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Archive 2012 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests

  
 
ronno
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


Round one:
http://www.photigy.com/nikon-d800e-test-review-vs-hasselblad-h4d40-35mm-against-medium-format/
and Round two:
http://www.photigy.com/nikon-d800e-v-s-hasselblad-h4d40-the-end-of-medium-format-superiority-round-two/



Aug 05, 2012 at 09:12 PM
DaveyDonut
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


Great! Thanks for posting. A fun read, and while I was a bit "disappointed" that my little D800E was inferior in the end, I had to remind myself that it IS 1/5th the cost. This was my whole reason I got the D800E: to get close to medium format, keep the 35mm weight and maintain my investment in Nikon lenses. Yeah, this is just one set of tests, but it it is pretty impressive how close the D800E came. I love the sliders for comparison.

David



Aug 05, 2012 at 09:47 PM
ronno
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


And the difference is only noticeable at 100% views on a computer screen. Try seeing any difference in print...


Aug 05, 2012 at 09:52 PM
Smridevan
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


Thanks for the link. The medium format does look pretty impressive but it's definitely not worth the 5x the cost.


Aug 05, 2012 at 10:55 PM
canondoc
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


ronno wrote:
And the difference is only noticeable at 100% views on a computer screen. Try seeing any difference in print...

Not sure if you are being sarcastic or not, but that's just simply not true. Color accuracy/tonality and three dimensionality are still a quantum leap ahead.

If you have never used a H4D, or even held one, I wouldn't comment.

Sincerely,
Guy who switched from Canon to Nikon just for the D800E.



Aug 05, 2012 at 11:54 PM
s_lowell
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


A gentle caution in reading the linked review.

The reviewer stated that he tested the D800E at f/16 or f/11. His reasoning is that these are the apertures he uses in his studio, so he was not testing the "best" possible result from the sensor, only a real world comparison for his particular requirements.

With the D800E, apertures higher than about f/5.6 will begin to impact the performance due to diffraction. In my own tests with a D800E, f/11 and higher result in images which are visibly softer, to the point that I would see no reason to purchase a D800/E if I was degrading the IQ to that of a lower resolution device.

I am not questioning the validity of the test for the author's own requirements - but think it's important to note (if, as stated, the images were shot at small apertures) that his conclusions apply only to his particular needs and one must be cautions in extrapolating the conclusions to one's own requirements.

Stephen



Aug 06, 2012 at 01:46 AM
hubsand
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


That's a fair point: the studio D800E shots do not truly represent the capability of the sensor.

The 105VR isn't the sharpest tool in the box re: Zone 1 performance in any case, but the very evident lack of contrast and fine resolution created by the lens isn't fair to the Nikon body. Shooting each at their optimal aperture, the test would have looked rather different, and conclusion even more shocking.



Aug 06, 2012 at 05:25 AM
hubsand
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


That's a fair point: the studio D800E shots do not truly represent the capability of the sensor.

The 105VR isn't the sharpest tool in the box re: Zone 1 performance in any case, but the very evident lack of contrast and fine resolution created by the lens isn't fair to the Nikon body. Shooting each at their optimal aperture, the test would have looked rather different, and the conclusion even more shocking.



Aug 06, 2012 at 05:26 AM
ronno
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


canondoc wrote:
If you have never used a H4D, or even held one, I wouldn't comment.

Sincerely,
Guy who switched from Canon to Nikon just for the D800E.


I have used the H system with many backs over the years. And I believe the perceived differences (e.g. "accuracy/tonality and three dimensionality) are over blown. Looking at the thousands of HUGE prints in galleries and museums in NYC over the years (Annie Liebovitz. Avedon, Greg Kadel, Raphael Mazzucco, Sarah Moon, Ellen Vonunwerth...) it is essentially impossible to know which camera shot what when viewing a print. (excluding stuff shot on view cameras.)

(I know these arguments are never ending, but those are my observations.)
I expect you to respond now by suggesting that if I weren't blind I'd be able to see the huge differences... ;-)



Aug 06, 2012 at 11:05 AM
canondoc
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


ronno wrote:
I have used the H system with many backs over the years. And I believe the perceived differences (e.g. "accuracy/tonality and three dimensionality) are over blown. Looking at the thousands of HUGE prints in galleries and museums in NYC over the years (Annie Liebovitz. Avedon, Greg Kadel, Raphael Mazzucco, Sarah Moon, Ellen Vonunwerth...) it is essentially impossible to know which camera shot what when viewing a print. (excluding stuff shot on view cameras.)

(I know these arguments are never ending, but those are my observations.)
I expect you to respond now by suggesting that if I weren't blind I'd be able to
...Show more

You could say the same thing about the differences between a d300 and a D800E.



Aug 06, 2012 at 11:23 AM
Sweetf8
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


I don't have any of the cameras, at least not yet for the D800E. But it's a no-brainer the H4D would have advantages.

However, try to put a 14mm lens (35mm equivalent) in front of the Hasselblad and we will see...



Aug 06, 2012 at 11:46 AM
form
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


I bet there would be pretty noticeable differences between a 12mp APS-C sensor's detail and a 36mp full frame sensor's detail when it comes to blowing up an image to mural-size.


Aug 06, 2012 at 01:05 PM
ronno
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


form wrote:
I bet there would be pretty noticeable differences between a 12mp APS-C sensor's detail and a 36mp full frame sensor's detail when it comes to blowing up an image to mural-size.


Duh.



Aug 06, 2012 at 01:14 PM
Gregg B.
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


This was a nice read.
Thanks



Aug 06, 2012 at 06:22 PM
Todd
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


hubsand wrote:
That's a fair point: the studio D800E shots do not truly represent the capability of the sensor.

The 105VR isn't the sharpest tool in the box re: Zone 1 performance in any case, but the very evident lack of contrast and fine resolution created by the lens isn't fair to the Nikon body. Shooting each at their optimal aperture, the test would have looked rather different, and the conclusion even more shocking.


Well..... the 105mm f/2.8 macro is pretty darn sharp! At least mine is. Here is a photo (snapshot portrait) of a woman I know. I did not process any blemishes out. It works great on my D800E... Copy & paste the whole link below in address bar.

http://www.toddhargisphotography.com/Portraits/Portraits/9878428_8tDQQh#!i=1951482736&k=pjgfBMV&lb=1&s=O

Todd



Aug 06, 2012 at 06:45 PM
azbill
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


s_lowell wrote:
With the D800E, apertures higher than about f/5.6 will begin to impact the performance due to diffraction. In my own tests with a D800E, f/11 and higher result in images which are visibly softer, to the point that I would see no reason to purchase a D800/E if I was degrading the IQ to that of a lower resolution device.
Stephen


Really? Wouldn't most landscape shooters be shooting at f/8-f/11?



Aug 06, 2012 at 08:23 PM
ronno
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests




Really? Wouldn't most landscape shooters be shooting at f/8-f/11?


I have read the same elsewhere - that by the time you stop down to F/8 or F/11 or F/16 you may as well be using the non "e" version, as the resolution (due to diffraction) becomes the same. In other words you can only reap the benefits of the sharper D800e files at f4, maybe F/5.6 and that is it. (this is according to side-to-side tests I have read elsewhere on the web.)



Aug 06, 2012 at 09:00 PM
azbill
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


Doesn't this seem a bit odd for a camera that targets the landscape shooter?


Aug 06, 2012 at 09:13 PM
Dan Grisez
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


I'm surprised you guys didn't notice...the author, Alex Koloskov, is on FM.
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1136046




Aug 07, 2012 at 09:25 AM
canondoc
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Great Nikon D800E v.s Hasselblad H4D40 tests


form wrote:
I bet there would be pretty noticeable differences between a 12mp APS-C sensor's detail and a 36mp full frame sensor's detail when it comes to blowing up an image to mural-size.


Weird. First you were talking about image quality, now you're changing it up. Interesting way to prove your point.



Aug 07, 2012 at 09:45 AM





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