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Ricoh - Hasselblad V digital back module for GXR system

carstenw

carstenw

Active member
:) That is a Ricoh sensor on an SWC, so no Hasselblad digital back. I would also say that the presence of duct tape would be a pretty good indication that this is an end-user project.
 
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tetsrfun

Guest
This is what an "upgraded" 40 year old SWC is supposed to look like....couple of days ago, I was playing with a snap shot that I took awhile ago, out of a hotel window, with that "old girl".

Steve
 
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N

neil

New member
Looks very good. My cvf39 will not fit onto my old swc. It says in the brochure I have to send the swc back to Hasselblad to have the tripod mount modified. Did you do this to allow yours to fit ? Is it worth paying to get this upgrade done? Your image seems to suggest it is worth it. I read in many places its not recommended to use for critical work. Your image suggests otherwise. Do you have problems with colour casts etc ?
In photos 2.0 there is digital lens correction support for most hasseblad V and F lens but I could not find the settings for the SWC. Did Hasselblad not make a digital lens correction profile for the SWC ? Thanks for posting the image. Its given me a new found drive to get my SWC onto the digital back.

Regards

Neil
 
T

tetsrfun

Guest
neil said:
Looks very good. My cvf39 will not fit onto my old swc. It says in the brochure I have to send the swc back to Hasselblad to have the tripod mount modified. Did you do this to allow yours to fit ? Is it worth paying to get this upgrade done? Your image seems to suggest it is worth it. I read in many places its not recommended to use for critical work. Your image suggests otherwise. Do you have problems with colour casts etc ?
In photos 2.0 there is digital lens correction support for most hasseblad V and F lens but I could not find the settings for the SWC. Did Hasselblad not make a digital lens correction profile for the SWC ? Thanks for posting the image. Its given me a new found drive to get my SWC onto the digital back.

Regards

Neil
Click to expand...
Around 1980 the SWC/M was released and the primary modification was to the tripod plate in order to allow use of the Polaroid film back. At the time Hasselblad offered a modification kit #44059 to upgrade to the /M plate. These kits can occasionally still be found; I'm an not sure what/if Hasselblad is doing now. I didn't want the bother and resorted to DIY and power tools. I used a cutting disc and Dremel tool to remove the upper part of the tripod plate. This provides sufficient clearance for the CFV to be seated. If you do this make sure that the camera is well isolated from the "work area" so metal and plastic bits don't get in the "works".

I have read the Hasselblad white paper with the light ray drawings showing the potential problem with the 38mm Biogon and the digital back. this might be an issue with critical copy or building photography but I have not seen any examples posted illustrating the problem. I have not seen a problem, at least with my 16MP crop sensor. There is no lens correction for the 38mm Biogon and since this lens is not a retrofocus design it may not be necessary; that is pure speculation above the level of my expertise, however.

The only practical issue, that I am aware of is intermittent "wake-up" problems with the SWC and CFV. This shows up as partial exposures, magenta casts, etc. Sometime happens , sometimes doesn't. It can be avoided by using the PC sync cable and setting the CFV to flash sync rather than SWC. The is especially useful when doing multi sec. exposures.

Steve
 
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T

tetsrfun

Guest
Jurgen:

Does the Phocus: "Scene calibration tool" correct this problem with the CFV39 or does it require more complex correction? Again with the CFV39 using the "square" option and sync cable is the color cast worse than the CFV16? Finally, with your extensive testing and experience, is the SWC + CFV39 a useful combination or too much trouble to be worth using?

Steve
 
jotloob

jotloob

Subscriber Member
Steve

When the BIOGON lens was designed , no one knew what a digital back would be . The BIOGON is a very good , if not the best wide angle lens and ideal for film . Therefore , the SWC is a fantastic WA camera for MF photography .
That is valid for film .

If you use the SWC + CFV-16 , you will receive a slight color cast , which in many cases is easily corrected in PHOCUS , when you readjust the color temperature , but perfectly , when you use the scene calibration tool .
Using the calibration tool of course makes only sense , if you have the corresponding WB shot . I use an EXPO DISC 95mm for the WB shot .
The restriction here is , that it is very difficult and inconvenient (in most cases impossible) to shoot handheld .

Working with the SWC + CFV-39 , you will definitely get a magenta cast on the right side and a cyan cast on the left . This is normal when shooting with a BIOGON type wide angle lens and a sensor size of 37x49 mm .
This cast is (almost) not seen when you work with the crop to square
function .
I my testing I could not fully remove this cast using a WB shot and the
scene calibration tool in PHOCUS .

I must admit , that my testing was under extreme circumstances (a snow landscape , where there is about 90% white) , but here you can see the slightest color cast .
If you have an image with many different colors , you might not always see the casts.

My conclusion : I will use the 905SWC with the CFV-16 or with the centered square part of the CFV-39 only but not with the full size of the CFV-39 sensor .

A very good lens for digital WA shooting with the CFV-39 is the
CZ DISTAGON CFE 4/40 T* IF .
Here you have a V-SYSTEM lens correction parameter in PHOCUS .

Jürgen
 
T

tetsrfun

Guest
jotloob said:
Steve

When the BIOGON lens was designed , no one knew what a digital back would be . The BIOGON is a very good , if not the best wide angle lens and ideal for film . Therefore , the SWC is a fantastic WA camera for MF photography .
That is valid for film .

If you use the SWC + CFV-16 , you will receive a slight color cast , which in many cases is easily corrected in PHOCUS , when you readjust the color temperature , but perfectly , when you use the scene calibration tool .
Using the calibration tool of course makes only sense , if you have the corresponding WB shot . I use an EXPO DISC 95mm for the WB shot .
The restriction here is , that it is very difficult and inconvenient (in most cases impossible) to shoot handheld .

Working with the SWC + CFV-39 , you will definitely get a magenta cast on the right side and a cyan cast on the left . This is normal when shooting with a BIOGON type wide angle lens and a sensor size of 37x49 mm .
This cast is (almost) not seen when you work with the crop to square
function .
I my testing I could not fully remove this cast using a WB shot and the
scene calibration tool in PHOCUS .

I must admit , that my testing was under extreme circumstances (a snow landscape , where there is about 90% white) , but here you can see the slightest color cast .
If you have an image with many different colors , you might not always see the casts.

My conclusion : I will use the 905SWC with the CFV-16 or with the centered square part of the CFV-39 only but not with the full size of the CFV-39 sensor .

A very good lens for digital WA shooting with the CFV-39 is the
CZ DISTAGON CFE 4/40 T* IF .
Here you have a V-SYSTEM lens correction parameter in PHOCUS .

Jürgen
Click to expand...
Thanks Jurgen...Knowing that you don't make statements without having done the testing, I think that you have made the definitive statement about Biogon 38mm and Hassselblad digital CFV backs.

Steve
 
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