and it even suggest you a speed value with a cfE lens. Anyway I prefered to buy a CFV later.
Perhaps a rotating CFV-60 in september ?

Nice Pipe Dream ... not going to happen IMO.

From what I can tell the CF line of backs for the H has been abandoned. They are no longer listed on Hasselblad's site and the CF/39 and CF/39 MS are now listed under the Discontinued Products section. So is the CFV-II.

What is left is the CFV/39 and CFV/50 listed as current products.

While Hasselblad has been stellar in retro supporting the venerable V line, there are major shifts going on in the MFD world that may affect the company's longer term allocation of resources. The entry level encroachments
like Pentax, Phase One's take-over of Leaf and subsequent positioning as a mid-priced option to their new IQ backs, but still using the same basic higher end sensors. Industry leading high-end capture with a 80 meg back, Sensor Plus for versatile applications, and without a doubt the best LCD system integration of anything out there. The weakness of Phase One to date has been their camera ... which has been announced as being replaced by a much improved unit perhaps as early as August or September. That is a lot of pressure.

In short, Hasselblad must concentrate on refining and improving the H system to stay viable ... or there will be no backs for the V, or anything. The H system is why the CFV even exists.

-Marc
 
I got some play time with a PhaseOne back. Built like a tank, very nice.

Did not like the Leaf in that respect, much more flimsy, a touch screen with lots of gimmicks.

Probably both work just fine of course

Wilko
 
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