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Hasselblad frustration vs Technical obsession

rem

New member
David, why comes from Hasselblad nearly nothing in German? Every 30€ tool have instructions in many languages. Of course, most people understand english, but sometimes it helps much more when you can read it in your mother-language! I asked last spring Hasselblad when will com a manual in german for the H4D... The answer was: in the fall. Now we have many month more. Today I received the HTS 1.5. Manual only in english. Oh, how cool would it be to read it in german! For me it have also to do something with respect to the customers they pay such a lot money for your products! rem
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
Valentin,

I just read your post last, so i'll comment first.

Exactly! I like your term "politically correct", but I also understand the answer to a degree. For most, they probably don't care about that connectivity, but I knew that someday I would want to explore those options. I did not know of the extent of micro-lenses and the nature of quantum physics on DB's., but perhaps, if Hasselblad would put an asterisk or caveat next to that info, it would allow the potential buyer to seek more info to see if that will affect their choice. I agree with Thomas too, that occasional use is no less important.

Marc,
Thanks for the comment, it is emotional...and complex. Ultimately, it was my choice to go with the H4D, a fantastic camera that suit the needs for many applications. My issues with the actual camera are an anomaly...
As an actor, I can hide behind a character, but photography, for me, is a very personal experience, one in which, I can hold in permanent form, what fascinates my perceptions. Not always good, but honest.

My replies are often emotional rather than logical, but we're all artists... and emotion is what motivates many images. I consider myself in good company.
 

jlm

Workshop Member
ok, johhny, you have teased us enough:

emmy, artist, actor, maybe in NYC

who is hiding behind that mask? ;)
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
Jim,

Nothing to mysterious. I got the Emmy for producing something for TV, but have always been involved with acting too... wait ...I have to go, I have to put lingerie on my model girlfriend..
 

ajoyroy

Member
What I think is, that there should be a sticky thread for newbies in MF to go through. Specifically how MF differs from 35mm, and reiterate the importance of
a) Research
b) Dealer evaluation
c) Limitations of MF
d) RAW processing
.
.
.

Though some of prospective MF shooters would be discouraged, in the long run, it is better be discouraged rather than bitter.

Of course if some one takes the plunge, and makes a large investment just on whim, then no one can help them. As some one said, just because you have the means and bought a Ferrari, does not necessarily guarantee satisfaction in a bumper to bumper commute (and crib ad ifinitum about huge service bills)
 

goesbang

Member
Marc,

I did in fact, get offered $1800.00 more than your updated price for an S2. So, for me, it's like getting free use of a camera for the year. And I was only repeating certain aspects to reply to a comment, but thanks for not taking sides.

Your cute funny smiley faces really do put an emphasis on the points you made!

Alas, this forum may not be for me...I post comments and instead of practical useful knowledge to disseminate, I have to defend my comments...all the time. Although, gentleman like PeterA and others don't judge me on my lack of MFD experience, they encourage and inspire (pic of woman with Leica...thanks Peter) and great photographers like Don Libby who also share similar experiences, and of course Bryan Siebel...dude you rock! There's more of course, and I do appreciate all i've learned. Most of you are amazing professionals and the generous nature of photographers to share their recipes is an outstanding quality! This is how we learn...
Mate, I know you feel a bit like you're taking a bit of a pasting here.

Please take a small step back and consider what I am about to say.

Of all the forums you could go to, this is the most robust. It is populated by people who are well informed, well intentioned, and genuinely willing to give you meaningful advice. That advice is not always what you want to hear but give it the respect to at least consider it. You don't have to agree with it. Would you rather hang out with a bunch of twits posing as know-it-alls sitting around in a mutual-congratulation society?
The best way to learn is to surround yourself with people who know more than you. I think you just found such a place. To wimp out now does not become you. I suspect you are made of sterner stuff.
To be honest, I think people have been pretty polite with you. I've had much sharper exchanges with many here, Jurgen and Marc to name just a few. I haven't always agreed with them, but I continue the dialogue because there is underlying respect here. I would happily continue the debate face to face with anyone here for that reason.
Stick around and play. The game can get a bit rough, but in the end it's all in fun!:toocool:
 

goesbang

Member
To the OP:

You know what? I've thought about it more and you are right. You have every reason and right to be frustrated and angry ... and I retract most of what I've said here ... because to be honest it would have pissed me off too.

We're all just photographers trying to do the best we can. Dealing with this gear stuff has become a past time that has grown expodentially as everything has become more complex and specialized, and product cycles have grown shorter and shorter ... not to mention horrifying expensive.

It can all become bewildering and emotional.

Frankly, it is emotional energy better spent making photographs than engaging in brand or marketing wars that set one user against another. Let the makers slug it out ... I just want to make pictures and have carefully picked what I think will best help me do that ... which isn't necessarily what may be best for the next person.

If other users, reps, or companies want to put their spin on this-verses-that to bolster their decisions, offerings, or whatever ... let the competition answer them ... I'm done. My loyalty and energy is better focused on my work, clients and earning a living for my family.

Best of luck on your next steps, and good shooting to you! :thumbs:

-Marc
TOTALLY with you on this one Mark.:thumbs:
 

goesbang

Member
I'm fairly new to MFD world and I can see where the OP is coming from. For many of you, since you've been at it for a while, all the facts seems like common knowledge. It isn't. Some of you said "you should have asked the question before you bought" ... well, sometimes you don't realize something until it happens to you so you don't know to ask about it. Why would he doubt what the brochure says that he can use the DB on a technical camera? Should a user go down the list of features and double check that indeed they are working as described?

Even in this thread, after he expressed his concern, David still gave a political correct answer: neither here or there. Sometimes trying every possible body and back combination is not a real world possibility.
As many have pointed out, it is our dealers that we have to rely on for advice. Sadly, not all dealers are as well informed or open as they should be. My dealer in Australia had an interesting approach in that they would refer some of their new customers to long-term pro users for a user testimonial. I was one of those photographers when I lived in Oz. I did insist, however, that I would tell the enquirer the weaknesses as well as the strengths of the gear.
They had no problem with this.

The process can get a little complicated when manufacturers either claim or imply that their equipment can do things they know perfectly well it can't yet do. It doesn't count that you have it "under development". This simply breaches trust and damages a brand.
 

Steve Hendrix

Well-known member
Just taking a read through all this. When you think of expensive products one might purchase - a house, a car, a boat, a camera...and you think of the information available to support each purchase, it can get a little precarious. And when you're talking big money, that's not a comfortable place to find yourself in. But I was thinking about the information process for these type of purchases and they range from completely cryptic to plenty of detail....about everything positive.

Not to scare anyone unduly, but yes, you can lose money on these products. You can make the wrong decision and end up with a product that is not to your liking and experience buyer regret.

Traditionally, cameras are a bit of a simpler experience in that you just put film in and press the shutter with the proper exposure. And with the buying experience expectation that the seller is also *an authority, *someone who empathizes with, respects and even shares your values, if not your vision, *will look out for you as a result.

But today, buying a camera, even an inexpensive camera seems much more complicated because on the low end, there are so many choices, and on the high end, there are no pain, no gain features, that aren't always obvious to the buyer.

So, from that standpoint, I can sympathize to a degree with JGD, because traditionally, there is an expectation that this is, after all, a camera. Regardless of the reality, I can understand that.

From the seller's vantage point, I feel there should never be a "they should have known" approach to a buyer's remorse.

It's easy enough to go through JGD's list of issues (sudden depreciation, inflexible and non-aggressive trade-in value, camera incompatibility or limitation) and break them down to a rationalization of why, pertaining to the industry itself, the manufacture themselves, etc, that address each of his concerns.

But regardless, I understand where he is coming from. Should he have done more due diligence? Yes, but perhaps he didn't know that he needed to. It's a camera. I think today, if you are selling cameras, especially expensive ones, you need to ask questions, questions, questions. You need to discuss products in terms of relativity to others and be specific to application and conditions and draw this out. You cannot assume a client calling to buy a camera will know to offer them up.


Steve Hendrix
 

cunim

Well-known member
But regardless, I understand where he is coming from. Should he have done more due diligence? Yes, but perhaps he didn't know that he needed to. It's a camera. I think today, if you are selling cameras, especially expensive ones, you need to ask questions, questions, questions. You need to discuss products in terms of relativity to others and be specific to application and conditions and draw this out. You cannot assume a client calling to buy a camera will know to offer them up.


Steve Hendrix
Steve, agreed, but high-end camera reps I have met are skilled tradesmen as opposed to generalists. Unless you are in the same trade, it is best not to expect too much. What happens when the questions just reveal that the rep doesn't really know how to do what the client wants? Happens a lot. Then most reps will just try to sell the most capable kit they have.

Ascending the digital photography price ladder we go from equipment made to do almost anything reasonably well, to that designed to do a few things superbly. We wouldn't expect a consumer camera store clerk to give definitive advice on photographing art or fashion or food. We do expect more from the person selling us the latest MF kit, but that advice can only reflect what he knows.

If you don't do typical commercial photography, or if you are not exactly sure where your work is going, caveat emptor. In that case, very few people are in the same place or on the same path and can actually give you detailed advice. So, we haunt the boards looking for kindred spirits.

Dealers, after all, want to sell you something. Take the pitch in the spirit in which it is given. If the rep does not understand you any better than your spouse does, borrow or rent the stuff for a week and see what it can do.
 

Steve Hendrix

Well-known member
Steve, agreed, but high-end camera reps I have met are skilled tradesmen as opposed to generalists. Unless you are in the same trade, it is best not to expect too much. What happens when the questions just reveal that the rep doesn't really know how to do what the client wants? Happens a lot. Then most reps will just try to sell the most capable kit they have.

Ascending the digital photography price ladder we go from equipment made to do almost anything reasonably well, to that designed to do a few things superbly. We wouldn't expect a consumer camera store clerk to give definitive advice on photographing art or fashion or food. We do expect more from the person selling us the latest MF kit, but that advice can only reflect what he knows.

If you don't do typical commercial photography, or if you are not exactly sure where your work is going, caveat emptor. In that case, very few people are in the same place or on the same path and can actually give you detailed advice. So, we haunt the boards looking for kindred spirits.

Dealers, after all, want to sell you something. Take the pitch in the spirit in which it is given. If the rep does not understand you any better than your spouse does, borrow or rent the stuff for a week and see what it can do.

And to be clear, I am speaking generally, not specifically about JGD or whoever he was working with at the dealer level.

Yes, you should expect more from a dealer selling expensive equipment like this, as you say, but if the discussion broaches into an area that the dealer rep is not familiar with, then either that rep should seek more information (there is nothing wrong with saying - I don't know, but I will get back to you), or that rep or dealership shouldn't be selling the products in the first place. Which again, gets back to the issue of the prospective purchaser being at the mercy of this situation.

As has been pointed out, this is a problem because of the lack of well qualified dealers to sell and support this type of expensive equipment.

For the most part, someone doing their homework will have some idea of the caveats, due to great forums like this, but that isn't always 100% the case, sometimes someone is just not familiar with the gottchas that might ensue and just assume they're buying a very expensive camera that practically does everything by itself in incredible quality with minimal intervention or effort.

Not saying that's the case here, but we do come across these type of clients from time to time, and if we recognize that, it should be a red flag to us as the seller and the supporter to make an extra effort to ensure the purchaser understands all the pluses and minuses of what they are getting into and draw more information out from them as a result.

***Edit: I would also add that in this case, for example, if someone sold an H4D-31 and didn't have the knowledge or experience of using a technical camera or view camera with a digital back so couldn't advise the purchaser on the issue of uncorrectable vignetted color casts, they shouldn't be selling the product in the first place. If that rep specializes in high end fashion photography but are completely ignorant of movement-based photography, they shouldn't be selling the equipment.

Medium format itself is so much more versatile than 35mm in terms of camera and lens options and resulting applications, that having a broad range of photographic knowledge is essential IMO.


Steve Hendrix
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
Bryan,
Thanks for the pep talk, there's been other posts that i've made here that have, lets say, ruffled a few feathers. That's one of the reasons I made that reference. But you do make excellent points, i've have read other forums and to be honest, this one does seem to have more experience and less drama. As Steve Hendrix pointed out too, one must do the research, as product cycles and technologies have change considerably, probably even since I just started writing this. I did however, check Capture integration and Phase One's websites, and to their credit, all the tech data one could use or need is available for everyone to read. Even tech camera/lenses/DB's comparisons. They clearly state which DB's use micro-lenses and either are or are not recommended with tech/view cameras. My mistake was not going there before and understanding the differences each makes. Perhaps, others will learn from my mistakes and understand that as photographers we evolve as does our equipment. Try to imagine where it will take you and at the same time be practical. Get equipment that can integrate with each other without having to sacrifice a brands loyalty altogether. Group hug...
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Since we are now talking about the sellers of the gear rather than the slug fest over my gear is better than your gear...

My 2$ ...

I think this category of selling MFD equipment has undergone a huge transformation in the past few years. There are more very well informed re-sellers coming to the forefront as the companies intensify training and improve dissemination of information. But it is not as widespread as one would hope, especially in certain areas where it is difficult to get a one-on-one relationship cemented. I'm located in a major metro area of Michigan ... according to the P1 Partner locator, the closest P1 dealer is in Cleveland Ohio ... my Hasselblad rep is 15 minutes away from standing in my studio to help me one-on-one.

Because the equipment itself has also done an amazing transformation in a few short years, the more traditional use of it has metamorphosed into new areas of photography ... as opposed to its more traditional role in the commercial world peopled by fairly knowledgable career photographers with a clear creative or functional intent for the gear.

As far as enthusiasts buyers ... one would assume they have some idea of why they are buying $30+K gear ... some specific functional or creative intent as a priority. That information is all that a dealer can respond to because none of these choices do everything well ... and if the priority intent changes later ... ??? It's like going to a car dealer and saying I want to buy a car ... getting a sedan that does most things well, then getting angry at that dealer because you can't haul the entire soccer team to practice.

-Marc
 

Chuck Jones

Subscriber Member
Oh man, here I go again...

Johnny, I can feel for you as well, but do you really expect any manufacturer to give you a full picture of a products use in their marketing literature? Come on guy, your an actor, you KNOW not to believe everything you see.... or read.

That said, you'll never find out the whole truth about anything from looking at marketing materials. They're designed to direct your attention to just what they intend your attention to be directed towards! Guys like me get paid lots of bucks to make anything look good... and sell because of it. You were doing fine shooting film, and now making the change over to digital. Welcome to Club-Shed. Shedding lots of cash to find out that digital is different from film is something many of us experienced. If some are a bit sharp in their answers to you, it's likely due more to our own similar foolishness having already poured countless thousands ourselves down that rat hole called "gaining experience."

When you are pushing the edges, expect to get some push back. That back your climbing down into a dark hole to shoot was never designed to be used down there either, and no, they don't tell you that in the marketing materials over a PhaseOne or at 'Blad. Buy yourself a box of your favorite emulsion, and go shoot. If you need more than a handful of film holders, your subject matter isn't suitable for view camera use. You won't have to deal with color shift issues, and you won't spend another small fortune switching over to yet another digital system that isn't perfect. None of them are. Neither is film, but then you are already used to the problems it presents.

Johnny, sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but there isn't any holy grail for view camera users when it comes to using digital. Every manufacturer's products have problems. Just as every manufacturer also has work around solutions, including Hassy. Some are tougher, some easier, but they are ALL workarounds. NOBODY makes a back just for view cameras. The market simply is not large enough. With that said however, there are several who have developed a decent workflow that allows them to produce very stunning work. Don Libby is one. There are many others. If I were you, I would not be looking for more or for different gear. I would be looking to invest a small amount of time and money into some very good instruction on how you can develop a workflow yourself that meets your own needs. Even if you eventually do change to different manufacturer's gear, your still going to need that workflow if you ever hope to see the difference on your own screen. With cameras it's all about the glass; with processing it's all about the workflow. Develop one with the right help, your life is a dream. Dream one up yourself based upon some marketing wonk's handywork and I promise you are only building a nightmare, not a dream.

You didn't learn to be an actor from just your first roll on stage. You can't expect to learn to be a view camera toting photographer shooting difficult lighting setups out in the wilds from a few hundred failed test shots, whatever your Brand of gear. Crazy artists like ourselves always jump head-first into the soup, often to find we're over our heads. Welcome to the "poor and often starving" side of the photographic artist life. I doubt you will listen to the following advice any more than I did, but I'll go ahead and say it anyway, as I sense a kindred spirit.

Before you go and beat up PhaseOne too, if you decide to buy one of their products, let me also enlighten you on the facts about view cameras since you are new to them. THEY AREN'T EASY TO LEARN TO USE. And almost impossible to learn from reading alone. Good instruction on their use is very much a necessity so you avoid all the bad habits!

So many naive people invest thousands of dollars on camera gear, but for some reason refuse to invest a few hundred bucks learning how to use it properly. Thank God they make surgeons go to school before cutting on any patients. Any fool can buy a scalpel.

Those in the know call "View" cameras "TECHNICAL" cameras, and for a reason. They are VERY technical! You need to know a whole lot more about a whole lot more things than you can even imagine, just to get a decent picture out of one. THEN add in the digital parts.... Forget the huge trophy landscape print up on your wall, at least for now.

You'll be lucky if you get a couple decent "keeper" frames your first six months using it. Just my perspective, others may see things differently. I've owned and shot technical cameras for several years on and off as jobs have required, with four different digital backs from three manufacturers. I STILL own one of the dang things, though an older one. It's a love - hate kind of relationship my view camera and I have. I love the photos, but HATE the workflow getting them demands.

But I still can't see, setup, adjust, frame, adjust, frame, adjust, move right, backup, frame, adjust, move forward and slightly left, frame, adjust, drag 50lbs of tripod up the next rise for a better composition, set, frame, adjust, move right two feet, set, frame, adjust, focus, replace battery, reconnect cable, shoot, OOPS - quickly cock shutter!, shoot again - only to lug all that heavy gear back to the truck as the light is now GONE and that one frame is worthless - nearly as fast as Jack Flesher or that bloody fool Don Libby who drags one of the suckers through swamps on his belly and makes it look so darn easy. Ask one of those two guys for advice on using a Technical camera, as they both have invested the 10,000 or so hours it takes to learn to use one right.

And if you think I'm exaggerating calling it a 10,000 hour time investment, please understand that is just my own estimate. I've got around a quarter of that in so far, all off an on - and figure I'm about a quarter of the way there to getting to a point where the artist inside me wants to be, a level with it like Don or Jack, and a few of the others possibly around here, seem to be. I'm a hack with it, and possibly always will be.

That is also something that Hassy, PhaseOne, Leaf, Sinar, Alpa, Cambo, Rollei, Linhof, and even good old Plaubel, who's camera I presently own, ALL failed to mention in their marketing propaganda I too read when I jumped into this fiasco we fools call a "View" camera. They're a view alright - a view down a very difficult road few will ever travel successfully, and none without investing a whole lot of time, energy, and money - first in the gear, then in the education to learn how to use it, and finally in the 4x4's gas tank you drive to haul the dang thing around!

Now that I have burst your bubble and possibly ruined your afternoon, let me see if I can't give you some solid advice that may prove useful for the future. First, let me caution you and anyone else fortunate enough to read this before making any buying decisions. The camera business is a very competitive market, one that is well oversupplied with options you can choose. These companies are consolidating very rapidly. There are rumors abounding about Hassy and even the Great Yellow Father of it all, Kodak, being up for sale. Contax is gone. So is Rollei. They both made the superior products in their respective fields, but as Brands they just didn't sell enough of them to stay in business. Bronica was another.

The old Hassy who built all that great gear that EARNED that Brand's well deserved present reputation was merged with a Danish film scanner company who also made digital backs, to form what is now called "Hasselblad" but it is not the same company, nor is it the same people running it. Those old 500 series 'Blads of mine weren't perfect by any means, and constantly required repairs, adjustments, lubrication, and a pretty fussy workflow loading, cleaning, tweaking, praying and kissing them to keep it all moving the right way, but at the end of the day it all got worked out and the dang things kept going.

Part of that was good design and great engineering, part was simply great service from a great company that old Victor founded with a very sound set of values and standards. That vision and Victor's determination as his company's CEO to build the finest gear possible in his day, built one of the two premier brand names in the camera marketplace today when you think of quality, both quality of IQ and manufacturing/design/service, the other being Leica. Hasselblad has everything PhaseOne has, save for good old Victor running the place, or someone with Victor's same values and vision. Hassy doesn't need to be sold, it just needs someone like me as it's CEO. Yes, I also run companies in my off hours as a photographer. If their Board of Directors is listening, my email is below. Please consider this my application for the job. And I promise my first act as CEO will be to fire all the dumb *** sales types who don't know the difference between an Alpa and an Alpha, even when the tech support guy for his main competition's primary dealer politely, and in a very gentlemanly manner too Doug, points out his error. <Grin>. Doug's boss would not have been so kind, nor am I to vendors only here to sell us product, not offer constructive suggestions on how to solve our real world problems.

My second act as CEO would be to immediately call in the entire Sales & Marketing departments and fire the lot of them. The Executives first, and likely most of the rest. I'd cancel the entire advertising budget for the year, and put the account up for review and proposals from other agencies for the new advertising to be done next year on the new product line. And would immediately have a balanced budget once again.

The new products, 203Dii, the 205Dii, and the full frame sensor 206Dii. As accessories, the Arc-Body, Flex-Body, and SWC/Mark III are all available when the first body ships next spring. In full production quantities, with great German glass again, but also supporting the huge glass investment most folks already have. Enough of the "closed" system and it's lousy electronic manipulations trying to correct for poor optics. That guy who thought that up is gone, time to retire his products as you did him.

Myself and a small group of other professional photographers sat in a closed, private meeting with the President & CEO of Hasselblad who thought that whole thing up. We listened very politely to everything he had to say, then tried to tell him it sounded great, but wasn't going to work for us before he went and blew it. He's gone, but the chaos he caused is still hanging around.... it needs to go too. Mistakes happen, admit them and get on with life. Not saying you can't take great photos with an H, many do it every day. It isn't the camera though it's the photographer using it. Time to give them a better tool.

So I would also announce the demise and departure of the whole H system, may it rest in peace along with all those Danish bean counters who though it up in the first place. A VERY fair trade in policy though as a courtesy to our loyal customers will be made, as we will recycle and reuse the sensors those bodies presently have, and will return to our customers their own sensor and usable other parts in their new 203Dii, with the only cost being the difference in the parts and labor and our production costs necessary to effect these upgrades. I estimate this would be about 50% of the retail price of these new bodies, and would carry the same five year warranty all of the new bodies would have. This warranty cost would also be calculated in the upgrade fee.

And yes, if you buy one of the present products today prior to our shipping the new series cameras, you would get the same guarantee of your upgrade. In fact, if you want the new camera first, our present customers would come first; be the only customers who get a new 203Dii or 205Dii until we have met the demand for upgrades, and extra parts were available to build new bodies for retail sale. Hasselblad would once again appreciate having loyal customers, and would be very happy to prove it by who they take care of first. The lowest cost to market to are a loyal present customer base. Take care of those folks, and you don't need a big advertising budget, costly international shows, advertising agencies, or any of those hundreds in the marketing department. You just need the engineers, men of vision to direct them, and good honest feedback from your existing customer base on how to meet their needs.... You simply need to learn to listen once again.

Now, if you want the new 206Dii body with the 120MP sensor, THAT puppy is gonna cost you some BIG BUX, but you won't believe what it can do! <Grin>.

Sorry Johnny, I do tend to wander around when I get started chewing on vendors sometimes.... comes with the territory. Back to your problems, and how to fix them, here's my view. I found Phocus is a good tool if you can ever figure out how to use it, though the same FOOL marketing wonk that thought up the name Phocus must have also designed the user interface. It SUX. So does C1's, in my opinion. But I work and think differently than most folks, so I can't expect much of the world's designs to be for artists. We're weird, right?

So here is how I fixed the problem. Profiles. Go download CornerFix (google it for sources) and give that a try first. It will probably do all you want for now, and will cost you absolutely nothing. How's that for value? Donate a few bucks to the project too if you keep using it, as that's what keeps the programmers programming new updates. I presently use a much more complicated system of building my own profiles but am discovering that CornerFix can probably do most of what I need too, and much easier.
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
The terrain is harsh as I navigate the thousands of boulders on a steep incline in what appears to be the only route through this thick canopy of trees. The humidity is so thick you wear it like a blanket pressing you down, as if the laws of gravity no longer apply. The air at this altitude makes simple decisions fraught with danger...but then, there, up there, I see a small wooden structure. My pace somehow quickens as the forest canopy looses its grip. Darting in and out of the mist of a cloud I reach my destination. I push open a small wooden door adorned with intricate carvings to reveal a strong odor of candles and incense. A beam of sunlight slices through the wispy trails of incense to expose a well used wooden floor... A shadowy figure emerges from the dark recess from across the room...The shame I once felt has long passed, emboldened by my arduous climb, I speak firmly to the gentle figure whose seems unaffected by my presence, "I have questions", I said. He turns gracefully and pulls back his hair to reveal a smile that shows determination and resolve all at once, from a soul whose seems to have found an inner peace...Holy crap it's Chuck Jones! I say to myself. As the sun fills the room with a gentle glow, I repeat myself..."Questions, I have questions...about...cameras...and stuff.


Thanks Chuck, for your comments, this is kinda how i've felt about my MFD experience.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
Why do I now see a movie being made from all this? If so I want Tom Selleck to play me... :ROTFL::watch::poke:
 

goesbang

Member
David,

You still didn't answer my question about the Hasselblad literature. Whenever you're ready.........."crickets"
Johnny, you have put Dave in a very tough place. Consider that Hasselblad is Chinese owned (unless Shriro have recently found a buyer for Hasselblad), with all the business cultural values that comes with that, a Swedish management group, and a client base that is predominantly American, with all the consumer expectations that Americans bring to the transaction experience. The business style and communication style, message and tone is not what we had been used to from this organisation before the ownership/management turmoil of the last few years. Chuck's post gives you some clues to what is going on. I, for one, would love to be a fly on the wall at their board and senior management meetings.
If Dave answers your question candidly here, rather than diplomatically, he'd be in deep pretty deep doo-doo.
In fairness, the info that Hasselblad apparently failed to disclose to you prior to purchase was and is pretty readily available. Yes, you dealer did a pretty poor job of handling your enquiries, as clearly detailed by Steve Hendricks post. This does highlight one of the strengths of the Phase dealers' approach. They are interested in their clients needs, not just in moving boxes.
Certainly in Australia, the knowledge and conduct of my Phase dealer vs, my Hasselblad dealer was a major part of my decision to buy Phase. At this level of photography, you are not just buying a piece of gear, you are buying into a relationship with both your dealer and your manufacturer. Yes, I believe they both make best in class pruducts, but this relationship is a major part of why I use Phase One and Alpa.
 
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dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Yes, you dealer did a pretty poor job of handling your enquiries, as clearly detailed by Steve Hendricks post. This does highlight one of the strengths of the Phase dealers' approach. They are interested in their clients needs, not just in moving boxes.
I think that's an unfair statement.

Each brand is represented by a few good dealers

Each brand is represented by a few mediocre dealers.

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
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Head of Technical Services, Capture Integration
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