Thomas Speck is a fine art photographer who specialises in cityscapes and landscapes. "In a world that often seems to be falling apart, I find my mission is to create fine art photographs that help to bring us into a community with one another," he says.
"Inspired by conceptual photography and neo-pictorialism, I use landscape and cityscape photographs allegorically to express artistic themes in this context.”
With his current kit, Thomas can exploit the detail and unique effects created by using a larger sensor. Explaining his choice of dream kit, he believes the Hasselblad system, with its even larger format than his Fujifilm, would enable him to pick out more texture in distant objects.
"The Hasselblad H6D-100c has a 16-bit real midsize sensor of 53.4 x 40mm that would allow me to get a better depth of field and more fine details. It could reveal details in a distant tree on top of a mountain and still obtain smooth transitions from dark to light areas."
Thomas’ choice of Sony A7R V is a logical upgrade to his existing A7R III and, while it isn’t equipped with as large a sensor as the Hasselblad, he believes it compensates with long lenses not available in the H System.
Specialisms: Landscape and cityscape photography
Years active: 15
Location: Colombes, France
Thomas' current kit
1) Fujifilm GFX 100S
Time used: 2 years
This medium format camera offers 102MP of detail, giving you images with plenty of texture and exceptional dynamic range.
2) Sony A7R III
Time used: 4 years
This Sony fan-favorite is portable but offers enough pixels to be a great travel backup to Thomas' Fujifilm setup. Perfect for discreet city shots.
3) Fujifilm GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR
Time used: 2 years
As the standard pro lens for the GFX system, this zoom offers both wide and mid-range coverage.
4) Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS
Time used: 4 years
A classic telephoto zoom lens, this optic facilitates easy framing for mid-distance and long shots for great perspective compression.
5) Gitzo Mountaineer
Time used: 3 years
Thomas uses this tripod alongside his trusty Really Right Stuff BH-30 Ball Head, which offers sturdiness.
Thomas' dream kit
1) Hasselblad H6D-100C
MPB says:
"For photographers who demand nothing less than the best, the H6D-100c is capable of recording breathtaking detail, even in poor lighting."
2) Sony A7R V
MPB says:
"The A7R V is equipped with an AI processing unit, specifically dedicated to processing significant amounts of data to enable more accurate recognition of subjects."
3) Hasselblad HCD 4,0-5,6 / 35-90
MPB says:
"Made with variety in mind, this lens produces fantastic results while the superior build quality makes it the perfect professional tool."
4) Hasselblad HC 3,5-4,5 / 50-110
MPB says:
"This is the ideal lens to cover all bases to a professional standard. Ideal for a range of subjects, it produces wonderful images."
5) Think Tank Photo Airport International
MPB says:
"The similar Airport Commuter allows you to safely take along your 400mm f/2.8 attached to the camera body."
Thomas' trade-in options
MPB suggests an extra dream kit item, and how Thomas might trade-in to get it…
Hasselblad HCD 28mm f/4
When combined with the large sensor of the Hasselblad H System, this is a true wide-angle optic in 35mm terms, offering an approximately 18mm focal length with a crop factor of around 0.65x. This makes it ideal for the landscape photography and cityscape images in which Thomas specializes. Meanwhile, the f/4 aperture is wide enough for handheld shooting in moderate lighting.
Why this item?
This prime from Hasselblad offers the shooter a small, portable lens with a wider focal length for capturing large scenes, including landscapes and cityscapes. It is compatible with the Hasselblad HTS 1.5x Tilt and Shift Adapter, which means that it could be used to correct perspective when shooting architecture and cityscapes, further adding to its versatility.
Trade-in Option
Thomas could trade in his GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR lens. While this zoom covers a greater focal range, the HCD 28mm option would give him greater coverage at the wide end. His choice of Hasselblad HCD 4,0-5,6 / 35-90 would provide a similar shooting experience and practicality. It would also make sense for Thomas to build his Hasselblad system for commonality, enabling him to maintain just two lens mounts in his camera bag: an H-mount and a Sony FE as his backup and portable system.
