Does Hasselblad rise or fall in price?

[Nightpuma]

Hi,

I want to get into medium format photography and I am looking into buying a Hasselblad 500 series camera.
For you people who have followed the second hand market for a while, have the prices started to rise, or are they still falling?

Theo

 

[tony lockerbie]

Here in Australia they are still falling, although the fall has slowed a lot. The lenses still hold their value but the very common lenses such as the 80mm and 150mm are are bargain these days.
Still reckon that this is a great time to get into a V system because prices are still very reasonable, especially if you look at the older C cameras or the very cheap and often overlooked 500ELM. I can't imagine that prices will ever rise again because a lot of people think that film is dead

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

I reckon prices have stayed pretty much the same over the last ten years, so effectively, rated against the cost of living, they have been decreasing slightly. The used price here in Australia still seems higher than elsewhere. The best way to buy quality bodies and lenses is KEH.

 

[Alan Gales]

From what I have seen everything has pretty much leveled off here in the U.S. The ELMs are really cheap and the 80 and 150 lenses are not bad here either.

I own a 500CM with the 80. I would rather have the 100 and a 60 but they are not cheap!

 

[Jesper]

The auction prices in Sweden have risen slightly over the last few years.

 

[Douglas Fairbank]

S/H prices seem to be steady. Some items, screens, wide angle lenses, Flexbody, Xpan, are probably appreciating. Mint condition items can get very high prices. Beware very heavily used items from digi studios. Always budget for new lightraps in the mags and often the bodies as well.

 

[Slixtiesix]

I have observed Hasselblad used prices, both in Europa and the US, for about a year now because I wanted a nice 501cm or 503cw. They still go for a lot of money. Mint 501cm cameras were still demanding around 1000 Euro, 1500 if they were sold as kit. 503cw were about 1200 Euro, 1800 or even more as a kit. One can save about 200 Euro in average when buying on Ebay, but it is always a bit of roulette there.
Occasionally I also had a look on older models like 500c and 500cm and even these demand about 500 Euro when in good shape and working order. I finally ended up buying a very nice and hardly used 555ELD. These go for around 700 now. The motorized models, even late ones, are cheaper in general than the manual models of the same era. The older ones like 500EL and ELM are pretty cheap now, but they have been so for a while.

Regarding lenses, it really depends on the specific lens you are looking for. Pre FLE 50mm, 80mm and 150mm are the best bargains. The 180mm is still expensive but even this one has come down a bit.
The 100mm is still commanding insane prices. I have seen two mint 100mm CFi lenses changing the owner for 1800 Euro recently. Even ones that look quite used are commanding 1200-1400. 100mm CF can be had under 1000, sometimes even less if one has luck.
I have the general feeling that CF lenses have come down a bit, while CFi lenses are quite stable. The only exception being the 150mm CFi. I have seen this for 600-800 Euro several times now.
The CB lenses are quite cheap. 80mm CB is regularly sold for around 300. 60mm is around 400-500. The 160mm can be had quite cheap on Ebay. Have seen it selling for 300 Euro. Dealers do demand much more.
The SWC does still command a premium. Even very old models. Old SWC usually goes for 1500, SWC/M for 2000-2500, 903SWC 2500-3000, 905 SWC above 3000. Other lenses still expensive are the Superachromats and the 110/2 Planar, the latter usually sold for 1600 Euro in FE version.

To answer the original question in short: I also do not think prices rise or fall significantly. They are quite stable. Items that were expensive when new are still relatively expensive. Others that were more affordable, like the CB series, are cheaper. It more depends on the specific buyer and how much he is willing to spent in my impression. The most important thing if you are looking for specific items in nice shape is patience!

 

[PKM-25]

CF lenses are the best bet in terms of optical quality, price and still serviceable in terms of parts. I paid a bit more for both my 100 & 180 CF lenses than they go for now. I see both of them go for $600-$700 on eBay in really good shape when I paid about $850 for each in EX+ condition from KEH back in 2007. The 50 CF FLE has stayed about the same, $750 and up depending on all the usual stuff. The 40 FLE has flattended out at around $1,100 and up. A-16, A-24 and of course 70mm backs are fairly cheap due to lack of film selection for the 24 and 16 models while decent "Number-button" A-12 backs are holding steady.

501CM's seem to have held steady if not gone up a tad while 500CM's have flattened out. I just picked up a super clean 500ELX with decent batteries and the charger from KEH for $170, a bargain for a much needed aerial rig.

Some people may still find this stuff expensive but I remember just how badly I could not afford it back in the late 80's and had to settle for a 500C and chrome C lenses, wow have things changed, 7 CF lenses, three bodies, 9 backs, tubes, hoods, screens, etc. for what I consider peanuts.

Out of all the camera systems I use, Leica, Xpan, Nikon and my 4x5 kit, the Hasselblad system is simply the best built, intuitive, trouble free and flexible camera system out there for my needs.

Go for it, prices are not going to change much from what anyone can tell...

 

[Slixtiesix]

I forgot about the backs! If you intend to buy a body only, please mind that a decent A12 back will cost around 150 Euro used. The latest ones with darkslide holder do cost even more, but I do not consider that thing necessary at all as long as you only have one single film back.

 

[Salem]

Prices in camera shops are not affected by short scale fluctuations in people's buying power, but auction style sales are. So if you're after a deal you would have to monitor auction sites' completed listings for few months until you detect one of those dead periods and then place your bid. Of course buying from a camera shop gives you peace of mind and a chance to try before you buy and you get to support them in those tough times.
In any case, I would imagine if the economy starts improving and people get employed again then demand would probably rise and the prices would go up in shops and in auctions.

 

[film_man]

Depends on what you are looking for. In the UK, compared to two years ago body prices are stable. Lenses vary a bit more and it depends what you are looking for. There is an abundance of 150 lenses and I think prices have fallen for these but CFi/CFE lenses like the 40, 50, 60, 120 are still high. Then there are things like 903/905 bodies which are very difficult to find and they would set you back 2500-3000 nowadays where 2 years ago they'd be 2000-2500.

 

[film_man]

One more thing, for backs, a mint condition A12 is 125-200. To be honest, I'd rather buy a beat up one for £50 then spend another £100 on a service for it. At least I then know it is as good as new.

 

[benjiboy]

I don't think any film camera is a good investment in the digital age, if you want to invest your money choose something else, but it want to buy a camera to use and enjoy regardless of the investment potential a Hasselblad is a very good choice.

 

[Noble]

I don't think any film camera is a good investment in the digital age, if you want to invest your money choose something else, but it want to buy a camera to use and enjoy regardless of the investment potential a Hasselblad is a very good choice.

I can't really say with certainty what the guy is up to since he only made one post. But I suspect he wants a camera for personal use but doesn't want to catch a falling knife. That makes sense to me. I didn't make my Rollei SLR purchase until years after the MF Armageddon. If prices are falling rapidly why buy? Just use your DSLR or 35mm gear for a couple of years and swoop in when things stabilize.

I have no insight into Hasselblad prices. What I can say is if someone is new to MF they may be better off starting off with something like an ETRSI. You can get complete kits with a prime lens for less than $300. And by kit I mean with prism finder and speed grip. Maybe even a metered prism. You can buy one. Use it and see if you like it. If not you can sell it and only be out some transaction fees and shipping... assuming you do your research and pick one up for a good price. Sure an ETRSI is 6x4.5 vs 6x6 but they both still use 120 film and are pretty close cousins format wise.

 

[Nightpuma]

Hello all,

Thank's s lot for all the useful answars. I have been cut of from internet acess for a couple of days, so I haven't been able to get back to the thread before.
First, I am asking the question because I want to buy a Hasselblad and if prices had started to rise, it would mean that I had to get one in the near future. As far as I understand, prices have more or less been stable for a while. I would think that mint copies will rise, because the are no longer made, and will be collectibles. I am not a collector, so I will want I camera that has not seen a lot of use, but some is OK.
It is a nice advice to start with a cheaper one like Bronica, but I want a Hasselblad and there is no way around it. I have come to the conclusion that Hasselblad is just something I want to experience in my life for many reasons. So I am looking for a nice 500 C/M or 501/503 if they surface lokally for cheap.
So thank you for the good advice. I will focus on getting one as soon as I find a nice copy for a decent price.
Theo

 

[Alan Gales]

If you want a Hasselblad then get a Blad. I have wanted one since the early 1980's and finally took a 500CM in on trade a couple years ago.

My only regret about it is that I didn't get one sooner.