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A Short Learning Experience in MF (p30+ and Aptus II-8)

S

Shelby Lewis

Guest
Damn, guys... I pick a system that I love AND is pretty inexpensive (important to me right now) and you continually find ways to add to my shopping list. I going to have to get back into therapy if I keep asking for help around here :ROTFL:

Seriously... thanks for all the suggestions. I personally think the rz33 isn't going to cause a huge surge in RZ sales, but I'd bet the lenses will get a bit more expensive as digital backs continue to become more "affordable". I'm looking to start with the 50 ULD, 110/2.8, and 180... maybe the 210 or 140.

Waist level finder and prism to start with as well...

I'm probably going to spend a tad extra and go with the ProIID...kits with a normal lens and film back (WLF) are now readily available at under $2K.

Cigars and Port? Single Malts? Cab? Not usually for me... I've always loved cigars and, get this, a (good quality) big cold glass of sweet tea. Heresy, I know. Although, I'll never turn down a good glass of spirits! The tea must have come from growing up in the southeast! But, alas, my waistline is about 6 inches bigger than where it should be so no "vices" for me at this time, either.
 
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Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Hey folks be back in the swing of the forum Sunday on a Cruise ship with very very limited access. Have fun
 

PeterA

Well-known member
The RZ system rocks - if you can handle the shutter speed limitation. I love the way the lenses draw - definately its own 'look' that system - for some reason - more 'film like' irrespective of the back in use...
 
A

Alexander DeVoe

Guest
Hey Shelby,

It sounds like you and I are much in the same place, MFD-wise. That being said, I would like to throw out a little bit of my experience. I'll post some images and a more detailed summary in the next couple days (at work right now...)

So, I also tested the P30+ this past week (on the DF) as well as the Hasse H4D-40. Immediate impressions? Don't rule out the Hasselblads. I immediately fell in love with the Hasse handling and system, although for you, it might rule out the RZ system use (for what I know... maybe there's adapters.) The camera just seemed to meld into my hands so much easier than the P1/DF. I think that is a lot of the reason I have always shot Nikon over Canon, so this might not apply to you, being a Canon shooter. The H4D/H3DII just seemed to fit better, and the controls and menus made much more sense to me than the P30+. Let me just say Leaf is out of the running for me solely on the basis that it is touch screen. I'm not a fan of touch screens (outside the IPhone/IPod Touch) and have never really had a good experience with them. Just can't do it as I like the tactile feel of real buttons too much. Interface is huge for me on cameras as I hate fussing with menus, stubborn buttons, and would rather keep my head up to keep shooting.

I found the 4 button system of the P1 to be... well, frustrating in comparison to the H3/4D. But obviously that was just me, as there are many happy Phase shooters out there. I can't stand that the functions of the 4 buttons were constantly changing whether the functions were shown on the screen or not. Maybe I would get used to it, but at these prices, I don't want to settle or "get used to it".

File-wise, the P30+ and H3DII seemed very similar (AMAZING, with subtle differences) and the H4D-40 was gorgeous, but $10k more than the 31mp siblings, so probably out of the question for both of us. I need to spend a lot more time with the Phase files to have a real opinion here. Everything is being processed in either Phocus or Capture One. The 400 and 800 ISO images I took on the H4D-40 were fantastic to say the least. And the pliability in the images coming from these cameras is nothing short of breathtaking. Reading about it doesn't even come close to doing the workability justice. This alone justifies the switch from 35mm for me.

If your ultimate goal is to end up on the DF body, you should really test the Hasseblads as they seem to be a bit more cost effective at least when comparing to the cost of the P1/DF combos. Not to mention they have the HERO pricing program (good for lenses at least...) for students. I'm not sure how often you're shooting aboove 1/800th of a second, but I loved the leaf shutter lenses as well. The shutter action in them felt much quieter and smoother to me than the DF. The DF sounded a bit like it was sneezing in comparison. It was great nonetheless, and was as nice as any focal plane shutter I've shot before. Certainly more substantial though (and obviously would be compared to 35mm). The "flaws" in the these cameras really don't seem like flaws, really just differences.

I guess the main point of my post is that, unless the RZ compatibility and focal plan shutter are dealbreakers for you, you should take a look at the H3DII-31. At $11,600 (new, body only at full retail and 80mm lens with HERO pricing) it seems like a pretty great deal to me.

Good luck in your hunt. Mine seems to be coming to a close. Now onto financing this all... :bugeyes:

-Alex
 

Steve Hendrix

Well-known member
Hey Shelby,

It sounds like you and I are much in the same place, MFD-wise. That being said, I would like to throw out a little bit of my experience. I'll post some images and a more detailed summary in the next couple days (at work right now...)

So, I also tested the P30+ this past week (on the DF) as well as the Hasse H4D-40. Immediate impressions? Don't rule out the Hasselblads. I immediately fell in love with the Hasse handling and system, although for you, it might rule out the RZ system use (for what I know... maybe there's adapters.) The camera just seemed to meld into my hands so much easier than the P1/DF. I think that is a lot of the reason I have always shot Nikon over Canon, so this might not apply to you, being a Canon shooter. The H4D/H3DII just seemed to fit better, and the controls and menus made much more sense to me than the P30+. Let me just say Leaf is out of the running for me solely on the basis that it is touch screen. I'm not a fan of touch screens (outside the IPhone/IPod Touch) and have never really had a good experience with them. Just can't do it as I like the tactile feel of real buttons too much. Interface is huge for me on cameras as I hate fussing with menus, stubborn buttons, and would rather keep my head up to keep shooting.

I found the 4 button system of the P1 to be... well, frustrating in comparison to the H3/4D. But obviously that was just me, as there are many happy Phase shooters out there. I can't stand that the functions of the 4 buttons were constantly changing whether the functions were shown on the screen or not. Maybe I would get used to it, but at these prices, I don't want to settle or "get used to it".

File-wise, the P30+ and H3DII seemed very similar (AMAZING, with subtle differences) and the H4D-40 was gorgeous, but $10k more than the 31mp siblings, so probably out of the question for both of us. I need to spend a lot more time with the Phase files to have a real opinion here. Everything is being processed in either Phocus or Capture One. The 400 and 800 ISO images I took on the H4D-40 were fantastic to say the least. And the pliability in the images coming from these cameras is nothing short of breathtaking. Reading about it doesn't even come close to doing the workability justice. This alone justifies the switch from 35mm for me.

If your ultimate goal is to end up on the DF body, you should really test the Hasseblads as they seem to be a bit more cost effective at least when comparing to the cost of the P1/DF combos. Not to mention they have the HERO pricing program (good for lenses at least...) for students. I'm not sure how often you're shooting aboove 1/800th of a second, but I loved the leaf shutter lenses as well. The shutter action in them felt much quieter and smoother to me than the DF. The DF sounded a bit like it was sneezing in comparison. It was great nonetheless, and was as nice as any focal plane shutter I've shot before. Certainly more substantial though (and obviously would be compared to 35mm). The "flaws" in the these cameras really don't seem like flaws, really just differences.

I guess the main point of my post is that, unless the RZ compatibility and focal plan shutter are dealbreakers for you, you should take a look at the H3DII-31. At $11,600 (new, body only at full retail and 80mm lens with HERO pricing) it seems like a pretty great deal to me.

Good luck in your hunt. Mine seems to be coming to a close. Now onto financing this all... :bugeyes:

-Alex

Alex

Good feedback, and goes to emphasize that these products really need to be tried out as everyone is an individual and reactions will be very subjective. Just like with touch screens, camera grips, there is no right or wrong, just one's own subjective preference (well, actually there can be right or wrong, but........:rolleyes:

One thing I noted though, on the 4 button interface of the Phase One P30+ and your difficulty with it. At first, I struggled with it (used to menus, I suppose). But once I understood the functions of the buttons, it works for me. When I show someone a Phase One back, I describe the 4 buttons in this manner:

left buttons: yes/no, ok/cancel type of function.
right buttons: navigational/scrolling

That simplified it for me. Also, I don't know what you meant by functions always changing. Nothing changes regarding button functionality unless it is manually changed, so not sure what was meant there.

Anyway, thanks again for your experience. These type of comparisons always provide a good point of info for the forum.


Steve Hendrix
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
One thing many folks never pick up on with a Phase back is you can lock down the screen so any accidental button push is disabled. Hold down top left button than hit bottom right. Very useful when on the move in battle.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
" ... although for you, it might rule out the RZ system use (for what I know... maybe there's adapters.)

Any Hassey digital back can be used on an RZ, just like they can be used on a tech camera, or view camera like the Xact2. Basically, any kit that is a Leaf shutter system. Just need an H to RZ adapter and a sync cord from the lens sync port to the digital back input port. Then set sync in the DB menu.

The disadvantage is that the HD2/HD3/HD4 integrated cameras use the grip battery for untethered power ... which is eliminated when used on a different camera body. So, you have to shoot tethered for a power source, or use an external power source like the Image Bank-II ... (which can also be used to back-up what's shot to a CF card).

The CFV/16 & 39 as well as any Hasselblad CF back has its own power source independent of the H camera grip battery. I used a CFV on my RZ, and now can use my CF/39MS on it also ... no Tethered or Image Bank needed.

However, RZ isn't exactly back-packing type gear. I use mine mostly in the studio on a camera stand or huge tripod, so I rarely encountered the non-tethered situation.

:) Marc :)
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
One nice thing about the 4-button interface is that it works equally well with or without gloves and with any sized hands.

If you have normal sized hands and rarely shoot in cold pre-dawn desert, snowy NE days, etc then this won't be important at all.

If you have big hands, or shoot in cold weather then it is important.

Like Steve said: it's only a matter of personal preference and Hassy's system, Leaf's system, and Phase's system all have advantages and disadvantages.

I would however strongly disagree with this sentence:
"Maybe I would get used to it, but at these prices, I don't want to settle or get used to it'."
A Digital Back is an investment in money and time and if it take one or two full days of shooting to get used to a particular digital back's interface then that to me is a negligible part of the total investment in time and money. What matters most is how well it will work for the 99% of the time you use the back that is NOT the first day or two days of shooting over the life of the back.

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
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A

Alexander DeVoe

Guest
I would however strongly disagree with this sentence:
"Maybe I would get used to it, but at these prices, I don't want to settle or get used to it'."
A Digital Back is an investment in money and time and if it take one or two full days of shooting to get used to a particular digital back's interface then that to me is a negligible part of the total investment in time and money. What matters most is how well it will work for the 99% of the time you use the back that is NOT the first day or two days of shooting over the life of the back.
That's a very good point. Unfortunately I can't afford the $500+ a piece to rent a few backs for a week. Narrowing it down to ONE back and having half or all of my rental fee go to the purchase, yes. All of the contenders... nope.

I guess what I originally meant was more along the lines of, while using them, I immediately took to the Hassy and could find anything I was looking for, and navigate menus/zoom on images/operate the camera almost instinctively. It just worked, without me having to put much thought into it. The Phase FOR ME was a bit pokey in originally taking it up. Gorgeous files, simple interface, just not necessarily for me off the bat. I missed having an autofocus button where my right thumb sits. I liked having all the camera controls for the Hassy in one place on the body (instead of ISO/WB on the DB Phase style). Just my opinion.

But overall, you're absolutely right that initial impressions mean very little in the long run, and a DB/any camera's overall workability is vastly more important.
Nothing changes regarding button functionality unless it is manually changed, so not sure what was meant there.
What I meant was that depending on what you were doing (viewing images, navigating menus/changing settings, zooming in) each button had a somewhat unique function. Zooming in on images to check focus was a PITA compared to the Hassy. I hated having to switch between going left and right and up/down. The directional arrow system of Nikon/Hassy works SO much better for me.

If you have big hands, or shoot in cold weather then it is important.
I'm 6'5", and quite frankly have mitts, not hands. :LOL: I live in Wisconsin. Cold weather is an understatement. I have the GREATEST mittens that fold open to have cut off finger tips and even an extra folding thumb cap specifically for camera work in winter. I tested both cameras with gloves in 90+ degree weather (yes, ridiculous, but I've learned this lesson with other cameras and gloves). The Phase BACK was a bit easier to use, but the Hassy CAMERA felt much nicer overall with or without gloves. And since 95% of the settings I'm going to be using while shooting were on the top of the cam, the slight disadvantage the Hassy had in back operation was definitely off set by the integrated-ness of the camera. The DF just felt a little uncomfortable gloves or not (in comparison only, it's pretty good really) to me, just like a Canon feels awkward to me.

Having just tested these camera's I can't agree more with how important it is to get these in your hands. Not only did it make it more obvious (no final decisions yet) which system I liked, but it also helped shape my lens choices. The 50-110 HC lens I was looking at? WAAAY too fat to hand hold frequently. Same with the 35-90 HCD. Looks like primes are the way to go for me. Also, the HTS 1.5 became THAT much more attractive. That thing is tiny and WONDERFUL to use. Never could have known these things without experiencing them first hand.

Summary: Try before you buy. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. Would you buy a car without driving it first? Not me.

-Alex
 

yaya

Active member
Summary: Try before you buy. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. Would you buy a car without driving it first? Not me.
-Alex
Alex, do not underestimate testing the software side of the camera, from ingesting the files into your computer through adjusting/ tweaking them all the way to outputting them to common tiff/ jpeg formats at different sizes etc.

IMHO once you have done this your view and decision might change a bit

Yair
 
A

Alexander DeVoe

Guest
Alex, do not underestimate testing the software side of the camera, from ingesting the files into your computer through adjusting/ tweaking them all the way to outputting them to common tiff/ jpeg formats at different sizes etc.

IMHO once you have done this your view and decision might change a bit

Yair
Right! Capture One has Phocus pretty much beat hands down. That, I'll give up pretty much no contest.

Haha.

But that's not to say that Phocus is a bad program. I'm coming from Aperture, so it is a bit of a jump for me, interface-wise, but it isn't terrible to use. I got my images in and out without much problem. It DID make me long for a beastly new MacPro though. My MBP is showing it's age with these files. And it really isn't that old or under powered.

Also Yair, being the Leaf rep, I'm sure you would like to throw in the case for Leaf for me, and believe me, I did consider them. I love (as pretty much everyone does) the way the skin tones are rendered. Just can't do touch screen. ESPECIALLY with my fat, gloved fingers. :ROTFL:

-Alex
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Alex, I agree that first impressions are often an indication of further handling characteristics. I also agree that it is difficult to evaluate those long term abilities in just a day or two ... but I think that applies to all systems, not just Phase. Usually, if something feels intuitive, it stays that way ... you just get faster at it.

I never took to the Mamiya ergonomics despite owning the camera and a Leaf Aptus 75s in M mount for well over a year. It is just a personal preference based on what felt right for what I needed without thinking about it very much. I never did overcome my initial misgivings, and should have trusted them more.

The minute I picked up the H it struck an intuitive cord. Now having evolved to the H4D/40 I just couldn't be happier with the speed and ease of shooting. I have the True Focus activated to the thumb button and it is astonishingly fast and accurate even with the subject at the far end of the frame. I've set another front grip button to instantly fire a manual white balance ... no removing the camera from my eye, no steps, no menus ... press and it fires the WB shot. Not important to some, very important to me and my work.

Getting a first hand look is paramount ... had I actually seen how small the HTS/1.5 was in real life, I would have jumped on it even sooner. I take it with me almost every time in case a creative opportunity rears its beautiful head. I love using the HTS with the waist level finder for low dramatic controlled focus point shots with the 28mm.

Just get any of the stuff in hand ... it'll be pretty apparent what feels right pretty fast.

-Marc
 

Steve Hendrix

Well-known member
In my experience, I was unable to get the digital back from an HXD camera to work with the Mamiya H to RZ Adapter. The locking mechanism on top of the back interfered with the release lever of the adapter. If someone found a workaround for this, I'd be interested to hear. We don't sell Hasselblad, but we do sell Mamiya RZ Adapters....:)


Steve Hendrix
 

fotografz

Well-known member
In my experience, I was unable to get the digital back from an HXD camera to work with the Mamiya H to RZ Adapter. The locking mechanism on top of the back interfered with the release lever of the adapter. If someone found a workaround for this, I'd be interested to hear. We don't sell Hasselblad, but we do sell Mamiya RZ Adapters....:)


Steve Hendrix
Damed, I was sure you could do that with a HXD back ... But I never actually tried it ... so I defer to your direct experience Steve.

I've used a CVF and CF back on the RZ. Odd that no-one figured out a work around for that HXD issue ... but I suppose the demand would be pretty low for that specific application. If you could get it mounted, then it'd work just like on a view camera ... but ... :)

Thanks for the correction.

-Marc

Opps, I may have spoke to soon ...

Doesn't this work?

http://eco-digital.com/products/products/adapters.html
 
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Steve Hendrix

Well-known member
Damed, I was sure you could do that with a HXD back ... But I never actually tried it ... so I defer to your direct experience Steve.

I've used a CVF and CF back on the RZ. Odd that no-one figured out a work around for that HXD issue ... but I suppose the demand would be pretty low for that specific application. If you could get it mounted, then it'd work just like on a view camera ... but ... :)

Thanks for the correction.

-Marc

Yes, I remember when I tried it, I was all excited about showing folks that the H3D was more versatile than thought, and even though the idea of someone doing double duty with an H3D and an RZ didn't seem like a natural, I'm always up for a photographer having more tools. So, yeah, I was bummed. One thing I didn't try was the RZ Adapter from Eco Digital http://eco-digital.com/products/index.html, so not sure if that one would work. The issue was the lever at the top and on the Mamiya version, it's pretty thick and it's in the way. Perhaps the Eco Digital version is a little thinner and it would fit, it looks thinner than the Mamiya version from the product image on Eco's site.


Steve Hendrix


Marc - we're swapping edits. :)

Yes, like I said, the lever appears a little thinner, so maybe...
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Yes, I remember when I tried it, I was all excited about showing folks that the H3D was more versatile than thought, and even though the idea of someone doing double duty with an H3D and an RZ didn't seem like a natural, I'm always up for a photographer having more tools. So, yeah, I was bummed. One thing I didn't try was the RZ Adapter from Eco Digital http://eco-digital.com/products/index.html, so not sure if that one would work. The issue was the lever at the top and on the Mamiya version, it's pretty thick and it's in the way. Perhaps the Eco Digital version is a little thinner and it would fit, it looks thinner than the Mamiya version from the product image on Eco's site.


Steve Hendrix


Marc - we're swapping edits. :)

Yes, like I said, the lever appears a little thinner, so maybe...
This was discussed before here on this forum Steve ... Jordan Miller of DTG posted this ... maybe he can chime in and answer the question:

http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/showthread.php?p=52989

Marc
 

yaya

Active member
Also Yair, being the Leaf rep, I'm sure you would like to throw in the case for Leaf for me, and believe me, I did consider them. I love (as pretty much everyone does) the way the skin tones are rendered. Just can't do touch screen. ESPECIALLY with my fat, gloved fingers. :ROTFL:

-Alex
Alex, I just want to make sure you know that the Aptus can be operated with the supplied stylus or a pen hence no need for mitts plus some of the functions are accessed via the user thumb button on the side

Yair
 

PeterA

Well-known member
http://www.dtgweb.com/shop/home.php?cat=1487

I followed the link to the adaptor provider in teh uS ( see above) it looks to me that all the adaptors mentioned - are for CF series backs - couldnt see an H series back adaptor to RZ.

However the link from teh provider points to a japanese company which apparently does make teh h to RZ adaptor. As I cant read Japanese I cant comment - but will try and follow up when I get some time - unless smeone beats me to it.


Pete
 

yaya

Active member
Leaf makes an H-RZ adapter which can be used with Leaf and Phase One backs. As Steve says with the Hassy back the top small round locking lever gets in the way

Here is the Japanese company link. I expect the lever to still get in the way with that one.

Yair
 
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