Hasselblad V system Digital Backs - what are the best choices overall ?

[CameraQuest]

Hasselblad V system Digital Backs - what are the best choices overall ?

There seems to be a lot of possible choices, many of them of outdated design and questionable reliability.

Balancing the many factors including Image Quality, Cost, Reliability, Ease of shooting -

What are your own Hassy V system digital back choices, and why ?

 

[Vince Lupo]

I think the 907x / CFV II 50c is a good choice -- 50mp 33x44 sensor (I think a full 58x58 is a ways off but admittedly that would be nice), very reliable (at least I haven't had any issues with mine), plus with the 907x 'body' you can use the nice XCD lenses as well as others with a host of adapters. Plus if you have a 'technical' camera like a Linhof or Cambo Actus, you can adapt it for use on those cameras or pretty much any camera that accepts a V-plate. The touch screen is great and overall the back is really quite easy and basic to use.

Two things though -- it's probably a good idea to get your film Hasselblad camera 'calibrated' to ensure that the focus is dead-on. Second, the only issue that I have had (and is a known 'issue' with the early ones) is the tendency for the black rubber coating to wear off the rear buttons prematurely. Hasselblad did offer free replacement of the buttons with an updated version of them, but I don't know if they still offer that service. It's come off the edges of the power/playback button on mine, but I haven't gotten around to sending the back to Hasselblad for the service.

Actually a third thing -- for proper 'cropping' in the viewfinder, the simplest and cheapest way is to use some thin black paper and cut a mask that can just sit on top of the ground glass. Second method (helpful if you're using a metered prism) is to mark the crop with a thin black Sharpie right on the ground glass.

I don't know much about the first CFV 50c back, but I think it's the same sensor as the current one.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

Idle curiosity, since I couldn't afford one even if I really wanted one: Are the CFV II backs available on their own, or does one have to buy the whole 907x package? Every once in a while, I get a twinge of digital lust (easily suppressed), and the idea of shooting my 500C/M with a factory-authorized hacked back is fascinating.
I have the Hassy masks for a 16S back. I'll bet that with a little filing, you could make a good mask for the digital back. Vince's suggestion for using a Sharpie would work, of course, but the thought of taking a Sharpie to a $300.00 (at least) Acute Matte screen gives me the willies! But it would have the advantages of shooting with a rangefinder, and being able to see outside the frame lines.
See? I'm trying to convince myself that the digital back would be cool. Digital GAS is the worst...

 

[hap]

Idle curiosity, since I couldn't afford one even if I really wanted one: Are the CFV II backs available on their own, or does one have to buy the whole 907x package? Every once in a while, I get a twinge of digital lust (easily suppressed), and the idea of shooting my 500C/M with a factory-authorized hacked back is fascinating.
I have the Hassy masks for a 16S back. I'll bet that with a little filing, you could make a good mask for the digital back. Vince's suggestion for using a Sharpie would work, of course, but the thought of taking a Sharpie to a $300.00 (at least) Acute Matte screen gives me the willies! But it would have the advantages of shooting with a rangefinder, and being able to see outside the frame lines.
See? I'm trying to convince myself that the digital back would be cool. Digital GAS is the worst...

I've asked that question a couple of months ago. Response was ....(nice try), must buy the back and the body. AFAIK that's the "way it is".

 

[Richard G]

I tried in a Phase One IQ250 in a shop. Very heavy, quite bulky and the format was much less square than the 33 x 44 of the CFV 50II C. I passed on the weight especially and the loss of the square format and the desire to continue with film.

 

[Nokton48]

CFV16 120mm f5.6 S-Planar C TStar Zeiss Proxar .5 Polarizer by Nokton48, on Flickr

Testing "floating" in blackness on FOBA glass sweep table. Hasselblad 500C/M with Zeiss 120mm f5.6 S-Planar with Zeiss .5 Proxar lens and Hasselblad Polarizer (rotated to eliminate reflections). CFV16 Hasselblad Digital Back (16MP) Broncolor Hazylight suspended overhead.

 

[Nokton48]

500CM 50 C Black F4 Distagon CFV16 Hassy Digital Back by Nokton48, on Flickr


500CM 50 C Black F4 Distagon CFV16 Hassy Digital Back

 

[Nokton48]

New James Bright SEASIDE 500CM Hasselblad CFV16 50mm Distagon F9.5 C171 Beauty by Nokton48, on Flickr

Years ago I snagged some James Bright Backgrounds which were sold by Sinar and Calumet. Now this one has come along (entitled "Seaside") for $35 with the money going to charity. Tested with Hasselblad 500C/M CFV16 Digital Back 50mm F4 C T* Distagon EI 50 Broncolor C171 375J Universal Beauty Dish F9.5. Love it

 

[Nokton48]

CFV16 500CM 250 C T Star Sonnar EI 200 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Handheld 500C/M CFV16 Digital Back 250mm f5.6 black C T* Zeiss Sonnar, EI 200 Metered with the Olde CDS Meter Prism, set the EV on the lens, this is the result.

 

[Nokton48]

Broncolor Impaspot Impact 41 CFV16 60 Dist by Nokton48, on Flickr


Rebuilding an Olde Broncolor Impaspot; in fact I have two of them. And now a Visatec (Broncolor Wedding and Portrait Division) 1600B Monolight 1600J strobe. Hasselblad 500C/M 60mm F3.5 Zeiss Distagon C T* CFV16 Digital Back. An olde crusty Acetate Mask needs to be reprinted and made clean. But the effect of this olde mask is kind of cool IMO. Olde Broncolor strobe spotlights are fun to play with 🙂
Here I am firing a Broncolor Impaspot at a very large sheet of 1/4" Plexiglass (it came with my Broncolor Hazylight!), propped vertical on my FOBA Sweep Table. Kinda Kewl how the Impaspot lights the facets in the Plex. Flecks in the Plex! LOL Looks kinda Spacey.

 

[Nokton48]

I searched for a decent deal on the CFV16 for over ten years. It's initial cost in 2007 (introduced in Japan) was $17,000.00. I paid $2800 for this one, and it's a keeper! 🙂 I wanted it as it was the back introduced to users of the Olde V System Cameras. Which are exactly what I have.

 

[Nokton48]

500mm Oberkochen 500ELM CFV16 EI 200 EV 14.5 by Nokton48, on Flickr

This is the first test of the 500mm F8 Oberkochen Opton Hasselblad lens. EL/M Body with Olde Hasselblad CDS Meter Prism indicated EV14.5. Set that on the lens, this is the result. Hasselblad CFV16 Digital Back set to Ei 200, camera/lens mounted on a Plaubel Peco 2 Way Head, attached to sturdy Manfrotto legs. The pretty new Magnolia tree is our yard was blowing visibly, the 500mm shutter seems to have frozen it, there was a lot of leaf movment in the breeze. It is fun to play with the new digital back and I am loving the saturated colors I'm getting. Hasselblad says it's the fat pixels, but also how much space is around each pixel. Anyways I'm loving the color right out of the camera. Shooting distance was 28 feet, the absolute minimum focus distance on the lens. So I will add extension tubes if needed.

 

[Nokton48]

CFV16 60 DIST EI 100 Meter Prism by Nokton48, on Flickr


Testing the black C T* 60mm Hasselblad Zeiss Distagon CFV16 Hasselblad Digital Back 500 C/M exposed according to TTL Hasselblad Meter Prism. Key Day Full Sun.

 

[Nokton48]

50C ELM CFV16 EI 200 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Testing the CFV16 Hasselblad Digital Back. EI 200 CDS Meter Prism determines the EV to set on the lens, easy and intuitive. It plays Nice and easy to use, files look great right out of the camera. Kind of like the look of the Olde Kodachrome 25 Color and Saturation, I expect it's the fat pixels, and -the space- between the pixels, that determines the "look" I guess. Anyway I like it a lot!

 

[Nokton48]

100mm Planar Plus 2 Zeiss Diopter CFV16 EI 50 F22 Four 1600J Strobes by Nokton48, on Flickr

Broncolor Hazylight Overhead Two Boxlite 40's camera right and left eight inches. Hasselblad CFV16 Digital Back Black 100mm F3.5 C T* Zeiss Planar with +2 Zeiss Proxar 2 Diopter. EI 50 Broncolor Balloon underneath glass, under four layers Architects Vellum on glass table. Image was shot handheld 1/125 F22. Underlighting and Boxlites help a lot with a white clean background shot.

 

[Nokton48]

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

Hasselblad EL/M with CFV16 Digital Back, 135mm C T* Zeiss S-Planar (1:1 to infinity focus with Hasselblad Auto Bellows). Hasselblad Stovepipe, Hasselblad Ring Light, modified by New York City Flash Clinic, to work nice with the Norman 200B 200J Packs. Working good all, will be used for some digital floral photography coming up soon. Actually not too heavy to carry around.

 

[Nokton48]

4x5 Sinar Norma Hasselblad CFV16 Digital Back Main Menu by Nokton48, on Flickr

Here's the Hasselblad CFV16 Digital Back on the Main Memu Screen, on my 4x5 Sinar Norma. Capture One Sinar Adapter does the job at low cost. Battery Pack clips on to the bottom of the Digital Back. Need the connecting cord to the PC Socket on a shutter. My Norma Shutters would play nice with this and will be an upgrade. Easy to see the shutter controls from behind the camera. FAST. Image through the 47mm Super Angulon is super sharp and contrasty GG image. At F8 it is kind of amazing looking, being so wide. The precision lateral slide on the Norma Rear Standard means I can shoot multiple images and stitch 'em together. Would make quite a file.