CFV 50 or CFV 100 for use with 503CW and zeiss lenses

[wayne1]

I am considering a digital back for my 503 CW. The Zeiss Cfi lenses (50, 80, 120,150,180,250) will be used. The question is whether the lenses are good enough to take advantage of the 100 sensor.
Thanks

[mikaelo67]

Hi Wayne,

They are good enough. Look at this youtube video. I only have the 50c today. But this video shows the potential.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM3gFuLeEaM

Mikael

[Michael H. Cothran]

No problem with the legacy Zeiss lenses at all. However, since you are obviously quite concerned about the resolving capability of these Zeiss legacy lenses, I'm surprised you don't already own the Zeiss 100/3.5 Planar lens. Zeiss, years ago, stated it to be the best lens in the Hasselblad line-up, and the most perfect lens they've ever produced - critically sharp, zero distortion, and the perfect pairing of focal length & aperture. I own the CFi version. The older T* and CF versions all have the same optics, and should perform equally as well.
In short, the 100/3.5 is the "best of the best." With your collection of legacy lenses, there's no reason or excuse not to include the 100/3.5 lens in your stable.

[JCM-Photos]

Most perfect lenses Zeiss has produced for Hasselblad V cameras are the Super Achromat teles.

Also modern FLE wide angle lenses have a much better performance than older glass of the same focal length.

Planar 100mm 3,5 is the best standard lens (slightly better than the 80mm 2,8)

CFi lenses have more efficient internal baffling than CF, this mean some less flare with backlight.

[Michael H. Cothran]

I currently have a 501CM with all the standard CF lenses between 40~250. I also own the CFV100 digital back. Now I'm not going to spend my time pixel counting, but to my eyes the CF lenses produce as stunning an image as I'v ever seen. And, on top of that, I crop square, so I'm actually only using 75 mpix at best rather than 100.
My recommendation would be to stop being so obsessed with pixel counting. If you're skeptical, or unhappy with the CFV100, you won't find anything better on the market. 

[JCM-Photos]

IMO optics technical behaviour doesn't matter most for the photographer as long as it is good, character matters !

The imaging character fits what you expect or not.

In high resolution digital imaging my Zeiss lenses are a bit softer then H or X lenses but fine details are sufficient for any enlargement. Even a 50 Mpix file boosted to 200 Mpix in Gigapixel AI is fantastic.

H lenses give me a bit more microcontrast but with corner falloff compared to my X lenses that are technically the best.

but for certain charachter images I go back to V system Zeiss glass 

[ramarren]

I am considering a digital back for my 503 CW. The Zeiss Cfi lenses (50, 80, 120,150,180,250) will be used. The question is whether the lenses are good enough to take advantage of the 100 sensor.
Thanks

That's just about my exact Hasselblad V-system lens kit, minus the 250. They work beautifully with the CFVII 50c back from my 907x "50th Anniversary on the Moon" camera, can't imagine they do poorly with the CFV 100c.

G