The Phoblographer » Search Results » H4D-40

A couple of weeks back, I helped my friend a co-worker Jason Geller with a test and shooting with the Hasselblad H4D-40. When using it, I mostly stuck with the 80mm F/2.8 lens that the camera can be bundled with. Now, 40MP and Medium format is usually above what I’d shoot with (I’m at most a full frame guy and own a Canon 5D Mk II) but I decided to give it a try. I came back floored by the results—especially when I let my creative side (both the dark and the fun) come out to play.

The Studio Setup

Jason loves to use natural light. To get the best light we could, we shot during the middle of the day (don’t stop there, just trust me.) In his backyard, we set up a black background and a scrim above that to diffuse the sunlight coming into the backyard. The scrim was large—just imagine the equivalent of a giant shower curtain set up and diffusing the incoming sunlight. This softened the light a lot and provided for some really nice light when used with a reflector.

The Camera in Use

We tethered the camera to Jason’s laptop, which was running the Focus software from Hasselblad. Transmission to the computer was fairly quick and we were able to view the images easily on the Macbook screen. This was much better than viewing them on the H4D’s, which I felt wasn’t up to par for most photographers since there are many cameras with higher grade LCD screens. We often just used the camera’s metering and the TruFocus setting on the camera to get our shots.

To be fair, the TruFocus system is actually a bit slow, and at times I resorted to using the regular single point focusing.

First off, let me say that Hasselblad’s metering is really quite good: in fact I’d say that it’s the best I’ve ever seen in a camera.

The camera felt great in my hands, and had some heft to it. I honestly thought that the heft would be too much when shooting handheld since the shutter is very heavy and could cause camera shake. However, that statement proved to be wrong: each image came out very, very sharp. Jason and I traded places being the model and photographer.

I couldn’t believe just how amazing the images came out looking with the diffused natural light. To even the light out some more, we added a white reflector camera left since the scrim was camera right and at least a good 10 feet in the air.

I kept messing with Jason, telling him that Natural light was for hipsters. In fact, I even attached a Canon 580 EX II to the camera via the PC cable and synched the shutter speed so fast that it killed all the ambient light. The result was something like in the opening image of this story.

If you’ve been a long time reader of this site, you’ll know that I had hands on time with this camera before and also showed off one of the first sample photos from the camera. When I tested the camera out, it was in a traditional studio where we had full control of the light. Outside, we didn’t totally have the luxury because the sun kept moving, and therefore changed the way the shadows looked.

The Results

The color rendering from the Hasselblad H4D-40 is simply stunning, and the dynamic range is very wide which means that the files can always be saved in post if needed. Granted, the meter is quite good and you may not even have to in the first place.

While we’re talking more about the Hasselblad’s, this is perhaps the most flattering I’ve ever seen myself captured. That’s owed to the Hasselblad and the way that the CCD sensor renders colors. Now, I’m not sure how this would do against a Canon or Nikon top-notch professional camera, but I can tell you that their colors would not look or feel as life-like as this. In fact, they’d probably be more punchy and saturated.

Now, Jason got the Focus software but I wasn’t able to get my own, so I had to edit my RAW files using Adobe Lightroom. On each of the darker, “Jack the Ripper” type photos, I boosted the contrast, increased the clarity and sharpness, dodged the axe, raised the red levels, and desaturated the overall image a bit to achieve that particular look.

Before, the axe was very, very dark (almost pitch black). However, I raised the exposure, clarity and contrast on it to look the way it does in each photo. The photo directly above is the original and the photo below is the edited version. Once again, these were purposely meant to look evil and dark.

That was my process for editing pretty much all of the photos from that particular session with variations on each. To do these photos, I shot at 1/800th and at F/8 with the Canon 580 EX II set to 1/4 power output with a Sto-fen Omnibounce on the flash head.

Then what I did was I placed the flash above and camera-left. This was all done with the camera being held with one hand while the other held the flash—proof of just how easily one can still obtain sharp images with a heavy camera. To ensure it didn’t drop, I wrapped the strap around my wrist.

I didn’t only shoot dark images though: I also shot normal portraits. There is something about the Hasselblad look that I can’t really put my finger on, but the color and the sharpness of the lenses working together just seems so…perfect; dare I say it. This is how photography ought to be.

What we noticed is that the background changed from black to gray because of the sunlight hitting it. In our minds, we thought it was black until we actually looked at it. This proves that the Hasselblad’s color accuracy is also really stellar.

Combined with a flash meter and the Macro lens that came with the camera, Jason turned the flash on me with a ring flash attachment and was able to shoot this photo of me.

Needless to say, I love it despite the focusing being very slightly off. As a note, this was human error, he was too close. Either way, it’s an excellent photo.

Parting Ways with the Camera

Eventually, we had to return the Hasselblad H4D-40. Though the camera was amazing and I still miss it, I couldn’t justify the purchase to myself (though Jason’s considering it, I hear.) The reason why is because of the fact that I already have good cameras, and I rarely need that much resolution. Additionally, I need better high ISO performance than what a medium format camera could offer me.

However, if I did need one, I would not hesitate to rent one and I believe that other camera manufacturers need to learn from Hasselblad’s metering algorithms and focusing system with TruFocus. Indeed, this was designed for photographers who use the center point and recompose. When you recompose, the TruFocus system refocuses to ensure that the target is sharply in focus.

Don’t get me wrong as well, I believe that the photographer’s vision comes first and gear comes second. But the Hasselblad is a tool that one can use to ensure that almost (not sports or fast moving objects) any vision they have will be accurately shot.

Please Support The Phoblographer

We love to bring you guys the latest and greatest news and gear related stuff. However, we can’t keep doing that unless we have your continued support. If you would like to purchase any of the items mentioned, please do so by clicking our links first and then purchasing the items as we then get a small portion of the sale to help run the website.

Also, please follow us on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter.

The Quick Beginner’s Guide to Using A Photo Studio

Chris Gampat — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:56:45 +0000

At some stage in their career, every photographer will have need and use for a photo studio. It is the place where the photographer has almost total control of what is being photographed. Some are intimidated by the studio. This posting is for those photographers and by the end of it, you’ll probably understand and love the studio more.

Lighting is Key

Here are the basic rules:

- The larger the lightsource in relation to the subject or the closer it is, the softer the light will be. This is why bouncing light off of something also makes it softer.

- The narrower (smaller) the lightsource is in relation to the subject or the further it is from the subject, the harsher the light will be.

Editor’s Note: Thanks for catching the mistake, Sander.

So what is hard and soft light? Hard light can be used to photograph textures in objects or to show the rolling contours of a landscape. Using soft light, however, would leave the photograph looking flat and uninteresting, but for portrait photography, soft light is, more often than not, the ultimate goal. As a point of reference, products would generally look great with hard light, while a beautiful female would best be shot with soft light. Also be sure to figure out what color light you are using. Cooler light is better for products, warmer light is best with skin tones.

Because of the fully controlled environment, users can also shoot whenever they want and recreate any scene they prefer.

I use Empire State Studio in midtown Manhattan. They’re great and very affordable. If you want to book a session with them, email them at info@empirestatestudionyc.com and PLEASE tell them that Chris Gampat sent you.

In the image above, there is a black background on the right and there are three lights—one of which isn’t very visible but is essentially just another strobe being fired into an umbrella.

These were all used to shoot the image above. Notice how the shades were closed to block off any natural light from coming in. The reason for this is because I was trained in the old school of cinematography and photography. What does that mean? It means that you shut off all lightsources and add one light at a time until you get the desired results. I’ve done shoots like this often enough to know what to do by now though.

If you’d like to see some results from an external flash with a clear Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsibe, you can go here.

Notice how large the octobox is? Since it is that large, it gives off a softer light. And since the strobes are being bounced off the umbrellas, they do the same as well. Part of all this, obviously, is controlling your shutter speed and aperture to create the image that you want. For beginners, this will take some keen observation and trial and error. For more advanced users, they’ll be able to nail it one one or two shots.

As a rule of thumb, always try to shoot at your lowest ISO setting.

Backgrounds and Subjects

Here’s rule #1: never put your subject directly against the background. The reason for this is because when you’re shooting, you need to be able to separate your subject from the background using depth of field. As a general rule, try to keep your subject 6 feet away from the background, if that isn’t possible, manipulate the studio to work for you. This means moving the subject three feet away from the background with you moving back more, shooting wider, etc. More on this in the problem solving section of the article.

We’ve got a number of resources on this:

Quick Tips for Studio/Location Headshot Photography

The Best Budget Lenses

Tips for Shooting Headshots and Social Networking Portraits

Learner’s Tips for Shooting Great Portraits

Some other tips:

- Always make your subject comfortable and try to get them into the exact mindsets that you’d like. This can mean cracking a joke or two and using the studio’s audio system to play music. This would be a good place to say that one should always thank the studio manager/owner.

- Always overequip yourself. You never know what will go wrong on set.

- Always be aware of your surroundings. This can surely include cables and couches. If allowed, try to tape down cables.

Problem Solving

Running equipment checks before you leave home and before you begin the shoot is absolutely essential to any photo shoot. Some problems I’ve encountered are:

- A dirty sensor. The workaround was some extra photoshopping and working to ensure that they didn’t appear in the first place.

- Shutter dial not working on my 5D Mk II. Thankfully, I had the vertical grip on the camera and that dial was working. I just had to change the way I was using the camera a bit.

Loads of problems can happen on a studio set though and it will be up to you and your technicians to work through them. Strobes and lights may die which may require more photoshopping or bouncing lights off of different areas.

Also, double check with the studio manager beforehand to ensure that all the equipment is up and working correctly before the shoot and also check in with the client and manager to ensure that the gig is still on.

- Always be creative with your problem solving.

Please Support the Phoblographer

Hands On: Leica S2

Chris Gampat — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:24:22 +0000

A while ago at the Leica Roadshow in NYC, the S2 was presented to all who attended. The camera, Leica’s main entry into the professional medium format space, is one that surprised all during the seminar. Being a 37.5MP beast of a camera, when one actually holds it they notice that it is actually more elegant that it is a monster. However, it does have a couple of quirks; as do most medium format cameras.

Author’s Note: This article is very, very late to a point which is almost inexcusable. I apologize to the readers and to Leica as site statistics and reader letters have demanded other things from me.

Ergonomics

When the Roadshow was in NYC, I was currently reviewing the D3s, D3X, and D300s so the comparisons were only naturally on my mind. The Leica S2 is a camera that is more comfortable to hold than all three of the previously said cameras. When one reads reviews of it, one may read that it is similar to the D3s in feel. In my hands, it felt smaller and more comfortable. However, the grip on the D3S and D3x did feel better.

When holding the S2, feelings of holding a Canon 5D Mk II actually came to mind. However, one must remember that the S2 is still a bigger camera.

For the main work of a photographer, one can probably not ask for much more. There is a dial to adjust shutter speed on top of the camera and one dial on the back to adjust the aperture. One can see the changes being made on the top LCD or in the viewfinder.

One of the really nice things about this camera is the lens release button. For Canon, Nikon, Olympus and others, the button is on the left. On the S2, it is on the right. While this may be confusing at first, in practice it actually makes quite a bit of sense. For example, say that I am doing headshots for a client in studio and need to quickly swap lenses due to time constraints. To save extra time and because I am holding the camera in my right hand, I can depress the release button, twist off the lens, hand it to an assistant, take the new lens from them, put it on, and get right back to work. It greatly facilitates the work flow and productivity on a set.

The other buttons can be a little hard to master, however. In general, this has been my experience on all medium format cameras; Phase One and Hasselblad not excluded.

Another good point is the fact that the on/off switch is on the back in an area that will not get accidentally touched.

The S2 also has the biggest and brightest viewfinder I’ve ever seen so far on a camera of this type. Part of the reason is the much larger sensor size.

Something that was asked was if there is Live View available. There is no Live View unfortunately.

Menus

They’re long. In fact, they can sometimes be painfully long. This all depends on what one wants to do though. If you want to adjust the white balance in camera you need to go through these menus. If you prefer to do it in post-production, then you can avoid the menu system.

To access the menus, users press one of the four buttons on the back of the camera by the screen. The buttons aren’t labeled though as they do different functions depending on which menu you are in. For example, the play menu offers different features assigned to the buttons than the settings menu does.

Despite their long layout, the menus are quite intuitive once you memorize what settings are located in which subset. As with learning a new camera and system, this just takes a bit of memory and usage. I only had about an hour of time with the camera as a shoot was scheduled afterward.

Image Quality

At this stage of the game, this isn’t really a major factor. First off, Leica lenses are superb and second to none, even with the new system. Additionally, this is medium format. Medium format photographers work with loads of lighting and almost always shoot at lower ISO settings.

At medium format levels, we shouldn’t be nitpicking every single detail and pixel peeping is quite useless.

However, the fact that there is no back for the camera means that image quality cannot be upgraded in the long run. This may hurt Leica in the long run if they do not offer an upgrade program of some sort.

Images are written to a CF card and if wanted, an SD card as well. The latest batch of UDMA cards are supported.

Ruggedness

With weather sealing and a tough body, the S2 seems to be on par with many DSLR cameras. There was one thing that really did amaze me and the other attendees to the point where our jaws dropped. The presenter plugged a FireWire cable into the camera and let the camera dangle from the cable. The port was designed for that type of ruggedness and torture for the clumsy photography that may do that when rushing on set due to high stress.

That’s something not possible with other medium format cameras.

I can actually see this pairing very nicely with the Sun Sniper strap that I reviewed.

Autofocus

There is only one autofocus point and it is in the middle. The nice thing about this is that it doesn’t seem to hunt for your subject the way that previous autofocus systems have. It is very accurate as well.

The one autofocus point works well for medium format photographers. However, I do wish that it had the focus-shift that Hasselblad has for their systems. Once again, this readjusts your focus when you shift your camera back to the original focus distance/point.

Could This Be the Pentax 645D's New Sensor?

Chris Gampat — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:17:58 +0000

Growing interest has spurred over the Pentax 645D Medium Format DSLR camera. I was browsing through a couple of photography forums when I stumbled on this sensor by Kodak, said to be the one that will be the heart of the 645D. The specifications on this sensor are after the jump.

The sensor is meant for professional digital cameras and digital camera backs. It is a 40MP CCD, and the 645D is said to be 39MP. It offers ultra-high resolution, broad dynamic range, low noise architecture, and a large active imaging area. It is said to be used for Industrial imaging but also for aerial photography. That last part is a bit interesting. What that could mean is the types of cameras in balloons, satellites, etc. It could even probably be used for land surveillance.

I was able to pull the graph below off the site before the posting was mysteriously deleted. I hate it when things like that happen. The architecture says Full Frame CCD, but if you look at the active image size you’ll see a different story.

If it is in the camera, I’ll be very thrilled as Kodak sensors are apparently getting better and better as is evident with the Leica M9 and S2. It surely isn’t the sensor in the Hasselblad H4D-40 that I had fondling time with.

Field Review (Last Day)- Leica D-LUX 4

Chris Gampat — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:26:42 +0000

After spending some quality time with the Leica D-LUX 4, it is now time to say good-bye to the camera that stood by me for the past week or so. During my last day of shooting, I used it in a party/bar type atmosphere as well as on the streets documenting real life. Additionally, my experience with the Hasselblad H4D-40 was documented with this camera. So without further hesitation, I now conclude the field review and elaborate on my final experiences.

Day 1: Covered the feel of the camera and the basics of the new firmware update.

Day 2: Covered more of the firmware update in use.

The Weekend: Explored the wonderful color rendition and exposure problems.

Day 5: Explored the High ISO usability of this camera.

Author’s note: the opening shot was shot on 20th St and 6th Ave after a fire happened. Witnesses said a transformer went crazy and burned the line straight up.

As you can tell from the opening photo, color rendition is wonderful once again. To be fair, this is in very good lighting. But users can know that if they carry this or the Panasonic LX3 with them that their cameras will be capable of delivering splendid photos.

However, in low or bad lighting the D-LUX 4 can hit or miss in terms of color accuracy. Auto focusing was always spot on, mind you. Despite having to shoot at high ISOs (almost everything was shot at ISO 800 and above) it still delivers some good shots for the web.

Also, to be fair, my 5D Mk II has sometimes failed in terms of white balance/color accuracy in this setting. But this place can sometimes be difficult to shoot in (which is why I picked it for this torture test.)

When the camera gets the colors right, the photos come out lovely. Because of this problem, you’ll once again always want to shoot in RAW. There are different sized RAW photos, I didn’t see too much of a difference between any of them.

It can be concluded that for a point-and-shoot camera, the D-LUX 4 can perform very well a majority of the time but in difficult shooting situations it can only try its best given what it has.

For a small sensor compact, the depth of field can be very nice. However, the “bokeh” is more pronounced in the Macro range.

I wouldn’t think I’d want to make prints of these. Perhaps 4 x 5′s or so, but even then I’d want to do some photoshopping due to the industry turning me into a pixel-peeper.

This is one of the environments that the typical user of this camera may shoot in. In which case, it does better than most other compacts in the scenario.

D-LUX 4 Loves

- Body design

- Lens, I don’t mind a lack of longer zoom when I’ve got a nice bright and sharp lens like this.

- Simpler and more pleasing menu than the Panasonic version

- Shoots RAW, and many sized RAW files

- Comfortable, but can feel like it can slip out of your hands at times.

- Lens cap

- Accesories

- High ISO isn’t terrible for a compact

- Small and discrete profile

- Simple layout of buttons

- Easy learning curve

D-LUX 4 Hates

- Lens cap flops about everywhere

- Price

- White balance problems at times

- Minor and rare auto-focus issues

The D-LUX 4 is highly recommended by me.

Please Support the Phoblographer

We love to bring you guys the latest and greatest news and gear related stuff. However, can’t keep doing that unless we have your continued support. If you would like to purchase any of the items mentioned, please do so by clicking out link and then purchasing the items as we then get a small portion of the sale to help run the website.

Hasselblad H4D-40 Sample Photo

Chris Gampat — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:10:05 +0000

Here it is. Thanks to the kind folks over at Fotocare in NYC for this. My Hands-on review with the camera is here. I’m not able to post the original here, the file is way too large. I’ll try to see what I can do in the future.

Edit: As time went on, this posting received many hits. Because of that, B&H offers the camera with the 35-90mm F4.5 lens, body only, and as a complete kit.

Hands On: Hasselblad H4D-40

Chris Gampat — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:09:58 +0000

Today, Fotocare in NYC allowed us to have some personal fondling time with the newly announced Hasselblad H4D-40. It’s quite the camera and in some ways even rivals the Phase One cameras that I’ve handled before. As a guy more familiar with Hasselblad and with the True Focus feature, I can tell you that I am truly stunned by the potential. With an 80mm lens, the camera is $19,955.

Edit: As time went on, this posting received many hits. Because of that, B&H offers the camera with the 35-90mm F4.5 lens, body only, and as a complete kit.

First off, the new Hasselblad H4D-40 has a 33 x 44 CCD sensor made by Kodak. As stated earlier, it also has the True Focus feature that was standard on their higher end models. The camera includes the Phocus software when purchased.

Something that really surprised me was that this camera has a pop-up flash. It’s best used perhaps outside instead of inside though as all pictures we tried to take with it resulted in many parts of the photos being underexposed due to the lens or even the lens hood.

The camera feels a lot like a DSLR. You’ll be comfortable shooting this if you don’t mind shooting a Canon 1D Mk IV or a Nikon D3s. Shooting vertically is quite a pleasure and possibly the most comfortable experience I’ve had shooting a camera vertically. I wish my 5D Mk II was this comfortable when I used to shoot celebrities.

I got the opportunity to test the camera with a variety of lenses and they all felt very good. Manually focusing was easy to do and allowed for tack sharp focusing (a problem for me as my eyes are getting worse.) However, True Focus was really the dealbreaker dealmaker here (Thanks Stephen for the catch!)

True Focus works by using the center focusing point to acquire focusing by pressing the button on the back. Once that happens, you can recompose your shot and the camera will focus the lens to ensure that spot is sharp depending on where you move the camera to. This includes all angles and various positions.

It also has various profiles that can be assigned; kind of like custom settings that are available for other cameras.

The camera feels solid as well, so you know that you’re really getting your money’s worth when you drop the equivalent of one semester’s college tuition on it. The top LCD screen that you see above delivers shooting information and even histograms. There could be more, but that’s all I got to see.

The H4D-40 can be hooked up (tethered) to your computer via a Firewire cable while shooting so that you (or an assistant) can immediately start editing the photos when you’ve shot them. Other ports include those for a flash cable, etc.

The screen on the back (keep in mind that on medium format cameras that the backs are detachable and include the sensor and “brains”.) is actually relatively high resolution. I do not know the exact specs but I do remember that this camera’s screen had better resolution than the Phase One backs. Zooming in on a photo allowed for the photographer to see incredible detail: something that I wasn’t pleased with on the Phase Ones.

I can only imagine shooting out in Asia, Death Valley, weddings or studio with this camera. I know quite a bit of photographers that already shoot with high end Canons and Nikons. However, the H4D-40 is beautiful in every way, shape and form. It’s big and you know it’s big. It isn’t intimidating though and the learning curve doesn’t take very long but it does take some memorization and muscle-memory in addition to paying attention to the details in your viewfinder.

The one photo that I took with me on a flash drive was corrupted, so I can’t share it with you at the moment. A posting will be done when I can share it.

The Phoblographer » Search Results » H4D-40

Reviews Index

Cameras

Canon

Nikon

Sony

Panasonic

Olympus

Leica

Pentax

Fujifilm

Film

Sigma

Samsung

Hasselblad

Ricoh

Lenses

Canon

Nikon

Olympus/Panasonic/Micro Four Thirds

Zeiss

Sigma

Rokinon

Diana

Leica

Lighting

Nikon

ExpoImaging

Impact

Orbis

GoPro

Gary Fong

Other

Camera Bags

Think Tank

Lowepro

Crumpler

Tamrac

Etc

Photography Accessories

Camera Comparisons

Using the Hasselblad H4D In an Outside Studio

The Studio Setup

The Camera in Use

The Results

Parting Ways with the Camera

Please Support The Phoblographer

The Quick Beginner’s Guide to Using A Photo Studio

Lighting is Key

Backgrounds and Subjects

Problem Solving

Please Support the Phoblographer

Hands On: Leica S2

Ergonomics

Menus

Image Quality

Ruggedness

Autofocus

Could This Be the Pentax 645D's New Sensor?

Field Review (Last Day)- Leica D-LUX 4

D-LUX 4 Loves

D-LUX 4 Hates

Please Support the Phoblographer

Hasselblad H4D-40 Sample Photo

Hands On: Hasselblad H4D-40