An Afternoon with Hasselblad & DTG

After reading my previous blog entry “A Morning with Capture Integration”, the folks at Digital Technology Group (DTG) invited me to their suite at the Graphics of the Americas expo held in Miami Beach for some “hands-on” time with the Hasselblad H-System. DTG is based out of Tampa, FL and is the local Hasselblad (and Alpa) dealer (among many other things) here in Florida. That is saying a lot. Florida is the 4th largest state in the USA and Miami-Dade County is twice the size of the state of Rhode Island all by itself. It’s a big area to cover and I appreciate their inviting me over. I have previously spoken about the Hasselblad H-System, but this was my first “hands-on” session that wasn’t rushed by a crowd of slavering photogs hoping to get a chance to fondle $30K worth of camera. Just me (and Jordan Miller from DTG and Greg Hollmann and Gina Connor from Hasselblad USA) and the H-System for two hours.

Impressions Most digital medium format systems are generally larger/heavier than 35mm digital counterparts. At first blush I would have said the same thing about the H-System and the H3DII in particular. Metal barrelled lenses, a hefty looking camera body with a large viewfinder and digital back all add up to weight. In my hand, however, the H3DII balanced perfectly. Granted, if I slapped on the largest zoom they brought it felt a bit more cumbersome, but it was no worse than my D700 + MB-D10 Grip + 70-200 VR lens. In fact, the H3DII was actually shorter and easier to handle that my Nikon due to the design of the grip which places the hand fairly close to the center of balance on the system, even with a zoom mounted.

Even though some folks complain about the H3 being a “closed system” (only Hassy H3 parts/lenses can be used in the system), I don’t view this as a bad thing. Heck, this formula has been working for Apple for years. As I have said before, this is the “Macintosh of Medium Format.” I also checked with Jordan and he confirmed that the H3 digital backs are compatible with Alpa Technical Cameras. The only gotcha here is that the H3 back is powered by the H3 body so you would have to purchase the optional ImageBank or tether the back via Firewire to you Mac/PC in order to power it. On the plus side, you don’t have to use a wakeup cable with the H3 backs like you do with the Phase-One backs.

Alpa TC + Hasselblad 39 Mpx Digital Back courtesy of Dr. Bob Moore The Hasselblad system allows an unprecedented level of integration between components. I should point out that the term “unprecedented” applies to the medium format realm. This sort of thing has been the norm in 35mm DSLRs for years now. Chipped lenses passing image telemetry back to the sensor is currently in it’s first generation in medium format world. Upcoming systems, like Leica’s S2, promise even tighter integration between components. So what does this mean image-wise? Chipped lenses can pass critical distance information along with any kind of optical correction info back to the sensor. I imagine that in future versions of the lenses, factory testing will load sample specific optical correction data into the lens’ chipset allowing the camera to apply adjustments specific to the lens being used, not just generic corrections for the entire lens series. Hasselblad digital backs only record images in their native RAW format. No other format option is available. The only software package that can process those images is Hasselblad’s Phocus software for Mac/PC (sorry Linux crowd). This would be a problem if Phocus sucked, but fortunately Hasselblad but just as much time and effort into the software as they did to the hardware/firmware.

Phocus is a full on 64-bit multi-core aware image processing application. Considering that is has to cope with hundreds (if not thousands) of images starting at 31 megapixels all the way up to 50 megapixels (and very shortly, 60 megapixels), Phocus is designed to handle large amounts of big images. Also keep in mind that most, if not all, medium format digital backs record in 16-bits per color channel (that’s 64K shades of RGB = 28 trillion colors). [EDITOR'S NOTE: Apple Aperture 2 does read 3FR files from the H3D & H3DII-31. DAC information is not used by Aperture but all other data is. Hopefully Apple will add support for all Hasselblad H Digital Backs in the near future.] DTG was kind enough to provide me access to Phocus and some sample images to work with. The cameras used for comparison are: Hasselblad H3DII-50

100mm f/2.2 lens (roughly 50mm equivalent)

ISO 50 (lowest possible setting)

Shot native format (3FR) and converted using minimal adjustments.

vs. Nikon D700 (12 Mpx)

CV 58mm f/1.4 lens (The Nikon D700 is a full frame camera)

ISO 200 (lowest setting)

Shot native format (NEF) and converted using minimal adjustments.

These two tiny jpegs (Hasselblad on the right, Nikon on the left) do not do either of these cameras justice. To truly appreciate the images one must see them in full size. Here are links to the full-sized images: Nikon image Hasselblad image Remember, these are 24-bit jpegs (8-bits per channel) and as such have lost a lot of the color information captured by both cameras. The Nikon normally captures 12-bits/channel and can be pushed to 14-bits. As mentioned before, the Hasselblad captures at 16-bits/channel. And just in case you are thinking that 2-4 bits difference is no big deal, every bit doubles the number of colors captured by the sensor. Hasselblad employs a central leaf shutter system which gives the H-System flash compatibility at all shutter speeds with the drawback that the system is limited to a max shutter speed of 1/800s which is not a big deal in the studio, but may require use of neutral density filters if used wide open for landscapes. This is not a sports camera. Conclusion The Hasselblad H-System is a solid piece of engineering. Well-balanced and built like a tank, it provides the photographer (who can afford it) a truly spectacular tool for capturing images. Hasselblad’s system approach is a love/hate kind of thing. If you love that kind environment, then this is the camera for you. If you’ve got a bit of William Wallace in you, you may want to look at a more flexible system. I am not saying that the H-System is limiting in any way. There are plenty of choices and third party gear that can be used with the H-System, just not as many as everybody else. The files produced by the H-System contain a staggering amount of image information and detail. So much so that portrait work may require A) a softening of the subject in order to hide skin imperfections or B) the hiring of a really, really good makeup artist (probably both.) If you like the way Apple Inc. builds computers, you’ll fall for the Hasselblad approach. I know I want one.

PAW Week #3

OK, this is not exactly a picture taken by me, but I did design the wallpaper. This is an Alpa 12 SWA technical camera with a Leaf Aptus-II digital back. It is used for architectural and landscape images because of its shift capabilities and the extremely high pixel count (up to 60 megapixels depending on the back). Strangely enough, the camera itself is extremely simple in design with no electronics (other than the stuff on the digital back) and a scale focus design (you have to guesstimate the distance to the subject and dial it into the lens). However, it uses some of the most spectacular lenses in the industry and once mastered, captures breathtaking images. I want one. The problem: the rig pictured above starts out at about $20,000 USD (for the 28 MP model).

Ouch.

The World's Most Expensive Point & Shoots?

Last year, I made the decision to get a Leica digital rangefinder. Most folks that know me, wonder what could have possessed me to invest that kind of money in what many consider to be a niche camera.

Well, I am not here to defend my decision. However, to put things in perspective, I present to you two cameras that make the price of the Leica M8 look like chump change.

These two cameras are examples of scale focused rangefinders. That is, cameras whose lenses must be focused by guessing at the distance from the camera to the subject. The viewfinders are for framing purposes only and play no part in the focusing process.

First up, we have the Alpa 12 TC from Switzerland. This camera is basically a frame that holds a lens in front of a medium format digital back. Top that off with a built-in spirit (bubble) level and an interchangeable viewfinder and you have yourself one really expensive piece of photo gear. The body is priced at roughly $1,800 USD (which is less than a Nikon D300). However, the lenses start at about $3,200 USD. The lenses are made by Alpa, Schneider, and Linhof/Rodestock - all German, all hand-made. Add to that the cost of a Viewfinder ($1,300 USD) and the cheapest compatible digital back you can find (Phase One P20+ costs $16,990) and you have just assembled a 16Mpix camera with no internal focusing mechanism and weighing in at $23,290.00 USD.

Next up, we have a similar offering: the Cambo WDC-MAfd from The Netherlands. Using a slightly more retro design than the Alpa, it has the advantage of moving the shutter release to a (at least in my opinion) more ergonomic spot. Prices for this body start at $4,099 with a Schneider Digitar 47mm XL lens.

Tack on a Viewfinder + mask for $910 and the PhaseOne P20+ at $16,990 and you have yourself another one of these monster point and shoots for $21,999.

Mind you, I am only configuring these with a 16Mpix digital back. You could go completly nuts and use a PhaseOne P45+ 39Mpix back instead. Doing this would increase the prices to $39,290 and $37,999, respectively.

So here you have a pair of cameras that cost as much as a loaded Mini Cooper S. And that is only with one lens. So who would be lunatic enough to buy one of these anyway?

Architectual and landscape photographers.

These systems have the ability to shift the lens in four directions (up, down, left and right) with respect to the digital back. This allows for distortion correction when shooting very wide angle photos. Ever see those amazing photos on the covers of the really fancy architectural magazines? They were most likely taken with one of these combinations. Granted, these are considered the travel models and are tiny by comparison to their wide and super-wide counterparts.

For more information (or to scare yourself silly at the prices) head over to the Alpa and Cambo websites. To see images taken by these cameras, head over to the Alpa Flickr Pool and shots from Luminous Landscape's Review. Many thanks to fine folks at LL for their review that inspired this article.