Hi,
I would like to report my first experiences and issues when switching from a MF to a technical camera for wide angle shots.
I personaly use an Hasselblad H3DII with the HC 50mm and the HC 28mm for architecture and landscape.
The 28mm is a wonderfull piece of glass but I find the wide angle effect too obvious. This spectacular 'depth' effect gives an unnatural dimension in the composition. If it's more often okay with landscape shots, it bather me more and more for architecture. This is why I use the 50mm whenever I can.
This is also why I decided to use a technical camera with the 47mm schneider digitar lens.
The idea was to shot with the hasselblad back in portrait position and stitch 3pictures togheter. The sliding back makes it easy.
I was hoping to get a result large enough to compete with the wideness of the 28mm - but with the 'natural' effect of the 50mm.
Unfortunately, even with the large image circle of the 47mm, borders are useless: too dark and too blury. So my stitched pics have to be cropped...
As a result, the pictures taken are let's say almost twice as large as without stitching with the 47mm. But the 28mm on the H3DII still gives a larger view.
I find the 47mm digitar excellent at the center: beautiful resolution, contrast and natural/neutral colors. But results are going down very fast towards the corners.
They are way better with the HC 28mm that, eventually, gives a more homogenous result in resolution. However there is a light yellow color shift with the HC 28mm that is quickly becoming unpleasant when comparing it with the neutral tones of the digitar.
Moreover, color cast (or lens cast as I suppose these 2 terms means the same) is present with the technical camera. I was hoping not to have to deal with this problem as I am using a 22mpix back (I've red that the 22mpix have less or even no color cast problems compared to the 40mpix). Too bad, it's obvious enough to force me to start dealing with LCC files.
Although phocus is ready, I'm concerned about making so much lcc profiles. Camera tilt, shift and back sliding make so much combinations...
I found focussing very difficult on the technical camera. When focusing to a near object (6 meters) at f8, half of a milimeter on the focusing arm can make the difference between a sharp shot an a missed focus.
And the ground glass is sooo dark... Okay it is said on every technical camera forum but reality appears even darker than I though...
So making 2 or 3 shots at different focusing distance to get one sharp is not a bad idea.
These are only my very first findings. But I must admit I am disappointed. The technical camera can't be replaced for the movements it brings and it's a must have in a packshot studio. But the use of it on location seems too complicated/hazardous for me at the moment.
I better understand why there is so much Cambo WDS & RS out there. It must be a better, quicker, lighter tool for landscape and architecture shots.
Some pictures posted here are superb. They are taken with top class gear and top technical skills. But I'm keep wondering if they would'nt have been even more realistic without the exagerated (personal opinion effect of the 23/24/35mm wide angle lens ?
So is there a solution to shoot wide and get natural results - did I miss somethig ?
I would like to report my first experiences and issues when switching from a MF to a technical camera for wide angle shots.
I personaly use an Hasselblad H3DII with the HC 50mm and the HC 28mm for architecture and landscape.
The 28mm is a wonderfull piece of glass but I find the wide angle effect too obvious. This spectacular 'depth' effect gives an unnatural dimension in the composition. If it's more often okay with landscape shots, it bather me more and more for architecture. This is why I use the 50mm whenever I can.
This is also why I decided to use a technical camera with the 47mm schneider digitar lens.
The idea was to shot with the hasselblad back in portrait position and stitch 3pictures togheter. The sliding back makes it easy.
I was hoping to get a result large enough to compete with the wideness of the 28mm - but with the 'natural' effect of the 50mm.
Unfortunately, even with the large image circle of the 47mm, borders are useless: too dark and too blury. So my stitched pics have to be cropped...
As a result, the pictures taken are let's say almost twice as large as without stitching with the 47mm. But the 28mm on the H3DII still gives a larger view.
I find the 47mm digitar excellent at the center: beautiful resolution, contrast and natural/neutral colors. But results are going down very fast towards the corners.
They are way better with the HC 28mm that, eventually, gives a more homogenous result in resolution. However there is a light yellow color shift with the HC 28mm that is quickly becoming unpleasant when comparing it with the neutral tones of the digitar.
Moreover, color cast (or lens cast as I suppose these 2 terms means the same) is present with the technical camera. I was hoping not to have to deal with this problem as I am using a 22mpix back (I've red that the 22mpix have less or even no color cast problems compared to the 40mpix). Too bad, it's obvious enough to force me to start dealing with LCC files.
Although phocus is ready, I'm concerned about making so much lcc profiles. Camera tilt, shift and back sliding make so much combinations...
I found focussing very difficult on the technical camera. When focusing to a near object (6 meters) at f8, half of a milimeter on the focusing arm can make the difference between a sharp shot an a missed focus.
And the ground glass is sooo dark... Okay it is said on every technical camera forum but reality appears even darker than I though...
So making 2 or 3 shots at different focusing distance to get one sharp is not a bad idea.
These are only my very first findings. But I must admit I am disappointed. The technical camera can't be replaced for the movements it brings and it's a must have in a packshot studio. But the use of it on location seems too complicated/hazardous for me at the moment.
I better understand why there is so much Cambo WDS & RS out there. It must be a better, quicker, lighter tool for landscape and architecture shots.
Some pictures posted here are superb. They are taken with top class gear and top technical skills. But I'm keep wondering if they would'nt have been even more realistic without the exagerated (personal opinion effect of the 23/24/35mm wide angle lens ?
So is there a solution to shoot wide and get natural results - did I miss somethig ?