Indeed, it is only the most very recent Hassy backs which even can be stated to be close to 'full 645 frame' at 53.4 x 40.0mm...they have been smaller than 56mm x 43mm, like 43.8 x 32.9mm!
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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.
The two barriers to medium format digital, for me, are 1. cost of a modern digital back ($30,000+) and 2. the total unserviceability of older, more affordable backs. I actually like the look of CCD sensors rather than the more modern CMOS sensors and since I really never print film larger than 16x20, the modest resolution of the older backs is not that much of an issue. If I had a project that required really large prints, I would rent an outfit anyway.
The two barriers to medium format digital, for me, are 1. cost of a modern digital back ($30,000+) and 2. the total unserviceability of older, more affordable backs. I actually like the look of CCD sensors rather than the more modern CMOS sensors and since I really never print film larger than 16x20, the modest resolution of the older backs is not that much of an issue. If I had a project that required really large prints, I would rent an outfit anyway.
The biggest problem with a smaller than full frame sensor in a camera like this is that there is no way to convert the viewing and focusing system to that same smaller than full frame.I made a 12" x 60" print from my Canon S110 tiny sensor (7.6mm x 5.7mm) and no one has ever voiced, "Too bad you didn't use a FF camera!".
I am certain a print that large could be made from a 53mm x 40mm sensor!
And viewfinder size is an attribute which makes so many value shooting with Medium Format cameras...it's just that digital medium format is preposterously expensive that even pros need to lease them, under terms which facilitate upgrading without great loss of value due to technical obsolescence of sensors.The biggest problem with a smaller than full frame sensor in a camera like this is that there is no way to convert the viewing and focusing system to that same smaller than full frame.
You can add masks, but the view is still smaller.
It aalso complicates lens choice - particularly if you like wider than "normal" lenses.
I assume you are referring to MF, not the S110 of the previous post. For the Rollei/Leaf/Sinar Hy6, there is a mask that fits over the viewfinder screen to show the sensor area. Yes, the effective focal length of the lenses changes but not by that much. And there aren't many extreme wide-angle lenses in MF anyway, except maybe the SWC but that's not super wide by FF standards, and the occasional fisheye (mostly an expensive novelty lens in my book).The biggest problem with a smaller than full frame sensor in a camera like this is that there is no way to convert the viewing and focusing system to that same smaller than full frame.
You can add masks, but the view is still smaller.
It aalso complicates lens choice - particularly if you like wider than "normal" lenses.
It's digital man, crop it.
Seriously.
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.
The two barriers to medium format digital, for me, are 1. cost of a modern digital back ($30,000+) and 2. the total unserviceability of older, more affordable backs. I actually like the look of CCD sensors rather than the more modern CMOS sensors and since I really never print film larger than 16x20, the modest resolution of the older backs is not that much of an issue. If I had a project that required really large prints, I would rent an outfit anyway.
It is a scanning back, meaning you can only use it on stationary subjects, as in the studio for still life, product shots or for landscapes. Not very practical. Is it even made anymore?There is one option nobody has mentioned, using a Betterlight back on an RB. My Super 6k-HS shoots approx 6000x6000, or 9000x9000 in expanded mode, all at 7x7, one can finally ignore the crop lines on the ground glass.
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