Flexbody correction slides?

[eli griggs]

I do no have any of the three, Hasselblad correction slides and I'm wondering who here shoots their Flexbody without these optics and what their experience and opinions of them as must have kit for that camera.

Cheers and Godspeed.
Eli

 

[Photomultiplier]

I work with my Flexbody regularly and sometimes when i'm in a hurry, i don't use the correction slides. The more you tilt the focusing screen, the steeper you have to look at it. Normally you have to look at it perpendicular and the more you divert from the 90° viewing angle, the
darker the screen gets. I usually get away without the slides when working with 50mm, 80mm or 150mm focal lengths. The longer the lens, the more tilt one needs. So with those lenses, it usually works for me to view the screen at a slightly shallower angle to get a bright image. Working with the
loupe is a bit more difficult but it works.

With the 250mm Sonnar i routinely use the correction slides because the tilt often exceeds 15° and this lens is already dim with its 5.6 aperture.

What lenses do you want to use?

 

[eli griggs]

Cheers.

Yes, there is a big advantage to wider lenses and I look forward to using some large format lenses with this camera, but I have to buy a strong, tall viewfinder loup for ground glass

 

[Philippe-Georges]

I couldn't do without them, as I use my flexbody mostly in close-up with a120mm.
A while ago I saw a set on eBay, rather expensive...

 

[eli griggs]

Yes, I hope to find a set, even one at a time, that's reasonably affordable.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

Yes, I hope to find a set, even one at a time, that's reasonably affordable.

What strikes me is that you got a Flexbody set without these viewfinder correcting fresnel lens slides as they are an inseparable accessoire for operating it seriously.
This slide set consists of tree pieces, one straight (without a fresnel lens), one with a 10° correction and one with 20°.

Don't buy the slides one at the time as you risk to get these for the Hasselblad ArcBody which don't really fit the Flexbody. The (used-) ArcBody ones are offered more often, as they were sold separately by Hasselblad to fit the different also separately sold special lenses, which wasn't the case for the Flexbody.

Contact the Finland located Kamerastore.com, they have a huge stock of analogue camera's and accessoires, and you might subscribe on some kind of a waiting list, you never know...

 

[AgX]

What strikes me then is that no other view-camera has such, what you indicate as indispensable.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

What strikes me then is that no other view-camera has such, what you indicate as indispensable.

A view-camera, also called a Large-Format camera, is what the name says: large, so the matte glass has the same format and is considerable larger than a 6x6.
Also, an LF camera allows to look, under a dark cloth, at the matte glass adjacently (from deferent angles), try to do this wit that small 6x6, even under a dark cloth...
That's why Hasselblad foresaw different viewfinders, straight, angled and chimney like. So with these viewfinders an adjacent view is almost impossible, hence the fresnel lens slides which gives an angled view: 10° and 20°.
BTW, some LF cameras ave fresnel lenses too, facilitating an adjacent view needed with some adjustments mostly Scheimpflug.

 

[AgX]

A view camera is not neccessarily Large Format. Just think of the Linhof Technikardan 6x9 or the MPP ones. The Technikas 6x9 are no true view cameras but in this groundscreen aspect they also face exactly same issues.

And to my understanding of the Flexbody manual the groundglass is not part of the 90° finder, but a seperate part. Using it on its own yields the same optical situation as with the cameras above, except that its format is shorter on the longer side.
But I got your point on the necessity of those specical fresnel lenses when the 90° finder is used, fixing omes viewpoint.

 

[Ai Print]

I mostly use mine for landscapes so I don’t usually go past 5-8 degrees of tilt but there are times like when mentioned above when using a longer lens that more tilt is required to get the plane of focus in check and you just really need to have that correction slide in. Be patient, put a call out on the Hasselblad Classified Facebook group and maybe check in with Igor Camera too once and awhile.

You may end up having to buy another kit and then either keep that one for parts or sell it as is. I now have two Flexbody cameras because one needs to have a new shutter pin made for it because the flat part sheared off while I was working here in the Faroe Islands. It’s an important camera for me so I have no problem having two of them.

 

[eli griggs]

The reason that I do no have this viewing set is no brain teaser, this Flexbody, etc, was a gift from a friend and I do no question his very generous gift, period.

I am more than happy to continue using it as is, with the ground glass, and get the viewing filters as I can, which is why I posted in the first place.

The Hasselblad chimney view finder will work with the camera, and I'll get one at some point, and, the ground glass is just fine with a long loup, as with a 4" x 5" or larger camera, though I hope to trade up at some point for a better quality one than I have now

The Waist Level finder also works, particularly if you have a seated p.o.v. for composure and shooting.

I like the Flexbody, even if others find it fiddly and I won't let the lack of the filters deter me from using it.

I can shoot Instax Square film to double check shoots as needed, if I have any doubts and I expect quality backs using this film to be shortly forthcoming go Hasselblad analogs.

Cheers

 

[eli griggs]

• "What lenses do you want to use?"
  
  I do no see a need beyond the 50 - 150 range, I'm shooting for fun and art, no as a studio photographer, ie. working professional.

With Hasselblad prices so crazy, at this moment, I can wait until they become, for me, indispensable and hope I'm ready and able to make the investment.

Cheers and Godspeed to All,
Eli