hasselbladdigitalforum.com

Hi everyone

I have an opportunity to get together with some of the Hasselblad folk next year and knock around a few ideas. I'd like you to use this thread to describe your ideal system based on the sort of Photography you do. Don't be afraid to ask for anything at all no matter how crazy.

Please title your response with the sort of Photography you do for example:

"Full time professional shooting still-life in studio"

or:

"Amateur shooting landscapes in challenging environments"

And then go on to describe the dream camera/system for your setup. Some suggestions:

Megapixels
LCD
Battery life
Battery accessories
Phocus features
3rd party software integration
New Lenses
Other Accessories
Tethering solutions
Speciality solutions (ariel reproduction for example)
Frame rates
ISO performance

Anything else you can think of!

Please take the time to answer and I will make sure your views are heard.
Thanks in advance
Nick-T

Please have them add the eyedroppers back to the tone curve. They have it in Flex but not in Phocus and it's driving me crazy.

Thanks

Brian R.

Let's see:

40 MP Full frame sensor (same dimensions as current H4d-60 (did this ever actually deliver?)) with Higher quality High ISO

True Focus: current system seems quite buggy to me..not as precise or reliable as my h3d-31. I think the algorithms need reworking.

Phocus: more precise, numerical, repeatable color correction toolset. The Current "mini-color corrector" is A) the most important tool in the kit and B) the least adequately realized tool in the kit.

Battery: it's really phenomenal that a hasselblad needs 4 batteries to get through a one day shoot. I realize the power requirements of a large sensor are greater, but the $225 hasselblad battery (1850mAh) has the same juice as a $50 Canon consumer battery. The hasselblad battery power should be on par with other professional cameras 1ds or 1d battery (2300 mAh) which run about $110. It's truly amazing that it takes $900 worth of batteries to get through a medium duty fashion shoot.

LCD (external)..It would be nice to have some form of portable larger LCD screen that could be used when shooting to cards on location. Like the Apple retina screen only about twice the dimension. This could be accomplished also with some sort of connector to Ipad, or a bluetooth/wifi dongle to allow iPad to be used without a tethering to a laptop first.

Shoot to cards and Tether at same time. Instant back-up, and for me, easier than transferring from the laptop after location shoots.

Barry

Hi Nick:

I shoot forensic images, product photography, and allegedly landscape and abstract "art" photography (well, my wife likes them!)  ;)
I've been shooting since 1964. I work as a forensic software analyst. I'm a beta tester for Photoshop.

Your list is a good starting point. Read the following with the idea that "Andy is often wrong, but never uncertain," please. I'm not trying to start a flame war or a debate on the merits, nor even say that I'm right. What I am trying to do is to respond to your message as requested.

On a philosophical note I think it would be good if you could persuade the good folks at H to remove some of the limitations they currently impose on the camera. For example, if I want to time an exposure to be, oh, 200 seconds, I realize that the quantum noise will be bad, but why not let us be the judge of what we will accept. Of course, what I don't know is whether have the sensor powered up for that long does Bad Things (like overheating), but you get the drift. Allow us alleged professionals to be the limitations, not have a sort of Nanny State, telling us what we must do to avoid degraded image quality. We will take responsibility for the results.

Megapixels: I'm not sure at what point the HC lenses resolving power will limit the resolution of the sensors. I've long thought that increasing megapixels, if taken to it's logical conclusion, will eliminate the need for long focal length lenses. Not sure this is a good idea, but imaging a gigapixel image and you'll see what I mean. It will happen, of course, it's just going to be a question of when.

Image format: I use both Phocus and Photoshop in my workflow. I've long dreamed of having an H Photoshop plug-in so that I can take advantage of Bridge, Lightroom, and PS more easily without the need to work through Phocus. I'm not saying eliminate what Phocus does, just to integrate it more with Adobe products. Make the Rolls Royce of cameras work more tightly with the Rolls Royce of image manipulation software. Of course, one way would be to be able to emit DNG files.

Automated DOF slicing: The ability to set the camera up to take N shots, varying the focus by, say, 5 mm between shots. I'll take responsibility for whether or not this results in crappy images!  ;D

Connectivity: I was reading MacWorld this morning. There was an article predicting that Firewire might not be with us beyond 2011. That either means those of us who shoot tethered are out of luck, or we'll have to hope that the current models of Mac Book's will last longer than the current range of H backs.

Firewire port: I really fret a lot when I'm shooting tethered that someone (probably me) will walk through the firewire cable and there will be a loud, expensive noise thereafter. Is there no way of designing a connector like the Apple magnetic power cord for the MacBook such that it acts as a "weak link" and disconnects before either (a) keeling the camera over, or (b) or dragging the laptop off the table, or (c) both?

Grip LCD display: I shoot a lot using a gear head tripod with the camera at standing eye level -- that means the display and the controls demand that I point the lens to the zenith so that I can see the display. It would be really great to have the controls on the back of the camera and the LCD display replicated on the back or in the viewfinder. That's in the H5D, of course.  :D

HTS: On a more near term timescale, it would be good to have the HTS with a more positive "click-lock." Right now it's somewhat ambiguous as to whether the lens really is locked on the front of the HTS. No positive feel or sound. Of course, I could have a rogue HTS, but it is worrisome! "Drop lens now or later?"

HTS#2: The geometry of the present HTS interferes with the tripod mount (RRS/Bogen gear head plate). Be nice if it didn't.

Multi-focusing points: A la Canon/Nikon. Not much more to say there.

Anyway, that's all that comes to mind. Hope this helps.

Regards
Andy
(Who is writing this very near an active volcano. Mt. St. Helens.)

Hi Nik,

My only real issue is, and continues to be, Phocus.

If I had my wish, Phocus would run quicker, address some of the bugs still remaining (especially with the 39MS back), and generally be more stable and responsive before adding extra bells and whistles.

Cheers.....

Hi Nik,

Most of my work is architecture, and overall I'm quite pleased with my system.  However
the most glaring lack on the Hassy is the lack of Live View.  This one feature, I think,
would give me a lot more confidence in knowing that I'm critically focused on what I
want in focus.  That's it

Roy Engelbrecht

I'm a passionate amateur that shoots street photography and portraiture on my 503CW. I use an Imacon 16MP back (in addition to film).

I have the luxury of shooting MF because I love it; I do not accept paid assignments. I guess my $0.02 would be to not forget about the V system in their future product planning. The number of film shooters is growing again (thanks to things like Lomography and The Impossible Project bringing in young blood) and frankly V system is both iconic and the price level most non-pro shooters will ever be able to justify to their spouse.  ;)

I think that there's a lot of opportunity to introduce new products for the V system that wouldn't have made sense even five years ago. For example, I'd love to see a digital viewfinder with an on-screen light meter that would allow me to sample from different points of the display. If people are willing to pay $900 for a prism viewfinder with a mediocre meter, how would people respond to the ability to preview a film shot in real-time in a device the size and form-factor of the waist-level finder?

Productphotography but in the transition towards shooting more people.

1) I would like to be able to send the preview image wirelessly to another machine (Ipad, desktop, laptop) while the RAW is written to a CF card.
2) I would like to be able to alter this preview image in Phocus and send the adjustments back to the camera.
3) I like the idea Andy had about focus stacking however in the macro range the focal length breathing will lead to difficult to stack images. I rather had Hasselblad talk to people like Cognysis to get their electronic macro rail integrate into Phocus. Or make sure these type of companies get there hands on PDK's (Phocus Developer Kits) to be able to do so.
4) All the other wishes already expressed in the previous wish list :)

All in all, I am quite happy with the functionality of the equipment. I believe that a lot of effort should be put into getting it more stable, the software faster and to finish things that have been started before new stuff gets integrated. I know it is very tempting to go head over heels into the rat race of incorporating new features but I believe there are already some that need to be improved upon.

5) I seriously think Hasselblad needs to start thinking about abandoning the Firewire path. Unfortunately it is unclear where it needs to go (USB3 or Lightpeak).

Megapixels
I think we are on track


LCD
This is #1 need to improve and canon G series quality would be nice and not costly please give more attention to it I don't have to run around in location with cables and laptop


Battery life
Make it heavier! No problem if it can take another 500 shoots and it can operate the back so no need for FW power from laptops


Battery accessories
Dual chargers


Phocus features
Hire the geeks behind LR


3rd party software integration
Why not but I like the quality from phocus if it'll be improved I don't think we need it



New Lenses
Newer primes and markII versions but don't forget upgrade program and offers





Tethering solutions
USB option is better and the speed is not bad with option to connect directly to an iPad for just preview quick version of the capture and it'll solve bad LCD problems!



Frame rates
2-3/sec



ISO performance
Yes yes yes and yes

Amateur shooting portraits and still Life
Megapixels: No need to increase beyond 50 MP
LCD: High Def screen to accurately assess focus
Other Accessories: "really" would like 45 degree, fully functional viewfinder (like I had with PME45 for the V System)
Tethering solutions: USB connection
Speciality solutions: "spot" autofocus with Tilt and Shift
ISO performance: more choices between 50 and 200 (like 80, 120 and 160).
Flash: allow optional upward extension of built in flash so it can be used with longer lenses.
Why, why why can't hasselblad engineers figure out a way to let me use my film back with my H4D-50 camera, even if it is in fully manual mode??

Megapixels
Fine as is

Body
Make the Viewfinder (HV90 series) sealed dust proof


LCD
Use same quality as iPhone 4 Retina display

Battery life
Should be improved, and a more sturdy loader, current loader is a $0,50 japanese piece of plastic

Phocus
Faster, better interface like LR or aperture, and a real searchable image DB like LR

other than this, don't change a winning horse...

Hi

I am a part time pro shooting period architecture and landscapes as well as some commercial stuff for our businesses.

What would help me a lot:

1. Some degree of weather proofing so that I didn't have kittens every time it rained.
2. Better battery life - the present system really sucks
3. Some kind of focus assist with the HTS - I sold mine because I just wasn't getting enough reliably focussed shots
4. A CMOS sensor so we could have longer exposures and live view
5. A more secure tethering connection perhaps even wirelessly although in my experience these are complex systems that take a lot of setting up.
6. A high quality medium telephoto with VR built in
7. A very fast wide angle lens
8. A much better screen

Some or any of this would be pretty good.  As far as extra pixels I am not sure I need it if it means more diffraction problems or a poorer signal to noise ratio.

free Artist with small dreams,

I`ve also had a dream last night, and my hassi works in the same way like my canon 1Ds Mark III, but the body was called Hasselblad and the prime of all, the quality of the pics also was hasselbladquality, and the very best of all, the service was the hassiservice too. I´m wonder, and feel, the best dream I ever had, and sometimes in lifetime a dream come true ;-o)  hope dies last!

ISO up to 1.600 I would like it, and it would very fine to see the ISO-settings always in the viewfinder,
Battery life must be the double or more than now, this currentl accuhandgrip ist loughable
faster workflow with phocus, and a dustremovingtool - no other software get me the same smile like phocus, I love it, because no LR or somewhat else of software will work with the same and right true colors like Phocus,
Phocus is the very best software for the Hasselblad 3F-files, LR or other software is unable to hold a candle to Phocus, only the speed can be a little faster. I personaly can`t find mistakes inside, i work with my MacbookPro 17"
8GB RAM, 512GB SSD and it works day bye day flawless, in tethered mode also. I think, the most mistakes are behind the machine, it`s the same like the pc-works.
I wish a better finish of the face,  - the color around the displayframe drop down.
maybe a waterproofed stainless steel body would be wondernice and would give the label a good reputation in the world outside

Artist and fine art photographer.

Camera
Full frame 6x6
Weather proof

Sensor/Back
Full frame 6x45
40-50 MP
Rotating back

Viewfinders
90, 45 and Waist Level
Framing to reflect orientation of sensor/back

LCD
High definition + wireless transfer to Ipad or equivalent

ISO
25>

Software
Phocus
Selective adjustments
Full numerical info

Lenses
Leaf shutter
T/S lenses wide and standard

Too expensive? Buy the rights to the AFi/HY6 ;-)

Full time fashion, beauty, fine art, product, stock.

- stable connect/reconnect to Phocus
- iPhone 4 type LCD with antiglare screen, touch screen with no delay 100% zoom to the point you pick with your finger.
- wireless, full-res tether of previews to iPad, iPhone with an option to do the same quick 100% zoom there.
- using cards as storage while tethered with preview on both the computer and the camera LCD (as said before, it's easier to import images from a card than from a laptop)
- dual CF card slot for backup or additional storage
- faster and snappier autofocus with all lenses
- weather sealing
- more life to batteries is always welcome
- ISO capabilities of H4D40 without the crop
- software emulation of gradient filters in phocus
- an option to charge two batteries simultaneously without carrying two chargers.
- 3, 5, 7 or even 9-point AF if possible. Very important for tracking action.
- replace the in-camera flash with a nice AF assist light.
- compatibility with Nikon speedlights? Don't use them much but what the hell. Could be a good AF assist replacement.

Alex

i am using both the H3D-39 and the CFV-39

very important upgrades to me:

- 3rd party integration with lightroom (or others) now LR has lens support, so maybe they can work some nice integration. in many many ways. from reading the tethered files without having to convert them to dng, to just using LR and having some of the phocus features.
- a small tethering plugin. see above or maybe just a strip-down phocus, fast and tailored to tethering only.
- reliable tethering.
- battery life indicator for the cfv. should not be so hard, and yet is very much missed.
- much better ISO performance. at the end we are battling with 35mm... and i don't want to use my nikon anytime there is iso400 light....
- better LCD

dream, but not really viable changes i see....
- video
- wireless tethering (and fast).
- full frame 6x6.
- larger dynamic range possibilities.

this is off-topic, but i actually do not understand why hasselblad is spending so much time in developing and maintaining phocus. i see no returning benefits in doing it.

To everything else that's been said...

Automatic sensor cleaner.
Accurate vertical / horizontal electronic level
Automatic sensor cleaner.
Adapter plates for Really Right Stuff and other tripod mounting systems.
Did I mention automatic sensor cleaner?
Adapters for V system and other models' attachments and lenses.
Adjustment to correct for lenses that forward and/or back focus... and memory for each lens.

Part-time pro shooting landscapes, etc.

Remote zoom

Daylight live view, tethered (for remote use on 10m tripod etc.) ( I am voting with my feet on this one and getting a Sinar system)

AF that works well on large lenses with lens hoods ( currently the focus assist light can only see half the subject (e.g. with 300mm)

Auto DOF stacking like StackShot -specify end points and number of shots, or circle of confusion.

Focus distance on LCD,  near and far DOF points. (DOF scale missing on 50-110 , and useless on 300mm).

Flexbody-like (ArcBody) system giving movements on all lenses, compatible with Sinar P3 (and/or Medium Format Digital View Camera) lensboard mounted lenses.

Full integration with Sinar eShutters.

9cm * 9cm 6 micron digiback with MultiShot option for Medium Format Digital View Cameras like the Sinar P3.

Option to focus beyond the AF point, e.g. to soften faces and get the hair sharp in portraits ( I used to focus on the ears) - current system gives over-sharp cheeks and OOF hair.

Part time pro shooting landscapes, etc.

Megapixels - happy with my 40
LCD - higher res, and outdoor viewable
Autofocus - Faster autofocus in low contrast, low light situations, and the same for TF which just hunts when put to the test
Exposure - happy as I am with the 40, I would still like even longer exposures
ISO performance - Auto ISO for when I just want the shot
Phocus - a less graphics intensive solution so that my iMac can run it happily

I sold all my other gear when I got the 40. I have had a few moments of regret shooting in low contrast, low light situations. Given that Hasselblad seems to be trying to knock off the high end DSLR market, this looks like an area where there is much room for improvement.

I'm a location editorial / book photographer and my major issue is tethering. On an average day I reckon my cable come out 3-8 times which is itself is a bore but getting the camera and Phocus to connect sometimes involves restarting the computer and taking the battery off the camera, not great when shooting portraits. Also, I wonder what the ratio is of Landscape to Portrait shots taken, I know that for me it is 95% portrait which means I am balancing a heavy camera on it's side which inevitably drops down if I have not tightened the tripod heat very tightly ( especially with the HTSI ). Despite seriously cursing the camera on a daily basis, the end result means the Canon only comes out on occasion.

Here is what would make my life so much better:

1. Wireless or issue free connection between camera and computer
2. Portrait or rotating back
3. Multi-focus points
4. More stable Phocus and the feeling I'm not using something because I have to rather than want to.

"Part time professional, I´m shooting people (portrait, lifestyle, nude) in studio/on location"

Megapixels: the H3DII39 is perfect for me
LCD: hinged, removable, resolution is ok for me
Battery life: double lifetime, half price
Phocus features: raw processing of Nikon files etc. in phocus win
New Lenses: its a perfect range of products, no wishes
Tethering solutions: wireless please!!!!!  and live view in phocus
Speciality solutions: stainless steel for everybody and a better water protection
Frame rates: faster is better, 3 per sec
ISO performance: comparable with Nikon D700

Thanks for listen!
Regards, Andreas

One ommision from the H series that was available with the V series is an infra red remote release.
Allow the use of film backs on H3DII and H4D, (H3D, H2D, H2, H2F, H1 do allow film backs) no reason not to.
More viewfinder options, ie 45 degrees.
Better LCD display for the camera body.
Bigger batteries, faster charging batteries, double chargers, cheaper batteries.
Tethering options, not just one interface.

Professional advertising photographer

Wish list-
Scrap Phocus and make the camera shoot straight to DNG. By the time you could get Phocus up to functionality of the current version of LR, LR will be up to version 6! There are so many shortcomings to Phocus that I won't bother to list them, just scrap it, concentrate on making great cameras and let the software specialists make the software.
Live view mode would be brilliant, I use it constantly on my 5dm2.
I have a lot of problems with shooting tethered, crashing constantly. I have h3 39 so maybe the newer ones are better but solve those problems would be good.
The firewire connection could be better, with a heavy duty tethered cable there is a lot of weight pulling down on that connection, there must be a better way to connect
Randy

I am full a full Professional -
architecture, people, reportage

camera:
better batteries, double lifetime -half price!
no lens errors!, no more errors while thethered with freezing systems,
weather-resistent camera!!
better grip, better haptics of wheels and camera, better camera "plastic" body have a look at S2!
lcd: brighter

phocus: please - still better performance, while controlling pics for sharpness
better individual colorcorrection tool - better control button for that (with fine thread)

an option to charge two batteries simultaneously without carrying two chargers.

still more reliable autofocus -

It would be nice to have a digital, LIGHT, zoomable lense of between 600mm to 800mm. I don't mind sacrificing a bit on photo quality.

Simon

Mamiya DF body with Hasselblad digital back mount. I could then use all those great other lenses available: zeiss, Jena, kiev, Mamiya, Nikon etc....

Quote from: Simon on December 14, 2010, 11:32:38 PM
It would be nice to have a digital, LIGHT, zoomable lense of between 600mm to 800mm. I don't mind sacrificing a bit on photo quality.

no offense, but why not shoot on a Canon / Nikon ? Smaller and lighter lenses and bodies, but sacrificing a bit on quality.

alex.

I don't want to carry too many cameras around. The other cameras' colour rendering can't match that of a hassel. 

Simon

I would like a hasselblad that works like a D3x in terms of reliability. ie when I switch it on to take a shot, it just works and doesn't stop until the card is full or the battery is flat.
I don't want to be standing on a scissor lift 60' up waiting for the perfect balance of light between sunset and street light only to be told ( again) that I have to reattach the back or the lens or some other stupid effing thing like taking the battery off and reattaching it. It is absolute nonsense that a camera and lens set up costing £28k can't be relied upon. I've NEVER had to restart any Nikon digital camera. I am now at the stage ( luckily, as I was on the scissor lift) where I set up the Nikon beside the Hasselblad so that I don't miss the shot. Do I do the converse when I shoot with a Nikon? No, cos the Nikon just works. Every time. Quality? Well the quality of a missed shot on a Hasselblad compared to a Nikon image, there's no comparison, is there? So why do I persevere with the camera? Well, I don't really, it sits in the studio most of the time. Why don't I sell it? Well there's a lot of money tied up in the kit and lenses and maybe a fix will come along that makes the thing reliable.
Other features on the Hasselblad that I would like ( if it worked ) would be additional focus points.

Fashion Full Time

A 645 platform that will interface with Phase/Leaf.

When I bought a new Aptus 8 II recently for my H1, I was very tempted to accept
the whole package and trade in my Hassy's and lenses. Bought a third backup H1
on ebay for $1300 instead but eventually the Phase/~Leaf users will be forced away from Hassy for sure
unless the requirement is met.

Fashion Full Time

Just read a post by PH and he is right on the money. If only Hasselblad had the build quality and reliability of Nikon pro cameras
life would be a lot simpler for us. i.e take the ~Hassy on location shoots.

Focus points: More focus points would be a huge plus.

Full-tim commercial / advertising shooter.

My needs are simple, I think - like being able to turn on the LCD when you're shooting tethered - so when you're at the camera and there are a dozen people crowded around the laptop and you can't see it, you can tell if you're at least clipping your highlights.

And being able to run the camera only from the batteries, no matter where it is plugged in - as in to NOT use the FW power as camera power - it makes a laptop battery last longer and, I think, makes for a better connection.

The ability to shoot to the card as well as to a computer, for an instant backup.

A super light-weight version of Phocus, for those of us with 2007-era MacBook Pros and older machines - possibly a capture only program, with minimal adjustments, but super-fast so you can check focus and just get the images on the computer.  Wait, what I'm asking for, really, is a re-skinned Flexcolor, come to think of it...

And the complicated things - miuti-point AF, vertical grip, weather sealing, more rugged, 2 CF or even 2 SD card slots...;

Full time professional corporate / industry / scientific  - often in difficult conditions.

MPX:  H4D50 I don't need any more...don't come out with an 80 for gods sake! Its getting ridiculous.

LCD: This is not important to me but a plug in screen from the FW could be an amazing tool.NO don't do it..concentrate on what you have at the moment and get it to work properly!

Battery life: I don't have a problem with this, I rarely shoot more than 400 frames a day. Maybe a sticker with instructions how to recalibrate...I can see the illustration now!

Phocus Features: Make it work properly!! Make it light! Make it stable. Make a light version that will work on any computer. Never mind about new features just make it reliable. More accurate in depth management of colour.

3rd Party Software: This is of no interest to me unless you can write a plug in for Photoshop but NO don't do it..concentrate on what you have at the moment and get it to work properly!

New Lenses: NO don't do it..concentrate on what you have at the moment and get it to work properly!

Other Accessories: 45 or degree prism that rotates like the old 6008 prisms, with metering and of course it could rotate upwards a little so you'd not need the DANGEROUS (fire risk) WLF and useless with no metering. NO don't do it..concentrate on what you have at the moment and get it to work properly!

Tethering Solution: ..concentrate on what you have at the moment and get it to work properly! The Apple problem needs a resolution, this is a high priority. Also why JUST FW? The FW port in the camera is the main source of faults couldn't they design something better. FW 800 has few benefits over 400 and 400 is more robust and better designed for plugging and unplugging. What about a dongle or converter that would clip into the port and then you could plug into that, when that fails you just get a replacement...same at the MBP end. This would make the system more robust.

Speciality solutions: I don't have a requirement for this. The kit is pretty much of a speciality as it is and risking repeating myself....NO don't do it..concentrate on what you have at the moment and get it to work properly!

Frame Rates: I'm sure fashion photographers would love faster frame rates but this is a big technical problem and I'm not sure you buy a Hasselblad for the frame rate.

ISO: Yes I desperately need better higher ISO. My art director is tearing his hair out at the way I have to work. He's desperate to get me to take that camera off the tripod and be more fluid. I originally did not buy into MF to do this and the quality of my work is very much to do with the poise and calculated slowness that comes with the format. Never the less an acceptable 800ISO will become very important in the future.

Imagine an advert that says ' Probably the world's most reliable camera'. Thats where Hasselblad needs to go.

Hi Guys
Just wanted to say thanks for the fantastic replies! Please keep them coming. Some of the things requested are downright impossible, and some of the problems reported are solvable but that's a subject for another thread, I'll try and address any areas I can help with when I get some time, right now I have a bunch of taps to shoot.
Nick-T

most all of the above PLUS a vertical grip - pretty please...

1. phocus - make it more stable before adding anything else.
2. screen
3. grip
4. no more MPxs - PLEASE!

Absolutely need a faster & more reliable tethering option. Apple seems to be headed to Intel's Light Peak. Which is said to be much faster than FW & USB 3.0 "...carrying data at 10 gigabits per second in both directions simultaneously."  And can run multiple protocols at the same time on one cable. This seems to be the future of high speed peripheral connectivity....and/or maybe Wireless Gigabit (7gps).

Quote from: NickT on December 15, 2010, 07:54:21 AM
Some of the things requested are downright impossible...

Well, you did say "Dream Hasselblad"!

I hope Hassleblad will not trash all our dreams :)

Quote from: Monty Rakusen on December 15, 2010, 07:30:56 AM
Tethering Solution: ..concentrate on what you have at the moment and get it to work properly! The Apple problem needs a resolution, this is a high priority. Also why JUST FW? The FW port in the camera is the main source of faults couldn't they design something better. FW 800 has few benefits over 400 and 400 is more robust and better designed for plugging and unplugging. What about a dongle or converter that would clip into the port and then you could plug into that, when that fails you just get a replacement...same at the MBP end. This would make the system more robust.

Just a quick note from me to say, the recent firmware / Phocus updates we hope have solved this issue once and for all.

Firmware has ben delivered for 40/50/60, 22/31/39 is on the way.

D

A decent wide-angle zoom, that does not vignette the 60Mpx sensor.

When can we expect a full frame (56x56 mm) sensor for the V-system. Or in other words a square full frame CFV.

Quote from: JAT on December 16, 2010, 02:29:06 AM
When can we expect a full frame (56x56 mm) sensor for the V-system. Or in other words a square full frame CFV.

I am afraid, not in anybody's lifetime - seriously.

So we'll not need the Lindy cable anymore? And it won't lose the camera from time to time?
Monty

Quote from: David Grover on December 15, 2010, 10:34:47 PM

Quote from: Monty Rakusen on December 15, 2010, 07:30:56 AM
Tethering Solution: ..concentrate on what you have at the moment and get it to work properly! The Apple problem needs a resolution, this is a high priority. Also why JUST FW? The FW port in the camera is the main source of faults couldn't they design something better. FW 800 has few benefits over 400 and 400 is more robust and better designed for plugging and unplugging. What about a dongle or converter that would clip into the port and then you could plug into that, when that fails you just get a replacement...same at the MBP end. This would make the system more robust.

Just a quick note from me to say, the recent firmware / Phocus updates we hope have solved this issue once and for all.

Firmware has ben delivered for 40/50/60, 22/31/39 is on the way.

D

Quote from: Monty Rakusen on December 16, 2010, 11:10:58 AM
So we'll not need the Lindy cable anymore? And it won't lose the camera from time to time?
Monty

Quote from: David Grover on December 15, 2010, 10:34:47 PM

Quote from: Monty Rakusen on December 15, 2010, 07:30:56 AM
Tethering Solution: ..concentrate on what you have at the moment and get it to work properly! The Apple problem needs a resolution, this is a high priority. Also why JUST FW? The FW port in the camera is the main source of faults couldn't they design something better. FW 800 has few benefits over 400 and 400 is more robust and better designed for plugging and unplugging. What about a dongle or converter that would clip into the port and then you could plug into that, when that fails you just get a replacement...same at the MBP end. This would make the system more robust.

Just a quick note from me to say, the recent firmware / Phocus updates we hope have solved this issue once and for all.

Firmware has ben delivered for 40/50/60, 22/31/39 is on the way.

D

Exactly. 

David

You are a man of few words!

This is excellent news and I look forward to todays shoot.
I do think you might make a bit more PR from this though.....go on, you know you want to!

M

Well its a tricky thing to make PR out of.

Apple changes Firewire protocol, doesn't tell anyone, doesn't offer much help, we devote weeks of R&D time to reverse engineer a load of things, et Voila!

I will be happy if it just means people are trouble free tethered!

D

Moin,

... a CFV-Back with 6,8 my m pixel Sensor 48 mm sqare => 7216 * 7216 pixel or 52 MPix. That would fit.  :D

Kind regars

Jan Borgers 2010-12-16

Full time professional editorial and advertising photographer


Megapixels: 50-60 seems fine for anything

LCD: yes, fix this, get something from this century

Battery Life: no complaints

Phocus features: Stop with the features!!! make it work perfect when tethering and please open up your files to LR!!! Editing 500+ images in Phocus is not fun

3rd party software: don't see a need

New Lenses: Get your lens profiles in LR

Other Accessories: maybe a modern more realistically priced image tank thing?

Tethering solutions: again, this needs to be "mission critical" level of software, crashes and loosing files is NOT ok.

Frame rates: the h3d250 is fine for me, little faster would be cool, but usually waiting for strobes

ISO performance: the hi-iso's of the digi 35's is pretty amazing...

Ipad and Iphone integration, better tethering protocol (USB 3, Lightpeak, hell even gigabit ethernet!) big square sensor that you software crop and with viewfinder masks so you can shoot vertical without rotating camera.

Use your social network (twitter, email, facebook) to let us know of known bugs and when new software is released, maybe Phocus could check for updates like every other piece of software around. I'm a bit bummed that I had to troll a message board to find that a new Phocus version had been released that hopefully fixes a serious fatal bug (FW disconnects on new Macbooks, doesn't matter if apple caused this without your knowledge, let shooters know immediately if a bug is or could be present and offer solutions; I figured this out in 2 days, not that hard)

Really I just want Phocus to work better when I'm tethered and to be able to read in LR or Aperture.

My suggestions are in regards to making Phocus a lot better:
I would REALLY REALLY like to be able to set my default Live aperture in my preferences. 
My stylists would REALLY like to be able to have a draggable crop when in Live mode.  (I know I can have an overlay- but why not a crop?)
I would enjoy the option of a single draggable guide line (vertical and horizontal.)

Thanks for listening.

I have 2 suggestions:

- low(er) resolution live video: the actual live video is sluggish. it would be great to have an half- or quarter-resolution live view preview, just to speed up things! then you could switch to the full live video on-the-fly, if needed. I hope this is possible with the current hardware, I assume if the sensor outputs only half the data, it will be faster (or not?)

- cropping during live video: when you select a crop and ratios in the shots, it would be great that also the following live video will honour the crop. even better, it could behave just like the normal crop: when selected you also see the uncropped portion grayed-out, then you can crop it if you want. of course, if you use the crop in the live video it should be applied in the final shot (as always)

A wireless file transfer system to macbook pros, macpros and iPads.

Hi Nick,

Just two suggestions:

I believe the histograms are currently based on the Jpeg used for the camera back image - could they be based on the RAW data instead as that would be more useful (though please correct me if my understanding of this is wrong - it's just I do find discrepancies between basing exposure on the histogram as shown on the back, and that shown in Phocus which means I can blow highlights unexpectedly - but it could be my memory playing up!!) and I like the look of the new Leica S2 histogram - the current Hasselblad one is pretty good nonetheless!

Henry

Dream Hasselblad System—H5D

Expert Amateur Fine Art Landscape Photographer

Most important feature:  determine focus, depth of focus, sharpness in field without laptop.
Best solution:  outdoor visible Live View at shooting aperture with 100% magnification checkpoints on rear LCD
Otherwise:  largest possible rear LCD with highest resolution on sharpened JPEG image, must be as good as a laptop for judging focus, depth of focus, sharpness
*Wireless transfer of moderately compressed JPEG (~2 Mb) to iPad to view composition, sharpness at 100%, and star rank.  No need to run Phocus for image editing or tethered operation in field on any device.  Tethered operation is not feasible for environments that I work in (rain, snow, sea shores, mountain tops, etc).
*Focus mask ala Phase Capture One with user programmable sharpness levels visible on rear LCD.
*Show camera measured focus distance, near and far depth of focus, based on f-stop and focal length, on top or rear LCD.  User selectable circle of confusion value desireable.

Other important firmware features:
*Eliminate reliability issues that often lock up camera now and require removing lens, battery, viewfinder, and multiple restarts to make camera work.
*Large RGB histogram with clear over / under-exposed indication per channel.  One channel can saturate now without indication on the existing histogram.  Show f-stop scale on bottom.
*Configurable INFO screen, ability to add data, ie focus distance, DOF, altitude from GIL, color Temp, etc.
*Configurable INFO screen sequence to include only desired screens.  For me, full image with Blinkies, RGB histogram, (exposure data), (top LCD info.)
*Configurable EXIF data shown in Phocus, add altitude, exposure GMT from GIL, color Temp, etc.
*User choice of storing RAW data as 3FR or FFF.  Current workflow too complex, Adobe support mixed.
*Ability to record audio notes attached to each exposure for data such as setup, filters, focus bracket / stitch info.
*Adjustable "Blinkie" level, fewer menu steps to get to LCD Brightness, Contrast settings.
*Auto set time and date when using GIL.  Often forget to do this when travelling to new time zones.
*Features promised last year in Phocus 2.6 (high resolution rear LCD, 3D leveling, top LCD info on rear LCD, etc)

* should be achievable on current H4D cameras with Firmware update only.

Other important hardware changes:
Ability to remove back for cleaning without taking off prism finder.  Currently as mess to do in field.
Put lightmeter in camera body so Waist Level Finder can use auto exposure.
Make WLF folding like older V series.  Camera doesn't fit easily in backpack with WLF attached.
Allow use of a relatively inexpensive film magazine for backup if $35,000 digital back fails in field.
Allow interchanging of  Hasselblad digital backs and camera bodies.  Let user to decide if performance is good enough without focus calibration.  Makes backups much less expensive.
Remove marketing driven lock-outs that prevent HCD lenses from use on H1 and H2 cameras.
Better dust sealing / cover glass coating.  Currently, not a day goes by without things landing on the sensor, especially when changing lenses frequently.
Sensor resolution that just exceeds best lens resolution.  Getting close at 80 megapixels.
Develop more high-quality, lighter-weight zoom lenses.  100-300mm f5.6-f8 would be very useful.
Revise existing lenses, especially HCD lenses, so they cover the entire 60mpixel and beyond sensors.
Implement attachable battery on digital back for view camera use.  Best if same camera charger can be used.
Bigger buttons on camera body, more programming options, not so recessed in front so they are reachable when the HTS is attached.
Top LCD should slant to rear.  Currently useless when camera is on a tripod above chest level.
Multi-shot operation without laptop tethering.  Put control in camera body.
iPad camera control / viewing without tethered laptop and separate WIFI network required.  Bidirectional WiFi directly between camera and iPad or laptop.
Maximum size / quality rear LCD with touch screen operation.  Get rid of buttons.  Think iPod.
At least 2 interface options from FW800, FW3200, USB3, WIFI, LightPeak between camera and computer.  Real fear that FW800 is on its way out.  Getting harder to find computers that support it.
Rotation lock on HTS to prevent tragedy when attaching lenses.  Easy now to rotate a lens into position thinking it is attached only to find that the HTS rotated and it isn't.
Tripod socket on the lens side of the HTS for perfect flat stitching without lens movement.
Ability to use 120mm macro, 150mm, 210mm lenses on HTS.
Expand the shift / rise / fall capability of the HTS to at least + / - 25mm.  Let user decide when too much for lens performance.

Quote from: Steve C on January 07, 2011, 09:27:18 AM
Dream Hasselblad System—H5D

Expert Amateur Fine Art Landscape Photographer

Most important feature:  determine focus, depth of focus, sharpness in field without laptop.
Best solution:  outdoor visible Live View at shooting aperture with 100% magnification checkpoints on rear LCD
Otherwise:  largest possible rear LCD with highest resolution on sharpened JPEG image, must be as good as a laptop for judging focus, depth of focus, sharpness
*Wireless transfer of moderately compressed JPEG (~2 Mb) to iPad to view composition, sharpness at 100%, and star rank.  No need to run Phocus for image editing or tethered operation in field on any device.  Tethered operation is not feasible for environments that I work in (rain, snow, sea shores, mountain tops, etc).
*Focus mask ala Phase Capture One with user programmable sharpness levels visible on rear LCD.
*Show camera measured focus distance, near and far depth of focus, based on f-stop and focal length, on top or rear LCD.  User selectable circle of confusion value desireable.

Other important firmware features:
*Eliminate reliability issues that often lock up camera now and require removing lens, battery, viewfinder, and multiple restarts to make camera work.
*Large RGB histogram with clear over / under-exposed indication per channel.  One channel can saturate now without indication on the existing histogram.  Show f-stop scale on bottom.
*Configurable INFO screen, ability to add data, ie focus distance, DOF, altitude from GIL, color Temp, etc.
*Configurable INFO screen sequence to include only desired screens.  For me, full image with Blinkies, RGB histogram, (exposure data), (top LCD info.)
*Configurable EXIF data shown in Phocus, add altitude, exposure GMT from GIL, color Temp, etc.
*User choice of storing RAW data as 3FR or FFF.  Current workflow too complex, Adobe support mixed.
*Ability to record audio notes attached to each exposure for data such as setup, filters, focus bracket / stitch info.
*Adjustable "Blinkie" level, fewer menu steps to get to LCD Brightness, Contrast settings.
*Auto set time and date when using GIL.  Often forget to do this when travelling to new time zones.
*Features promised last year in Phocus 2.6 (high resolution rear LCD, 3D leveling, top LCD info on rear LCD, etc)

* should be achievable on current H4D cameras with Firmware update only.

Other important hardware changes:
Ability to remove back for cleaning without taking off prism finder.  Currently as mess to do in field.
Put lightmeter in camera body so Waist Level Finder can use auto exposure.
Make WLF folding like older V series.  Camera doesn't fit easily in backpack with WLF attached.
Allow use of a relatively inexpensive film magazine for backup if $35,000 digital back fails in field.
Allow interchanging of  Hasselblad digital backs and camera bodies.  Let user to decide if performance is good enough without focus calibration.  Makes backups much less expensive.
Remove marketing driven lock-outs that prevent HCD lenses from use on H1 and H2 cameras.
Better dust sealing / cover glass coating.  Currently, not a day goes by without things landing on the sensor, especially when changing lenses frequently.
Sensor resolution that just exceeds best lens resolution.  Getting close at 80 megapixels.
Develop more high-quality, lighter-weight zoom lenses.  100-300mm f5.6-f8 would be very useful.
Revise existing lenses, especially HCD lenses, so they cover the entire 60mpixel and beyond sensors.
Implement attachable battery on digital back for view camera use.  Best if same camera charger can be used.
Bigger buttons on camera body, more programming options, not so recessed in front so they are reachable when the HTS is attached.
Top LCD should slant to rear.  Currently useless when camera is on a tripod above chest level.
Multi-shot operation without laptop tethering.  Put control in camera body.
iPad camera control / viewing without tethered laptop and separate WIFI network required.  Bidirectional WiFi directly between camera and iPad or laptop.
Maximum size / quality rear LCD with touch screen operation.  Get rid of buttons.  Think iPod.
At least 2 interface options from FW800, FW3200, USB3, WIFI, LightPeak between camera and computer.  Real fear that FW800 is on its way out.  Getting harder to find computers that support it.
Rotation lock on HTS to prevent tragedy when attaching lenses.  Easy now to rotate a lens into position thinking it is attached only to find that the HTS rotated and it isn't.
Tripod socket on the lens side of the HTS for perfect flat stitching without lens movement.
Ability to use 120mm macro, 150mm, 210mm lenses on HTS.
Expand the shift / rise / fall capability of the HTS to at least + / - 25mm.  Let user decide when too much for lens performance.

Some of this is in the pipeline as firmware updates?

Most of it can be achieved on the H4D.

I hope they take you on to head-up their technical department ( If not, I am available).

Quote from: Steve C on January 07, 2011, 09:27:18 AM
Dream Hasselblad System—H5D

Expert Amateur Fine Art Landscape Photographer

Most important feature:  determine focus, depth of focus, sharpness in field without laptop.
Best solution:  outdoor visible Live View at shooting aperture with 100% magnification checkpoints on rear LCD
Otherwise:  largest possible rear LCD with highest resolution on sharpened JPEG image, must be as good as a laptop for judging focus, depth of focus, sharpness
*Wireless transfer of moderately compressed JPEG (~2 Mb) to iPad to view composition, sharpness at 100%, and star rank.  No need to run Phocus for image editing or tethered operation in field on any device.  Tethered operation is not feasible for environments that I work in (rain, snow, sea shores, mountain tops, etc).
*Focus mask ala Phase Capture One with user programmable sharpness levels visible on rear LCD.
*Show camera measured focus distance, near and far depth of focus, based on f-stop and focal length, on top or rear LCD.  User selectable circle of confusion value desireable.

Other important firmware features:
*Eliminate reliability issues that often lock up camera now and require removing lens, battery, viewfinder, and multiple restarts to make camera work.
*Large RGB histogram with clear over / under-exposed indication per channel.  One channel can saturate now without indication on the existing histogram.  Show f-stop scale on bottom.
*Configurable INFO screen, ability to add data, ie focus distance, DOF, altitude from GIL, color Temp, etc.
*Configurable INFO screen sequence to include only desired screens.  For me, full image with Blinkies, RGB histogram, (exposure data), (top LCD info.)
*Configurable EXIF data shown in Phocus, add altitude, exposure GMT from GIL, color Temp, etc.
*User choice of storing RAW data as 3FR or FFF.  Current workflow too complex, Adobe support mixed.
*Ability to record audio notes attached to each exposure for data such as setup, filters, focus bracket / stitch info.
*Adjustable "Blinkie" level, fewer menu steps to get to LCD Brightness, Contrast settings.
*Auto set time and date when using GIL.  Often forget to do this when travelling to new time zones.
*Features promised last year in Phocus 2.6 (high resolution rear LCD, 3D leveling, top LCD info on rear LCD, etc)

* should be achievable on current H4D cameras with Firmware update only.

Hi Steve,

All great input. ;)

Just to make you aware a few things wouldn't be possible with firmware alone without hardware changes.

The measured focus distance isn't possible to read from the lens.  We know which zone the lens is in (which is recorded as a value of 1 - 11) but no actual distance.  To get that data would require major changes to the lens hardware.

Audio notes would require the use of a microphone which is not present on the H3D/H4D

It would not be possible to store 3F files on the camera without significantly reducing burst rate and write time to CF.  (But I 100% agree Adobe support is mixed and needs to be improved)

Wireless transfer would also require additional hardware which may impair battery life somewhat.

When can you start at HQ. :)

D

Quote from: David Grover on January 07, 2011, 08:57:18 PM

Hi Steve,

All great input. ;)

The measured focus distance isn't possible to read from the lens.  We know which zone the lens is in (which is recorded as a value of 1 - 11) but no actual distance.  To get that data would require major changes to the lens hardware.

When can you start at HQ. :)

D

Hi, David...

DOF is, I think, to many of us, the major problem with MF... so I think you should start work on some way to display it... it would be nice if future lenses did give readouts of the focus distance, and we could use the system for auto focus stack merge, which might confirm your establishment as market leader.

Readout of the focus zone info would be useful, would it not? Would that be possible? You say the data is recorded? where?

A lazer measure could be designed as a clip-on accessory and display DOF info.

While you are considering improvements for the next generation of lenses, remote (powered) zoom would be very useful for many applications.

The option of WiFi communication to remote computers would be great, but, if we tether to a laptop, can we not get the laptop to send files anywhere automatically after each exposure?

Looks like the new P1 back will have some of the features we wanted in H.
Touchscreen, high quality lcd, weather sealing, USB, charging battery from a computer, more dynamic range...
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/phase_one_iq180_announced.shtml

I am sure, Hasselblad can and will do better, though.

Alex,

Agreed and can't wait (though my bank manager might have a say!) - specially if the P1 screen really does mean an end to the need to have a laptop in the field....

Henry

Full time:  Product, Advertising, Wedding and Portrait.

My wish list is simple. Like a broken record ...

A dual shutter H camera. Black. Reasonably weather protected. Better battery and battery charger.

40 meg full frame (size like the 60) ...  don't need all the meg, but would like the size with current sensor technology.

Useable High res. LCD for mobile location work. Don't care if it is touch screen ... just quick to zoom in and scroll ... if touch screen is the best way to do that, then fine.

Delivery of products when they are announced, and trade promotions that don't treat things like a H3D and H3D-II at the same value.

-Marc

Nick,

Hope it is not too late to provide some thoughts:

Megapixels

40 Megapixel full-frame
In an imaginary perfect world the ability to pull the bayer sensor off and shoot monochrome (i know lots of issues)

LCD

Brighter, better color LCD, more dots, and have camera shooting information displayed on LCD while shooting and making settings - F/stop, shutter speed, ISO, ev comp, etc.  In most landscape work the upper LCD on the grip is useless and often i can't get to the viewfinder.  Or remote control from an iPhone app.

Battery life

Well it should be better than it is, i should be able to get through a day with two batteries, cost = high, capacity = low compared to others
A battery pack option that drives the camera and back from a large remote battery plugged into the FW port.

Battery accessories

Dual charger, 12 VDC input to charger and cigarette lighter cable,
A battery top cover that has a movable flag for battery used or charged, or a test LED bar graph to show charge state of the battery, in the bag things get mixed up.

Phocus features

Dust and spot tool, but better yet, kill Phocus and move functions to Aperture or LightRoom as an advanced plug-in (i know there are some architectural issues)

3rd party software integration

Yes do all DAC, etc. corrections as an Aperture plug-in, of course this means Apple needs a better RAW plug-in architecture.

New Lenses

The lens line up is fine.  Lighter versions?  90-200 zoom to complement the 35-90?

Other Accessories

A bluetooth interface for GPS logging with a remote bluetooth GPS transmitter to replace that horrid lame GPS accessory that will not fit with any L-bracket (Kirk, RRS, etc.), is overpriced and one of the worst performing GPS units i've used.

Tethering solutions

Wi-Fi 802.11N It is 2011 after all :)  No wires to the host computer.

Speciality solutions (ariel reproduction for example)

The ability to drive the lens to infinity position with certainty (astronomical work, etc.)
The ability to do a bracketed focus sweep of shots with driving the lens through a fixed interval of distance for each shot

Frame rates

Fine for my work

ISO performance

Do dark frame subtraction to get rid of the hot pixels.
More is better 3,200 ISO that is usable would be nice.

Anything else

The ability to override the brightness of the viewfinder data display back light, it is never bright enough for me.
Some form of live view for manual focus confirmation
Or magnifier in the viewfinder for manual focusing
Move to SD card storage, with two slots (this one is a tough call)
A brighter more powerful focus assist lamp maybe integrated into the flash unit so that good exposures can be made in darker light conditions
Move all grip LCD setting menus to rear display, improve the quality of the grip LCD, it is really crappy in this day and age so that all camera functions can be reviewed and set from the rear display.


Thanks and respectfully,

Glenn Edens

I second each and every suggestion made by Glen.
In a dream world it would be fantastic. But why not dream about it?
I hope we're moving towards that direction.
Cheers,

Mauro Risch
Hasselblad Masters Award Nominee (fine arts)