6x6 digital back for 500 series Hasselblad?

[CasperMarly]

Am starting to look at the idea of a "used" digital back for the Hasselblad.
Apparently there are no 6x6 full frame backs, just 645 or so. Is this right?

I like the square format. Any options for digital backs to take full advantage of the 6x6 square?

Looking "used" , not new. Prefer one not tethered to computer.

What are my options these days?

 

[Pieter12]

I don't know if there is a 6x6 digital back for any camera, much less used. There is an ndiegogo "I'm Back" project--take that for what it's worth. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/i-m-back-low-cost-medium-format-digital-back#/
And the Hasselblad CFV I 50C digital back, but it isn't 6x6. https://www.hasselblad.com/v-system/907x-50c/

 

[guangong]

Looking at the cost of digital backs for Hasselblad, I figure that if I shot ten rolls a day, day after day, and processed every roll,
my expenses would never come close to the cost of a digital Hasselblad back in my lifetime. A better path would be to simply buy a high
quality digital camera. Also, no need to bother with cables, etc..
When I checked out digital backs for Hasselblad film cameras, they just seemed too expensive, and too complicated.
Digital backs may serve a purpose in some fashion applications, but then such users could
afford a completely new digital Hasselblad.

As I understand, the difficulty with a 66 sensor is that a more bulky camera is required to dissipate the heat generated
by sensor. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable could either correct my impression, or more fully explain.
The Hassy is the perfect MF camera for film with interchangeable backs and lenses. Of course I have
several folders and a Medalist. No camera is universal.

 

[Pieter12]

A digital MF camera makes the most sense for a commercial photographer, who can either charge for the equipment used or just rent what is needed as needed. That way the latest technology available is always on hand. But for an amateur, unless you have deep pockets, you are better off with a full-frame DSLR or mirrorless camera.

 

[Rockaway Studios]

I am not aware of anyone building a commonly available sensor larger than 645, so a 6x6 back would probably not be a easily acquired thing.

 

[neeksgeek]

It’s not 6x6cm, but if you want square format, the Hasselblad CFV-39 will do it.

https://m.dpreview.com/articles/0176893470/hasselbladcfv39

 

[Sirius Glass]

The lack of 6x6 scanners is high on my list of reasons for not switching to digital.

 

[Anaxagore]

I don’t think a 6x6 chip has ever been marketed for any MF camera brand. A long time ago, Rollei had the Gamma S12 scan back (12.25MP over the whole 56mm x 56mm area, I always wished I could try that for some still life pictures) which was the closest thing to “full frame MF”, but a scan back is certainly not a modern chip..

 

[wiltw]

Be aware that there are a number of digital sensor sizes meant to fit a Hasselblad...NONE of them the full 6x6 dimension, and many of them not even as large as 56mm x 43mm of a 645 film back!

Also, unless you have a Hassy body which is engineered specifically to interface with a digital back, there are operational special considerations in shooting with a digital back, involving coordination (or lack thereof) between the shutter (in the lens) and the sensor being triggered to capture.

 

[Auer]

It's digital man, crop it.
Seriously.

 

[buildbot]

There was actually at least one true full frame 6x6 DB: The dicomed bigshot: http://www.epi-centre.com/reports/9610ecs.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19990202213746/http://www.dicomed.com/products.htm#bigshot
A 16MP 60x60mm CCD sensor for Hasselblad V! I've only ever seen one for sale once.

 

[guangong]

There was actually at least one true full frame 6x6 DB: The dicomed bigshot: http://www.epi-centre.com/reports/9610ecs.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19990202213746/http://www.dicomed.com/products.htm#bigshot
A 16MP 60x60mm CCD sensor for Hasselblad V! I've only ever seen one for sale once.

What was the asking price.?

 

[wiltw]

What was the asking price.?

Likely, "If you have to ask, you cannot afford it!"

 

[wiltw]

Be aware that there are a number of digital sensor sizes meant to fit a Hasselblad...NONE of them the full 6x6 dimension, and many of them not even as large as 56mm x 43mm of a 645 film back!

Also, unless you have a Hassy body which is engineered specifically to interface with a digital back, there are operational special considerations in shooting with a digital back, involving coordination (or lack thereof) between the shutter (in the lens) and the sensor being triggered to capture.

I just found reference to a Phase One sensor that is 53.4 x 40mm ...just a hair under the traditional 56 x 43mm 645 film frame size. Full camera system, not merely a back. PhaseOne IQ4

 

[Pieter12]

Likely, "If you have to ask, you cannot afford it!"

it was most likely ridiculously expensive. And now totally worthless.

 

[wiltw]

What was the asking price.?

First link in post 11 says "$55,000 Dicomed Big Shot 6x6cm back for Hasselblad"

 

[buildbot]

First link in post 11 says "$55,000 Dicomed Big Shot 6x6cm back for Hasselblad"

They probably meant for the used one - I can't really remember; A few thousand I think?
I think you may be able to get one working if you talked to betterlight, their website is still around at least....

 

[Pieter12]

They probably meant for the used one - I can't really remember; A few thousand I think?
I think you may be able to get one working if you talked to betterlight, their website is still around at least....

No. $55,000 was the price new in 1996. And even if you found one now 25 years later (how many did they sell then, at that price?), it would not be serviceable. You can't even get a 10-year-old medium format digital back serviced.

 

[Anaxagore]

There was actually at least one true full frame 6x6 DB: The dicomed bigshot: http://www.epi-centre.com/reports/9610ecs.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19990202213746/http://www.dicomed.com/products.htm#bigshot

The first link indicates 30s for a picture, so I suppose that it was a scan back, same as Rollei’s Gamma S12 and scan pack. IIRC the S12 was full 6x6 frame (56mm x 56mm) whereas the Scan Pack was smaller, but the Scan Pack had higher resolution. To be verified…

 

[buildbot]

The first link indicates 30s for a picture, so I suppose that it was a scan back, same as Rollei’s Gamma S12 and scan pack. IIRC the S12 was full 6x6 frame (56mm x 56mm) whereas the Scan Pack was smaller, but the Scan Pack had higher resolution. To be verified…

The dicomed bigshot was not a scan back. Processing the image took 30s, but image capture was instant. Computers were slow back then

 

[flavio81]

Am starting to look at the idea of a "used" digital back for the Hasselblad.
Apparently there are no 6x6 full frame backs, just 645 or so. Is this right?

And then most (or all?) 6x4.5 backs have a sensor size that is way smaller than 6x4.5, and are just slightly bigger than 35mm..

 

[Pieter12]

And then most (or all?) 6x4.5 backs have a sensor size that is way smaller than 6x4.5, and are just slightly bigger than 35mm..

Yes. The largest one I know of is the Phase One IQ4 150MP and it is about 1/2 the area of 645. And it will set you back a cool $48 grand (and that's just the back).

 

[flavio81]

There was actually at least one true full frame 6x6 DB: The dicomed bigshot: http://www.epi-centre.com/reports/9610ecs.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19990202213746/http://www.dicomed.com/products.htm#bigshot
A 16MP 60x60mm CCD sensor for Hasselblad V! I've only ever seen one for sale once.

And

http://www.epi-centre.com/reports/9604cs.html

Amazing...

 

[buildbot]

And then most (or all?) 6x4.5 backs have a sensor size that is way smaller than 6x4.5, and are just slightly bigger than 35mm..

Most affordable ones at least do, though 22MP backs are close at 48x36, and the P65/IQ160/260 sensors are at 53.9x40.4. These exist for V mount but are 5k+ still, and very rare. The H25 is sometimes for sale for less than 1K and has the 22MP sensor thats sorta 645 (1.1x crop). That is tethered firewire only though. There are also Sinar backs that sometimes pop up for less than 1K, but those are way harder to use even than the H25 as they really old software.

The modern CFVII is only 44x33mm which is very small.

Very few things in silicon exist at 6x6, but they have existed for awhile - there are a few chips though from the 70s even at that size, that went into aerial cameras or other more secret things...That's were the bigshot sensor probably came from. There was also the ICAM 28 aerial camera with an 86x49.2 (!!) sensor

There is also largesense for larger than 6x6, which does actually seem to produce real cameras these days: https://twitter.com/largesensellc?lang=en
Though maybe not as their website seems down.

 

[buildbot]

Yes. The largest one I know of is the Phase One IQ4 150MP and it is about 1/2 the area of 645. And it will set you back a cool $48 grand (and that's just the back).

645 film is 56 x 42mm ?
The IQ4 150 has a 54 x 40.5mm sensor
Crop factor is only 1.07x?