Hasselblad discontinues the H?

[buildbot]

I switched many years ago from Sinar multi-shot backs with a Sinarcam shutter on a Sinar p2 to an Imacon multi-shot back. I remounted the lenses into Rollei electronic shutters with the Rollei Lens Control S. Rollei offered an excellent solution and had the fastest top speed of the available options at 1/500.

Here's what Eric Hiss at Rolleiflex USA has to say about the Rollei and Phase One shutter connection:

HS 1000 Electronic Shutter Rolleiflex DHW USB controlled shutter Copal 0

In 2014/2015 DHW (Rolleiflex) designed and built a new electronic shutter to replace their venerable Rollei electronic shutters using a microchip controller which operates via USB. These they had working at 1/1000th speeds and controlled via USB. I was sent this one unit to look at. It's a working prototype, but no software really exists for it. I sent this to a tech for phase one via digital back dealers to look at around that time and the IP for these was later purchased by Phase One. It seems a lot of it went into Phase One's newly introduced electronic shutters. This shutter is functional but you would be on your own trying to get it to work. I'm selling it more as a very collectible item, I actually only know of two pieces every being made, and as such an interesting part of Rollei History. Rolleiflex has been at the forefront of imaging technology many times, including development of Medium format digital backs in the 1990's. Much of what they have developed has found its way into cameras from other brands.

Link to above The webpage may be very slow to load.

Yep! That’s my source for that

What’s interesting is that could mean there is actually a solid link between the sinar eshutter, rollei solution, and phase one. Sinar and Rollei collaborated on the Hy6, the firmware of which is definitely used as well in the Sinar M - the display is exactly the same as the hy6!!! There are references in the headers from the sinar M firmware updater to the “rollei af module”. So the CMV/CAB shutters might also be related as the Sinar M can manage those too. Or not!

Rollei and phase one actually worked together a lot too and built some aerial cameras using the 6000 series lenses and later the electronic shutters combined with p series and iq series backs in a tiny package:

(If someone has that black box I will pay you good money for it!!!)

 

[TechTalk]

...They have been working with Hasselblad for awhile - they made the Alpa Platon for the H6D-100C back in 2018: https://www.cined.com/alpa-platon-rehousing-hasselblad-medium-format-cameras-for-4k-raw-video/
(someone actually reviewed it even : https://ff.de/my-alpa-platon-experience/)

First, thanks for linking to the review article which I hadn't seen before. I knew there was something familiar about the name of the person doing the review, Florian Friedrich, but it took a quick search to jog my memory. Florian Friedrich is active in the ICDM (International Committee for Display Metrology) and is their subcommittee chair for HDR. I remember him from the German language site PRAD which offers excellent display tests and reviews. His work is discussed there occasionally and he authored their test report (English translation) for the extraordinary Eizo CG3146 HDR reference monitor. So, thank you for the link to his website and review!

* Addendum — One excerpt from Florian Friedrich's test report of the Eizo CG3146 HDR reference monitor linked above in which he specifically refers to medium format users (Google Translate version from German to English): "We have never seen autumnal landscape shots with small bright green, yellow and red leaves in front of a blue sky so well from any display. Let's be honest: Many photographers with expensive medium format cameras from Hasselblad, Fujifilm or PhaseOne have never really seen the image quality of their camera, because the contrast and color range of the images cannot be shown so well by any other display."

Photographers aren't rushing to spend $32,000 to see their images displayed on a monitor capable of maintaining such extreme brightness and contrast range across individual pixels. These are clearly specialized displays made for a very specific type of application. But it is interesting to consider how our images might look if such output were more readily accessible and what the future may hold in that regard.

 

[Thyl]

It might be of interest to some that while trying to find out more about the H-system's end, I found discussions in other forums stating that the Leica S3 and the Pentax 645z have also been discontinued. All this happened in May.

 

[buildbot]

It might be of interest to some that while trying to find out more about the H-system's end, I found discussions in other forums stating that the Leica S3 and the Pentax 645z have also been discontinued. All this happened in May.

Pentax 645z is basically the oldest of the IMX161 cameras, so that is not surprising really. The S3 is more so (and it’s sibling, the s30|45, not surprising at all) , but would make sense given the rumors of the mirrorless S4.

Anyone have an s30|45 they’d part with?

 

[Thyl]

Pentax 645z is basically the oldest of the IMX161 cameras, so that is not surprising really. The S3 is more so (and it’s sibling, the s30|45, not surprising at all) , but would make sense given the rumors of the mirrorless S4.

Anyone have an s30|45 they’d part with?

The S3 is not a sibbling of the s3=/45, iirc, since the Sinar back is still based on the older sensor, while the S3 has a newer 64 MP sensor. And it is in fact only three years on the market, after a significant delay. Something else I read is that the S3 only sold in 300 copies. Hard to believe, but somehow reflected in the Leica S facebook group which is really really small. I doubt that there will be an S4 after the failure of the S3. But then, I was also optimistic that we would see a CFH 150c sensor unit for the H6D (or an H7D) prior to the X2D, so my prophetic talent seems err handicaped.

 

[buildbot]

The S3 is not a sibbling of the s3=/45, iirc, since the Sinar back is still based on the older sensor, while the S3 has a newer 64 MP sensor. And it is in fact only three years on the market, after a significant delay. Something else I read is that the S3 only sold in 300 copies. Hard to believe, but somehow reflected in the Leica S facebook group which is really really small. I doubt that there will be an S4 after the failure of the S3. But then, I was also optimistic that we would see a CFH 150c sensor unit for the H6D (or an H7D) prior to the X2D, so my prophetic talent seems err handicaped.

You are totally right, I just assumed it was the 64mp and not the 37!
300 would be more than I expected!

 

[tcdeveau]

Yeah I can’t imagine many 645zs and S3s are being sold at retail these days.

The 645z is great, I used that system for a bit. It was the first medium format camera I used that was about as reactive and quick as an APS-C/FF35mm camera….and the lenses could be found cheeeap on eBay from Japan. Bought it for an Iceland trip and it took the weather like a champ!

If the S3 were priced more competively with the X2D and GFX100 I imagine they’d sell more, but….Leica. I’m sure it’s a great camera too but it’s hard to justify the investment, esp for new users and especially considering the writing has been on the wall for OVF systems for quite some time now. Definitely curious about a mirrorless S4 though, and I imagine that will generate more interest than the S007=>S3 upgrade. Whether that will translate into sales who knows but I’m here for it and happy to root them on! (And Pentax and Hasselblad and Fuji and P1)

 

[dj may]

I have the S3 and love it. I want to have OVF (as well as weather resistance, great lenses, image quality and ergonomics) for the next ten years.

 

[Steve Hendrix]

Off topic to the thread, but since some have mentioned it, if Leica did it right, I can maybe see a market for a mirrorless S4. I think the pricing would have to be lower, but not too much lower. Things really slowed down with the S3 because it trailed the segment in so many crucially perceived ways (technically) and was not twice as expensive, but 3+ times as expensive. Even for Leica, that's asking a lot without class leading tech.

If they chopped 1/3 off the price, and pushed the S4 into a more competitive position tech-wise (the way they have with the SL2), I think they can make a go of it. One thing I do wonder about - Fuji famously declined the 35mm full frame market, so they go from APS-C 25mm x 17mm to 44mm x 33mm. I feel that the 36mm x 24mm size of the SL2 might infringe upon the potential of S4 success (where we don't really see that happening with Fuji X vs GFX).

I don't know - we'll see. I've liked the SL since it came out, and very much liked what the SL2 brought. I'd like to see them at least try to repeat that success with the S4.


Steve Hendrix/CI

 

[Paul Spinnler]

Off topic to the thread, but since some have mentioned it, if Leica did it right, I can maybe see a market for a mirrorless S4. I think the pricing would have to be lower, but not too much lower. Things really slowed down with the S3 because it trailed the segment in so many crucially perceived ways (technically) and was not twice as expensive, but 3+ times as expensive. Even for Leica, that's asking a lot without class leading tech.

If they chopped 1/3 off the price, and pushed the S4 into a more competitive position tech-wise (the way they have with the SL2), I think they can make a go of it. One thing I do wonder about - Fuji famously declined the 35mm full frame market, so they go from APS-C 25mm x 17mm to 44mm x 33mm. I feel that the 36mm x 24mm size of the SL2 might infringe upon the potential of S4 success (where we don't really see that happening with Fuji X vs GFX).

I don't know - we'll see. I've liked the SL since it came out, and very much liked what the SL2 brought. I'd like to see them at least try to repeat that success with the S4.


Steve Hendrix/CI

They are working on a plan for an S4 I heard, but apparently it is still unclear whether they go for a Q or exchangeable lenses concept ... Q3 widely exceeded expectations (eclipsing, M, SL and S sales) which may lead to a scenario where we have a crrop mdf 100-150 megapixel Q3X with a 28mm equivalent MFD summicron APO attached to it ...

Q3 apparently especially successful in the motherland of digicams, namely Japan!

 

[ThdeDude]

They are working on a plan for an S4 I heard, but apparently it is still unclear whether they go for a Q or exchangeable lenses concept ... Q3 widely exceeded expectations (eclipsing, M, SL and S sales) which may lead to a scenario where we have a crrop mdf 100-150 megapixel Q3X with a 28mm equivalent MFD summicron APO attached to it ...

I read somewhere that instant film is Fujifilm's cash cow, making more money than the rest of their photo gear business.

But I doubt we ever will see again 4x5" instant film.

 

[tcdeveau]

I read somewhere that instant film is Fujifilm's cash cow, making more money than the rest of their photo gear business.

But I doubt we ever will see again 4x5" instant film.

I can see that. Instax is so much fun, we have a few of the cameras and printers. My 4yo wants to print our pics all the time right now

 

[tcdeveau]

They are working on a plan for an S4 I heard, but apparently it is still unclear whether they go for a Q or exchangeable lenses concept ... Q3 widely exceeded expectations (eclipsing, M, SL and S sales) which may lead to a scenario where we have a crrop mdf 100-150 megapixel Q3X with a 28mm equivalent MFD summicron APO attached to it ...

Q3 apparently especially successful in the motherland of digicams, namely Japan!

a Q3X-like cam that you’re describing could be pretty interesting and make a great minimal compact travel setup

my back has been bothering me more lately so I’m getting more and more into the“less is more” ideology and lugging less gear around