Hasselblad H5D-50 vs PhaseOne P65

[alessandro_v]

<p>Hello,<br>

<br />I am opening this new thread because I couldn't find those many informations elsewhere...<br>

I am rather new to MF digital photography and I am not very expert about the compatibility of the various digital backs and bodies out there so please excuse me in advance if I say something silly.<br>

Still I made my best to gather all the possible useful informations before posting here...</p>

<p>I am trying to figure out what would be the best medium format solution for my needs and, after talking with some representatives from the various brands, I spotted the PhaseOne P65 Digital Back (to be used together with a camera that could be the PhaseOne 645DF+) or an Hasselblad H5D-40 (maybe 50 if I find a good deal).<br>

I am enthusiastic about the great latitute (12 stops) claimed by the P65 but I couldn't find any informations about the Hasselblad sensor. Also, from what I understood, the P65 is basically the same sensor as the iq260 with a worse screen and less feature, but the sensor is the same... What about the hasselblad? Is it a new tecnology or it's just a new camera body with an old sensor?<br>

Also, the P65 is phisically bigger than the hasselblad H5D-50 sensor (not to say the 40) and I thought this could have some positive effects on the images (deep of field, etc...)<br>

I haven't seen that many PhaseOne 645DF+ cameras out there but I have always seen plenty of Hasselblad...is it just a question of marketing or there is a good reason for it?<br>

I am pretty much confused and it would be great to hear the opinions of somebody who actually owns or has tried both cameras...<br>

This is going to be the biggest investment in photography of my life so far and I want to be sure to make a good choice that will last in time...<br>

<br /><br /><br>

THANK YOU VERY MUCH,</p>

<p><br />Ale</p>

 

[leicaglow]

Hi Ale, I cant speak to which platform to go with, but results from both are great. If I

was going to pop for either, I would go to an industry show or at least make an

appointment to work with a pro shop to compare the two. I would lean toward the

Hasselblad system for a number of reasons, the fact it seems most defacto being

one of them.

[erichiss]

<p>I'm sure you'll find loads of information (and opinions) over at the Luminous-Landscape forums. The H body is both more advanced and also a better camera than the DF+, and probably the phase one software is better than the phocus from Hasselblad. A lot of the dealers have demo bodies so its probably worth a bit of time to check them out and see which you are more comfortable with. You might also want to look at the Hy6 ;-)</p>

[alessandro_v]

<p>Hello everybody,<br>

<br />I have taken a look at the luminous landscape website for the review of the P65 but now I'll take a closer look, thank you for the tips!<br>

Also, I'll surely ask the dealer for a "test-drive" of the cameras, it would surely be of help!<br>

<br />I did not know about the Sinar Hy6, I had taken a look on their website but I could only found kind of 4x5 with digital back and still now I can't find the Hy6 (or any other digital MF cameras) on their original website...where should I look?<br>

<br />Many thanks!<br>

<br /><br /><br>

Ale</p>

 

[harry_hollander]

<p>The Hy6 is made by DHW (Rollei) these days, see <a href="http://www.dhw-fototechnik.de/en/rolleiflex-slr/rolleiflex-hy6-mod2.html">DHW</a> ; you may ask them for the backs that fit. They recently repaired a Makro-Planar PQS 120mm for me and did a stellar job. Great body (but I'm using the 6008i with film).</p>

 

[harry_hollander]

<p>The Hy6 is made by DHW (Rollei) these days, see <a href="http://www.dhw-fototechnik.de/en/rolleiflex-slr/rolleiflex-hy6-mod2.html">DHW</a> ; you may ask them for the backs that fit. They recently repaired a Makro-Planar PQS 120mm for me and did a stellar job. Great body (but I'm using the 6008i with film).</p>

 

[ondebanks]

<blockquote>

<p>I haven't seen that many PhaseOne 645DF+ cameras out there</p>

</blockquote>

<p>But you've probably seen many Mamiya 645AFD-series cameras out there? Same thing. PhaseOne bought Mamiya and stuck their label on their at-the-time current camera (thus the Mamiya 645AFDIII = the PhaseOne 645AF), and then helped to develop the closely related 645DF and DF+. The P65+ back will work on any of those cameras. You don't need the latest DF/DF+.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I am enthusiastic about the great latitute (12 stops) claimed by the P65 but I couldn't find any informations about the Hasselblad sensor. Also, from what I understood, the P65 is basically the same sensor as the iq260 with a worse screen and less feature, but the sensor is the same... What about the hasselblad? Is it a new tecnology or it's just a new camera body with an old sensor?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The 50MP sensor in the Hasseblad is the highest MP Kodak sensor used in medium format digital. It has the same 6 microns pixel size as the 60MP Dalsa sensor in the P65+, but is slightly smaller in area. Kodak (now Truesense) has not released a newer large sensor, so in that sense it is not "old technology".</p>

<p>Which would I get - considering only the sensor, and not the camera and lens range etc.? Well that's a fairly tough call. My comparison would boil down to:</p>

<p>P65+ pros: 20% bigger sensor area; slightly higher light efficiency and dynamic range; ability to bin pixels in hardware for 15MP images with reduced noise (enabling higher ISO); arguably more pleasing skin tones for fashion/portraits etc.</p>

<p>H-blad 50MP pros: much lower noise in long exposures; arguably more pleasing/strong colour for landscapes etc.</p>

<p> </p>