Considering moving from a Mamiya to Hasselblad setup. Some thoughts and looking for feedback.

[cirwin2010]

I love that bag, here's how the 645 Pro fits inside with one extra lens (your setup) fairly loosely. But no, the grip won't fit and you can't rotate the camera on its side because the prism sticks out too much. If you remove the divider, the Hassy fits with all lenses up to 150mm with their hoods on!
View attachment 264294

Depending on what I end up doing, I might get that bag as well. That looks fantastic for a portable setup!

 

[MattKing]

That bag is similar to the re-purposed diaper bag I used for my RB67 from time to time .

 

[MattKing]

New, that bag was apparently near $200 CDN.
I didn't buy it new.
Tip: If you are going to buy a previously owned diaper bag, make sure it is one you can put in the washing machine!

 

[halfaman]

I will never sell my RZ67 as long as I do photography. I can buy and use other cameras, but the RZ stays with me.

As you know, RZ won't work with a dead battery while Hassys will.

Wrong. The RZ67 works without batteries, it has an "emergency" mechanical shutter speed of 1/400th.

 

[voceumana]

If you decide to go forward with the Hassy, don't sell the RZ system for a while until after you've had the Hassy and decided it is what you expected and want.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Thanks for your reply. What you are saying does seem to confirm the vibration issue with handheld shots at slower speeds. I have briefly looked at the Mamiya C330 TLR. How does the size and portability of that compare to the Hasselblad and the Mamiya 645? Do you find parallax and composing more difficult than the SLRs? I don't think it would be the replacement I am seeking for, but I would like to hear your perspective since you have used both Mamiya 645 and Hasselblad.

I too had the Mamiya C330 and compared to the Hasselblad the C330 was clunky and slow. With the Hasselblad there are no parallax problems. I compose to the shape of the format of the camera I am using at the time. Now most of the time I use the Hasselblad and print square. With 35mm I regularly cut off the ears to print 8"x10".

I carry the Hasselblad with the prism all day around my neck. I never found any vibration problems. I can easily hand hold 1/[focal length] seconds or one shutter speed slower without problems.

I recommending selling the RZ and turn that equipment into Hasselblad lenses.

 

[MattKing]

I have a feeling that Sirius will maintain that a Hasselblad has better brakes than a Porsche 911, much better towing capacity than a Ford F-150 and a better screen than Apple Macbook Pro.

And that it tastes better, and is less filling.

 

[Sirius Glass]

@cirwin2010 The above is entirely possible. Prism adds weight which means stability and perhaps pressing it against your head also helps. I shoot both C330 and 503cx the same way: waist-level. I can't comment on "clunky and slow" because I have a feeling that Sirius will maintain that a Hasselblad has better brakes than a Porsche 911, much better towing capacity than a Ford F-150 and a better screen than Apple Macbook .

You neglected to talk about the offroad capabilities include articulation, locking axles, onboard air, amateur radio, CB radio, winch, train horn [air horn] ...

 

[eli griggs]

I've had the C330 with 75mm and 150 lens and I liked it a lot, but, other than looking into a WLF, and using the same film, there is no a lot there to compare to the 500cm.

For me, using that camera felt like using a small movie camera, especially with the long lens, and I'd never no feel it was a great TLR, it is, IMO, however, even if you used a chimney finder from a Hasselblad or a 45° prism, you'll never confuse it with a SLR.

Now that you've got me thinking about it, I think, if I did no have my own Hasselblad system, the 500cm body with even just an 80mm lens, the C330 is the best of the medium format, interchangable lenses camera systems, after Hasselblad, and would be elevated as my first choice after Hasselblad Analogs are off the table.

Hasselblad or C330, you pick either #1 or it's best alternative, but hold on to what you've got, if that's even an option, for about. Year and actually see which camera you reach for most days.

IMO.

PS: if I ever bought the TLR, I believe the 180mm would be a better choice than the 150mm.

 

[awty]

You are much better than me if you can hand hold your RZ @ less than 125th. I usually always use a tripod and fire the lens separately after the shutter. Super sharp.
Its all about the lens on either camera. The RZ's are superb lens for printing large, can get better results than LF.
If it is important to hand hold, then look elsewhere, but if you can put up with caring a light carbon tripod, then stick with the RZ and fire the lens separate.

 

[narsuitus]

I have never owned a Hasselblad and I have never owned an RZ67.

I shot medium format for decades before I tried anything else.

I shot weddings with YashicaMat and Mamiya TLR. I used 55, 80, and 180mm lenses on my Mamiyas.

When my Mamiya C3, C33, and C220 cameras wore out, I decided to replace them with Fuji 6x7 and 6x9cm Fuji fixed-lens rangefinders. The 6x7cm had a 90mm lens and the 6x9 had a 65mm lens. I also used a 180mm lens on an RB67 for my medium format telephoto and macro work. The only reason I did not replace my worn Mamiya TLR cameras with new ones is that at the time, Mamiya had just announced they were discontinuing the TLR.

I loved the style, size, weight, reputation, and image quality of the Hasselblad but did not consider it as a replacement for my worn wedding cameras for the following reasons:
1. I did not bond with the Hasselblad ergonomics.
2. The Hasselblad system was too expensive for my budget.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I am considering selling some of my kit or all of my kit and condensing down to a Hasselblad setup. Currently have a Mamiya 645e and RZ67 with various lenses and accessories and an Epson v800 scanner. I am moving from a hybrid workflow to a purely black and white analog/darkroom workflow for film. I mostly do landscape photography and I shoot hand held frequently when conditions allow for it. I also like printing large, up to 16x20".

The RZ67 gives beautiful results if I don't need to carry it far from the car. The Bogen tripod I use to support this camera is unwieldy for anything but a short walk. If lighting allows, I can handhold the RZ67 with some of the lenses and get sharp results at 1/60s and sometimes slower. The camera is really well damped and the mass helps with vibration. The setup is just a bit much if I need more than a few pieces of equipment, but the results are worth it if the situation allows for it.

The 645e is a much easier setup to use. I use it with a grip which makes the camera feel and operate like a larger 35mm SLR. I can hand hold the camera as low as 1/30s (if I am steady) and get sharp results. The 80mm 2.8 and 45mm 2.8 lens I have for it yield very sharp results with the 80mm 2.8 being my favorite of the two. If I had a complaint about these lenses it would be a lack of "character" for anything requiring a shallow depth of field. Overall the camera is fine to use, but the negatives lack the same flexibility for cropping that the RZ67 has. I also prefer having less shots per roll. I usually go out to shoot one or two specific scenes and 15 shots can feel like a chore to go through, or I have to wait to finish the roll another day. It also it not the most exciting camera to use in my opinion.

The Hasselblad 500cm seems like the obvious camera to move to. It is smaller than the RZ67, has removable backs, is large and widely supported system, and produces a negative size between the 645e and RZ67. And lets be real, they are very attractive cameras.

My concerns with moving to a 500cm are as follows. I have read that they do not produce sharp images hand held, especially below 1/125 of a second. I also worry the lenses may not be as resolving and sharp as the Mamiya lenses.

Looking to see if anyone has input about the hand hold-ability of a Hasselblad, moving from Mamiya, lenses, etc.

I always shoot the Hasselblad from a small tripod without issues. You don't hve to worry about Hasselblad lenses; they are all of high-quality and very sharp. However, We all know that my Mamiya lenses a heart to beat. I'm not sure your image quality is going to improve with this move but it won't decrease either.

 

[cirwin2010]

You are much better than me if you can hand hold your RZ @ less than 125th. I usually always use a tripod and fire the lens separately after the shutter. Super sharp.
Its all about the lens on either camera. The RZ's are superb lens for printing large, can get better results than LF.
If it is important to hand hold, then look elsewhere, but if you can put up with caring a light carbon tripod, then stick with the RZ and fire the lens separate.

When hand with the WLF holding I either keep the neck strap taut to keep the camera stable or put my forehead against the WLF magnifier and that seems to work well for me. I can't speak for a prism finder. I'm sure you have heard the tip about the neck strap, but thought I'd mention it in case you haven't.

 

[CJG]

Seems to me you already have the best of all worlds. A smaller kit when you want portability/hand held and a larger kit with better quality output. A Blad won't be more portable or hand holdable than your 645. Unless you want to shoot square why bother?

 

[Alex Varas]

I have shot 160mm lens at 1/60th with Hassy using handheld-chest and mirror-up.
Also as said, a light tripod and mirror-up will do fine.
https://flic.kr/p/2kpE2qZ

 

[mrosenlof]

I've done some good work with the Hassy hand held, but in my opinion it's much happier on a tripod. The lenses really shine on a more stable platform. I mostly print square from square negs.

I mostly agree with CJG that you have two fine systems that cover a good range of situations. But that idea has never stopped me from trying out something new!

I started in medium format with a C330f I bought new in '82. I like that system a lot. I'll take it places where I'm not willing to take the hassy (great sand dunes national park last november for example). Handhold? sure, but better on a tripod.

I think if you're really interested in hand holding, get the Fuji 6x7/9 rangefinder, but it would supplement, not replace what you've got now.

 

[Arthurwg]

I do well with my Hasselblad and the 60mm and 100mm lenses hand held, using a 45d prism finder pressed to my head plus a little concentration. I will say, however, that I've found that the Mamiya 6 & 7 are the best hand held cameras I've ever used, probably because those shutters are amazingly smooth. What's more, I find that the Mamiya lenses may actually be sharper with more contrast than the Zeiss/ Hasselblads.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The Hasselblad has film backs which can be changed mid roll, the Mamiya does not.

 

[Oldwino]

I think that if you go for the C330, which is a nice camera, you will still have in the back of your head, "but maybe the Hasselblad would've been better...?" Then you will sell the C330 and buy a 500CM.
So, just get the Hasselblad now (it is easily hand-holdable) and just cut out the middle step of the C330. Shortest line to your eventual destination.

 

[jerrybro]

I bought my Blad 9 years ago and used the birth of my first grandchild as the reason I had to have one. I used a TLR before that and was comfortable with the square format, but it did take a little while to get used to the handling differences. It was mainly the long focus throw of the lenses that I needed to get used to. I do have one major complaint and that is I do not have enough available time in my life to use it as much as I want to, but I guess that applies to photography in general.

 

[Andrew Patteson]

I have had an RB for about 20 years... my first medium format camera. I used it regularly for 6 or 7 years, but it has mostly been resting since then. I love it still, in a sentimental way, but I am not sure it makes sense for how I want to photograph now. I am thinking about selling it, but I am afraid that I may regret it later, as Andrew O'Neill mentions.

I have been using a 501CM lately, and loving it. I have used WL finders plenty, and I like them, but viewing through a prism on the Hasselblad was a revelation. With that prism, and the 80mm, it is (just barely) small and "light" enough to have in a small camera bag and bring with me on random errands and excursions, which is, for better or worse, when a lot of my photographing happens these days. I have photographed with the RB handheld and hiking around, and enjoyed it, but it is a chunk. And if I added a prism it would be a super-chunk.

I much prefer to work hand-held, and I feel comfortable doing that with the Hasselblad, but with very careful technique whenever possible. I also don't mind using 400 speed film for everything, which helps ensure the shutter speeds stay high. I carry a 3 stop ND filter for when I need that flexibility.

 

[eli griggs]

I like looking at what Street Photographers are doing on Youtube.com, and I have to say, on reflection, I can no recall either of those two other cameras being used for a long day of work, the Hasselblad being the most carried SLR Medium Format of the Bunch, and it is just as likely you'll see a 150 mm on one of these as an 80 mm.

I might have seen the 180 mm in one or two walk abouts, but the *80 and 150 are seen most often.

If you want 'small' kit, buy a Folder or TLR, with a fixed lens only, or the C330 or other of that family of interchangeable lens line.

Oh, yeah, another advantage of a Hasselblad V system is you can use the lenses as focal lenses, on 35mm cameras like the Nikon F, F2 etc.

I have no seen an adapter for a Canon FL/FD camera, but for other "Professional Grade" 35mm SLRs, you should have little difficulty, say for a Pentax, Contex, using stopped down apertures.

IMO.

 

[eli griggs]

Haha, I love that. My least favorite thing about this hobby is the tendency towards consumerism. Bags, tripods, lenses, filters, light sources, etc... So I like your style, Matt.

There is another, more important reason for using dipper bags, and that is for your Security.

Camera bags being snatched is no new phenomenon, years ago, I read an article that advised carrying a dipper bag, in stead of a street kit or while traveling, so at first glance, you seem to be on an afternoon of errands with a baby, in the care of someone near-by.

This is an area where you should pay attention to your own safety and those that are with you, say a model on a walk and shoot... anywhere.

I've used heavy fabric shopping bags, to carry 'light' and I may do so again, depending on where I'm at, going or other factors photographers should be aware of.

My favorite non-camera bag for many years was my old Army flight helmet bag, from tthe 1970's. Zipper top, handles only, padded and difficult to see the shape of what's inside, it went everywhere with me, until one of the handles tore from normal, long term use.

I now carry it for other small items, including some point and shoot or rangefinder, but unless I come across another good helmet bag, dipper bags and packs will have to do for casual, non-camera bag kit.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Sounds like you need to take a pill for GAS.

 

[eli griggs]

Sounds like you need to take a pill for GAS.

To Whom are you speaking?

Cheers.