Today’s Albemarle Christmas Parade wasn’t a big production for me—no press pass, no shot list, no pressure. I brought the camera out simply to enjoy the moment and to finally test something that, frankly, has no business being used for this kind of shoot: my Hasselblad H2 paired with a Phase One P30+ digital back, running continuous autofocus.
This setup is absolutely not designed for fast-paced parade photography. Anyone who’s spent time with older medium-format digital knows the drill—measured shooting, deliberate timing, and patience. But that’s exactly why this felt like a fun dream experiment rather than a serious assignment.
To my surprise, the system did better than expected. Focus hit more often than it missed, even with movement coming straight toward the camera. That said, it was still slow. If you’re chasing critical, once-in-a-lifetime moments or need guaranteed responsiveness, this is not the camera you bring. It simply won’t react fast enough when timing really matters.
But when it did lock in? The files are insane. The color depth, the tonality, the way highlights and shadows roll off—it’s the kind of image quality that reminds you why medium format still has a place, even when it’s wildly impractical.
This wasn’t about perfection. It was about enjoying the parade, and letting a very slow, very deliberate camera experience a very lively, very local moment. Albemarle showed up, the Christmas spirit was strong, and the gear—against all odds—held its own.
Sometimes it’s okay to bring the wrong camera.
— Pentaprizm Digital Media
