For colour Rolleiflex or Hasselblad?

Casperrobo · Sep 5, 2014

For shooting colour film does the T* coating on Hasselblad lenses make them any more vibrant and contrasty than a rolleiflex lens with a hood with the same film stock? I've seen some really vibrant hasselblad and Rolleiflex photos but does the Rollei ever suffer from pastel muted colours or is this mostly to peoples scanning choices? Also for black and white does either provide more contrast than the other?

I'm not bothered about sharpness, they're both bloody sharp enough for me.

frank · Sep 5, 2014

And they'll both render colour just fine. Worrying about colour differences is just as needless as worrying about sharpness differences.

This is of course, assuming the particular lens sample is not damaged by fungus or haze.

snapguy · Sep 5, 2014

well

I think you should worry about the condition of the particular camera and lens(es) you buy and not what was presumably the "best" years ago. I recently bought a 60-year old Rolleiflex that is in truly amazing condition. That is the key. I forget which lenses it has, and I don't care. They were all great back in the day.

MattKing · Sep 5, 2014

If you have a number of different lenses for your Hasselblad, you might see a slight difference between them with respect to colour rendition. Most likely though, you won't.

With the Rolleiflex that will not, of course, be much of a problem .

In either case, there shouldn't be any meaningful problem with colour. These cameras were designed with colour in mind.

BrianShaw · Sep 5, 2014

There is probably more of a difference from film choice than most anything else.

Casperrobo · Sep 6, 2014

My head says hassle, my heart says rollei! Thanks for the answers, that makes less to make a choice on, i'll toss a coin.

polyglot · Sep 6, 2014

The classic pastel-muted crap colour seen on C41 films is entirely the fault of the operator. It's generally a scanning error, but you can also cause it to some extent by deliberate and severe (3+ stops) overexposure.

tnabbott · Sep 6, 2014

Casperrobo said:
My head says hassle, my heart says rollei! Thanks for the answers, that makes less to make a choice on, i'll toss a coin.

Why does your head say Hassie? Do you already have lenses for it?

BrianShaw · Sep 6, 2014

If you want or need interchangable lenses then listen to your head!

TareqPhoto · Sep 6, 2014

They said follow your heart, and i saw one very funny caricature, showing a heart was injured or broken and crying and the head[brain] told him "You see, how many times i told you and you never listen/learn".

So, follow your head better before your heart is broken and you cry.

I have Hasselblad, and i don't look at Rollei, but i am sure Rollei will make/do the same feeling/effect.

frank · Sep 6, 2014

Get both, and a MF rangefinder as well. All bases covered!

J Oney · Sep 6, 2014

I've used Rolleis and Hasselblads and to be honest I don't think that the difference is significant. I would think that there are too many variables involved. Processing, lighting, emulsions and other factors can make a difference.

Richard S. (rich815) · Sep 6, 2014

Get Rollei SL66

Richard S. (rich815) · Sep 6, 2014

Will you be scanning the negs or printing in a darkroom?

Casperrobo · Sep 6, 2014

For colour scanning and for BW darkroom, however I am looking at possibly doing some colour darkroom.
My head says hassy not because I need multiple lenses but partly because of the small nagging "what if?" but I wouldn't really be able to afford many anyway.

I would love a Rollei SL66 possibly more than a hassy but they're too rare and pricey in the UK

Richard S. (rich815) · Sep 6, 2014

I have six or seven Rolleiflexes and Rolleicords that I've picked up through the years: 2.8E and E2 Planars, a 2.8C Xenotar, 3.5E Planar and a 3.5E3 Xenotar, etc, also have the Rolleiwide and the Tele-rolleiflex. To be honest they all have individual "character" and I use them primarily for B&W work and mostly scan my negs. I also have a Hassy 500CM with the 40/60/80/150/250. For perfect and precise work and color it's my Hassy I go with. But love both systems and my absolute favorite is the Rolleiwide. Go
with your gut.

frank · Sep 6, 2014

Now we're confused! Go with your head, heart, or gut?

Richard S. (rich815) · Sep 6, 2014

frank said:
Now we're confused! Go with your head, heart, or gut?

Gut! It's a combo of your head and your heart. If photography was my business I'd go strictly with my head.

Casperrobo · Sep 6, 2014

Just a hobby mostly so really it's probably heart or gut.....

Thomas Bertilsson · Sep 6, 2014

I've used both over the years, and they are equally nice cameras. The Hasselblad is superior because you can put different lenses on it. The Rollei is superior because it is lighter, easier to carry around, and better hand held.
Image wise there is not enough between them to make any meaningful difference.

Pick the camera based on how you will normally use it. Not based on picture quality which is far better than 99% of us are capable of exploring anyway.

Slixtiesix · Sep 7, 2014

From my experience there is barely a visible difference between the old and the T* / HFT coating. I´ve shot many slides with an old 50/4 Distagon and the colours are very vibrant! I made a test some years ago on slide film with different lenses, with the optical axis set about 45° to the sun. Old or new coating really made no difference. What made a difference indeed was the use of a proper shade. Best results with a compendium shade and masks. And I think this is the real benefit of the Hasselblad or Rollei SLR compared to the TLR. Just compare a Hasselblad hood for the 100-250mm lenses and a TLR lens hood and you know what I mean!

For colour Rolleiflex or Hasselblad?

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