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Lenses for Hartblei HCam and Alpa FPS

Stefan Steib

Active member
To get the same image angle (126,3 degrees diagonal) on 35mm full format you would need a 10,8mm lens (rectilinear) which does not exist.
And then the resolution is only barely half (Numerically-I guess the net res. per used pixel is higher too).

HCam has done worldrecord wideangle digital (one shot rectilinear) with highest resolution since 2010 now - no matter which format used.
With the Canon 8-15mm Fisheye zoom you will even get 180 degrees at about 13mm spherical.

Regards
Stefan
 

gerald.d

Well-known member
What about using a D800 +14mm Samyang for that kind of shot ? or even a 12-24mm Sigma ? Cost is 1/10 and IQ 'good enough' for reality distorted shots I think. JMO
I used to own a 12-24 and Canon 5D2. It can't do that shot - no shift (and I don't believe the 3:2 aspect ratio helps either).
 

gerald.d

Well-known member
17TS-E edge performance comparison with 23HR.









As an aside, anyone know what could be causing the banding on the 23HR shot?
 

gazwas

Active member
Or banding caused by a lens with a small flange focal distance on a large sensor.

Tech wide lens in Capture One LCC is supposed to correct this problem - did you use the normal LCC profile?
 

gazwas

Active member
Hi Gareth - just a normal LCC. I'll check the tech wide option when I get back home. Thanks!
That is why - should clear up nicely with the wide profile.

This issue has nothing to do with lens fall off, rather the angle at which the light hits the sensor causes the banding. Always very obvious in areas of solid colour like sky. Big shifts on usually ok lenses can cause it too.
 

gerald.d

Well-known member
OK, here's some great news.

Just had an email from ALPA - new firmware for the FPS has just been released, and you will now be able to focus the Canon 85mm f/1.2 lens!

(For those not aware, the 85/1.2 is unique amongst all Canon lenses in that it has a "fly by wire" manual focus - power has to be provided to the lens, otherwise you can't focus it manually.)

I think this lens on a full frame MF back is going to open up some very interesting possibilities.

This is a shot I took with it when mounted onto my HCam:



Massive image circle, razor-thin DoF.
 

f8orbust

Active member
How do you focus with Canon lenses on the FPS? I can see how this is possible with the HCam because the back slides between the DB and viewfinder/focussing screen, but not with the FPS. Do you just rely on Canon's distance scales, or is there a means to set distance on the FPS and then get it to set the lens accordingly?
 

gerald.d

Well-known member
The FPS doesn't control the focusing of the lens, just aperture.

Focusing is very much a guesstimate-shoot-review-adjust-repeat exercise with the FPS and the Canons, although of course you do have the option of using the Alpa ground glass. Focusing the 85/1.2 close up and wide open is not going to be easy, that's for sure :)

Regards,

Gerald.
 

chrismuc

Member
Just picked up my marvelous FPS at Alpa Zürich. Back mount Contax, front mount Canon.

First lens tests:

Contax 645 35f3.5 + Mirex shift adapter.
Gives 135 equivalent 23mm horizontal field of view and about 8mm of usable shift movement. No LCC required. Nicely sharp at f11-f13, recommended to correct geometrical distortion with the Alpa lens correction plug-in for PS.
 

chrismuc

Member
Leica R 180f2.8 Apo

Surprisingly the lens covers almost fully the 54x40mm sensor with minimal light fall-off in the edges. No wonder that some guys remount the lens for their Leica S. Lens is tack sharp across 90% of the frame (at f5.6 tested).
 
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chrismuc

Member
Hasselblad CF 50f4 FLE + Mirex shift/tilt adapter

The image circle of the lens covers rather fully the +/- 16mm shift capability of the Mirex adapter. Very useful and reliable combination (lens + adapter about 1000 EUR) at that focal length. Lens has rather low geometrical distortion, little CA, large image circle and good corner sharpness (at f11).

The enclosed panos of two pics are about 15.000 pixel wide. The indoor pic of the RR was about 1.5 apertures underexposed. The IQ sensor does a good job recovering such dark underexposed areas.
 

chrismuc

Member
Contax CY 85f1.2

A 1.2 aperture lens on a medium format sensor: that's where the fun begins!

Similar to the Canon EF 85f1.2, the Contax pendant also has pretty large image circle. It would cover a 44x33mm sensor. Sharpness is good even at open aperture on a 5um IQ180 sensor ... if one succeeds adjusting the focus right :)

The lens, back and cam are a perfect match of mechanical precision, a real beauty of design.
 

Stefan Steib

Active member
Hi Christoph

The Leica R lenses obviously used a much larger image circle to provide a better sweetspot area for center sharpness, so my guess is they were mostly MF lenses with a shorter flange focal distance. At least from maybe 50mm /certainly 100mm and upwards.

Using them on the HCam or an FPS is definitely a bargain.

Another tip from my side: my actual favourite lens for the HCam (and canon with Mirex) is the Mamiya Sekor C or N 1,9/80mm.
I have the C version and using it wide open it´s nice for portraits and stepped down to f11 we tried and compared it with a new 80mm Schneider LS recently and we (my customer and me) were both looking for a long time on the compared images /HCam-Aptus 8+1,9/80 to PhaseDF+Aptus 8 and Phase 2,8/80 Schneider LS before we finally agreed that there is "maybe" a bit better sharpness on the outer areas, but in the center contrast and sharpness were identical (both at f11).

Used price around 150-200 € max...... :)

Regards
Stefan
 

chrismuc

Member
Leica R 19f2.8: Image circle about 45mm.
Leica R 28f2.8: Image circle about 50mm.

These lenses are less interesting on the FPS. The Canon 17 and 24 TSE cover these focal lengths with larger image circles and less geometrical distortion.
 
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