Would you buy Hasselblad Now?

[zulu]

Just curious.

Would you pros put money into Hasselblad glass in anticipation of buying a digital back(hopefully prices will come down), or would you put your money into Canon/Nikon Digital equipment?

The reason I ask is a friend needs to upgrade his equipment, and either is going to buy Hasselblad, with the goal of eventually getting a digital back, or just getting a Nikon/Canon SLR with good lenses.
I wasn't sure what to recommend.

He wants to shoot Fashion mostly.

Thank

 

[Ted Mishima46838]

If your friend has a limited budget and wants to shoot digital now, go with the Canon or Nikon. Digital backs won't be coming down in price significantly any time soon.

Ted Mishima

Just curious.
Would you pros put money into Hasselblad glass in anticipation of
buying a digital back(hopefully prices will come down), or would
you put your money into Canon/Nikon Digital equipment?

The reason I ask is a friend needs to upgrade his equipment, and
either is going to buy Hasselblad, with the goal of eventually
getting a digital back, or just getting a Nikon/Canon SLR with good
lenses.
I wasn't sure what to recommend.

He wants to shoot Fashion mostly.

Thank

 

[Lane Veillon]

It depends what your friend is currently shooting...If he is already shooting with a medium format camera in a studio environment then it may be a little hard for him to switch to a 35mm Digital body. The only reason I say this is because two photographers in my area bought digital 35mm bodies to use in their studio and couldn't work with the cameras at all. I guess it's all in what you are comfortable with working. I can see how being able to look down into a prism and frame the image and fire away is different from hand-holding a camera and bending over while constantly bringing it up to your eye. It really never bothered me! They switched to a digital back and seem pleased although the equipment they purchased will never do what I can do at a wedding or other event.

A Hassey setup even in the modest startup kit will quickly run you $5000 and that's for nice used equipment. I still own some myself but rarely use it anymore. I looked into the digital backs, but they just don't offer what I need my main work cameras to do. Funny thing is that I bring them to my weddings to back up my Nikon D1X! Never thought I'd ever do that!

I say bypass the Hassey stuff and get with the digital bodies.
LaneV

 

[Veniamin Kostitsin II]

If he is interested in medium format - will a 6x4.5 suit him ? if yes, i would seriously consider looking at contax - the Contax 645 is a beauty ( in my eyes, please ), the Contax N Digital is supposed to hit the streets soon ( if you still can trust them - i pray for it ) and both system share the 645-lenses (the N Digital with a specialized function and focal length retention adapter) which are of an excellent quality. There are also digital backs available for the Contax 645.

quite honestly - i understand his hesitation, since i am at the very same point in my decisionmaking. Personally i will probably wait until april to see what actually hits the streets and where am i to go from my current equipment which has served me rather well so far.

cheers

veniamin kostitsin
http://www.digitalimage.at/

Just curious.
Would you pros put money into Hasselblad glass in anticipation of
buying a digital back(hopefully prices will come down), or would
you put your money into Canon/Nikon Digital equipment?

The reason I ask is a friend needs to upgrade his equipment, and
either is going to buy Hasselblad, with the goal of eventually
getting a digital back, or just getting a Nikon/Canon SLR with good
lenses.
I wasn't sure what to recommend.

He wants to shoot Fashion mostly.

Thank

 

[Tom Maxwell]

Personnally, I will never purchase another medium format system. I own a Nikon 35, Mamiya 645, Mamiya RZ Pro II, and a Nikon D1X. Even when I purchased the RZ I could not justify the Hasselblad expense. Others will certainly argue with me but I have just always thought the Hasselblads were overpriced. Just my opinion so please don't crucify me. Judging from what I hear about Hasselblad's financial condition, it appears that a lot of people are taking a wait and see position on this subject.

If you are convinced that a medium format camera with a digital back is the way you want to go, then there is no harm in purchasing a medium format camera now. I think the prices of the backs will continue to fall and quite substancially over the next few years but just how low they will go is anyone's guess. Who ever thought the Kodak cameras that once sold for $50K would be selling for under $10K.

I think we are at a crossroads right now and over the coming year we will see some new and exciting products come out. However, do you want to continually wait for the perfect solution which will never come or do you want to jump in and start up that learning curve? Buying something that is good now (D1X, D30, 1D, 760) does not mean that it will not be good later on. Even if you decide to go medium format back later, these cameras will serve you well in other situations.

Just my opinion.

 

[spixi]

I'd tell him to buy the Canon D60 or 1DS from B&H when it comes out in the next weeks. If he doesn't like it after a week or two he can just send it back. They could always sell it to Mr. R..

 

[chi]

Hasselblad's with digital backs aren't very portable. You
would probably need to carry around a laptop to download
images directly to the Hassy via firewire after each shot. so
if your friend doens't shoot mainly in the studio, i'd recommend
a Nikon/Canon.

 

[craig popoff]

I was in the same boat, I decided to go with the Nikon body. Great selection of lenses, more affordable, faster to work with, image quality is very good. You will always have a buyer for your used D1x, but trying to sell your Hassy digital back might be tough when it is time to upgrade, and you will want to! I still have a heck of a time though looking through that long stretched out frame of the D1x after years of looking through the square!
Craig

 

[Jack A. Zucker]

Why would someone buy a $5k camera from a company who's idea of innovation over the last 10 years is to come out with different colored bodies?

Frankly, that's an insult to "the community".-- http://www.jackzucker.com

 

[E. Blues]

Why would someone buy a $5k camera from a company who's idea of
innovation over the last 10 years is to come out with different
colored bodies?

Frankly, that's an insult to "the community".
--
http://www.jackzucker.com

Personally, I liked the glass ones the best.

With Hassle-Blad about to go belly-up, I'd be worried about the availability of repair parts. 'Blads need LOTS of repair parts.

RB, RZ, Pentax 6X7 would be a better way to go, snob appeal notwithstanding.

645 always seemed to me to combine all the disadvantages of 35 with all the disadvantages of MF.

With any MF camera, you'd have to add the cost of a 2 1/4 scanner to get the process out of the dark(room) ages. MF scanners are ridiculously expensive.

On the other hand, a DSLR and a 1280 would put your friend in business with a minimum of fuss, and his product would be very good indeed. Purists will tell you the math indicates that scanning big chromes is better, but in the real world, digital prints from, say, a D30, (certainly the low-end of the high-end), will knock your clients' socks off.

--EB

 

[David62882]

Well, there are a lot of great points to the threads above. Here's my perspective:

I shoot 3 different Hassy's plus lots of 35mm emulsion, but, far and away, the D1X takes the day for convenience and pretty good image quality. I agree that it's really sad that colored 500-series bodies are Hassy's idea of innovation! My bet is that they'll get swallowed up by an outfit with deep pockets who wants the name and installed base of users. Having said that, there continues to be no comparison to a really good 6x6 chrome shot through a Zeiss lense and the best possible frame you can get out of your DX. Forget the Hassy body -- it really comes down to the glass. Even though it pains me to say this (after spending a FORTUNE on Hassy gear over the years) but I think that Contax is really well positioned in the MF arena and that Hasselblad is in real trouble.

The irrefutable truth is that people value speed and convenience over optimal quality. It's a hurried world out there and the "Hasselblads" are being left behind!

 

[Casey Cheung]

I own and use tens of thousands of dollars worth of Blad gear. My Blad system has paid for itself over and over again in the past decade doing weddings, portraits, commercial, etc. I love this stuff, even despite the shortcomings of medium format. That said, I'm now on the verge of investing in high end digital gear to get my feet wet so I won't be left behind in the dust. I love shooting digital, but have not yet used it for making money. However, like all camera gear I invest in, I'm sure I will figure out a way of making digital gear pay for itself. I'm currently keeping my eye out on the latest Nikon or Canon high end digital gear.

As for your friend's situation, it's needless to say that both Hassy gear and high end digital are both very expensive. If you are shooting fashion for paid assignments, then you should find out what most art directors and end user clients want for final output, whether medium format chromes, or digital files, or both. It would be silly to invest in equipment that is not compatible for your client's needs. However, if shooting fashion is just for one's own pleasure and not for money, then I would say go for digital gear for the instant gratification.

Casey

Just curious.
Would you pros put money into Hasselblad glass in anticipation of
buying a digital back(hopefully prices will come down), or would
you put your money into Canon/Nikon Digital equipment?

The reason I ask is a friend needs to upgrade his equipment, and
either is going to buy Hasselblad, with the goal of eventually
getting a digital back, or just getting a Nikon/Canon SLR with good
lenses.
I wasn't sure what to recommend.

He wants to shoot Fashion mostly.

Thank

--Casey

 

[Andrew64673]

Just curious.
Would you pros put money into Hasselblad glass in anticipation of
buying a digital back(hopefully prices will come down), or would
you put your money into Canon/Nikon Digital equipment?

The reason I ask is a friend needs to upgrade his equipment, and
either is going to buy Hasselblad, with the goal of eventually
getting a digital back, or just getting a Nikon/Canon SLR with good
lenses.
I wasn't sure what to recommend.

He wants to shoot Fashion mostly.

Thank

The better quality acheived shooting MF and scanning, except for really large commercial work (large format camera) or fine art, would only be to satisfy the photographer these days. The second hand market is flooded with used MF and pro 35mm gear. I would wait a year before buying a 'blad, they may be even cheaper 2nd hand then. I have not even got a bid for my RZ kit on ebay. D1x quality is acceptable for most pro work.
a.

 

[nosecret007]

My friend bought a Nikon Fuji E2N digital camera in 1996 which cost him around U.S$10000.(Only 1.3 M pixel).

ln fact,he use the camera two time.Now he want to sell it to me or to second hand camera shop.So sad,they only offer him U.S.$900.

What you can guess,one milloin pixel 35mm SLR is coming this year & your previous digital camera street prices drop rapidly or nobody want to LOOK at it after few year later.
How about your Hasslblad 500c,l think it can still exchange some money now.

Dont think wrong,l like professioal digital camera.But the price cost almost make you cry....

Just curious.
Would you pros put money into Hasselblad glass in anticipation of
buying a digital back(hopefully prices will come down), or would
you put your money into Canon/Nikon Digital equipment?

The reason I ask is a friend needs to upgrade his equipment, and
either is going to buy Hasselblad, with the goal of eventually
getting a digital back, or just getting a Nikon/Canon SLR with good
lenses.
I wasn't sure what to recommend.

He wants to shoot Fashion mostly.

Thank

The better quality acheived shooting MF and scanning, except for
really large commercial work (large format camera) or fine art,
would only be to satisfy the photographer these days. The second
hand market is flooded with used MF and pro 35mm gear. I would
wait a year before buying a 'blad, they may be even cheaper 2nd
hand then. I have not even got a bid for my RZ kit on ebay. D1x
quality is acceptable for most pro work.
a.

 

[Kraig]

Just curious.
Would you pros put money into Hasselblad

I would say Go with a DSLR

I bought my first Hasselblad in 1983 moving up from a Mamiya C-33 TLR. The Hasselblad had many advantages over the TLR (no parallax more & better lenses smaller/lighter lots of rental equipment available and so on) but for me it's biggest advantage was Interchangeable backs especially Polaroid backs. When lighting with strobes in the studio or out in the real world proofing your lighting set up is a big plus. Clients love it too they regularly don’t even come buy and just ok a faxed or e-Mail roid

I picked up an S1 knowing it would be a better choice for the stuff I shoot for web pages, I was shooting 35 and using a film scanner often proofing with a Polaroid from a blad for this. STUPID! What I quickly learned was that many of my jobs I was shooting 2 1/4 not so much because I needed the big trans but because I needed/wanted the proof.

A few years before the S1 I bought a 555ELD thinking it would be the best single shot base for the digital back I would some day buy. It’s a beautiful thing but it mostly sits in its case and watches the Fuji shoot.

I still keep an eye on the digital backs but At this point I wish I had put that $3000 for the 555 in a tilt/shift lens(let the 4x5s take a seat next to the blad case) and some modern AF lenses.

You can proof with a DSLR all day it's free its more fun and tethered to a computer it's big.

Sure the S1 feels cheep and in 3 years it will have lost 80% of its value and the blad only 20% its one of the hardest working and most fun cameras I've ever owned, except for that moiré stuff I sometimes get on fabrics.

Excellent people camera and good product camera the D1x and 1D are probably even better.

Go with a DSLR and buy the one you think is the best deal for your needs sooner rather than later.

Just my thoughts sorry Hasselblad

Kraig

 

[John MacLean Photography]

zulu,

I've got some very clean Hasselblad gear I'm selling so I can buy a Canon 1D or similar. We'll see what PMA has to offer!--See my used gear http://www.johnmaclean.com/forsale

 

[John MacLean Photography]

Why would someone buy a $5k camera from a company who's idea of
innovation over the last 10 years is to come out with different
colored bodies?

Frankly, that's an insult to "the community".

--See my used gear http://www.johnmaclean.com/forsale

 

[Andrew64673]

My friend bought a Nikon Fuji E2N digital camera in 1996 which
cost him around U.S$10000.(Only 1.3 M pixel).
ln fact,he use the camera two time.Now he want to sell it to me or
to second hand camera shop.So sad,they only offer him U.S.$900.
What you can guess,one milloin pixel 35mm SLR is coming this year &
your previous digital camera street prices drop rapidly or nobody
want to LOOK at it after few year later.
How about your Hasslblad 500c,l think it can still exchange some
money now.
Dont think wrong,l like professioal digital camera.But the price
cost almost make you cry....

Yes, I think when the time comes to upgrade my D1x there will be tears, look how much you can pick up a D1 for already. Buy what you need.

a.

Just curious.
Would you pros put money into Hasselblad glass in anticipation of
buying a digital back(hopefully prices will come down), or would
you put your money into Canon/Nikon Digital equipment?

The reason I ask is a friend needs to upgrade his equipment, and
either is going to buy Hasselblad, with the goal of eventually
getting a digital back, or just getting a Nikon/Canon SLR with good
lenses.
I wasn't sure what to recommend.

He wants to shoot Fashion mostly.

Thank

The better quality acheived shooting MF and scanning, except for
really large commercial work (large format camera) or fine art,
would only be to satisfy the photographer these days. The second
hand market is flooded with used MF and pro 35mm gear. I would
wait a year before buying a 'blad, they may be even cheaper 2nd
hand then. I have not even got a bid for my RZ kit on ebay. D1x
quality is acceptable for most pro work.
a.

 

[zulu]

Thanks for all the input, what do you think of Rollei equipment? I hear that an autofocus body is about to come out.

Just curious.
Would you pros put money into Hasselblad glass in anticipation of
buying a digital back(hopefully prices will come down), or would
you put your money into Canon/Nikon Digital equipment?

The reason I ask is a friend needs to upgrade his equipment, and
either is going to buy Hasselblad, with the goal of eventually
getting a digital back, or just getting a Nikon/Canon SLR with good
lenses.
I wasn't sure what to recommend.

He wants to shoot Fashion mostly.

Thank

 

[John MacLean Photography]

Thanks for all the input, what do you think of Rollei equipment? I
hear that an autofocus body is about to come out.

If it's anything like the other AF MF bodies on the market, you can focus faster manually with your eyes closed!--See my used gear http://www.johnmaclean.com/forsale