douglas_linacre

<p>You might post and ask what is the lightest medium format setup you can get. I did read that your setup can be very heavy to operate ... perhaps other gear is both lighter, and easier to operate? <br> I know little about medium format ... the 60 Hasselblad has a large sensor though, it costs $25K with an 80mm F/2.8 lens. I don't even know if your lenses are compatible. it weighs 2.5 kg I think. Standard its sensor is not square, bit its bigger than your original film. I presume it has a square mode. Which would be 40x40mm. You need to talk to the people who service your gear, or you bought your gear from. They may have a solution, and its better if someone who knows you directly, and understands your physical issues, your gear, and how you work with it - they are the ones to advise you, and who understand your budget - then they can advise you better. </p> <p>Good luck! </p>

Note - unfortunately, the Fuji mentioned above, the X-Pro II camera, does not have a fold out LCD display. I could not edit the previous post, apologies.

Unfortunately few digital cameras provide the 1x1 format. Micro four thirds do, but they are 2 times crop factors - one quarter of the area, of a 35mm sensor. Which is much smaller than you are used too. The closest is the new APS/C sensor in the new Fuji camera. This is Fuji's newest camera, and its a new sensor - many more pixels than previously. However, its format in standard form, 3:2. You want 1:1. But, there is a 1:1 available. Instead of the camera's 24 MP resolution in 3:2 mode, you would get in its 1:1 mode, a 16MP resolution. Because the camera is mirrorless, you would see just the 1:1 preview on the camera's viewfinder, or on its fold out LCD screen. An alternative might be to get a DSLR with a fold out screen ... but there are few in Full Frame. Just the 24MP Nikon D750. The Sony has been mentioned - the latest is the A7R-II. There are several Zeiss made manual lenses available for that camera. With either of the above cameras, you could use the fold out LCD screen, and look down onto the screen from above, or view the screen while holding the camera. Use tape or a cardboard square frame on the LCD screen, to provide a square image. You would still have to "crop" the image in a software program. The A7R-II provides 42 MP - it is high resolution. There are only two camera formats that provide a square format - Micro Four Thirds, and Fuji mirrorless, also referred to as a 2x cropped sensor. Micro four thirds sensors has one quarter of the surface area of a 35mm sensor (which are lots smaller than yours). Fuji use a 1.5x cropped sensor (35mm is the reference standard, i.e. 1x crop), and has about half the area of 35mm. However - these area calculations do not apply to square film, because with 3:2 sensors such as the Fuji and 35mm, when it is square, more of the sensor area is lost with the 3:2 shape than with the 4x3 shape of Four Thirds. Then there is the pixel density issue. Pixels provide better resolution. I think the Sony A7R-II is worth thinking about, by using a frame over the fold down LCD screen. The resolution of its sensor is high - 7,952 x 5304, in its highest "Large" 35mm format. https://developer.sony.com/devices/cameras/a7r-ii/ So, you would end up with 5304 x 5304 pixels, or 28MP, which is lots of resolution. The camera can also run many manual lenses from other camera formats. While it will take V lenses too, they will be "Cropped" down to the 35 sensor size. Comparing format and pixels, I think your setup has been 16MP from the square 38x38mm sensor. That means 4000 x 4000 pixels. While lower technology, those pixels are CCD pixels, and many think them more accurate. Still, sensors have improved, but many are tailored for combinations of work, such as the Sony sensor mentioned. The Sony or a 35mm "Frame Sensor", when cropped to square, would be about 24mm x 24mm. My understanding is the Medium format comes in two square sizes: 33.00mm = 0.79 crop; Larger Medium format 40.40mm - 0.64 crop. However, I think that your device is more likely the higher end. Probably its around the 0.64 crop. Or bit more I think. For your 40mm lens, if the crop is as large as 40mm, then the equivalent lens for a 35mm digital camera, would be 0.64 x 40mm lens = 25.6mm lens. If the crop is actually 38mm x 38mm, then it would be a bit higher ... so let me guess at a 10% difference, so 0.64 crop x 1.1 = 0.7 crop, which would make a 40mm require for the 35mm sensor a 28mm lens (0.7 crop x 40mm lens = 28mm 35mm lens). For the Sony, there is no Sony FE bayonet mechanical manual lens that is 28mm. The closest with the Sony mount is the 21mm Ziess Loxia 21mm F/2.8, or the Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T*. While there is quite a low cost 28mm F/2.0 Sony lens available, its manual focus is electrically operated, and you may not like it. It auto focuses too, which I think you will not like. There are many non Sony lenses available though that would work on a Sony A7, including your Hasselblad lenses, but your Hasselblad lenses will all be cropped. Note too, that the depth of field will be considerably longer on 35mm equivalent sensors. The depth of field might need faster lenses to make up for the smaller cropped (compared to medium format) sensor. Note too, that changing cameras would have various flash issues. The flash setup you use currently, might need some work to get it to fire, or perhaps your flash gear may not be compatible. Also one other thing - I have read that the controls on your gear, is very heavy to use. Is it possible that a newer setup might be both lighter and easier to use? Just thinking about your issues ... Perhaps too, you need to talk to a supplier, who might suggest something for you, and allow you to test it first.