32 seconds exposure on the (old) h3d-22

[choen]

Hi, recently I've been taking this camera out for night shots at places with very little light. I don't like the results- a lot of red and blue pixels showing, and there are almost no details in the pictures- clumsy, clumpy, 'grainy' noise. After a few shots the pictures gets even worse as the sensor heats up (patch of red noise builds up from the bottom left corner of the frame). I had to shoot them at iso200 max (but almost all were at 100)- no choice as the back has such a poor 'high iso' capability.

Shown here is a 100% crop of centre of the 8th shot from that night out.

[attachment=20454:20100222...958_crop.jpg]

Is there a technique for long exposures on Hassleblood digital backs that I do not know of?

Another question: Are the current generation Hasseys better at this?

Should I just forget about it and just shoot on film or on 35mm digital?

Thanks.

[jimgolden]

film or phase for long exposure...H3 takes a film back. but if you're going film, you might was well go 67...

there was a guy on here a while ago, jp jespersen out of utah - google him - all long exposures and I think all phase p45

[choen]

film or phase for long exposure...H3 takes a film back. but if you're going film, you might was well go 67...

there was a guy on here a while ago, jp jespersen out of utah - google him - all long exposures and I think all phase p45

Wow, jp jespersen's Phase results look nice at that web size. Wonder if it looks like that at large print sizes, because pictures from my h3d-22 also look good as downsized images for the web.

[bdp]

64 seconds with an H3DII-39 and Phocus 2.0 seems pretty good here. I downloaded the full raw and it only needed a tiny amount of colour NR to clean it up. Amazing if you ask me. And no, I don't own a Hassy.....!

Ben

[chiek]

If you want noiseless images, you must use lowest ISO.
ISO 100 has 2x more noises than ISO 50 images. especially long exposures...
and use your capture S/W noise reduction.(phocus, C1, LC11)

[choen]

If you want noiseless images, you must use lowest ISO.
ISO 100 has 2x more noises than ISO 50 images. especially long exposures...
and use your capture S/W noise reduction.(phocus, C1, LC11)

Well, it'd be brilliant if I could shoot at iso50, but there wasn't enough ambient light at 32 secs.

I am going to try the post process route. I wonder if heavy NR will render it smooth and featureless like a Canon digital pic.

bdp: Alas my model can't go beyond 32 secs!

[mtomalty]

Is there a technique for long exposures on Hassleblood digital backs that I do not know of?
PROBABLY NOT. OLDER GENERATIONS OF HASSELBLAD AND LEAF BACKS WERE NOT
VERY GOOD LONG EXPOSURE PERFORMERS.
AT LOW ISO'S I NEVER REALLY HAD A COMMERCIALLY USEABLE FILE BEYOND 15-20 SECS

PHASE HAS LONG BEEN THE LONG EXPOSURE CHAMPION AMONG DIGITAL BACKS
BUT CURRENT GENERATION DOESN'T GET ANYWHERE NEAR WHAT THEY THEMSELVES COULD DO
WITH THE EARLIER +SERIES.


Another question: Are the current generation Hasseys better at this?
YES.

Should I just forget about it and just shoot on film or on 35mm digital?
TWO EXCELLENT CHOICES
IF YOU ARE SHOOTING FOR A SPECIFIC PROJECT THEN LOOKING TO RENT A P45+ WOULD BE
ANOTHER OPTION

Mark
www.marktomalty.com

[choen]

Mark
www.marktomalty.com

Thanks Mark.

I don't think rental is possible where I am, plus it's a longish term project.
So 35mm digital or film it is.

(but ugh the pain of drum scanning films...)

[ivokwee]

Never tried myself, but could you not take say take 10 underexposed images at 3 secs @iso50 then "add" them up in Photoshop?

[choen]

Never tried myself, but could you not take say take 10 underexposed images at 3 secs @iso50 then "add" them up in Photoshop?

How do you combine 10 very underexposed shots?

[jimgolden]

jp specializes in large prints if I remember correctly, like 48" tall x 60" long.

[choen]

Did another round tonight, this time at places with ambient light spilled over from urban spaces. Limited the long exposures to 20 secs and seem to look alright, with noise at a level that can be worked with in post. And there are some details. All at iso 50.

I really thought i could go back to the old days of film leaving the shutter open for up to an hour, with scenes lit only with moon or star light (For commercial stuff the longest I've pushed is 15 secs because they are always urban spaces with lots of ambient light).

[David Saffir]

I use a Hasselblad H-series with a Phase P25.

I have done exposures over two minutes, but only at 50 iso. Anything over that is quite noisy. At 50 iso, very clean.

Image attached. This is about two min.


David

Islands In The Stream, © D Saffir

[Dick Roadnight]

(ivokwee @ Feb 25 2010, 04:22 AM) *
Never tried myself, but could you not take say take 10 underexposed images at 3 secs @iso50 then "add" them up in Photoshop?

How do you combine 10 very underexposed shots?

Photoshop layer merge in add mode.

[ivokwee]

I use a Hasselblad H-series with a Phase P25.

I have done exposures over two minutes, but only at 50 iso. Anything over that is quite noisy. At 50 iso, very clean.

Image attached. This is about two min.


David

Islands In The Stream, © D Saffir

wow. that's beautiful David.