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Hasselblad CFV ll 50c

mristuccia

Well-known member
I have had a 50c Back - 503CW combo for several years and really miss the ability to conveniently shoot in the portrait orientation when hand holding the camera. The 500 Series Cameras were designed for square format so landscape vs. portrait orientation was never an issue. Unfortunately, unlike the Phase One Hasseblad V Mount Backs, Hasselblad did not design the back to for both landscape and portrait mountings. For tripod shots a "L" bracket provides the correct camera orientation and the Live View Function permits convenient setup but I have never figured out how to handhold the Hasselblad Camera in the portrait orientation. The second problem with the 50c Back is cable-free operation at low shutter speeds. Even when the back is properly set for exposures longer than 1/8 second I frequently get timing errors if I press the shutter release too quickly. The instruction book and suggests the use of a flash sync cable if there is a timing issue. If the 50c-2 Back probably uses the same system as the original 50c Back, there may be situations where the flash sync cable is necessary.
I too have the 503CW and the 50c back.
I solved the problem of the portrait orientation by using a P90 finder, with a foldable magnifier lens for fine focus.
When hand-held, I add the CW Winder as well. The overall weight is high but It helps a lot in keeping the camera steady while firing the shot button.
 

mristuccia

Well-known member
Well, I like the way my 500CM works, feels in the hand and on the tripod. I have four lenses for it. Buying a CFV back for it gives me most of that same workflow and ergonomics, but takes away my wide angle lens. Presuming that what I want is achieved with the CFV back and my existing lenses, I need another, wider lens. That's where I buy the 907x and 21mm lens, and maybe in the future add more lens options.

The V lens adapter on the X1D nets a completely different camera, with an Eshutter only, and a completely different use model. Is it better or worse? I don't know, but it for sure isn't the same. At this moment, I'd prefer the same... :D

G
Well, fair enough. I understand your point very well, it has been also my one until today, and probably for the future as well. Only, sometimes I have some doubts...
Well, I hope for your pocket that you will not end up buying the CFV 50c II, and then the X2D as well. :ROTFL:
 
I completely agree with most all of the reasons that the new Hasselblad CFV ii 50C and 907X are exciting. And I'm also very anxious to use it alongside my Hasselblad film kit. But for me it adds another potential win, being small and lightweight. I currently backpack with my X1D and a small kit of 3 Xpan lenses. This combined with a Gitzo traveler tripod is about 8 1/2 pounds. I absolutely love the X1D and sometimes feel that it was custom made for me and my type of long exposure landscape photography. I would only have two minor issues with it. First I'd love a tilt screen and second, I rarely use the viewfinder. So yea the new CFV is exciting. Provided the price is right.

Hasselblad X1D - Backpacking Kit - BillEvansPhotography.net.jpg

I am also hopeful that the pricing will be in line with the new X1D since I'm more likely to upgrade to the CFV that the X1D2. Fingers crossed.
 

TheDude

Member
First I'd love a tilt screen and second, I rarely use the viewfinder.
Until most recently, I never understood the need or want for a tilt screen but now I understand that it breaks the habit to instinctively wanting to take an exposure at eye level.

P.S. Clever to color code the lenses (via lens cap). I wished Rodenstock would give users the option to choose between different color rings on their lenses.
 

fotophil

Member
V System Owners would have an option for using their old CF Lenses if Hasselblad could design a CF Lens Adapter for the XID Camera along the line of the CF Adapter for the H Series Camera. Although the H Series Adapter was sort of expensive at around $1700 it provided a means for mounting a CF Lens on the Series H Body and supporting wide open aperture focus, stopped down aperture for shooting and firing the CF Lens Shutter for exposure. The current manual Series V Lens to X1D Lens Adapters are pretty much useless for handheld photography and are very awkward for tripod based photography because the aperture has to be manually adjusted from wide open for focus and stop down for exposure. I recall that early on Hasselblad confirmed that the current CF - H Adapter would not work with the current H-X!D Adapter. If such an CF Lens adapter could be designed for the X1D Camera it might offer an alternative means of using the V Lenses on the X1D Body without the need for the CFV-50-2 Back or 907X Body. It's a big "if" but I hope that Hasselblad at least looked into the feasibility.
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
P.S. Clever to color code the lenses (via lens cap). I wished Rodenstock would give users the option to choose between different color rings on their lenses.
Those lens covers are for the Lee Seven5 system which I use for all of my Schneider Digitar lenses.... The reason being that the Seven5 adapters vs. Lee 100 are readily available for 40.5mm which happens to be a filter screw thread for numerous Digitar lenses.

Very much agree that the colors are very handy.

Victor
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
V System Owners would have an option for using their old CF Lenses if Hasselblad could design a CF Lens Adapter for the XID Camera along the line of the CF Adapter for the H Series Camera. Although the H Series Adapter was sort of expensive at around $1700 it provided a means for mounting a CF Lens on the Series H Body and supporting wide open aperture focus, stopped down aperture for shooting and firing the CF Lens Shutter for exposure. The current manual Series V Lens to X1D Lens Adapters are pretty much useless for handheld photography and are very awkward for tripod based photography because the aperture has to be manually adjusted from wide open for focus and stop down for exposure. I recall that early on Hasselblad confirmed that the current CF - H Adapter would not work with the current H-X!D Adapter. If such an CF Lens adapter could be designed for the X1D Camera it might offer an alternative means of using the V Lenses on the X1D Body without the need for the CFV-50-2 Back or 907X Body. It's a big "if" but I hope that Hasselblad at least looked into the feasibility.
That's a very big "IF". I wouldn't pay $1700 for a mount adapter to a mirrorless camera. I adapt lenses to my Leica CL all the time (and used to for my Leica SL and Sony A7 too) ... I have only rarely had any trouble focusing critically at stops as small as f/8 with most lenses. And I shoot with these cameras hand-held probably 70% of the time. It would be nice to take advantage of my C and CF lenses' built in mechanical shutter, for sure, but $1700 for an adapter is absurdly overpriced for the added value it would provide.

I bet that too few of those adapters were sold for it to be profitable, the most likely reason why Hasselblad has decided against doing the same thing with the XV Mount Adapter. They're kind of essential for a reflex camera because otherwise the viewfinder is too dim to see clearly enough to focus with, but that is not a problem with an EVF camera.

G
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Well, fair enough. I understand your point very well, it has been also my one until today, and probably for the future as well. Only, sometimes I have some doubts...
Well, I hope for your pocket that you will not end up buying the CFV 50c II, and then the X2D as well. :ROTFL:
I doubt that will happen. Once the CFV50cII is available for demo/testing, I'll do that and see if it works the way I want. If it does, I'm done (presuming the price is in the range that I can afford). If it doesn't, I'll debate whether I finally just shuck it up and buy an X1D II, or buy it anyway with the 907x body and the 21mm lens (because I like the form factor of that kit...). :D
 

leejo

Member
As a V system user who knows quite a few others, most of us still use the system because of the amazing look it gives on film and have zero interest in an X1D. I bought my current CFV50c so I could get out and make black and white fine art images and yet still take care of color digital for clients and while far from being as fluid and productive as my Nikon system, it does deliver the goods in digital form.

I am about to reach out to Hasselblad to see what the trade in looks like because I am afraid I will take a royal bath on my back if the CFV50II is a lot less than what I paid for mine new. In fact, I am almost 100% sure I will likely not upgrade because the difference will be too much and since the resolution is the same, why bother I figure. I have also considered selling mine while the price I would get is a known quantity and then getting the new back if not too much, not sure yet.

One thing that has changed my favoritism towards using the V system as a hybrid for deliverables is the Nikon Z system. I can easily pack a Z7 and 24-70 F4 and make amazing images all while I make film images on my Hasselblad system, so I am not as dependent on the V to do it all on a single outing.
You've kind of confirmed my point there - you're a V user but you have no interest in an X1D? Yet you can easily pack a Z7 and 24-70 F4 and make amazing images? That's exactly the kind of user Hasselblad want to keep, they don't want you buying into another system.
 

vieri

Well-known member
I completely agree with most all of the reasons that the new Hasselblad CFV ii 50C and 907X are exciting. And I'm also very anxious to use it alongside my Hasselblad film kit. But for me it adds another potential win, being small and lightweight. I currently backpack with my X1D and a small kit of 3 Xpan lenses. This combined with a Gitzo traveler tripod is about 8 1/2 pounds. I absolutely love the X1D and sometimes feel that it was custom made for me and my type of long exposure landscape photography. I would only have two minor issues with it. First I'd love a tilt screen and second, I rarely use the viewfinder. So yea the new CFV is exciting. Provided the price is right.

View attachment 142957

I am also hopeful that the pricing will be in line with the new X1D since I'm more likely to upgrade to the CFV that the X1D2. Fingers crossed.
Hello Bill,

very cool kit! :) A bit off-topic, but might I ask you what you think about the performance of X-Pan lenses on the X1D? Any information about sharpness corner-to-corner, CA, distortion and the like would be very helpful, thank you :)

Best regards,

Vieri
 
Hello Bill,

very cool kit! :) A bit off-topic, but might I ask you what you think about the performance of X-Pan lenses on the X1D? Any information about sharpness corner-to-corner, CA, distortion and the like would be very helpful, thank you :)

Best regards,

Vieri
Thanks Vieri,

The short answer is that in my normal use I’ve been very happy with them. That said, I’m a bit embarrassed to add, that I haven’t done any formal, or informal, testing of theses lenses. I will say that the recent postings of your lens tests has been inspiring so time willing I might try to quantify my experience a bit.

Although it took me a while, I think I’ve finally learned that usability trumps exceptional quality, for me, most of the time. I have no doubt that the XCD lenses exceed the Xpan lenses in every way, well expect for weight and size. I have a 5 day backpack trip to Mt Robson in British Columbia next month and the 2 or so pounds the Xpan kit saves is hugely significant. ;)

I won’t hijack this post any further but let me know if you’d like me to send you some files.

Cheers, Bill
 

CharlieLoon

New member
Is it a safe bet that this back will only be available in chrome trim?

Has anyone compared a CFV 16 and the newer sensors in the XCD or CFV 50c? Do you see a meaningful difference if you're not printing large? I rather like the rendering from my CFV 16, but if the CFV 50c II is "affordable" it'd be nice to have a smaller form factor with the incorporated battery and slightly smaller back, as well as having a more modern sensor and the option to use XCD lenses in the future.
 

Photon42

Well-known member
If the 50c-2 Back probably uses the same system as the original 50c Back, there may be situations where the flash sync cable is necessary.
The original back has a sync in and flash out socket. I have never used it but would this just forwards the sync signal.
 

MrSmith

Member
so £5800 (ex vat) for the body and back.
if you guess at £1800 for the body and £4000 (ex vat) for the back that almost sounds cheap?
but then i guess you have to compare that to the Fuji GFX50R at £3k
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Hasselblad just announced a special edition 907x and CFVII celebrating the lunar launch:
https://www.hasselblad.com/907x-special-edition/
It’s listed on their store for $7500, which includes back and body:
https://store.hasselblad.com/products/907x-special-edition?from=storebanner
Good to know! I’d expect the “normal” 907x and CFVII to be less...
Seems like the pricing might be reasonable afterall
I may well have to put in a pre-order... !!! They're punching all my buttons with this one! :D

G
 

DSemick

New member
Hasselblad just announced a special edition 907x and CFVII celebrating the lunar launch:

https://www.hasselblad.com/907x-special-edition/

It’s listed on their store for $7500, which includes back and body:

https://store.hasselblad.com/products/907x-special-edition?from=storebanner

Good to know! I’d expect the “normal” 907x and CFVII to be less...

Seems like the pricing might be reasonable afterall
We don't know the pricing or timeframe for the "normal" system yet, but I'm thinking we probably won't see those until after the first of the year.
 
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