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MF digital newbies, so what have you learned

kuau

Workshop Member
Thought I would chime in as being a former workshop attendee and a recent owner of a H3D39.

After going from a Sony A900, D700, D3x, all btw are great systems, I sold everything a picked up a used H3D39, and 3 lenses, Since then there has been no turing back.
I have been doing some 16x24 prints on my HP Z3200 PS 24" printer and all I can say is wow.. Detail, detail, detail.
As much as I wanted to obtain the same results from my D3x, when i compare prints at similar sizes there is a noticeable difference, forget about viewing images at 100% on my gorgeous NEC monitor, looking at prints there is for sure a difference.
The funny thing is shooting my H3d, takes no longer then it use to take me with my D3x,
Since I am always on a tripod, mlu, cable release, setup time is almost the same. The only difference is the weight, So I got a good back pack.
The only thing I miss from shooting my D3x is Live View, and being able to take the D3x out in bad weather, light rain, drizzle, snow, etc. I don't think I will take my H3D out in bad weather.

Steven
 

David Schneider

New member
Just came across this thread. Good read!

One thing I'm working on is getting a workflow that's reasonably OK for doing, say, 4 high school senior session of about 200 images each in a day. Probably the first 45 consecutive images of the session need to be viewable immediately after the session. (For high school seniors we select a yearbook pose before they leave the studio.) Trying to decide if using my H3d2-39 is practical for such sessions or just stay with Canon. Or just use MD for longer sessions that generally have higher sales. Or just use for parts of sessions. It all comes down to workflow and I don't have a handle on it. This is different from dslr where there are several workflows to use, like shooting raw+sm jpg and just using those jpgs for yearbook selection. Or just using raw files.
 

etrigan63

Active member
David,
remember that Phocus 2.6 is due any moment now and that will give you remote viewing capabilities on an iPad. Shoot tethered to your main system and let the customer view on your/their iPad.
 

David Schneider

New member
Carlos,

That sounds interesting! Not sure I want clients to see too many images for fear of slowing down session though.

(By the way, in my Phocus, for some reason I can't get an image in the Viewer section! Images are in Thumbnail section. I've set it on Standard View. Got any ideas?)
 

cs750

Member
The biggest adjustment for me has been adaptation to the more narrow depth of field and need for higher shutter speeds (relative to 35mm) to achieve critical sharpness due to the higher resolution. That is a double whammy because as you stop down to gain depth of field you loose shutter speed. Add in the generally poorer high ISO performance of digital MF and you have a challenge. I like it though, because it forces me to pay more attention to what I and doing.
I agree with Mark's statements that the narrow depth of field and slower shutter speeds adjustments have been the greatest adjustments. I also agree that the IQ has been intoxicating and I would never want to go back. The adjustments have been good for me in the long run. This is a good thread and I hope it has a long life. I came to medium format from a Nikon D3x and as great as that camera has been, I recently sold it and have no plans to leave medium format. The detail in my prints on a 24" HP Z3200 are stunning and people are amazed at that detail.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I agree with Mark's statements that the narrow depth of field ....
If I had a $ for every shot where I've missed critical foreground focus ... at least compared to what I've always managed with 35mm full frame. The narrow DoF is the one that bites me the most of anything relating to medium format digital (and I know it's my issue - not the equipment!). The rest of the workflow is otherwise pretty simple.
 

Wayne Fox

Workshop Member
Personally, as much as I love the quality of MF, there is no way I would tackle a modern senior session where I'm expected to capture hundreds of images. A 5dmk2 with the 70-200 f/2.8 stabilized lens and lightroom is just too easy and plenty of quality (unless your normal customer wants a 30x40 or larger). Give me the ability to handhold, fast autofocus, stabilized lens, and better quality high ISO for this type of fast shooting.

I don't do much portrait work anymore, but for individuals I still opt for the canon over the p65+.
 

TTLKurtis

Member
I've learned a lot of little things here...

Microlenses, shutter speed awareness, differences in leaf shutters between Hassy and P1...

I'm excited to -hopefully- see some MFDB gear at WPPI next week. Their booths are sort of small so I hope they have some products there that I can play with and get a feel for at least a little bit.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I also learned that 645DF cameras with 75-150mm lenses on them are big and heavy and if there's a way to slip out of a tripod head QR that's not quite tight enough it'll find it. Don't ask how I know that ... :eek:
 

dchew

Well-known member
I'm in the process of making the leap to MF. One of the things I learned this weekend is that figuring out what lenses I want is not as simple as doing the math from what I was used to in 35mm. A 50mm is a 50mm. The image might encompass a wider scene in MF, but the perspective is the same.

I guess that's obvious, but it was a great eureka for me. I never personally enjoyed shooting really wide before. A 35mm lens was my preferred wide angle because I didn't like the tiny stuff thrown way off in the distance. MF doesn't do that near as much. I thought I would target a 50mm in MF, but now I'm looking at something like a the 40HR (on a 54mmx40mm sensor).

Dave
 

David Schneider

New member
Personally, as much as I love the quality of MF, there is no way I would tackle a modern senior session where I'm expected to capture hundreds of images.

I don't do much portrait work anymore, but for individuals I still opt for the canon over the p65+.
Wayne,

I use camera stand or tripod outside with my 5dmk2 (and have to remember to turn off IS or use my non-IS lens) so it's just the post production that takes the time really. If Hassie had ability to produce a small jpg for viewing and selecting at time of download, or even if I could just shoot jpg full size in studio (it's a nice controlled atmosphere that's metered even if the digital output of strobes is same as always for that background or set-up).

Did a family session Saturday. 226 images, but mfd is worth the workflow slow down because it's the right tool for right job with a group.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Wayne,

I use camera stand or tripod outside with my 5dmk2 (and have to remember to turn off IS or use my non-IS lens) so it's just the post production that takes the time really. If Hassie had ability to produce a small jpg for viewing and selecting at time of download, or even if I could just shoot jpg full size in studio (it's a nice controlled atmosphere that's metered even if the digital output of strobes is same as always for that background or set-up).

Did a family session Saturday. 226 images, but mfd is worth the workflow slow down because it's the right tool for right job with a group.
David, take a look at the new Phocus Quick. It let's you select Jpeg Large, Medium or Fast Preview ... or DNGs if preferred ... while also loading back-up fff RAW files. It's on the Hasselblad site under downloads.

-Marc
 

HenryDove

New member
Like many here, it's been getting to grips with the shallower depth of field, and the unforgiving nature of focus errors in MFD that have proved to be the biggest lessons to learn - after coming from 5x4 film and MF film I thought my technique would be up to the task - WRONG! But being able to read on this forum that you're not alone with these issues has been very heartening, and the threads on tripods have helped me select one that is much more suited to MFD (the ubiquitous Gitzo GT 3541 XLS - couldn't run to the ArcaSwiss C1 Cube, so a Manfrotto 405 does for me instead) and my hit rate is improving! Mind you, when I look back at my 5x4 and MF trannies, I "discover" that my focussing wasn't as good, or depth of field as large as I remembered it as being... But then, I do print much larger now than I used to (rarely went to 16x20, mainly 12x16) (currently coveting a 24" printer, but my "spend controller" will kill me if one of those turns up without me selling off some darkroom kit first - there's no room for one thing!) and never looked at scanned files at 100% as I do regularly now when examining my 50MP images in Phocus. I'm still struggling to get the best out of the HTS 1.5, but when I get it right, it simply blows anything else I've yet done out of the water!

Many thanks to all the regular contributors for your thoughts and experiences - it certainly helped me on my path to MFD nirvana!

Henry
:thumbs:
 

David Schneider

New member
David, take a look at the new Phocus Quick. It let's you select Jpeg Large, Medium or Fast Preview ... or DNGs if preferred ... while also loading back-up fff RAW files. It's on the Hasselblad site under downloads.

-Marc
Marc,

THANKS. Will take a look. Seems like what I'm asking for.

By the way, have any idea why I can't get image in Viewer section of Phocus. My thumbnails are all there.
 

David Schneider

New member
Like many here, it's been getting to grips with the shallower depth of field, and the unforgiving nature of focus errors in MFD that have proved to be the biggest lessons to learn
Henry,

I'm wondering if that "unforgiving nature" has caused many us (me included) to slow down a bit, look a little harder, and become better photographers while taking a smaller quantity of images. Using mf again seems to have helped my visualization skills and I can see a little better than before what I want the image to be before the lights are set or pose is struck.
 

GMB

Active member
So far it only helped to make the choice--but when the choice will have arrived next week :D:D:D, I am sure it will also help to make the choice work. Great resources here and I very much appreciate the willingness of folks to chime in on all sorts of questions. Good fun too, because with a few exceptions people don't pontificate but engage in genuine discussions.

Georg
 
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