[Leica] Hassy Scanners for Leica or not

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

This must be "get gear month" as I just got two matching catalogs of the
exact same size and thickness and weight from both Calumet and B&H within a
day of each other.

Both are selling an interesting way to do Hasselblad digital photography
other than spending tens of thousands on a medium format back and possibly
their new Fuji H1 "Hasselblad" camera 645 AF body. Which you can use regular
Hassy lenses on with a 500 dollar adaptor. Which is probably the biggest
news on that end anyway.

The other interesting way to do Hassy digital photography is the option of
acquiring a rather high end "Hasselblad Flextight Scanner".
Which says IMACON real big on the top of the unit.
And real small I think that red emblem says "Hasselblad".
Oh and one unit costs 5 grand the other 10.
I think they are drum scanners.
The cheap one is for roll film interestingly to "35mm to 6x18cm "
And the big one is for sheet film in effect, " 12x25cm"
Which is  4.72 x 9.84 inches my analog mind.
(it all started with metric didn't it?!)

In other words the little one almost but not quite does 4x5.
And the big one does almost but not quite 8x10.
This the company which just bought Hasselblad.

But I imagine they won't be coming out with a digital back to match the
quality you'd get from a 6x6 or 645 hunk of Hassy shot film. Especially with
a Zeiss optic as far as I go.

What they need is a hybrid film camera.
A camera which shoots film, but captures in small memory an electronic image
to use as in effect a Polaroid, so you can an image to look at at the the
back of the camera and download and later for some quick sorting and editing
perhaps. Jumping the gun.
The real results don't come back till the film comes back.
But you've got a head start on the whole thing and your clients don't get
the digital jitters.

As it is IMACON who has also got this thing going with LEICA to get out
their digital back for their R8/9 camera....
While we're waiting - why not conscribe them or have them think of it
themselves a LEICA Flextight red dot pretty expensive but real good maybe
drum but maybe not drum scanner. With an even smaller foot print on your
desktop. And a little cradle to rest your M or R while you play with your
computers.

A high end scan from film is not just the best from both worlds.
It's the "best" world period.
Great to keep in in the family even if it is a stretch.

Cross posted (is that ethical?) to but the HUG and LUG.
No BUG or MUG though.






Mark Rabiner
Photography
Portland Oregon
http://rabinergroup.com/