Medium Format Forum

Register a free account now!

If you are registered, you get access to the members only section, can participate in the buy & sell second hand forum and last but not least you can reserve your preferred username before someone else takes it.

CFV back on a H1?

Chris Giles

New Member
Hi folks, new to the forum as I'm awaiting the arrival of my H1 and film back.

I thought I'd give medium format a try, there's some Astia and Portra 120 sitting here begging to be used but ultimately I'm going to be using the H series for digital.

I'm very interested in the CFV 16 which has some fat pixels. But, as I'm unaware of compatability between backs was wondering if a CFV digital back will fit onto the H series.

If it does, will the prism need a mask to assist in accurate framing 9as it's a square format). I mainly intend to use the back for actors headshots. 8x10 is the maximum resolution they will be printed in. I would consider other backs but understandably I'm green around the ears in the world of Hasselblad and don't know what is considered good. There's digital back and there's digital backs so to speak.

Currently my digital beauty is the 1Ds3.

Thanks for any help,
Chris
 
Hi Chris,

I started in a similar way using a Phase One H10 back on my V series cameras, then I was lucky to get a H series body with an 22MP Imacon Ixpress 528C digital back at a good price.

Personally if I were you I would try to find a Imacon Ixpress back rather than the CFV16, why? Because the back is almost a full 6x4.5 having a crop factor of just 1.1x, the pixels are large and the 16 bit sensor gives a great dynamic range too.

I also had a Canon 1DsMk3 when purchasing my H1D and it was not long before I sold all my Canon kit in order to allow me to expand the H1 kit. I now have 3 HC lenses (35mm, 80mm & 150mm), a full set of extension tubes, Metz 54Mz4 flash with Hasselblad H fit shoe, and 3x 16/32 film backs along with some other bits and bobs.

For me, whose main interests are portraiture and landscapes it is a brilliant camera and suits my needs beautifully although I am currently on the lookout for a WLF and if ever funds allow I would like a HTS 1.5 and also a 28mm lens to complete my outfit.

I have also purchased a Fuji X10 for snapshots and times when I don't want to drag a medium format digital outfit around and have also been pleasantly surprised by the results obtained.
 
Thanks Ed,
Currently I shoot my portraits with the 85L so was also hoping the crop factor of the CFV 16 would save me buying another lens.

I'm quite excited by how MF digital will look. I love the output of the 1Ds3 and to know that there is better is great.

I'll look into the 22.

The 1Ds3 will end up as a backup for weddings when the 1Dx arrives. The 1D4 is good as sold though. It can't focus in low light!
 
Welcome to complex world of Medium Format Digital ... here's a little tutorial to help out:

The CFV backs only come in a V mount for use on the 500 and 200 series Hasselblads.

All of the 22 meg 645 type backs feature the same 9 micron pixel pitch as the CFV/16. The crop factor of these backs is 1.1X ... the same as the 39 meg and 50 meg digital backs.

Among the Hasselblad branded backs there are also the CF and CFH versions, besides the previous Imacon Ixpress backs mentioned above.

The Imacon Ixpress 132C and 528C are both 22 meg backs, but the 528c is a single shot/multi-shot version with an additional 4 Res module suitable for static subjects. Be aware that the iXpress backs must be used with a separate 40 gig Image Bank-I ... which both powers the back and stores the images shot. These Image banks are long discontinued and becoming a little harder to replace ... and because they are basically Hard Drives, they will eventually fail and need replacing. Note: They cannot be replaced by the Image Bank-II used for later model Hasselblad cameras. Here is what the Ixpress system looks like:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/ixpress.shtml

CFs were the next step from the iXpress 132/528. Instead of an Image Bank, the CF backs use a clip-on Sony L type battery for power and captured to a CF card (thus the name CF)... just like the CFV does. It differs from the CFV in that the color matches the H camera, and the camera mount can be changed using an iAdapter system that allows the back to be used on a number of different medium format cameras. These backs are discontinued, but information is still available on them ... ignore the price on the following page: (there are not many of the CF/22s for sale used because they never made many of them):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/494357-REG/Hasselblad_70360507_CF_22_Digital_Back.html

The CFH is another option but differs in that it only fits the H2 camera, and does not use an exterior battery, instead it is powered by the camera's grip battery. From the H2 onwards, Hasselblad changed the grip battery to a more powerful one so it could power both the camera and the digital back. Hasselblad would update a Hi to use the new H2 battery. A CFH/22 back can be had for about $3,000. to $3,500.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=41220

Unlike the CF and CFH 22 backs, the 22 meg 9 micron Leaf Aptus-II 5. is still being offer new. I believe the Aptus-II 5 retail is $9,000.new, so if a used one could be located with an H mount it could be pretty reasonably priced. The Leaf backs are actually (subjectively) better than the Hasselblad CF or CFHs because they use the Dalsa sensor, which is renowned for excellent skin tones. They also offer a much larger LCD screen, and can be shot in ISO 50 to 800 ... ad the ISO 800 is actually pretty good. The only draw back is they only come in black.

http://www.leaf-photography.com/products_aptus25.asp

Phase One also makes H mount backs, and I believe the H mount version's color matches the H camera grey. The P25 and P25+ is the 22 meg one and generally is available used and work on both the H1 and H2 (and now the H4X). The Phase One back married to a H1 or H2 is the most prolific and most used combination of camera/digital back used around the world. They differ from both the CF backs and the Leaf backs in that their battery is not clipped onto the bottom of the back, but instead fits with-in the back. These are extremely good digital backs and often are priced higher than others.

http://www.phaseonesc.com/pdf/p25plus_datasheet_004.pdf

Happy reading ... LOL!

-Marc

BTW, to get the same basic look and feel of the Canon 85/1.2L the Hasselblad AF lens you want is the HC100/2.2 ... it is roughly the same FOV and as a 80mm in 35mm terms, and f/2.2 is extremely fast for a medium format lens to provide subject separation from the background.
 
This is excellent, thank you.

The Leaf option seems the best as skin tones matter but as with most back...very hard to find them for sale other than at retailers!
 
Marc, one thing. I thought that 100mm would be more like 55mm on MF?

I like to have some distance between the subject and rarely shoot wider than 1.8 on the 85L, up until today I was looking at the 150 3.2?
 
Call retailer's anyway ... they get these backs in all the time as trades and sometimes are quite willing to deal with you.

Also, put a WTB (Want To Buy) post on the Forum section here, and other sites like the one below which is one of the biggest Medium Format Digital forums and is populated by MFD shooters and retailers alike.

http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/index.php?

Here is their F/S or WTB section:

http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=29


In general terms, the HC80mm is the "standard lens" for 645 providing an approx FOV of 50mm on a 35mm camera.

The HC100/2.2 is roughly a 63mm FOV and the digital crop factor of 1.1X makes it about 70mm ... and the other backs with a 1.3X crop factor makes it around a 82mm FOV. It isn't a "perfect" conversion because 35mm is a 3:4 ratio and MF is a 3:2 ratio.

I used to shoot with a Canon 85/1.2 and the closest in feel is the HC100/2.2 ... but I also have the HC150/3.2N and it is a spectacular lens with more tele compression, but the Bokeh of the 100/2.2 @ 2.2 is more like the 85/1.2.

-Marc
 
Back
Top