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Fun with the Hasselblad 907x

Godfrey

Well-known member
Someone asked me where they could get the Desmond DAL-1 L-plate. I found that Amazon.com has them, same $19.95 price, but more importantly I found that they had an illustration of the plate with the dimensions lined out. I've attached a screen shot.

DAL-1_dimensions.jpg

That might prove useful information whether or not you want this plate. :)

G
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
Someone asked me where they could get the Desmond DAL-1 L-plate. I found that Amazon.com has them, same $19.95 price, but more importantly I found that they had an illustration of the plate with the dimensions lined out. I've attached a screen shot.

View attachment 149786

That might prove useful information whether or not you want this plate. :)

G
Thanks for sharing all of this information Godfrey, very helpful, and it definitely seems like you've been having lots of fun with yours. I may have to get my own DAL-1 here shortly.....
-Todd
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Very good , thank you .:thumbs: AMAZON here has listed it but the L-plate is out of stock .
Amazon.com USA listed "2 in stock" when I found it yesterday. I wonder whether they'll all sell out because of this thread on GetDPI...! :D

G
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Thanks for sharing all of this information Godfrey, very helpful, and it definitely seems like you've been having lots of fun with yours. I may have to get my own DAL-1 here shortly.....
-Todd
My pleasure, Todd.

I'm having too much fun just mucking around with the little beastie. Really have to get out for another shooting session ... but I already have another dozen or three photos to render and post! LOL!

G
 

Alexg

New member
Hello everyone from hot Indianapolis today....this is my first post!

I would like to thank everyone especially Godfrey for the great down to earth reviews. My short story...I was lucky to have purchased a couple years ago a late built (97-98) 503CW, a couple backs, 45 degree viewfinder and three CF lens ( 50mm, 80mm and 150mm) all in excellent condition. This with the idea that HB or someone else would come with a affordable digital back sometime soon. When I started reading last year about the new 907X / CFVII 50 combo coming out soon (June 2019!), I became anxious... and the wait started. Then a week ago I discovered this site and the reading started. As everyone knows, there is no many reviews or videos about this system behind the intro videos from HB last June!
So, I’m ready waiting for the Standard (silver) version becomes available. I will also purchase most likely the X45mm lens for portability.
I already purchased today the DAL-1 L plate from amazon....
I am looking every day for availability on the major dealers to no avail! Hopefully soon...this Covid19 pandemic has delayed everything...

Cheers to everyone and please be safe.

Alex
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Alex: Great to see you join this little party and thank you for the compliment. Keep your eyes open, be patient ... the standard edition will eventually surface. Build a relationship with a dealer to help you. :)

Your V-system kit is similar to mine, I have just the one more lens (Makro-Planar CF 120mm) in that system, and included the XCD 21mm as part of my 907x package purchase. It all works together very nicely!

And with that, on to some more photos. :D

---
Walks in the landscape of suburbia...









All: Hasselblad 907x + XCD 45mm f/4 P

Enjoy!
G
 

gnat

New member
So, I’m ready waiting for the Standard (silver) version becomes available. I will also purchase most likely the X45mm lens for portability.
I already purchased today the DAL-1 L plate from amazon....

I am looking every day for availability on the major dealers to no avail! Hopefully soon...this Covid19 pandemic has delayed everything...
All we know is that the non-SE model is coming, but HB have offered neither a date or a price (the user manual is available though).

The rumors I've seen on the price is in the $5-6k USD range, but that is for the back only. If that is true and you want to use the X lenses as well you'll still need to purchase the new body which I would guess will put you right about the price of the SE version.



And since this thread is about pics, here is my first shot with the camera using the XCD 80mm lens. Please don't judge, I am NOT a photographer (pro or otherwise ;)). The camera was handheld (damn this thing is brick!) and the lighting was much worse than the picture gives the impression. I let it auto focus, but it missed my target (the eagle just to the right of center):

ABEDED73-CCE2-409A-9ECB-4C28ACD79632.jpg
 

Alexg

New member
I have both B&H and Roberts (locally) under advise to confirm availability. I think is getting closer...hopefully! Price for the standard 907x kit should be around the SE version perhaps a little less. Unfortunately HB doesn’t say anything. Only time will tell. I put an offer for a used 120mm CE Makro lens ...will see. I always had this lens in mind with all the very positive reviews as a classic and the time has come now!
I received today the DAL-1 L plate...Desmond make very nice adapters and plates for the Arca mount. I have a few and never encountered a problem.
Cheers,
Alex
 

jng

Well-known member
Hmmmm. I have both the 120/4 CF Makro-Planar and 135/5.6 CF Makro-Planar (the latter with auto bellows and compendium lens shade), both of which are in pristine condition but don't see much use since I picked up my 120/5.6 S-Planar. It's probably time for me to move these two Makro-Planar lenses along to a good home. Drop me a note by DM if you're interested.

John
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Hmm.

If I didn't already have the Makro-Planar CF 120mm, I would likely be more inclined to eschew V system compatibility and go with the XCD 120mm Macro lens now, because I'm much more likely to use the macro capabilities with digital capture than with film. Having the lens already means I will choose between it and the XCD 80mm f/1.9 lens when I go with my third native lens for the 907X, and I'm leaning towards the latter for its speed and unique imaging capabilities on a first thought ... even though I already do have a C Planar 80mm f/2.8 lens.

Notions of how to sensibly expand my Hasselblad system go all over the place as I learn and become more experienced with it, and with the digital back and body, through use.

The question of the chrome "standard" version of the 907x and CFVII 50c came up in this morning's Hasselblad webinar. Of course they're not announcing dates yet (H is conservative about what they announce, always has been) but the presenter did confirm that it is on the way, and I get the feeling that the 907x and CFVII 50c is proving to be more popular/more in demand than their first projections indicated. "Hopefully by Fall," I imagine, is the right attitude to adopt.

Personally, I'm delighted with the system and the new firmware. My camera seems to be working with improved smoothness and stability since I updated it. I have to check my 21mm lens firmware and see whether it's up to date.. :)

G
 

gnat

New member
Hmm.
Notions of how to sensibly expand my Hasselblad system go all over the place as I learn and become more experienced with it, and with the digital back and body, through use.
I'm curious to follow and see how you go with this. I would think that the major benefit to someone that already has a V collection is that you don't have to change your focus.

I know it's hard to get a real apples to apples comparison, but I am curious about the image differences between the same shot with similar lens configurations through the 907x compared to a V body.

For us the goal was for her to be able to shoot digital since that is the common medium these days, but still allow her to have a path to film work without having to two separate lines of equipment. I got her the 80mm XCD as her "starter" lens, but the plan has been to focus on building up a V collection going forward so that it is just a matter of changing backs.

The question of the chrome "standard" version of the 907x and CFVII 50c came up in this morning's Hasselblad webinar. Of course they're not announcing dates yet (H is conservative about what they announce, always has been) but the presenter did confirm that it is on the way, and I get the feeling that the 907x and CFVII 50c is proving to be more popular/more in demand than their first projections indicated. "Hopefully by Fall," I imagine, is the right attitude to adopt.
Given that the SE model was supposed to be available late fall 2019 I would suggest that means that we won't really see the standard version until late winter or early spring of 2021...
 

PSS

Active member
Thank you for all the info, I just received my X1DII and have my eye on the 907/CFVII combo...I know that this is my first post here and I am not trolling but I feel like hasselblad missed an opportunity here...the X1DII has the bigger LCD and it makes a huge difference, I really wish hasselblad had maximized the entire back of the CFVII and made the LCD as big as possible as well as add an extra hinge for vertical shooting...much smaller and cheaper cameras have the option and since there is no EVF it would really should be there...I don’t mind the fixed LCD on the X1DII so much, size matters, on the CFVII it makes little sense to me to not add the extra hinge....
I am assuming the LCD came straight from the X1D in planning and the larger one wasn’t considered at that point?
Either way, I am keeping my eyes open, i still think it would make a great second body addition to the X1DII...
I do have one question about attaching to 500series bodies: can the back be attached vertically? I can see myself holding a 907 combo sideways but definitely not a 500 body:)
 

PSS

Active member
No, the back cannot be attached vertically. It uses the same attachment mechanism as the 500-series film backs.

Joe
Thanks, did they not consider that people might shoot vertical? Obviously with the square format it did not matter, so the film backs only attach one way and that system cant be retrofittted....
I think the LCD of the CVFII should have a 3 way hinge and a way to attach a chimney finder, not sure that would have cramped the (pretty amazing) design too much...
 

darr

Well-known member
Thanks, did they not consider that people might shoot vertical? Obviously with the square format it did not matter, so the film backs only attach one way and that system cant be retrofittted....
It is because of the film advancement mechanism built into the rear of the 500 series cameras a back cannot be switched between landscape and portrait orientations. Can a rotatable back plate be made? Has not been done yet to the best of my knowledge, and there are quite a few photographic gear retrofit companies making digital plates for old film cameras. Just look through eBay to see the plethora of examples.

I shoot a 501CM with a CFV-50c in vertical position when making pano stitches. I use a PME51 viewfinder (I like the built-in meter) and a gimbal head. It is awkward at first, but I have gotten use to standing a little to the side from behind the camera while looking through the viewfinder. It's actually easy for me to shoot like that now. When I shoot portraits with my 501CM in portrait orientation, I use a 90 degree viewfinder, the PM90. The PM90 and its metered version, PME90, are a tight fit with the backs, but they do offer another alternative for shooting in portrait orientation.
 
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jng

Well-known member
Thanks, did they not consider that people might shoot vertical? Obviously with the square format it did not matter, so the film backs only attach one way and that system cant be retrofittted....
I think the LCD of the CVFII should have a 3 way hinge and a way to attach a chimney finder, not sure that would have cramped the (pretty amazing) design too much...
The Phase One IQ and Leaf Credo backs in V mount (now discontinued) allow one to attach the back in either orientation. The fit doesn't look as clean as the Hasselblad backs, which follow the original contours of the original film backs, but here form gave way to functionality. Some of the later generation Leaf backs featured a rotating sensor, which obviates the need to unmount and remount the back when changing from landscape to portrait mode. The original 6x6 square format allowed for these features, which would not be possible to implement on the 645 format bodies.

The new CFV-50c II back uses the same generation Sony CMOS sensor as the older Phase One IQx50 and Credo 50, so if the intended use is restricted to the V system bodies, finding one of these Phase/Credo backs used is a reasonable alternative. That said, Hasselblad has worked some additional magic with the old sensor in terms of color and elimination of dark frames that makes their recent offerings quite compelling.

John
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
I'm curious to follow and see how you go with this. I would think that the major benefit to someone that already has a V collection is that you don't have to change your focus.

I know it's hard to get a real apples to apples comparison, but I am curious about the image differences between the same shot with similar lens configurations through the 907x compared to a V body.

For us the goal was for her to be able to shoot digital since that is the common medium these days, but still allow her to have a path to film work without having to two separate lines of equipment. I got her the 80mm XCD as her "starter" lens, but the plan has been to focus on building up a V collection going forward so that it is just a matter of changing backs.
I presume in your first sentence you meant "change your lenses" rather than "change your focus. :)

I had slightly different goals: I already had a complete V system (500CM, 50-80-120-150mm lenses, SWC 38mm lens) that was getting little use because I could only shoot film with it, and as much as I like the aesthetic qualities of film, I actually get more consistently satisfactory results with digital capture ... never mind that the workflow is, for me, much less of a chore. My big issue was getting an all-digital equivalent of the SWC ... simulating the FoV with all manner of other cameras and formats just didn't really make the same thing, regardless that I've made some very nice photographs that way.

The 907X fitted with XCD 21mm lens does the number right for me, cropped to a 33x33 mm format. It's a stop more DoF, similar imaging qualities in that the relationship between DoF and FoV are very close and the lens performance is right up there with the Zeiss Biogon 38/4.5. So I sold the SWC to help fund the 907X/21mm lens kit. (The Biogon 38 isn't the best lens on digital anyway, didn't see much point to keeping it if I was going to use it so infrequently.)

So that left me with an SWC-equivalent plus a V system that, if I jumped down one focal length, provided on digital what I had on film. And then I received the 907X and started to use it and the CFVII 50c back on the 500CM... :D

Development of the system from use is a different thing than building ideas from specs.

Given that the SE model was supposed to be available late fall 2019 I would suggest that means that we won't really see the standard version until late winter or early spring of 2021...
Possibly. It's all conjecture until Hasselblad announces release.

---
Subsequent discussion of larger LCD, rotatable backs, etc:

We've had this discussion before. If you look at the CFVII 50c, you can see there's not much room at all for a larger screen and keep the form factor in line with a V-system body.

Regards rotating the back for use on V-system bodies, I don't see the point of it. If what you want is better expressed as the X1D II, buy that camera. When I use the back on the 500CM body, I usually crop to square. I can do as Darr does and put it on a tripod rotated 90 degress if I want to as well. But if you really, really want to use the full native format the most flexible way, move to the X1D II and get the same sensor, the larger display, an EVF, and buy the XV Adapter to use your V system lenses. It's the same thing in the end, although you do give up flash sync and are constrained by the foibles of an electronic shutter in some ways.

Used with the lens shutters in my 500CM, cropped square, I've gotten super 39Mpixel square format photos with the CFVII 50c. The integration is superb: I feel like I'm just using the 500CM with an infinitely long roll of film in it. If I wanted something different, I'd have bought that something different instead. :D

G
 

gnat

New member
I presume in your first sentence you meant "change your lenses" rather than "change your focus. :)
"Change the focus of the lenses you are collecting" ;)

As always, thanks for the detailed response and the information you provided.
 

Alexg

New member
Does anyone know were these new cameras are made? I heard that HB has a plant in China (don’t know), and that the XCD lens are built under a very specific OEM contract in Japan - most likely Cosina - that also manufactures other lens and filters for different brands, like Voigtlander being one of them ? I have nothing against this as long as quality remains or improve. They (China) have come a long way en recent years...and we end users benefit of course on lower prices...:)
Cheers,
Alex
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
Does anyone know were these new cameras are made? I heard that HB has a plant in China (don’t know), and that the XCD lens are built under a very specific OEM contract in Japan - most likely Cosina - that also manufactures other lens and filters for different brands, like Voigtlander being one of them ? I have nothing against this as long as quality remains or improve. They (China) have come a long way en recent years...and we end users benefit of course on lower prices...:)
Cheers,
Alex
AFAIK the cameras are assembled and shipped from Sweden. The CFVII 50c back states "Made in Sweden" on the bottom of the back. The X1D and X1D II are also assembled in Sweden (they say "Handmade in Sweden" on top of the body), and the H-system cameras are also assembled in Sweden.

The XCD lenses are made by Nittoh in Japan. The HC/HCD lenses may be made by Fuji but I don't know. They were at one point I think.

Some of the X-system accessories are made in China. At least the dual charging battery hub package says authorized by Hasselblad and made by DJI. DJI has some ownership stake in Hasselblad, but the extent of the DJI/Hasselblad relationship is really only known by those inside the respective organizations.

Here is a tour of the Hasselblad factory in Sweden: https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/6/16977522/hasselblad-camera-factory-tour
 
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