Close-up with Hasselblad

[Snapper]

I've acquired a Hasselblad 500CM mainly to replace my Mamiya C300f for 'studio' work. I use the Mamiya a lot for close-ups, but I'm a bit fed up with the parallax problems and having to use a paramender. I want to use the Hasselblad instead to get the same kind of close-ups (but not macro) - what extra gear do I now need to achieve this? The 500CM came with a standard 80mm lens.

 

[NikoSperi]

The Zeiss lenses aren't really known for their close-focusing abilties. Extension rings (extortionately expensive for what they are) is what you need. Although, it helps to have a longer focal length to start with. I use a 32mm ring on a 150mm Sonnar. On the 80mm, it gets you really really really close. You might consider swapping the 80mm for the 120mm macro.
Somebody here has the formulas for calculating magnification, distance, extension, light loss... can't seem to find them now.

 

[Claire Senft]

proxars

I believe that one can obtain used Proxars fairly inexpensively from ebay if you are going to NOT be buying additional lenses this may be a very viable choice. I remember a Leitz advertisement from the 70's that showed comparison photos taken with a 90mm lens with an extension tube and the same photo taken with an Elpro. The Elpro was very visibly the winner. I have no personal experience in using Proxars. I am not stating that Proxars are of a quality comparable to an Elpro...of course, I am not stating the contrary either. Certainly, the Proxars do not requrire exposure compensation and are minimal as far as weight and volume are concerned.

The foregoing having been said, I have never owned a piece of Hasselblad or Zeiss gear in which I was disappointed from a performance standpoint...cost standpoint most certainly.

Enjoy your Hasselblad.

 

[MikeK]

I've acquired a Hasselblad 500CM mainly to replace my Mamiya C300f for 'studio' work. I use the Mamiya a lot for close-ups, but I'm a bit fed up with the parallax problems and having to use a paramender. I want to use the Hasselblad instead to get the same kind of close-ups (but not macro) - what extra gear do I now need to achieve this? The 500CM came with a standard 80mm lens.

Hasselblad provides many choices for close up work, ranging from Proxar auxillary lenses, extension tubes (including a variable extension tube), bellows for really close up and high magnification work, as well as macro lenses.

I opted for the extension tube approach, and have 8mm and 21mm tubes. These work well on the 80mm Planar and the 150mm Sonnar. You can use the extension tubes in combination to get greater magification ratios. But you will need to modify exposure depending on the extension. You can calculate the exposure modification from the following

f/number to be used = aperture taken from light mete reading x(focal length of lens/focal length of lens + extension)

Example using a 56mm tube with 80mm lens with light meter indicating 1/60th @ f11.

f/number = 11x(80/(80+56)) ~ f6.47 which would be somewhere between f5.6 and f8.0. If you need greater depth of field just alter the exposure to get the f-stop you need.

Hope this is clear

Mike

 

[Ed Sukach]

I use Proxars for all my close-up work.

Very satsified with them.

I can buy them "cheaply"??? Where??

 

[Claire Senft]

Cheaply

I guess what is cheap is very much a matter of opinion. My idea of cheap is to buy goods in like new condition for 60% or less than new equipment wpuld cost from B&H. I must say that I have NOT been following Proxars that closely and I may be full of crap. I am not a Hasselblad owner at this time. I have however bought a fair amount of Zeiss and Contax equipment from ebay during the past couple of years and I have been easily able to meet the guidelines posted above as to being "inexpensive".

 

[Snapper]

Ok, I've been browsing around looking at extension tubes. As far as I can see there are 4 - an 8mm, 16mm, 32mm and 56mm. I'm not sure which to get - what kind of close-up effect can I expect with each of these tubes? What specific photographical purpose are each of the tubes designed for?

 

[rbarker]

. . . As far as I can see there are 4 - an 8mm, 16mm, 32mm and 56mm. I'm not sure which to get

I believe there are also a couple of older, now discontinued models that fall in between those extensions. Also, I seem to recall there being a chart on the Hasselblad site that gives focus-distance ranges for each of the different extension tubes. Remember, you'll be using the extension tube in conjunction with the internal extension provided by the lens's focusing mechanism. Plus, the tubes (added: and/or the auto bellows) can be combined to provide greater extension. You just have to mount and dismount them in sequence so as not to disrupt the synchronization of the linkage.

The amount of extension provided by each of the tubes is relative, of course, to the lens with which it is being used.

 

[rbarker]

Here's the link for the Hasselblad close-up document I referred to earlier:

Dead Link Removed

 

[Snapper]

Cheers for that.

On the chart, it shows the 8 and the 16 tubes in conjunction with the Planar 80 as 'recommendations for high image quality' Does this mean any extension beyond 16mm will result in images less than high quality? What kind of quality would be expected with a 56mm tube?

 

[rbarker]

What they're suggesting is that the normal 80mm lens is not formulated/corrected for close-up work. Thus, as the magnification increases with longer extensions, the image quality falls off. The trick of reversing the lens, often used on 35mm SLRs, doesn't work with Hasselblad lenses because of the shutter linkage, of course. For maximum image quality, you should stay within the design parameters of the lens, or switch to one that is designed for macro work, such as the Makro Planar. But, if the 80mm lens is what you have, try it, and judge the results by your own standards.

 

[klooker]

Experience with 80mm & 32mm Extension

I bought a 32mm extension tube to use with my 80mm & 150mm lenses. Using the 32mm tube with the 80, the lens has to be with about 12 inches (30cm) of the subject to focus. This is well suited for taking close up shots of jewelry (rings or watch faces) or maybe flower petals. I suspect that a shorter tube would be a little more flexible with the 80.

Good Luck