Hassy H1 - Are the lenses as reported?

[michael_j._kravit1]

Recently I became interested in a Hassy H1. I have been doing a bit

of research and read that although the H1 lenses seem to be sharp,

they do not have the classic Hassy/Zeiss smooth look. In fact, some

reviewers are reporting them to be edgy and harsh.

 

Is this a reason to pass on the H1?

 

Also, I have read of problems with the body locking up and failing.

 

Anyone with an H1 care to give me your thoughts. H1 users only

please, I would like actual user experiences only.

 

Thanks

[everitt]

"classic Hassy/Zeiss smooth look"

 

Yes, only Leica or Zeiss glass will mark you as a true artiste....

 

Why don't you rent one and see if you like it yourself?

[dzeanah]

Well, ...<p>

 

<i>H1 users only please, I would like actual user experiences only.</i><p>

 

Oh, never mind.

[macgregor_anderson]

My H1 gave me several error report messages with one lens, the 50-110. I called NJ and they said it has to be sent back to them, camera, lens, AND all my other lenses. I haven't done it yet. I've had the thing for a year and shot maybe 100 rolls on it, and always been careful with it.

 

I've also had one filmback not work from time to time. Always this one back, never the other, so I don't think it's anything I'm doing. Usually re-attaching it fixes this, but not always.

 

I find the remote cable adapter and rubber cover very poorly located. The mirror-lockup is tough to get too, also (big fingers, I should add).

 

Otherwise it's worked extremely well. I can't comment on the lense quality vs Zeiss, etc. Leave that to the pros. I'm one of the guys who bought one instead of a big screen TV, a new vehicle, nice furniture, etc. It's waaaay too good for me.

 

Mac

[macgregor_anderson]

Sorry, I should clarify, the lens/camera combo stopped working only a month or two ago. It worked very well orginally, though it's a very bulky lens for running around. I am very happy with the 35, and like the 80 as well. I use a 1.7x tc as well (doesn't work on the zoom). I know better than to buy zooms, and I'll probably sell this one once it's been fixed. Replace it with a longer lens.

[pavelp]

Does not Cokin sell the "Leica Look" and "Hassy Look" filters?

[gary_woodard]

Actually Pavil, lenses from different manufactuers exhibit qualities such as color rendition, sharpness, bokeh etc. specific to the glass,

lens configuration, coatings etc., its just the way it is.

[hendrik]

The lenses are very sharp and made by Fuji.

 

You can save yourself lots of money and buy a Fuji badged camera that is selling in the rest of the world as a Hasselblad, only in Japan.

[pall_stefansson1]

...the lenses are good, have five H1 lenses, they are all up to zeiss standard. Do

also have and use Hasselblad V/ Zeiss lenses, and can?t see any differnt. Use

the V Hasselblad more, only because a like sq format better.

Have used H1 for one and half year and never problem with the lenses. A very

good system.

In all I have 14 Hasselblad lenses, and i don?t look if it is zeiss or fuji, the

standard/quality is the same.

[raymond_wong7]

I have had the H1 for a little over a year now. I have not had any mechanical or electrical problem with the camera. The one time I received a error message was when I was in a hurry and did not mount the prism finder correctly and the contacts where not seated properly. As for the lenses in some way they are better than my Zeiss lenses: Sharpness, Clarity, Contrast, Color Accuracy. They are also less forgiving in portrait work because of the sharpness and micro detail.

The lenses are not edgy or harsh, but they are also not as soft as the Zeiss lenses I have used in the past. IMHO I prefer a sharper lenses with greater detail, I can always soften the look with a good softar or the use of photoshop. Some may feel that the bokeh on the Zeiss are better, but what I have found is that all of this is attributed to my Zeiss lenses being softer. Since bokeh is so subjective I would strongly suggest you rent the H1 and shoot a roll for yourself. Personally for me the bokeh is fine

[jack_carlton]

Zeiss lenses being softer than Fuji?! You must be kidding.

 

My S-Planar 120 will beat the hell out of your Fuji stuff.

 

Peace.

[keith_laban]

<a href="http://www.keithlaban.co.uk">Keith Laban Photography</a><p>More contrasty yes, softer no.

[jack_carlton]

I guess the lenses are "as reported" (whatever that means), but the H1 itself is not. It's just a rebadged Fuji camera, and too expensive at that.

 

If you want 645 AND Zeiss, get a Contax 645.

[gary_ferguson1]

I've recently moved from Contax to the H1. The Contax handles better, much better IMO, and has a usefully high top shutter speed, it also enjoys a wider lens range (especially if you include third party options).

 

The H1 is unquestionably the better choice if you need higher flash synch. It has one of the best viewfinders I've ever experienced, better than the Contax in terms of brightness, magnification, and corner-to-corner visibility. Furthermore the auto focus is from a different generation, and probably sets the medium format gold standard for speed and accuracy. Finally the Contax probably wins out as a digital platform, I say probably because until it's more widely used with the latest backs we won't know if it lives up to its promise or not.

 

The H1 is let down by some poor design features. The stop-down and the mirror-up buttons are awkwardly placed, and the cable release socket is difficult to access. More significant are the firmware issues, many users have had some bad experiences and a disturbingly high percentage seem to be returned for updates, although in fairness to Hasselblad the very latest firmware does seem to have most issues under control.

 

I've left the lenses to last. As far as the wides are concerned they're no different to the best of the competition, maybe wide angle designs don't leave much room for individuality, certainly I can see nothing to distinguish them from my wide angle Contax shots. The difference is in the longer lenses, I can see it clearly in the prints and the available MTF charts point pretty clearly to a difference. The Contax optics are beautifully mellow in the very best Zeiss tradition, but for my money they're just not as sharp (with the exception of the Contax 120mm Macro) in the plane of focus as the H1. Let's keep it in perspective, this difference is more about personal preference than absolute quality. Realistically the Contax lenses are plenty sharp enough and equally the H1 lenses are plenty smooth enough. However, identical they are not.

[betty_blecha]

Hi Michael,

 

I purchased my H1 late last year. I spent a great deal of time researching the camera, since it was a major purchase for me. It came with the second version of the software preinstalled, and I have had no problems with the camera locking up. I think it would be wise for anyone purchasing the camera to make sure the installed software is the current version. With digital coming on strong, I was attracted to a camera that would allow me to use film now AND use some digital in the future. I thought that 645 was likely to be the preferred sensor size in the not too distant future, given the very high cost still associated with large sensors. It also seemed to me that 645 sensors would have a quality margin over smaller sensors given the S/N problems associated with small micron cells. Carrying a Betterlight system in the field is not an option for me, even though I love and still use my view camera. Hence my interest in a medium format system, and the H1 in particular. More than any other medium format camera, it seems designed to grow into future technology changes. Time will tell.

 

I have been very pleased with the camera. I spent some time looking at the MTF charts for the lenses and I ran some film through a demo camera before I decided to purchase. My own judgment is that the MTF data is accurate. I have used both the 80mm and 150mm. The lenses are tack sharp and the contrast is as expected. Other lens qualities are more subjective. I suggest that you do as I did and run some film through a demo camera and check out the results for your own eye. I agree with Gary that the viewfinder and autofocus are exceptional for their class. I have small skinny fingers, so the design issue of button placement is less of an issue for me. Since I only use the mirror lock up when the camera is on a tripod, I do not find it inconvenient to click the top button on the front to do this. However if the button placement bothers you, you can set a user function button located right next to your thumb to stop down the lens, lock up the mirror, start the bracketing function, etc. The self-timer options are such that you only need the electronic cable release if timing is important. I bought the cable release, but find myself using the self timer most of the time. The ability to set the flash to ambient light ratio is also a nice feature, as is the ability to define different camera profiles for different shooting situations. You will need to purchase the rechargeable battery grip. Why this doesn't come standard with the camera is beyond me.