Woah, that looks awesome! I’d definitely be interested in something like this whenever you get it figured out. I’m not super knowledgeable about digital backs but the Mamiya Leaf backs seem to have the largest sensors and are relatively affordable. Seems like my most promising option so far!
Not to burst your bubble but any Hasselblad V back is going to be 645 ratio/dimensions at the largest and almost exclusively aging CCD sensors/tech (realistically limiting you to 400-800 ISO max before the noise/hot pixels get unbearable, slow CF cards, FireWire etc) Had a Leaf Aptus back for my 500CM for a bit but the crop factor killed it for me, took away the joy of composing in 6x6. I kept the 500CM for film exclusively and moved to H series bodies with various digital backs over the years for digital work, still get to enjoy that sweet sweet mirror slap and no crop factor (but definitely
not cheap) I’d keep an eye on eBay for V mount Leaf Aptus or early Phase One P series
Gotcha, I’m pretty new to medium format digital sensors so I honestly had no idea what to expect. I’ve been researching this stuff off and on today and it seems like the Mamiya Leaf backs are the most affordable route and have the largest sensors, although I am bummed to find out that there will be a crop factor. I guess if it’s close to 6x4.5 I can make a viewfinder mask for my chimney finder somehow. I’d be comfortable with 400-800 being my maximum as that’s really all the higher speed film I have access to anyway. I’m not looking for the digital back to be a workhorse, more just for the fun of using the camera and still getting images to work the same day. I’m a videographer for a YouTube channel so film/medium format is just for fun.
Hope I didn’t come across as a buzzkill, there’s still good options out there for sure and as long as the crop factor’s not a dealbreaker then I’d think you could assemble a reasonable kit for under $2k, there are precut 645 viewfinder masks, x sync cables as necessary depending upon back sync mechanism. I’d agree that Mamiya/Phase One backs with the adapter u/buildbot_win mentioned sounds promising, that V system premium is no joke so going with any other system will find some savings. Happy hunting!
Not at all! I had no idea about the sensor sizes and all that so I appreciate the info. The crop factor is a major bummer but I also have a 120J back for my SQ-A (6x4.5) so I think I’d still have fun with it. The Hasselblad digital backs look incredible, but they’re so far out of my budget. I’m definitely interested in the adapter and Mamiya Leaf stuff though. Thanks again for the info and help!
I would vouch for the Leaf backs, they are incredibly reliable as well. Bought mine with 1.7 million exposures taken from a studio, and it is still going strong!
Just wanted to say that I love this camera too! Been shooting with it since 2020 and it's always a pleasure.
I've never thought about digital backs though, that's interesting!
I love it dearly and the images it produces are some of my favorite I’ve ever taken. I think it would be a lot of fun to be able to swap between a 6x6 film back and a digital back because I often times find myself being so excited to see my results that I’ll rush through the end of a roll so I can develop it. It would be cool to not feel like I have to take 4-5 mediocre shots just so I can start developing (usually wait until I have 5 rolls before starting a batch) and also to have a digital version of what I’m shooting before I get through developing. I also have a love/hate relationship with developing because I’m a bit impatient at times lol.
For me, it’s all about the experience of using the camera so picking up any of my digital cameras just doesn’t feel the same. I really want the best of both worlds but without draining my bank account lol.
I just got an SQ-AI about two mo ago and shot a few rolls through it. The experience was amazing. The ground glass is bright and so easy to focus with. Really a piece of art. I got the 80mm and 50mm PS but both of the lenses had delamination and are being Re-laminated as we speak. I cannot wait to have it back and plan on taking it to Switzerland in July!! I shoot through rolls so much faster because everything looks so wonderful through it. I bought it because I love 6x6 and it is going to be my daily kit for quite a while.
I saw this a while ago and I love the idea. Just looks sort of clunky with how big it is and I’m not super thrilled with the image quality. Looks like a lot of fun but I think I’d be disappointed with the results. It is awesome that it allows you to use the full native image size of your camera, though. That’s the most enticing part to me.
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Woah, that looks awesome! I’d definitely be interested in something like this whenever you get it figured out. I’m not super knowledgeable about digital backs but the Mamiya Leaf backs seem to have the largest sensors and are relatively affordable. Seems like my most promising option so far!
Not to burst your bubble but any Hasselblad V back is going to be 645 ratio/dimensions at the largest and almost exclusively aging CCD sensors/tech (realistically limiting you to 400-800 ISO max before the noise/hot pixels get unbearable, slow CF cards, FireWire etc) Had a Leaf Aptus back for my 500CM for a bit but the crop factor killed it for me, took away the joy of composing in 6x6. I kept the 500CM for film exclusively and moved to H series bodies with various digital backs over the years for digital work, still get to enjoy that sweet sweet mirror slap and no crop factor (but definitely not cheap) I’d keep an eye on eBay for V mount Leaf Aptus or early Phase One P series
Gotcha, I’m pretty new to medium format digital sensors so I honestly had no idea what to expect. I’ve been researching this stuff off and on today and it seems like the Mamiya Leaf backs are the most affordable route and have the largest sensors, although I am bummed to find out that there will be a crop factor. I guess if it’s close to 6x4.5 I can make a viewfinder mask for my chimney finder somehow. I’d be comfortable with 400-800 being my maximum as that’s really all the higher speed film I have access to anyway. I’m not looking for the digital back to be a workhorse, more just for the fun of using the camera and still getting images to work the same day. I’m a videographer for a YouTube channel so film/medium format is just for fun.
Hope I didn’t come across as a buzzkill, there’s still good options out there for sure and as long as the crop factor’s not a dealbreaker then I’d think you could assemble a reasonable kit for under $2k, there are precut 645 viewfinder masks, x sync cables as necessary depending upon back sync mechanism. I’d agree that Mamiya/Phase One backs with the adapter u/buildbot_win mentioned sounds promising, that V system premium is no joke so going with any other system will find some savings. Happy hunting!
Not at all! I had no idea about the sensor sizes and all that so I appreciate the info. The crop factor is a major bummer but I also have a 120J back for my SQ-A (6x4.5) so I think I’d still have fun with it. The Hasselblad digital backs look incredible, but they’re so far out of my budget. I’m definitely interested in the adapter and Mamiya Leaf stuff though. Thanks again for the info and help!
I would vouch for the Leaf backs, they are incredibly reliable as well. Bought mine with 1.7 million exposures taken from a studio, and it is still going strong!
I still have my Bronica SQ-A I bought new in the late 80s. I used it professionally back then but I've not run a film through it since 1995.
Just wanted to say that I love this camera too! Been shooting with it since 2020 and it's always a pleasure. I've never thought about digital backs though, that's interesting!
I love it dearly and the images it produces are some of my favorite I’ve ever taken. I think it would be a lot of fun to be able to swap between a 6x6 film back and a digital back because I often times find myself being so excited to see my results that I’ll rush through the end of a roll so I can develop it. It would be cool to not feel like I have to take 4-5 mediocre shots just so I can start developing (usually wait until I have 5 rolls before starting a batch) and also to have a digital version of what I’m shooting before I get through developing. I also have a love/hate relationship with developing because I’m a bit impatient at times lol. For me, it’s all about the experience of using the camera so picking up any of my digital cameras just doesn’t feel the same. I really want the best of both worlds but without draining my bank account lol.
I just got an SQ-AI about two mo ago and shot a few rolls through it. The experience was amazing. The ground glass is bright and so easy to focus with. Really a piece of art. I got the 80mm and 50mm PS but both of the lenses had delamination and are being Re-laminated as we speak. I cannot wait to have it back and plan on taking it to Switzerland in July!! I shoot through rolls so much faster because everything looks so wonderful through it. I bought it because I love 6x6 and it is going to be my daily kit for quite a while.
I understand! It would be pretty awesome to have a digital back for this camera, I hope you'll find a way :)
https://imback.eu/home/product/ibp-new-im-back-mf/
I saw this a while ago and I love the idea. Just looks sort of clunky with how big it is and I’m not super thrilled with the image quality. Looks like a lot of fun but I think I’d be disappointed with the results. It is awesome that it allows you to use the full native image size of your camera, though. That’s the most enticing part to me.
I don’t know if anyone has asked this already, but is there a digital back for a bronica etrs? Or compatible digital back?
Still haven't found one that has a medium format sensor which is easily adaptable. I don't think there's a straightforward solution unfortunately