CFV-50C "promotion" continues

[richardman]

I'm going to inquire with Hugo over at Chamonix to see what options would be to throw this back on my 45F1. I'd like to eventually own an Alpa TC to throw in a bag when hiking long, long distance but the cost of the glass pushes it outside of my budget for what is a very special use.

The problem is that the 50C is 1.3 crop of a 645 so it's absolutely tiny comparing to the 4x5. The shortest lens you can use on the F1 is 75mm or so. Basically you will lose any wide angle capabilities.

A Flexbody is probably your best bet in that sense.

 

[SHV]

Actually a 65 works fine ( 45N2 ) but I tend to agree, get a flex body over using a back adapter on 4x5.

FWIW, the 50-c works well with the Flexbody and 40mm CFE with 28mm total shift.

Steve

 

[DanielDuarte]

The problem is that the 50C is 1.3 crop of a 645 so it's absolutely tiny comparing to the 4x5. The shortest lens you can use on the F1 is 75mm or so. Basically you will lose any wide angle capabilities.

A Flexbody is probably your best bet in that sense.

Actually a 65 works fine ( 45N2 ) but I tend to agree, get a flex body over using a back adapter on 4x5.

FWIW, the 50-c works well with the Flexbody and 40mm CFE with 28mm total shift.

Steve

Well.. the issue is I already have a Chamonix 45F1. A flexbody would be another 1500ish out of the piggy bank.

I do have the 40 CF FLE, so that is good to know it works well with a flexbody if I go down that route.

I don't shoot very wide. Even the 40 FF looks too wide for my preference. I remember when I had the chance to give a D810 a run with a 14-24 I hated it, sub 20mm to me felt too gimmicky. I know some people love it but its not for me.

I shot the camera today, since I already have a run with the 645Z the sensor performance didn't surprise me, but what did was the overall shooting workflow. I loved locking the shutter open, live view focus, then shoot. Since I've used a LF camera exclusively for the last 5 years plus it felt great. I could see how some people could hate it. I haven't made an image off a tripod in years, not sure if I'll venture handheld with this baby.

 

[richardman]

Any sliding back or adaptor solution, would cost $$ anyway. At least $500? May be more like $1000.

The 1.3x over 645 effectively gives you ~0.7x of 35mmm focal length, if you are used to that thinking, so 65mm LF lens, is ~45mm effectively length on the 35mm "full frame", hardly a wide angle. whereas 40mm gets you to ~28mm, a decent wide angle.

 

[DanielDuarte]

Hopefully your 40 CF / FLE is better than mine, it is the one lens I have out of 9 Hasselblad CF / CFi lenses that just does not hold up very well with the CFV50c back.

Fotodiox makes a pretty nice Hasselblad to Grafloc adapter that looks decent, bet it would work great with the slower LF lenses and live view. I'd be curious to try it one day on my Chamonix with one of my Apo Sironar S lenses.

Hope so too. Fortunately, I got a nice deal on it so if it doesnt work... an easy sell.

 

[SHV]

Hopefully your 40 CF / FLE is better than mine, it is the one lens I have out of 9 Hasselblad CF / CFi lenses that just does not hold up very well with the CFV50c back.

Fotodiox makes a pretty nice Hasselblad to Grafloc adapter that looks decent, bet it would work great with the slower LF lenses and live view. I'd be curious to try it one day on my Chamonix with one of my Apo Sironar S lenses.

Just did a few test shots with 40 CFE/FLE and, at 100%, it is a little "soft" at the edges. Surprisingly, the 38mm Biogon is sharp edge to edge.

Steve

 

[docmoore]

Steve,

I recall that Alpa placed the image circle of the Biogon at about 56mm ... so on long edge at 44 you are well within the sweet
zone of the lens ... and it was one of the best.

Shifting not doable and Alpa had a film back designed just to make the Biogon work.

Bob

 

[SHV]

Steve,

I recall that Alpa placed the image circle of the Biogon at about 56mm ... so on long edge at 44 you are well within the sweet
zone of the lens ... and it was one of the best.

Shifting not doable and Alpa had a film back designed just to make the Biogon work.

Bob

HB has a disclaimer for SWC and digital backs for "critical" use; wasn't a problem for me with CVF-16 and doesn't seem to be with the CFV-50c.

Steve

 

[DanielDuarte]

I'd like to give the 50CFV-50C a go on an ALPA to see how it all works. This stuff is so niche its so hard to find anything online regarding testing and results. All I find are Sony A7RII / 16-35 "oh, wide is so much fun" posts.

 

[docmoore]

HB has a disclaimer for SWC and digital backs for "critical" use; wasn't a problem for me with CVF-16 and doesn't seem to be with the CFV-50c.

Steve

The same HB who shucked the Lunar and Stellar ...

Sure the Biogon is old school but like the Airstream it just works ...

Critical is not a term I would associate with photography ...

Regards

Bob

 

[torger]

I'd like to give the 50CFV-50C a go on an ALPA to see how it all works. This stuff is so niche its so hard to find anything online regarding testing and results. All I find are Sony A7RII / 16-35 "oh, wide is so much fun" posts.

There's been some demonstration on this forum previously, so if you search you'll find. "Darr" is using a CFV-50c on an Alpa as far as I know.

There are crosstalk issues on the tech wides when shifting of course, but it's subject dependent and also subjective how much it hurts your photography, so it's impossible to give a clear recommendation. Anyone that wants no tech wide angle issues at all (except color cast) should have stayed on Kodak CCDs, such as the original CFV-50, but it's a new reality now.

Sensor-wise the performance is the same as an IQ250 so you can look at those results too. However it also depends on how well the LCC algorithm cleans up artifacts which may be quite different between Capture One and Phocus (I don't know though, as I haven't tested personally), so you do need to look into Phocus capabilities specifically too.

 

[DanielDuarte]

There's been some demonstration on this forum previously, so if you search you'll find. "Darr" is using a CFV-50c on an Alpa as far as I know.

There are crosstalk issues on the tech wides when shifting of course, but it's subject dependent and also subjective how much it hurts your photography, so it's impossible to give a clear recommendation. Anyone that wants no tech wide angle issues at all (except color cast) should have stayed on Kodak CCDs, such as the original CFV-50, but it's a new reality now.

Sensor-wise the performance is the same as an IQ250 so you can look at those results too. However it also depends on how well the LCC algorithm cleans up artifacts which may be quite different between Capture One and Phocus (I don't know though, as I haven't tested personally), so you do need to look into Phocus capabilities specifically too.

I've been offered an opportunity to purchase a Hasselblad H5D-50C for a pretty good deal. I now face a serious thought process regarding this back.

I may offer the back and my whole 503CW suite for sale. Thinking, thinking hard about it.

 

[richardman]

I've been offered an opportunity to purchase a Hasselblad H5D-50C for a pretty good deal. I now face a serious thought process regarding this back.

I may offer the back and my whole 503CW suite for sale. Thinking, thinking hard about it.

You probably will not get "too much" money for the 503CW, but the back should sell easily. Heck, if I have the $, I would be making the offer right now .

The choice is really about how much you are tied to the "mystic" of using the old V/200 systems and their lenses. I love it, the big ground glass, the Zeiss look and all that. If not, then I am sure the H system is a better system in every way (ergonomic, autofocus etc.)

 

[DanielDuarte]

You probably will not get "too much" money for the 503CW, but the back should sell easily. Heck, if I have the $, I would be making the offer right now .

The choice is really about how much you are tied to the "mystic" of using the old V/200 systems and their lenses. I love it, the big ground glass, the Zeiss look and all that. If not, then I am sure the H system is a better system in every way (ergonomic, autofocus etc.)

i just posted in the for sale section. Would 15K be a reasonable asking price for the back, body, a12 back, 40mm CF FLE, 100CF, 120CFI, 55 extension tube, PM45 prism, and WLF Finder?

 

[richardman]

i just posted in the for sale section. Would 15K be a reasonable asking price for the back, body, a12 back, 40mm CF FLE, 100CF, 120CFI, 55 extension tube, PM45 prism, and WLF Finder?

Can't say. See if people jump on it? Anyway, my observation is that it's tough for someone without a V system already to jump on a package deal like that, because if they have the money, they would be looking at other digital MF solution, e.g. Pentax. My feeling is that you may sell better if you break it up, but that's just my opinion.

Good luck. As I said, if I have the dough

 

[JohnBrew]

I'd like to give the 50CFV-50C a go on an ALPA to see how it all works. This stuff is so niche its so hard to find anything online regarding testing and results. All I find are Sony A7RII / 16-35 "oh, wide is so much fun" posts.

Darr uses the CFV-50c on an ALPA. I used one for a week w/40 HR. Very nice images. It was no sharper than my D810 w/Zeiss Otus glass, but the color was much better. And then there's that MF look...

 

[SHV]

i just posted in the for sale section. Would 15K be a reasonable asking price for the back, body, a12 back, 40mm CF FLE, 100CF, 120CFI, 55 extension tube, PM45 prism, and WLF Finder?

IMHO, more likely to sell as individual pieces. Brief look at ebay, KEH, B&H, seems like V series components are holding or increasing somewhat in price but the market is hobbyist money, not business expense.

Steve

 

[richardman]

The reason they make these backs for the V system is more for those of us who want a digital option for a system we are already using the snot out of to make film images with. I'm not even sure I would consider a full frame or 100MP sensor for the V system as I don't think the lenses would hold up as well as they do with the CFV50c.

I think one or two of the old Zeiss lens will do OK on the 100 MP back, unlikely the full spectrum of the old lenses

It would be far more interesting to have "full frame" 645 back with 50MP and not 100MP, but I would not mind the CFV-50C at all. Now if only I have the $$$

 

[DanielDuarte]

:ROTFL: My buddy from LFF is *so* right, you go through gear like a newborn does diapers, face-meet-palm, LOL!



The reason they make these backs for the V system is more for those of us who want a digital option for a system we are already using the snot out of to make film images with. I'm not even sure I would consider a full frame or 100MP sensor for the V system as I don't think the lenses would hold up as well as they do with the CFV50c.

As long as you make the work... I'm not worried about what I'm producing.

 

[DanielDuarte]

Darr uses the CFV-50c on an ALPA. I used one for a week w/40 HR. Very nice images. It was no sharper than my D810 w/Zeiss Otus glass, but the color was much better. And then there's that MF look...

Thanks! I'll have to reach out to them.