thanks for your info marc. i do a lot of location work as well so i was wondering more about the handling, af, speed, size and viewfinder than the file quality. i know the leaf backs perform well as do the hasselblad backs.
i wasn't really expecting any optical improvement over the fuji lenses.
but if you we're interested in a studio setup you probably didn't look at af and hand-holding...
one other question if you don't mind. you used to use contax as i do now i think. how would you compare the hassy glass and af to the contax? i've handled an h2 a couple of times and like the feel of it and i was also impressed with the viewfinder compared to the cave-like view from the contax.
i'll be renting one next week, but if you could say something about the lenses and the af i'd be interested to hear it.
thanks again. kip
Actually, I did look at the camera from the perspective of AF and handheld work. I use a V camera that way more than in studio. I found the Hy6 to be lighter weight than its appearance would lead you to believe, and the viewfinder is quite bright ... but this was with a waist level finder as the prism wasn't available for this demo.
Irakly came toward the end of the demo and was almost entirely interested in the camera from a speed, candid people shooting POV. He was also not all that impressed with the lens ... and he owns and shoots Rollei.
Irakly also pointed out that they changed the way the adjustable handle is controlled from the way his Rollei handle works .... where you can move it without stopping the action to press the release like you have to do with the Hy6.
I was disappointed that the back didn't rotate like Rollei has had before, and my RZ does now. You have to remove the back and rotate it to portrait orientation ... which of course you need not do with a 645 like the H camera , Mamiya or your Contax. I do NOT like removing the back while shooting candid or location work... especially fast paced stuff.
The 645s comparison: Note that it may seem I am favoring the H system because I own it and am justifying that decision. Of course that is true, but it was a decision that was informed by owning all three major 645 choices and using them a LOT. I used a Contax 645 for many, many years, and still own a Mamiya 645 AFD-II for use with a Aptus 75s.
The Contax was an incredible camera for its time, and still is a viable choice in some regards. Irakly still uses one with a Kodak ProBack 645C to great ends. If Kyocera had stayed the course and continued development of the C645, who knows what the playing field would be like today.
The HD cameras run circles around the C645 in terms of integrated performance, clarity, functional camera control, flash control, and especially AF speed and accuracy. The power supply is a non issue with the H system with the grip providing power seamlessly to the camera and back. Each iteration of the H system software/firmware brings new user functionality and speed of operation. The more they integrate the system the faster it gets. Except for multiple focus point control, I now find the H camera as easy or easier to use than my Canon 1DMKII.
I had gone into the H system with a preconceived bias for Zeiss glass ... and did not make the leap from Contax 645 to the H until they offered the CF adapter to use my Zeiss V lenses on the H. That prejudice turned out to be unfounded. The characteristics are different to be sure, but the Fuji glass is beautifully made and the characteristics hold their own with the Contax glass ... which differs in degree lens to lens ... as you know, the Contax 120 macro is probably one of the best ever made, and the 80/2 is not only the fastest but one of the finer standard lens made for MF. However, the HC 100/2.2 won me over as my standard lens, and having a 28, 35 and 50mm with DAC software correction is amazing ... further proof of the integrated concept.