My H4D-60 arrived

[Dustbak]

Calibration is done on H3/H4 combinations and not on the CF + H body combinations. It is done in the factory and not user functionality.

Not sure even whether in my case it was the groundglass that was in the wrong place or something introduced by the HTS. Considering I have seen this on 3 different bodies (H1, H2F & H2F).

Anyway, most people that use the HTS agree on 2 things. It is an excellent piece of equipment and it is damn hard to get it to focus properly.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Okay tapping my feet here. Lot of talk and no pics. LOL

Just kidding but would love to see some images

 

[fotografz]

Yes - when shooting tethered with live view there is a focus assist feature that works quite well (i know this from my 39 days). I don't know whether it works with the HTS 1.5. I generally don't shoot tethered - but this may be the solution that people working in studios use. But not on the 60 right now because live view is one of the yet-to-be delivered features. Live view (at least as it was implemented on the h3d 39) has some serious limitations - it can't be used in daylight without a lot of of ND filter.

Yes Woody, Live View and the Focus Graphing works with the HTS/1.5.

For those not familiar with this feature, here is a quick shot I set up as a demo (a hand made necklace that our sweet house-maid made for my wife for Christmas) Pay no attention to the crap lighting ... it's just a focus demo

H4D/40 with HTS/1.5, 13mm tube, 50mm ... HTS tilted down to max, slight shift up. Shot tethered, Clicked Live View, click the mag tool on a key part of the image that I wanted to inspect, then used the Focus Graph to optimize focus.

The actual video feed is useless for anything more than composition ... it's when you use the magnifying tool to zoom in on a part you want to check focus on that the magic happens. What is cool is that using the mag tool, the focus point can be placed anywhere in the frame ... not just the center like when using the camera's focus system.

At this point, you do not touch the lens to correct focus, you use the +/- buttons in Phocus ... even though the focus is set to manual, the software adjusts plus or minus. The Green Graph Line is constantly updated as you fine tune the focus. An audio feedback is also available if you wish ... which I've used with view camera lenses that do have to be focused at the camera.

Here are the pics:

A) Full file
B) Crop
C The Process from the Hassey Manual
D) Part 2 of the Process
Focus Graphing for my photo (read captions)

Marc

 

[fotografz]

Calibration is done on H3/H4 combinations and not on the CF + H body combinations. It is done in the factory and not user functionality.

Not sure even whether in my case it was the groundglass that was in the wrong place or something introduced by the HTS. Considering I have seen this on 3 different bodies (H1, H2F & H2F).

Anyway, most people that use the HTS agree on 2 things. It is an excellent piece of equipment and it is damn hard to get it to focus properly.

Tethered focusing is easy ... see my post with photos above in answer to Woody's question as to wether Live View/Focus Graphing works with the HTS/1.5.

Focusing in the field, or for portraits is another matter. I have a diagonal split focusing screen on my H2F ... I think I'll install it on the H4D/40 and see how it works with the HTS/1.5.

-Marc

 

[Dustbak]

I know, I use the live view function often (obviously not with the 60).

Sorry Guy, not much of interest photographed yet. I am in the period of the year where I have time to update websites, toy around with new tools I got just in time to maximise Tax deductions, visit family members I have been avoiding all year, etc...

My Christmas wish above is one of the few things I shot with the 60 sofar

 

[dick]

Okay tapping my feet here. Lot of talk and no pics. LOL

Just kidding but would love to see some images

I thought that photography was about DPI, not pictures?

300mm lens test, with a demo H4D-60 (before I got mine), at a Hasselblad UK hands-on event, in their London Studio.

One light, too small, so 400 ISO for f16, focused on neck to soften the face and get the hair in the POSF... I moved sideways to get the cross lighting on her cleavage and lost the background.

Would you like a larger .psd version, or what other pictures would you like me to take?

 

[tetsrfun]

Tethered focusing is easy ... see my post with photos above in answer to Woody's question as to wether Live View/Focus Graphing works with the HTS/1.5.

Focusing in the field, or for portraits is another matter. I have a diagonal split focusing screen on my H2F ... I think I'll install it on the H4D/40 and see how it works with the HTS/1.5.

-Marc

I just upgraded my GC (3rd upgrade? and Marc's fault) in my 1.1 MacPro with an HD5770. Even with my low tech "V" and CFV, the annoying LV focusing "hysterisis" is almost eliminated; a big improvement.

Steve

 

[Woody Campbell]

Calibration is done on H3/H4 combinations and not on the CF + H body combinations. It is done in the factory and not user functionality.

Not sure even whether in my case it was the groundglass that was in the wrong place or something introduced by the HTS. Considering I have seen this on 3 different bodies (H1, H2F & H2F).

Anyway, most people that use the HTS agree on 2 things. It is an excellent piece of equipment and it is damn hard to get it to focus properly.

Amen.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

I thought that photography was about DPI, not pictures?

300mm lens test, with a demo H4D-60 (before I got mine), at a Hasselblad UK hands-on event, in their London Studio.

One light, too small, so 400 ISO for f16, focused on neck to soften the face and get the hair in the POSF... I moved sideways to get the cross lighting on her cleavage and lost the background.

Would you like a larger .psd version, or what other pictures would you like me to take?

actually like the shot like it is. Nice image

 

[fotografz]

Well, I tried the split diagonal focusing screen with the HTS to no real joy. Shooting untethered wide open in ambient light with max tilt and any shift is indeed challenging.

I used the LCD zoom function to assess actual focus error and made semi-blind minor manual focus adjustments and shot again to get it right. Kinda hit or miss ... but when on, it's a neat effect being able to control placement of in focus and OOF areas. Not exactly for a spontaneous style of shooting ...

I think this isn't optically optimal for shooting faster apertures ... and the DOF is almost non-existent with the 100/2.2. Here are couple of snaps I got relatively right ...

Bet using the H4D/60 and HTS in ambient is going to be a real bear of a challenge.

-Marc

 

[hcubell]

Marc - One of the knocks on the tech camera solution to getting resolution out of these backs is that it's really hard to focus to digital standards on a ground glass - at least in part because of the ground glass's "grain".

Well here I am working with with the HTS 1.5 and the 60 and I find myself focusing . . . on a ground glass. Examination of the files tells me that I often miss by just a little bit.

Any suggestions on how to get better results?

Thanks.

Focusing and depth of field are always major challenges with high resolution sensors. I found that with an H3D-39, and it's significantly more so with my P65. When you inspect a file on your monitor from a 60 mp sensor and look at at an area where there is excellent focus, the level of detail is breathtaking. The flip side, however, is that areas that are not in perfect focus tend to look significantly out of focus, even though the areas are within the zone of "acceptable" depth of field. For me, the solution that has worked well in most cases is to shoot multiple files that are bracketed for focus and then blend them in Helicon Focus. For the right images, the results are exceptional and can't be achieved any other way. A tech camera will not help, and will generally make things worse because you can't accurately focus the lenses. (The only drawback is the retouching functions in Helicon Focus do not work with 16 bit files from a 60mp sensor.)
Enjoy your new camera. May it bring you much pleasure---and great images.

 

[David Schneider]

Well, I tried the split diagonal focusing screen with the HTS to no real joy. Shooting untethered wide open in ambient light with max tilt and any shift is indeed challenging.

I used the LCD zoom function to assess actual focus error and made semi-blind minor manual focus adjustments and shot again to get it right. Kinda hit or miss ... but when on, it's a neat effect being able to control placement of in focus and OOF areas. Not exactly for a spontaneous style of shooting ...

I think this isn't optically optimal for shooting faster apertures ... and the DOF is almost non-existent with the 100/2.2.

Marc,

Don't want to hijack the thread, but before I spend $289 on BrightScreen split finder for the H3d2/39, are you saying you wouldn't recommend it for portraits in studio? And does using that screen effect auto focusing at all?

 

[Woody Campbell]

Marc,

Don't want to hijack the thread, but before I spend $289 on BrightScreen split finder for the H3d2/39, are you saying you wouldn't recommend it for portraits in studio? And does using that screen effect auto focusing at all?

Hijack is approved. I'm interested in this question too.

 

[Woody Campbell]

So here are the impressions that I promised. I'm not calling this a review because I really don't have the time do fully controlled testing and organize and present the results. I've focused on the HCD 35-90 - I use the lens 70% or so of the time - and the HTS 1.5.

My tripod is a Gitzo GT3541LS with no center column and an Arca Swiss cube. I use the Kirk L bracket, which fits the camera snuggly and has a second attachment point at the auxiliary port on the left side of the camera, which makes it very stable and secure. It unfortunately means that you can't use the GPS attachment without removing the L bracket.

On workflow all conversions are in Phocus to 16 bit tiffs. I continue processing in LR, moving into PS if needed. For those of you new to Hasselblad, Hasselblad has two raw formats: When working untethered the camera saves in 3fr format, which provides some lossless compression. You import these the Phocus which converts them to fff. Hasselblad recommends considering the fffs as archives and tossing the 3frs. I do the opposite for reasons that I can discuss another time.

My goal in undertaking this was to understand the implications of the very large and high resolutions sensor for focus and depth of field, hand held exposures and in respect of lens limitations. In other words how am I going to have to adapt my shooting style to this thing.

Over the years I've griped a bit about Hasselblad ergonomics. I've gotten over that - I was really reacting to the fact that it's big and heavy. I've actually learned to enjoy it. The large, bright LCD is a joy and the camera is very well balanced. Interestingly it arrived with a lot of goodies in the box, but not the apparently optional hand strap, which if you are shooting hand-held is actually essential. The carrying weight of the camera, HCD 35-90, a couple of batteries and a well padded messenger bag is about 12 pounds - actually not that bad (my walk-around Leica kit with four lenses is 8 pounds).

 

[dick]

Marc,

Don't want to hijack the thread, but before I spend $289 on BrightScreen split finder for the H3d2/39, are you saying you wouldn't recommend it for portraits in studio? And does using that screen effect auto focusing at all?

The trouble with my technique of using split image for focusing on the ears is that you often cannot see they ears through the hairstyle, and you can focus on the neck or somewhere and re-compose.

 

[Woody Campbell]

So let's get down to some images. I'll be posting these over the next few hours (maybe days - we'll see) as I upload them. We'll start with Sarabeths. This was shot handheld at 1/125 with the HCD35-90 at 55mm and f6.8.

I focused on the Sarabeths awning with True Focus. The lens achieves focus almost instantly but then the camera continues to make little noises for a half second or so; then it beeps to tell you that it has achieved a True Focus lock (there's also a visual indicator in the viewfinder). I then tilted upward the frame the building as I wanted and shot the exposure. I corrected perspective in LR.

Here's a crop of the awning. You should see a couple of things here. The focus on the awning is dead on. We'll see later on that even tiny misses in focus are visible with this camera, so True Focus has handled this focus and recompose situation well. Note also the bottom of the ironwork at the top of the cropped frame. It wasn't green. What you're seeing is a color moire. I did this conversion with moire slider set at zero in Phocus. In an urban setting with a lot of repeating patterns the H4D-60 does generate moires - it comes with the no AA filter turf.

Here's the same image reprocessed in Phocus with the moire slider set at 5 (its slightly different because I didn't perspective correct the reprocessed image).

 

[Dustbak]

Woody,

Did you process the moire reducted image to layered PSD and painted in the moire reduction or did you let Phocus moire reduce the whole image?

Often at 5 the moire reduction will also create color bleeding in other areas.

BTW. I love the Christmas Party image on your blog. To me it breathes the christmas atmosphere.

 

[Woody Campbell]

Let's move on to Brick Presbyterian Church, a brick wall torture test. I do a lot of stitches on the fly with my Leica. Here I've shot handheld two images with the HCD 35-90 at 45mm and f8 at 1/125 and stitched them in PTGui Pro. Pixel dimensions are 7200x11000.

Works fine. I've also included some crops. The crop from the very top exhibits the typical funkiness that you get with extreme perspective corrections. On a print this looks better than the crop - If you did the same correction as a shift in the camera with a 4x5 Wista and '70s era glass you'd end up a similar problem in the not-so-great part of the image circle.

Crop:

Another crop:

 

[TimothyHyde]

Woody,
I use the same tripod/head rig as yours. I'm not sure about the Kirk L-bracket, but I have used an RRS L-Bracket with all my H's and the GIL (gps). One has to use a steel file to shave away a bit of one edge, but it works perfectly. The added benefit of this setup is that the L-bracket forms a very usable left-side handle that I use as often as the grip for manipulating the camera on and off the tripod.
Just got my H4D-60 Friday and your photos are inspiring me to get out there today and use it in the field.

 

[Woody Campbell]

Woody,

Did you process the moire reducted image to layered PSD and painted in the moire reduction or did you let Phocus moire reduce the whole image?

Often at 5 the moire reduction will also create color bleeding in other areas.

BTW. I love the Christmas Party image on your blog. To me it breathes the christmas atmosphere.

I would ordinarily do as you suggest with that much moire reduction.