Medium Format Here I Come

[Michael Erlewine]

A bit of a shift in my life flow, nothing bad, but following a path I have never done successfully, in this case it’s photography and segueing into Medium Format cameras.

Years ago, I had a medium format camera, the Mamiya RZ67, with a bunch of lenses. That never really blossomed. Now I am venturing into Hasselblad territory.

And I’ve been working with a 45.7 MP sensor for many years and now I will have a 100 MP sensor. I have purchased a Hasselblad X2D camera and had to hunt around until I found a used one that I could afford.

And I only can afford it if I sell dozens of camera lenses that I have curated and loved for decades. I still love all the lense, but I don’t use them enough to warrant keeping them and I don’t need a museum of lenses.

So, I have been busy (like crazy) photographing and posting lenses for sale on Ebay, which will take time to sell, but I am borrowing some money from our savings and will pay every cent back as these lenses sell. One sold only hours after I posted it, and they are all great lenses.

I also was able to buy one used Hasselblad macro lens (Hasselblad XCD 120mm f/3.5 Macro Lens), which is what I need to do the kind of close-up photography I like. Hopefully, readers here will like the increased tonality and rich depth of field of medium-format lenses. I know I will.

I am not abandoning my Nikon system, which I love, but I will sell my D850 and still have the Z7 II and the Z8, plus most of the S lenses. I will do most of my focus stacking with the Nikons, and the single-frame photography probably with the Hasselblad X2D.

It will take time for all the pieces to arrive so that I can fit them together as a system, so I will have to just be patient. Which is not my long suit.

Anyway, that’s what’s going on around here. I’ve been wanting to try out medium format cameras for years and realized that it was not happening, and NOW is the time for this because I am not getting any younger.

Once I get all the lenses posted to Ebay, I will try to post a list here of all of them. My Ebay handle is “ALLMUSIC.”

EMAIL Michael@Erlewine.net

[Akira]

That is a mesmerizing collection, Michael!  Hope you can start enjoying the new world of MF as soon as possible.

[Fons Baerken]

Did you consider the Fujifilm GFX100s, Michael?

[Michael Erlewine]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/235247138420

Here is an item on Ebay. Go to that item and on that page is a link to: "Seller's Other Items" will show all my lenses and stuff.

[Michael Erlewine]

Did you consider the Fujifilm GFX100s, Michael?

Yes, I looked at the GFX100s and its not interesting to me for many reasons. Perhaps the GFX100s II is OK.

However, I don't need video and the GFX lenses IMO are not of the same quality, but all over the place. And the Hasselblad X2D fits right into my scandenavian bent, mininalist and elegant and the Hasselblad color is the best, again: IMO.

The X2D is 100mpx.... has an internal 1TB SSD, 5-axis IBIS, and many other things, plus some warts which I will just put up with. I still have the Z7II, D850, and Z8, plus a TON of lenses which I am keeping. I will use the X2D for studio and landscape work.... or whatever.