Yes, I know what you mean, although I think that the traditional Arab dress has actually made the transition into the modern day. I mean, very many Arabs dress like this every day without thinking about tradition, right?
It is not so important which camera it was, I am just curious. I guess that is the 28mm on it.
I have been invited to a Hasselblad event this fall, and am curious what you think of Hasselblad cameras. I have never held or used one before, just the Contax, Hasselblad V, and I have handled but not used a Rolleiflex 6008. The entrance price for the Hasselblad H system is quite low now.
carstenw wrote:
I have been invited to a Hasselblad event this fall, and am curious what you think of Hasselblad cameras. I have never held or used one before, just the Contax, Hasselblad V, and I have handled but not used a Rolleiflex 6008.
I used one once about 4 years ago, and again about 10 years ago I'm not familiar enough with them to comment, but I'll try and borrow this one for a while just out of curiosity. I'm very happy with the Hy6 so far, so I have no reason to change. Are you in the market for a medium format camera?
Hmm… not really But I still look at my e54 results from the Contax and wonder if I could find a more reliable system and enjoy it. I had some problems which I suspect were related to the Contax-Sinar adapter. Another possibility would be looking for a used Leaf Aptus-II 7 or a Phase One P45+ or similar. I would want the large sensor size (48x36), but full frame is too expensive for my hobbyist aspirations. Finally, I could just swap my D3 for a D3x and bury the idea of MF.
Pity that you're having/had issues with the e54/Contax combination. The e54 was totally reliable for me, and most people speak highly of the Contax too. If you had to have just one camera, the D3X would be much more flexible. Medium format has more of a niche application, as you know, which is why I now have a Canon 5DII as a backup. It does everything the Leaf Aptus can't: much faster frame rate, high ISO, video, etc.
carstenw wrote:
I have been invited to a Hasselblad event this fall, and am curious what you think of Hasselblad cameras. I have never held or used one before, just the Contax, Hasselblad V, and I have handled but not used a Rolleiflex 6008. The entrance price for the Hasselblad H system is quite low now.
I am a fan of the Hasselblads, but it certainly isn't the best system to use if you're shooting in a fast paced environment. We have an H4D-50 with a few lenses, and I use it quite often for street, cityscape, landscape & commercial work. Ergonomically completely different from any 35mm based DSLR, but a joy to use once one adapts to the user interface. True Focus is an indispensable feature when shooting portraits. I think you'll like the Hasselblad system once you get used to the slower, methodical pace medium format requires and the image quality is just sublime. Now that Hasselblad is forbidden to sell the HTS 1.5 tilt and shift adapter in the US market due to some patent dispute, I'm hoping to pick one up at a reduced price.
We just received our new Phase One IQ140 a few weeks ago, and I must say the new touch screen interface is something else! The high resolution screen is amazing, and the focus mask is a big help in figuring out DoF, but the digital back's de-mosaicing of the IIQ Raw file (or embedded JPEG?) on the screen could be better. I also feel the Hasselblad lenses are superior to the Phase One lenses on average. The Phase One 80mm f2.8 LS, 45mm f2.8 and the 120mm f4 MF Macro are tack sharp, but the 28mm f4.5 and the 75~150mm zoom are a bit soft.
I would keep the D3 if I bought a back. I did sell the back, but kept the Contax (in fact, I bought the D3 with the back money, plus a couple of lenses). I have the 35, 80 and 120 Makro lenses, to which I might add a 200 if I bought a back. I also might get the 55, which has a good reputation. Additionally, I have the Hasselblad FE 50, 110 and 250, and an adapter, so it would be quite a flexible kit.
The IQ backs (and the new Leaf backs) are very attractive, but much more than I could justify. I just really wanted a reliable back which works 100% with my camera. The Sinar apparently wasn't it, although it appears to work well on other cameras (thus my suspicion of the adapter). The Phase backs have a good reputation with the Contax, but they tend to stay quite pricy, to the point where I could probably get an H3DII-39 with kit lens for less than a P45+.
mirkoc wrote:
Makten, your last shots look quite contrasty. Did you voluntarily process them that way, or they just turned out that way from developing process?
Yes, of course. The negs look like shit out of the scanner. This is the way I want them to look, and the only option if you want full control is to do it manually, which takes a lot of time.
I get a little bit closer if I expose at 800 and increase development a minute or so, but then there's a risk of losing shadow detail in scenes with high contrast.
Edit: This is the main reason I prefer Tmax 400 over Tri-X. The latter is just too "flat" looking most of the time, but works fine in full sunshine at mid day.
Makten, I love your taste in contrast: don't change! Many pics I see - color or monochrome - are too low in contrast. Besides impact, a steeper ramp is also an artistic tool that emphasizes the key elements. With a long tonal range, the eye can't get a grip on the scene. Just my opinion.
Don't worry, I'll go my own way. I've always loved high contrast, especially with B&W, and I think most people are much too conservative with their PP on B&W film images. The hard part is to lift the shadows at the same time as you crank the contrast in the midtones. Just applying an ordinary "S" curve will block the shadows completely while still not giving high enough midtone contrast.
carstenw wrote:
"A" curve meaning your curve, or the usual curve?
Mine of course! But I don't have a "usual" curve. It has to be optimized for every single image. This was just for giving an idea of how to achieve high midtone contrast without blocking the shadows.
Note that it's almost linear in the highlights too.
I'm not familiar enough with them to comment, but I'll try and borrow this one for a while just out of curiosity. I'm very happy with the Hy6 so far, so I have no reason to change. Are you in the market for a medium format camera?
This is the way I want them to look, and the only option if you want full control is to do it manually, which takes a lot of time.