How to develop H3d raw...FlexColor

[grappa]

Okay I just upgraded from a Kodak 645 back to a Hasselblad H3D.
I am using Mac Leopard os. What are the options to working on the raw files.
I thought it might be FlexColor but it seems to be a tethered only program. Am I just overlooking something ? Phocus is a little clunky and slow. Photoshop and Lightroom don't seem to work. Do I need to get Aperture ?
Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[Steve Hendrix]

Okay I just upgraded from a Kodak 645 back to a Hasselblad H3D.
I am using Mac Leopard os. What are the options to working on the raw files.
I thought it might be FlexColor but it seems to be a tethered only program. Am I just overlooking something ? Phocus is a little clunky and slow. Photoshop and Lightroom don't seem to work. Do I need to get Aperture ?
Any advice will be appreciated.

Grappa:

Welcome to the H3D club. Did you purchase from a dealer or is this a used unit from a seller? If from a dealer, is he offering training?

Your options with your H3D include:

Flexcolor
Phocus
Aperture
Lightroom/ACR (w/DNG conversion)

Best quality will come from using Flexcolor/Phocus. If you have pre-intel Mac, Phocus will run sluggishly. If you have an intel Mac, but are stuck with GeForce 7300 GT Video Card, it will still be sluggish. However, upgrading the Video Card to ATI 2600 or GeForce 8800 will improve things dramatically.

For both Flexcolor and Phocus, you can see images before importing, but they must be imported into the program before you can make adjustments. You can also convert to DNG before importing with Flexcolor, and after importing with Phocus via the save function (far as I know). The DAC lens tools only work with Flexcolor/Phocus however.

Flexcolor can appear clunky, but the tools can be very powerful and productive if used in the right way. Phocus does away with the clunkiness, improves on many aspects and maintains and expands on the same tool set.

Getting a good training on either software program is essential, otherwise you're going to miss a whole bunch of good stuff.

Steve Hendrix
www.ppratlanta.com/digital.php

 

[fotografz]

Yes, a BIG welcome to the club.

I also upgraded from a Kodak C645 digital back.

Which H3D/back did you get? 22, 31 or 39? Do you have any lenses beyond the HC 80/2.8 yet? Did you buy new or used?

It is important to learn either Flexcolor or Phocus (Phocus if you have an Intel Macintosh computer and graphics card that'll run it) ... because many image corrections are available with Flex or Phocus through the DAC software corrections (DAC = Distortion, Aberration Correction.)

Go to the Hasselblad site and register ... the you can download the latest versions of the software. There are also manuals on each camera with pretty detailed updated information on the operation of the H3D.

After you download the latest Flexcolor or Phocus software, tether your H3D to your computer and open Flex or Phocus ... if your camera needs it's firmware updated it will prompt you to do so, and walk you through the steps.

Many of the new features of the H3D-II are also provided for H3Ds when you upgrade the firmware.

Best of luck and ask any question ... there are quite a few users of the H system here to help you.

 

[grappa]

I got the 31with both an 80 and a 28 lens. Boy,the photos are amazing. I hear all these people say how equipment does not matter but just a picture of a rusty nail is amusing at these resolutions and sizes.
Thanks for the upgrade tips. I just got done reading the whole pdf about the camera but missed that one. I was actually wondering about firmware upgrades. Pretty slick how these work.
I already got Phocus and FlexColor and the manuals yesterday, I was wondering if anybody had any other software to approve. I wanted to make sure to get all my options.
Thanks. BTW I did get an H3D -II.

 

[Nick-T]

And FYI Aperture will read the files without conversion to DNG first but it won't be able to apply the DAC corrections so for quality stick with Flexcolour or Phocus (with a fast graphics card)
Nick-T