Is a Hasselblad H4D Still Worth It In 2020? (sample shots, comparison vs Sony A9)

[@FanaticDrummer]

I still use a H3D II and it stomps mirrorless IQ and color. If you actually specialize in stills you’d get a medium format system. There is a massive image quality and visual difference.

[@tock509]

There's something different about CCD sensor look that's more natural and real than CMOS look. I have both CCD and CMOS Hasselblad 50mp camera, but I would use the CCD camera over CMOS camera especially shooting portraits.

[@valbou1089]

Which Hasselblad CCD camera do you advise? The latest one which was the H5D?

[@redcell358]

Hey man, thanks for your video! I was struggling about if I want to buy a hasselblad and if it was still with it but your video helps a lot! Thank you!

[@Juventinos]

I got super lucky getting a CCD 50mpx H4d with 4 lenses and 5 batteries for a bargen price here's the thing, tethering with modern laptops isn't very easy, but it can be done! and once it's done it's super easy.. and a joy to work with.

[@peaceyoman123]

hi i used to work with CCD censors and my friend woks in manufacturing on CMOS. the short version for the switch was yes the better high ISO but baiscly a cost savings. a CCD censor by nature allows for not nessisarly more bit depth but a smooth bit depth. two sensors same mp and bit depth a CCD will look far better in natural or brighter situations while a CMOS does better with less light.

[@imabigsandwich1292]

The fullframe 24mp sensors have wayy more dr then the hasselblads ccd. Especially if you do a more extreme push of exposure by 4 or 5 stops, or a highlight pull by 3-4 stops. The hassleblad's ccd just falls part much quicker then modern day bsi cmos sensors. I prefer the rendition out of ccds, especially with hasselblad's colorscience, but in terms of dr ccds just can't compete.

[@user-zc5ft9nw9b]

Back in the day we would get the exposure as right as possible before shooting(sarcasm intended). Ever heard of slide film? +/- 1/3 either side. Push/pull was an emergency(last ditch) attempt at saving an image that was going to be ruined.....digital users have no excuse for a bad exposure.

[@imabigsandwich1292]

@@user-zc5ft9nw9b I shoot ektachrome and provia all the time, the difference is digital's highlight roll off is never very pretty, and when slide film blows out it simply becomes transparent and looks very natural. and the thing about pushing the exposure isn't because it's a bad exposure, it's to bring up or bring down the details from a contrasty scene, or using iso invariance to protect the highlight dynamic range like negative film.

[@Muchtoobizy]

I know this video is almost 4 years old. But I enjoyed seeing the results from this Hasselblad. They are the most film-like pictures I’ve seen from a digital camera. It’s an awkward, heavy, clunky setup, but beautiful results can be achieved.

[@techtt6213]

Really cool video. Enjoyed it very much. I would also expose more towards the shadows, highlights are easier to recover. What settings do you shoot btw? Full or compressed raw?

[@speakertoni2680]

TechTT thank you! Everything was shot in uncompressed RAW

[@dazNilo]

Great Images with on point post production! I am thinking about getting a H4d. Have you had any problems with your battery? How is Battery life in general (how many batteries do you own? I am a little conernced, as i have discovered that a replacement batterie costs 350€...

[@speakertoni2680]

Nilo Neumann oh wow I just saw the prices as well they’re crazy overpriced I got two batteries with the purchase of my H4d which, when considering their price, I’m now very glad about battery life is alright, it’s not as good as with the A9 but that’s to be expected on a day of shooting two batteries are more than enough in my experience but that can vary from person to person of course

[@sgroadie6367]

The battery is expensive. Will last maybe 300 shots. But you can refurbish it yourself. Many resources on the net for this.

[@calebchan314]

Great video. I am going to get a used H5D-40 and 100mm f2. 2 today look even forwarder to it after watching your vid. Great 🎉

[@amijumpen]

Dude, you sold me XD I was looking to upgrade to medium format from 35 mm, and getting the h5d-40 ccd, I will get it tomorrow.

[@Ty-dp7qq]

I love my H5D 40. Colors out of files are crazy.

[@nelsonclub7722]

As someone who has been a Pro for 35 years and currently uses the Hass H6D 400c I can tell you without any shadow of doubt the H lenses resolve perfectly - better than our other Hass camera the 907xCFV100c and the X2D. Far better, so when you consider that a 6x6 film scan is worth about 260mp in digital vs film the answer has to be yes it is. - We do large format printing - 60 inches and above - the H6D even at regular 100mp is better than the X series - however in our world the X series is more portable and easier to use on location. H cameras are a studio thing really

[@justoutofframe5146]

Great review! Which digital back were you using?

[@majkel4000]

Images from H4D look like shot on Kodak Portra - gorgeous.

[@anderskristensen8871]

Totally. Nothing beats CCD-sensors, when you are going digital.

[@andyvan5692]

one advantage of this, the back uses the Camera battery!- so no more charging two batteries; one disadvantage of this system is that for some h cameras they still use a proprietary battery ( CR123?) so you can't charge these, the Sony, of course uses a LI-ON battery cell, so can be charged. Also the back + body/lens communicate, so any distortion, hue, etc corrections are done automatically, cause the camera system is designed to get the best result out of these files, so therefore the "automatic" profiles, in the Phocus & older Flexcolor softwares have more overall control of the image result, with the Sony, you and Photoshop have the most say.

[@WhenWillILearn]

Really interesting video, Thanks for making it. I use the H2 with a Phase One P25, not as many mega pixels but nice all the same. One potential correction is that the autofocus sensor in all of the H series cameras have a phase detect sensor for autofocus, like a DSLR

[@That_hasselblad_guy]

I have an h2 but use a 22mp hasselblad proprietary back. What is the iso range of the phase one? I'm curious

[@WhenWillILearn]

@@That_hasselblad_guy Useable range is 50-200, it goes to 800 but it looks terrible. I stick to 50 almost always, but I'm based in a studio so that's not too much hassle. I think they are the same sensor from what I have read

[@mathewmccarthy9848]

I agree w Luke Caldwell. I've owned the H4D and a current owner of the H5D. The files are absolutely great to work with and I'd recommend the H4D to anyone interested in getting into MF. I do believe the comparison was a bit unfair as MF files render differently from full frame 35mm cameras. That said ... Also, a selling factor for Hasselblad is the Phocus software and its color science.

[@valbou1089]

Why do you recommend the H4D more than the H5D?

[@РамисОбарахов]

@@valbou1089 obviously because he has the one

[@lawagyei]

Hello sir! Thank you so much for this! Not sure if you are going to reply since it’s been months that you uploaded the video. I bought the same exact camera and having some difficulties. For white balance , do you set it on manual ? Do you do everything on manual ? The colors are so good , how did they come out like that? LR and then phocus? Hope to hear from you soon.

[@speakertoni2680]

Thank you! Of course I’m going to reply. Yes, I set the wb manual all the time. Especially because you can change anything afterwards in the RAW files. The colors are good in Phocus right away. I just convert them into TIFF files and then do the color grading and final edit in Lightroom.

[@lawagyei]

@@speakertoni2680 wow thank you so much for replying! Is there an email that I can reach out to you? If you don’t mind.

[@speakertoni2680]

@@lawagyei yes, [e-mail]

[@SilverCymbal]

Amazing video! I love your photos and how you make them look so much like film. Are you using Phocus settings to achieve that or maybe another filter?

[@speakertoni2680]

Silver Cymbal thank you! I’m using Phocus for the raw adjustments but nothing major After that I import the TIFF files to Lightroom and apply the color grading there

[@SilverCymbal]

@@speakertoni2680 I think you have more skill there than you even may realize. That would make an amazing video to see you color grade some of them in LR to get that look.

[@speakertoni2680]

Silver Cymbal that’s great to hear I’m thinking about making more photography/videography related stuff or maybe even tutorials in the future

[@georgenorthcutt6774]

I’m rebellious, I have a canon 5d mark 1 that I push to its limits to see what type of image I can get. I’m considering getting the Hasselblad H3d-39 or 50. I’m curious to how “useable” the images are in a more laid back portrait session/photoshoot.

[@andyvan5692]

one other thing, with MF, if you shoot these crazy mp's your end goal is a bilboard or a massive piece of art in a gallery, so the viewing distance is much greater, so you can afford a bit of noise, as in the print, no one is getting as close as you will be, this has to be allowed for.

[@DaveTheBird]

I enjoyed it thanks. I am old enough that my first cameras where all film & to my old eyes the Hasselblad pictures you showed are a lot more like old film pictures. As you said the pictures are less harsh and less digital like. Hope you do not miss the Devialet too much, but you got something very nice from it's sale!

[@speakertoni2680]

Dave TheBird thanks:) So far I’m thankfully very happy with the small Phantom for normal listening and a real hifi system for serious music listening.

[@techtt6213]

@@speakertoni2680 if you're looking for a good system that doesn't break the bank. I'm highly impressed by the Edifier S3000pro. Awesome little setup for 699 (599 on promo sometimes)

[@adamuppsala1931]

For some reason having a German accent makes anyone sound reliable and convincing, no matter what they say. PS: I enjoyed the shots from Poland and Germany.

[@Funktrainer]

There’s actually not much evolution in the 35mm front. Still tiny sensors in comparison to medium format.

[@6884]

10:53, I love the halation! I suppose that's something along the lines of the usual photoshop tricks with blur etc etc?

[@andyvan5692]

this comparison @ 6:18 would be a fairer contest, if you added the HTS 1.5 adaptor to the 80 mm lens, this has a 1.5x crop factor, which brings the f 2.0 / 2.2 back up to 1.8/1.4 ish, so resulting in a more equal effective apature between all of the cameras, disregarding of coarse, the MF's decrease in dof, due to sensor size.

[@velocelens]

brilliant video, lovely shots as well

[@jvusa]

Excellent Review, How is H6-50C compare to H4D?

[@GKhanKutar]

Hasselblad with CCD sensor has much better highlights and color rendition. Also it is much smoother which looks like film.

[@Funktrainer]

You are dead wrong on the auto focus front. The Hasselblad has a super accurate cross type phase sensor in the center. With the H4 and onwards it even registers camera movement for correcting the focus when focusing and recomposing. AF on these bodies is much better than with those tiny cross type sensors in 35mm bodies.

[@speakertoni2680]

the often unusable real life performance of it (except for in the studio) shows me that I’m certainly not dead wrong on the auto focus front there’s not much that beats the a9 or other new high end 35mm cameras in terms of autofocus for different scenarios and especially not the H4d at the same time I have to admit that the H4d isn’t meant for fast autofocusing during difficult, fast or dark shoots

[@Funktrainer]

@@speakertoni2680 You said that it is contrast detect which is dead wrong it is phase detect. I never had any issues with the AF on a H body. It is designed for serious work (landscape, macro, portraits, still life) not for toying and spraying around.

[@speakertoni2680]

@@Funktrainer sure, I was wrong about the system used but not about its lacking performance as you said serious work like portraits in that case focus was missed about 7 or 8 out of 10 times in my experience

[@Funktrainer]

@@speakertoni2680 You better know how to use your tools.

[@speakertoni2680]

@@Funktrainer yea that’s probably it

[@rolandrick]

Has the H4D already True Focus?

[@carlosguadiana]

When you play " bass i love you" on your phantom do you hear any distortion? Because i do.

[@robertleidner9703]

KEH has a H5D right now for $3,000. Might pick it up

[@asamakhtar5704]

Hi Tony, I need to decide fast. Would H5d 50 ccd be a good choice for $5500. It only has 400 clicks so pretty much like new. I need to decide fast please respond. Thanks.

[@speakertoni2680]

For 5500$ I’m not sure. For that kinda money you can get the highest end mirrorless cameras from sony nikon or canon or even some of the new mirrorless medium format fujifilm models. Those are probably a better deal for the price in my opinion.

[@johnzhengphotographychannel]

no!I just bought a H5D60 with 1700 shutter for $5200 @@speakertoni2680

[@jaimeduncan6167]

In fact with a Film back one can get 100% the look of film. This is more of a creative choice.

[@jameshart3879]

Great video, thank you. Those h4d black and whites...phroaw, gorgeous!

[@33Kiza]

Thanks man thanks for the video

[@key2adventure]

Love the film like look of the Hasselblad images, prefer it definitely to the digital looking images of sony.

[@AenariaRecordingsStudios]

is this CCD sensor produced by Kodak like the preview H3d ii 39? Thank You

[@tianshuozhang]

Hi, could you kindly tell me how to open the front lid of Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless? please🙏

[@speakertoni2680]

Tony you just have to use a screwdriver and try to get it between the enclosure and the grill it’s rather hard because when you move around the grill to get all the clips off, the parts you already got off snap back in I would only suggest it if it’s really necessary because it can also scratch the enclosure

[@Martini77777]

How much did you pay for it?

[@dct124]

When shooting high iso on CCD over expose by 1 stop

[@lacmatem6436]

I wonder where he's been going for so long🙏🙏🙏

[@dedskin1]

Hasselblad is for studio shooters , the size of it makes it impractical for outdoor , its made for Fashion , high fashion for that mater , where the look , the dress , the colors the model , are selling something expensive , like 5000$ lady bag or 10 000$ man suit or 2000$ shoes . That kind of stuff , its a workhorse for high paying clients meant to work on ISO 100 with controlled lighting nothing like this shown , its not for that , its not even for weddings except royal ones where you have budget for 3 or 4 people to help you . and 2 of these and a video camera. And indeed , it looks much better , even on Full HD , that is how much pixels 2mpix , i can see the difference , so the clients on their web page will see it as well , or new cars , stuff like that , something static , expensive and in need of advertisement where client has a lot of money . And when you do that you do not buy a camera you rent it for the job , return it when done . So who is this camera for at the end , Camera rental companies and professional photographers that rent it . The difference is huge in my eye , worth the money , but only if it earns you money , its not something for family shooter like my self . Yes it is better then Canon 5D , 6D , or even 1dx , Nikon 500D, 5D , but i think with skill you can get there .Of course you will never have highlight roll off as medium format , but is it really needed . Im fine with the camera , but lenses are huge , and expensive , its not something i can go to park with and take pics of my kids , even tho pictures would be better , some of them i would not be able to get , like low angle , fast action , that type of stuff , because this camera is real slow , again a testament for what is it made for , static objects mostly in advertisement . While FF , tilting screen camera will capture shots this one can not , when you work with kids , snap and there goes the moment , Husselblad just cant do it .

[@crayonman12345]

amazing video. please do more tests

[@LarsKiel]

🙏

[@sgroadie6367]

The H4D uses phase detect autofocus. Not contrast detect.

[@edwardbristow2276]

Does it?

[@yahu5988]

The hasselblad looks like something out of blade runner

[@Superbustr]

A lot of the image quality has to do with the lens. Hasselblad lenses are much better lenses than Sony lenses.

[@the40thstep]

Wow it looks like a9 wiped the floor with Hasselblad even at their native ISO

[@speakertoni2680]

in which regard did it wipe the floor with the H4d? at their native ISO the noise performance is similar as you could see in the dynamic range test where I pushed the shadows all the way up

[@the40thstep]

@@speakertoni2680 sharpness. Very visible difference in sharpness despite the MP difference

[@speakertoni2680]

@@the40thstep how is the A9 sharper than the Hasselblad? even if it’s your impression sharpness isn’t really a subjective thing like color or tonality no doubt the H4d files hold more detail than both other cameras in this test

[@the40thstep]

@@speakertoni2680 I have no doubt that the higher MP Hassy holds more information that a9 purely because of the MPs but that does not mean that the information is sharp or in focus. In all of your comparison images a9 was clearly sharper and more in focus than Hassy. Look I understand that you will fight the corner of Hasselblad in this just to justify the ridiculous price tag this had when it was new but just like Leica cannot really justify its cost at this day and age other than through branding, history or purely as a luxury item which has no basis in reason, these older H series Hasselblad models also cannot justify their original price tag either. I mean come on. Just the fact that the sensor is so much bigger an it cannot really handle anything beyond ISO 400 is rather unacceptable. It would be interesting to compare this to Pentax because I have no doubt that Pentax would also whipe the floor with it at a much more reasonable price.

[@billbailey8628]

@@the40thstep i agree actually, but i think it was due to human error.

[@ethanantonio1087]

Mr. Jefferson starter kit

[@sundarAKintelart]

First it's an irrelevant, irrational, ridiculous comparison. Sony by changing its design, features etc. day in and day out and yet not able to produce a better camera. On the other hand, though with a larger sensor, Hasselblad produce a very fine photographic centric camera once in a few years that stays in the market, standing tall, much sought after even after 20 years of making a particular model. So, if it's about photography in real sense, let some semblance prevail. Making lousy video for a petty money is not worth anyone's salt.

[@speakertoni2680]

damn you showed me

[@jls2975]

Playstation color science love ❤

[@liliblack9574]

We Do Not Understand What Are You Saying Is this comment loud enough for some of you with heavy accent?? Not everyone is good at making content for many reasons. You Are One Of Them

[@OttosAudio]

There are no other comments complaining about this issue at all, so if you're still going to continue whining about his English speaking abilities (using faulty English grammar on your end, may I add), you should seriously take a look at yourself. No other people are complaining about it but you, so the only issue here is you, not Toni's accent. Now stop whining about your own issues portrayed onto others, thank you in advance. :)

[@speakertoni2680]

glad you could speak your truth you can piss off now

[@ifurlove]

@@OttosAudio Disagree with you being cheap and unrealistic. What is wrong with being honest? All the time people have to lie to you? You don't accept complain? You don't like it? Well, here it is another person who don't understand what is this noise coming from the video maker. Is that clear for you now? Is this enough that I am talking for my another 6 friends who Do Not Understand what is this noise trying to say?? Let me know, because I can ask them to leave negative review and their own honest opinion. Dislike

[@liliblack9574]

@@speakertoni2680 I am so glad to see too many weak people are here. Very nice to meet you all, cheap and selfish people

[@speakertoni2680]

@@liliblack9574 this really took you 5 months lol

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

I think I just get a Huawei P40 for size vs quality. Else Leica makes useful stuff.

[@sometimesgamer]

The night shot at 11:06 is the best for me.

[@sovietmind]

I think H4D-31 better, bigger pixel size.

[@edwardbristow2276]

I am really wanting a h4d-31 is it good. ?

[@sovietmind]

@@edwardbristow2276 I had H4D-31 and it is the best camera by my opinion, also H3D-31 do same job

[@yahu5988]

You have to show without filters you genius

[@speakertoni2680]

no?

[@Ivan-hy2iv]

если старый хасл крут то современый на 100 и 120мп космос

[@SuperAllpacino]

Like this .. Like this I wish we all learn english first then make content and share it in the world very heavy accent , can not understand what you saying you simple can add subtitles to video if you really care about standard and quality No to crap video Simple is that

[@speakertoni2680]

maybe you just gotta clean them crusty ears to understand better x

[@OttosAudio]

It's been a while since I last heard someone complaining about someone else's English while using very, very bad English themselves. I had to read your comment twice to understand what you meant to say. PS, I have absolutely zero issues understanding Toni's English, and so does almost everyone.

[@liliblack9574]

@@OttosAudio He or She is absolutely right. And what is exactly wrong with English writing you didn't understand?? I born in England and grow up in New York, nothing is wrong with that English sense except yourself. You selfish , because you don't accept the true about yourself. 5 of us sitting here watching your cheap video and we don't understand what the heck you are saying. I give you dislike not just because of your hard to understand what you are saying but because you are not honest to yourself. Dislike your video

[@liliblack9574]

Just report he's comment and that will help and stop cheap people. simply some people just don't deserve even comments. Totally agree with you and what you said.

[@dortejansen5966]

@@liliblack9574Absolutely! the question is who asked you lili

[@mamalihenri1372]

We Do Not Understand Your Heavy Accent. Dislike this content just because it is Not standard and understandable.

[@irfanomer5331]

Wrong Comparison!

[@speakertoni2680]

no