Moonrise & Aurora

Moonrise & Aurora

by Jakub

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Our studio just purchased a new Hasselblad H4D (don't ask why & don't ask how much it cost) with some lenses and a tilt-shift adapter.

OTOH, since I'm mostly photojournalist I'm considering to get for my Canon 5DMk3 a Canon TS-E 24mm.

However a question arise:

It is worth buying the Canon's TS-E since we have a tilt-shift adapter for Hassy?

I'm thinking now that in difficult lighting conditions Canon's sensor will deliver better results than H4D. Also, AFAIK (CCIW) the Hassy's CA is corrected in software while Canon's lens is 'free' of them. Another thing is that 5D3 is way easier to carry and setup than Hassy. What do you think?

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how much did it cost? :) – ravi Nov 10 '12 at 20:10
@ravi: Ah jiast sed: Don't ask that! :) Btw, it wasn't my decision, nor my money - I heard that only the body is @ 20 kilodollars. Even if is a significant reduction, I still think that the thing is overpriced. – John Thomas Nov 11 '12 at 7:48
I would agree that a 5D III should trounce the H4D in low light. Canon lenses also do indeed handle CA correction optically, and it is quite good, especially for L-series lenses. The TS-E 24mm is one of Canon's sharpest ever, only being surpassed by a couple of the new L-series telephoto lenses (i.e. the 300m f/2.8 L II IS). While Canon may not have the best sensors on earth anymore, there is one thing they excel at, are always on the cutting edge with, and are currently unsurpassed for: lenses. Their glass is second to none, I'd even bet them against Zeiss these days. – jrista♦ Nov 13 '12 at 3:27
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That said, I do have one question: "as a photojournalist"? Tilt/shift lenses require a lot of work to tweak and tune to either maximize your focus at a wide aperture, or perform some kind of creative focus. I guess I'd figure that a T/S lens would bee too slow to work with for a photojournalist. Before you sink a couple grand into a TS-E lens...you might want to rent one and figure it all out first...and make sure it is really the kind of lens you need. – jrista♦ Nov 13 '12 at 3:28
Yes, Jon. Enough times after documenting the life (or a news event) from a certain place it is needed to take some architectural/landscape shoots in order to show the environment which can be quite high (or having an accentuated slope - ie. populated valleys) sometimes. – John Thomas Nov 13 '12 at 10:55
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Which H4D is it? There are different models with different sensor sizes. If you will use the TS-E adapter you will also need an appropriate lens with sufficient image circle to cover the sensor. Do you have that? I didn't see any mention about this, specifically.

If you don't have the appropriate lens, I'd get the Canon 24. Some people would suggest the 17 instead.

On the other hand, you mentioned lenses, plural. If several are suitable for use with the adapter, then you have more flexibility with the Hassy.

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