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trouble with Precision in Manual Focus - Hasselblad + CFV

elrafo

Member
Hello!


I am owner of a 503CX and a CFV Back, My concern is that at f2.8 , My focus is sometimes a bit off, Like on a portrait, top of the head is in focus when the eyes are a little bit of focus...

I am using the focusing screen that comes with the CFV Kit, do you recomand another kind of focusing screen ?

I tried a Fresnel Focusing Screen, which is really bright, but there is no way to see the focus on this kind of screen!! do I have to make a combination of several focusing screen in that case ?

With manual camera, I guess there is no option for an electronical confirmation focus :)



Thanks for the Help !
 

tjv

Active member
Has your camera body and back been calibrated by Hassleblad? I've found with some cameras, all bit it with film backs, that because of the age of the camera they need to be brought back into spec so that the focusing screen is at the exact right plane. Other than that, manual focus on these bodies with digital backs I've always found an exercise in patience.
 

elrafo

Member
hello !

camera was calibrated indeed... so this might be the exercise of Patience you are talking about, but I was wondering if some Focusing screens are better for precision and Brightness...
 

tjv

Active member
I've always found the Acumat (sp?) D screens very good. But the tolerances with digital are so slim that it's easy to see TINY miss focus, where with film the depth of the emulsion and grain used to hide it.
 

rga

Member
Hello!


I am owner of a 503CX and a CFV Back, My concern is that at f2.8 , My focus is sometimes a bit off, Like on a portrait, top of the head is in focus when the eyes are a little bit of focus...

I am using the focusing screen that comes with the CFV Kit, do you recomand another kind of focusing screen ?

I tried a Fresnel Focusing Screen, which is really bright, but there is no way to see the focus on this kind of screen!! do I have to make a combination of several focusing screen in that case ?

With manual camera, I guess there is no option for an electronical confirmation focus :)



Thanks for the Help !
What lenses are you shooting at f2.8? I thought only FE lenses were available at those f-stops. Perhaps the 80 CFi? It's been a long time since I shot Hassy.

At any rate, f2.8 is pretty hard to nail even with the best MFcamera IMO, especially hand held. I wouldn't go below 5.6 and even then wouldn't expect my hit rate to be very high...
Good luck,
Bob
 

Geoff

Well-known member
The Hassy V with a digital back is a compelling and tidy package but it has its shortcomings as it has no focus confirmation or adjustment for back/lens offsets (meaning what is in focus on the screen might not be where that particular lens is really focusing on the back). Joseph Holmes has written on this point extensively as one of the digital issues of note.

Workarounds exist: try a lot of practice to see where the lens really is focusing, and then either adjust the focusing screen accordingly or build in a focus offset to correct this; also if you shoot at higher fstops will give some more DOF forgiveness.

Its sure not like film...
 
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