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Problems tethering H4? - Contact me

oneword

New member
Hello all,

I have owned or tested 4 Hasselblad H4's over the past two years and currently own two H4D's which I use professionally. I wont bore you all with the entire story here however, I have had countless problems getting this camera to work correctly tethered to the point that it does not work in a professional setting as a tethered camera. I have tried absolutely everything, changed cables, computers etc. etc and have been given a phenomenal amount of "run around" by Hasselblad. In the end, I have figured out the problem and Hasselblad's solution was to come up with the H5 and change the configuration while pretending I'm the only person who has had trouble with the H4.

If you own or owned an H4 and use it tethered or have had a problem using it tethered, I'd like to hear from you and find out what your experience has been or if you found a solution. Please message me if you have any experience or thoughts on Hasselblad H4's and any issues related to tethering.

Thanks
 

stngoldberg

Well-known member
Hello all,

I have owned or tested 4 Hasselblad H4's over the past two years and currently own two H4D's which I use professionally. I wont bore you all with the entire story here however, I have had countless problems getting this camera to work correctly tethered to the point that it does not work in a professional setting as a tethered camera. I have tried absolutely everything, changed cables, computers etc. etc and have been given a phenomenal amount of "run around" by Hasselblad. In the end, I have figured out the problem and Hasselblad's solution was to come up with the H5 and change the configuration while pretending I'm the only person who has had trouble with the H4.

If you own or owned an H4 and use it tethered or have had a problem using it tethered, I'd like to hear from you and find out what your experience has been or if you found a solution. Please message me if you have any experience or thoughts on Hasselblad H4's and any issues related to tethering.

Thanks
I tethered my H4D50 to Phocus for a difficult photo shoot last week. I had the camera on a Kessler Crane overhanging a bannister of a second floor balcony.
I could not reach the camera to change aperture, speed or ISO; so I operated the camera completely from Phocus including shutter release from the computer which provided me with essentially "live view."
The system worked without incident for over 90 minutes while I shot 75 images.
When I have a situation like the one you have described, I visit my dealer and he always finds a solution for me.
 

Nick-T

New member
Hi Dan
I see you have cross-posted this in at least two other forums :)

I'm sorry you have had a bad experience and my offer to help stands. If you are looking for data that suggests the H4D40 is fundamentally unstable I think you'll be disappointed as this is not the case.

Nick-T
 

Mike Z

Member
Hi,
I've been using an H40D tethered for about a year now to photograph artwork. I have to say that Has been very stable. The software has crashed two or three times but I was able to restart Phocus and it was fine after that. I would try reinstalling Phocus if you haven't already tried this.
Mike
 

Mike Z

Member
By the way, to Nick T, thanks for the link to hasselblad digital forum I did'nt even know it existed. I'll certainly be joining.
Mike
 

oneword

New member
Hi Nick,

Glad to hear yours has worked well for you. Unfortunately, not so for me, I own two H4's now and have had one H3 and an H4 loaner. All have had ongoing, repeatable issues with file corruption and loss of communication with both Phocus and Lightroom. I have tried multiple computers, all iterations of firmware and no less than 10 Firewire cables as well as signal boosters. Hasselblad claims they were unable to duplicate the problem but, when the last camera came back to the retailer, we were almost immediately able to create the fault again. I have spoken with at least twenty photographers who have had ongoing tethering issues and I have spoken to a few like yourself who have had no issues.
 

Jay Emm

Member
Another user with H4D-40 tether problems. I did 75 shots yesterday that saw Phocus crash twice, plus two corrupted file transfers. That was quite good as usually I have the camera completely lock up at some stage (requiring removal of the Firewire cable and the battery in order to re-boot everything). I have been through two laptops and countless FW cables. Firmware is up to date. Of course my re-booting fix doesn't take long, but it breaks the flow of the shoot.
 

Nick-T

New member
It would be useful to find a common denominator here..

Always with laptops?

Shooting fast?

Plenty of free HD space?

Nick-T
 

Nick-T

New member
BTW back in the beginning Phocus was very unstable as I was often shooting with alphas and betas so I developed a few workflows that helped mitigate crashes:

Set Phocus as a log in item (along with Photoshop etc..) this means after a bad crash you can re-boot and walk away knowing all the apps you need will re-launch.

Get in the habit of setting up Phocus for that day's shoot ( setup, destination folder etc..) then quit Phocus, this will save your prefs so if you have to force quit, the software will relaunch pointing at the correct folder.

Finally treat the camera as a computer too. If you have a crash, disconnect and restart the camera and check it works untethered (always have a CF card in the Camera eve when tethered). Then quit and restart the software, *then* reconnect.
Nick-T
 

adaml

Member
My H3DII-31 had all sorts of tethering issues. Like you I tried all kinds of cables, and so many various and logical workarounds, but it was intermittent. Some days, I was crippled tethering and others it would just work without issue. After many exchanges with Hasselblad, they determined it may be the link board. I can imagine you may have heard that already, but if not, it may be worth exploring as a potential source of the problem.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I no longer have a H camera system, but not because of any issues. I retired from most commercial photography.

Shot tethered to a Mac Tower in studio for hours on end, and used a 15" Mac laptop on location. Nine different Hs from a H2D/22 all the way through a H4D/40 and 60.

Some instability with Phocus at the very beginning, but that stabilized fairly fast. I did experience a few issues afterward but solved them.

I have two other commercial photography friends that shoot the H tethered ... one photographer has up to 7 of them running production jobs. No issues.

My dealer warned me that the H system is very power sensitive, and I took him at his word. When shooting tethered, the back is powered by the computer and the camera by the grip battery. When I had an issue it was with a FW800 to the Laptop ... so I changed to a FW800 to FW400 tether cord. Seems the FW800 port on some laptops is flakey at the levels of draw the back requires. Even though it'll run other devices the heavy demand these backs produce can apparently cause intermittent issues. Changed to FW800/400 for my Mac Pro tower as that sometimes acted flakey. There was no noticeable difference in transfer speed using the FW800/400 (which came with the camera). I also changed over to using the AC grip for power on long shoots.

Not sure this helps or hinders ... just my own expereinces.

- Marc
 
I demo'd a couple H4D-40s about 2 years ago and had all kinds of issues trying to get the to tether and be stable. Just couldnt get it to work for more than 10 minutes before it shut down or disconnected. Had the dealer and Hassy try to problem solve and it never worked right. Ended up buying a phase back with an H body and that works great.
 

Bildifokus

Member
I use H4D-50 and Phocus on a Macbook Pro and wireless to my iPad (Phocus App) and it works absolutely marvelous. At first there was some problems, but I did a safestart and used the disc tools on my Mac. After that it worked as it should.
 

oneword

New member
I wont bore you with all the details but I have owned an H3D39, an H431 and an H440 and none have worked well tethered. I have also had demo units in H440 and H460 which worked equally poorly. Either the camera or the software locks up and it stops transferring files or corrupts those files it does transfer

All my cameras have been back to Hasselblad for "testing and repairs" and all have been returned without any improvement

I've tried dozens of Firewire cables and multiple MacBook Pro computers as well as having had one custom built especially for tethering on location.

I've always maintained the most current version of all firmware and software.

When I completely gave up on Phocus, I asked Hasselblad if there was any way I could tether to Lightroom and they said it was not possible. A digital tech on a shoot in LA later told me about the plug in Hasselblad had on their website for this exact purpose. I found it and discovered it had been available for at least 6 months prior to when the Hasselblad rep told me there was no such thing.

Using Lightroom has made the system "barely usable and frustrating" whereas with Phocus is was "completely unusable"

Hasselblad eventually told me to stop contacting them and to deal with the original retailer who is a really great guy and has since appealed to Hasselblad multiple times on this matter, loaned me cameras for testing etc etc. however, has been completely brushed off by Hasselblad (not a small dealer either, probably one of the biggest in fact)

Multiple emails to the President of Hasselblad USA have gone un replied to (message me, I'll happily share his email address).

The new H5 now has the ability to power the back from the camera or the firewire cable which indicates to me that they are fully aware of the problem and are hoping it will just go away without them having to make good on the previous models shortcomings.

They have offered to take both my cameras back at wholesale used prices against a new H5 however, their offer will mean I eat about $12,000 for cameras that never worked properly so, I've refused. They have said it's a "take it or leave it offer" and they have no further interest in discussing it or coming to any agreeable solution.

I've already spoken to a lawyer and am meeting him again in the next few weeks to discuss the matter, but, if anyone else can think of anything or wants to share their experiences, I'd love to hear from you.
 

itsnotme

New member
I've already spoken to a lawyer and am meeting him again in the next few weeks to discuss the matter, but, if anyone else can think of anything or wants to share their experiences, I'd love to hear from you.
Had similar issue years earlier, dealer actually gave up because Hasselblad didn't fix the issues. I'm keeping my name private, sorry. There are some other recent posts saying similar to you too, legal action.

You all should know there is almost no one left at Hasselblad, meaning, most have been laid off, in Denmark, Sweden, UK and NJ. All gone. The H5 is likely the end of the line. All focus is on Lunar and nothing more.

P1 has picked up a lot of H employees too.

Good luck and sorry for your issues, I hope you can get something back.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Had similar issue years earlier, dealer actually gave up because Hasselblad didn't fix the issues. I'm keeping my name private, sorry. There are some other recent posts saying similar to you too, legal action.

You all should know there is almost no one left at Hasselblad, meaning, most have been laid off, in Denmark, Sweden, UK and NJ. All gone. The H5 is likely the end of the line. All focus is on Lunar and nothing more.

P1 has picked up a lot of H employees too.

Good luck and sorry for your issues, I hope you can get something back.
Dear anonymous ...

Where are those "other posts" about legal action, etc.? Links please.

How do you specifically know there is almost no one left at Hasselblad ... as in the hyperbolic ... "all gone"?

How do you know that "all focus is on the Lunar?" Do you have secret inside info on Hasselblad's R&D projects?

Hasselblad has improved its' lenses (150N, 120-II, 50-II, all new 24), offered a new optical close-up attachment for the new 50/3.5-II lens, brought out the H5 ... all in the past two or so years ... most in the past year.

The OP repeated his post twice as if no one can read or something. While I commiserate with the situation, I haven't had it happen at all after nine different H cameras ... so it is perplexing as to what is actually happening.

BTW, as mentioned, I no longer have a Hasselblad ... nor a Leaf or Phase One kit. So I'm not protecting anything.

- Marc
 

itsnotme

New member
Dear anonymous ...

Where are those "other posts" about legal action, etc.? Links please.

How do you specifically know there is almost no one left at Hasselblad ... as in the hyperbolic ... "all gone"?

How do you know that "all focus is on the Lunar?" Do you have secret inside info on Hasselblad's R&D projects?
- Marc
Legal action:
http://www.getdpi.com/forum/medium-format-systems-digital-backs/47248-h4d-40-35-90-ongoing-saga.html

I also quote the following insightful words:

Hasselblad management has robbed Peter to pay Paul ... sadly, in this case, "Peter" is the H system which received very little attention for the H5 launch and the general Hasselblad community has not taken it very well. Few want to upgrade their H4Ds to H5Ds, because virtually nothing was done to the digital backs over the H4D. This in the face of Phase One accelerating their digital backs at every opportunity. Keep in mind that you cannot just buy a H5 camera and use your existing back on it. This means you are paying a huge amount of money for just a H5 camera body upgrade with virtually the same back you already own. Illogical reasoning at best.

Hasselblad thinks we are gullible, or fools ... they are sorely mistaken.

We do have a choice ... and we are voting with our checkbook. After 40+ years with Hasselblad, I canceled my order for a H5D, sold my H4D/60 kit, and Leica now has my loyalty and money. I no longer have any faith in a company that once was a shining brand name, producing products with real substance for the price paid. The Lunar has little substance for the price paid, and drives a stake into the heart of the Brand's heritage.

What baffles me about Hasselblad is that they abandoned all the proprietary technologies they had invented for the H system ... which arguably makes the H camera the best available if one understands and uses those technologies. True Focus APL, True Color, Programed Mirror Delay, micro AF adjust to correct any focus shift for each lens, the T/S 1.5 unit ... all work to solve real world creative and technical problems.

It doesn't require a massive amount of imagination to conjure up a more compact, 35mm type form factor, self enclosed camera that leverages those technologies they already invented and paid for. Which would have lead to more sales of H lenses and accessories they already have. Heritage kept intact.


All of the above quoted from this link: Future cameras in the Hasselblad Lunar family - Photo.net Medium Format Forum
 

KeithL

Well-known member
You all should know there is almost no one left at Hasselblad, meaning, most have been laid off, in Denmark, Sweden, UK and NJ. All gone. The H5 is likely the end of the line. All focus is on Lunar and nothing more.
If you're going to make statements such as that then at least have the balls to do so using your own name.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Legal action:
http://www.getdpi.com/forum/medium-format-systems-digital-backs/47248-h4d-40-35-90-ongoing-saga.html

I also quote the following insightful words:

Hasselblad management has robbed Peter to pay Paul ... sadly, in this case, "Peter" is the H system which received very little attention for the H5 launch and the general Hasselblad community has not taken it very well. Few want to upgrade their H4Ds to H5Ds, because virtually nothing was done to the digital backs over the H4D. This in the face of Phase One accelerating their digital backs at every opportunity. Keep in mind that you cannot just buy a H5 camera and use your existing back on it. This means you are paying a huge amount of money for just a H5 camera body upgrade with virtually the same back you already own. Illogical reasoning at best.

Hasselblad thinks we are gullible, or fools ... they are sorely mistaken.

We do have a choice ... and we are voting with our checkbook. After 40+ years with Hasselblad, I canceled my order for a H5D, sold my H4D/60 kit, and Leica now has my loyalty and money. I no longer have any faith in a company that once was a shining brand name, producing products with real substance for the price paid. The Lunar has little substance for the price paid, and drives a stake into the heart of the Brand's heritage.

What baffles me about Hasselblad is that they abandoned all the proprietary technologies they had invented for the H system ... which arguably makes the H camera the best available if one understands and uses those technologies. True Focus APL, True Color, Programed Mirror Delay, micro AF adjust to correct any focus shift for each lens, the T/S 1.5 unit ... all work to solve real world creative and technical problems.

It doesn't require a massive amount of imagination to conjure up a more compact, 35mm type form factor, self enclosed camera that leverages those technologies they already invented and paid for. Which would have lead to more sales of H lenses and accessories they already have. Heritage kept intact.


All of the above quoted from this link: Future cameras in the Hasselblad Lunar family - Photo.net Medium Format Forum
My opinion is just that ... an opinion. You are stating specifics such as "no employees", etc. as if they are facts. So, I wondered what the source of those facts were? If your quoted response above is any indication, it turns out that most of your facts are supported by ... my opinion. :ROTFL:

That there are those with issues I have no doubt. There are issues with every camera in some way or another.

BTW, I also didn't hide behind anonymity ... I attached my name to my opinion.

- Marc
 
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