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About to purchase first Hasselblad H Series

Jaime R

New member
Im in the market to finally upgrade my DSLR to MFD, however I have the option between either a used H3dII-39 or a brand new h4d-31.. I'm aware of the "true focus" feature but aside from that is there a substantial difference in the both.... I guess the main question is which would you go for and why.


I searched everywhere for a question similar to this but was unable to find anything. Thank you :)
 
P

perjorgen

Guest
The sensor of the H4D-31 is physically smaller than H3DII-39, but the H4D-31 has microlenses that give higher ISO
 

Dustbak

Member
When comparing the 2 I would definitely go for the H4. The 31 is noticeably faster than the 39. Can do higher ISO better. The main difference is True Focus, this should not be easily dismissed. I wonder why not more people are singing its praises since it is really helpful. It really allows you to put the point of focus anywhere in the frame if used properly. It does not work fast though but if you have a slower and more deliberate way of working it will do wonders for you. You gain a lot more flexibility combined by speed (ease of work) via TF. You will find that MF is different in getting your shots in focus (a near miss of focus will be very apparent) TF can significantly decrease your percentage of misses. None of this applies when you work solely on a tripod but when working loosely 'from the hand' it will.

Both backs are not your best choice on technical cameras (the 31 the least of the 2). The 31 has a little crop compared to the 39.

It depends on your shooting style and what you want to shoot whether any of these points are important to you. To me they are but you might be different.
 

andrew wuttke

New member
jamie r

hi there i bought the h4d-31 last november and its awesome naturaly a bit slower that the canons ive been using. I compared it against the h3d and the big selling point for me was the true focus (i agree with dustbak ) i use it mainly for people work and it really works .... half press focus, compose, shoot
and you can customise the settings to allow true focus from the shutter button (i dont bother with the true focus button on the grip)

you're gonna love it ....eyelashes never looked so crispy

andrew
 

ajoyroy

Member
Im in the market to finally upgrade my DSLR to MFD, however I have the option between either a used H3dII-39 or a brand new h4d-31.. I'm aware of the "true focus" feature but aside from that is there a substantial difference in the both.... I guess the main question is which would you go for and why.


I searched everywhere for a question similar to this but was unable to find anything. Thank you :)
The only downside of H4D-31 is if you want to use the back with Technical Camera, the microlense back is not ideal at wide shifts, else it is much better buy. If budget permits consider the H4D-40, this is a more modern sensor and allows upto 4 min of long exposure.
 

Giorgio

Member
jamie r

hi there i bought the h4d-31 last november and its awesome naturaly a bit slower that the canons ive been using. I compared it against the h3d and the big selling point for me was the true focus (i agree with dustbak ) i use it mainly for people work and it really works .... half press focus, compose, shoot
and you can customise the settings to allow true focus from the shutter button (i dont bother with the true focus button on the grip)

you're gonna love it ....eyelashes never looked so crispy

andrew
Ditto.

I updated from the H3D II 31 last summer to the H4D, and I love it.
A very fine tool indeed, that and Phocus is coming along quite nicely as well!

The H4D does not go on every assignment but it goes whenever it is suitable, and the Canons are definitely second choice.
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
I agree with Dustbak, the higher ISO and true focus are options that are quite impressive. The ergonomics and weight combined with good technique can result in fantastic low light handheld photography. For portraits the 100mm f/2, is stunning! The transition can take a little practice, but the results are worth it. If you think you might consider tech cameras in the future then just make sure the particular digital back you choose is suitable. My camera issues were an anomaly and not indicative of Hasselblad. IMO, there's no better customer service in the business.
 

David Schneider

New member
Going to depend. For me, in studio with people, I went with used H3d2-39 rather than H4d-31. Larger file and less money so I could afford more lenses.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
I went for a H3D39 customer pre owned some 14 months ago and never regret it. I would have never chosen an Hxyz31, not really enough distance to DSLR top end.
 

Professional

Active member
I had H3DII-39 and traded in for H4D-60, to my opinion, if i have an option to go with H3DII-39 or H4D-31 i will go definitely with H4D camera [any], my iso 800 on my H4D is better than ISO 400 on my H3D, even i can feel my iso 800 with H4D is equal to iso 200 on my old H3DII, and that true focus also a big help/advantage, even the LCD resolution is a bit better than H3D even not that huge difference, but i think the resolution will not be different than H3D or H4D at low ISO anyway if same mp.
 

David Schneider

New member
I am certainly no expert.

You can make a good case the H4D-60 is better than the H4D-40. You can make a good case the H4D-40 is better than the H4d-31 or H3d2-39. In the studio, you have a very hard time make a good case the H4d-31 is better than the H3d2-39, especially if you add in another lens to the equation.
 

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
It all depends on what you will use the camera for. With landscape work, high ISO capability is probably not so important. A larger sensor will make bettter use of wide angle lenses, so a 31 might not be ideal in that situation.

I'd suggest a H4 (any) for fashion or people photograph because True Focus is so useful. For landscape and studio work, I use a H4D-50 which works with any H lens without cropping issues and is a super camera. My personal view (others may disagree...) is that the H4D-60 is not worth the extra money ovetr the H4D-50 for marginally higher resolution, particularly as the 28mm lens vignettes with it.

Probably the best value at the moment in the second hand market is an H3DII-39. There seem to be quite a few available, but no true focus (if that matters to you).

Quentin
 

tim driver

New member
Jaime - Are you in the USA or UK ? - I bought an ex demo hd4-40 off hasselblad for roughly the same as a hd4-31 in the uk they cycle the demos every 6 months.

If UK I can give you contact details
Tim
 

Dolce Moda

New member
I would recommend a H4D-31. As someone who recently bought a used H3Dii, that needed repairing... a warranty is nice piece of mind.
 
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