Frankenblad - a very strange SWC

[nick_clark]

Hi all, this Hasselblad SWC has just popped up in my local classifieds (the first one I've come across...), and I can't quite figure out what is going on... Advance knob is odd, baseplate is odd, lens is very odd.

Can anyone provide some info? The listing just says 'Hasselblad Camera'...



Thanks, Nick

 

[nick_clark]

Neither Google nor me know of a triangular camera-plate. Though as such it should not be surprising, seen the various other shapes around. The more interesting thing is that the plate seems to be integral part of the body. Screwd to it by three screws and bearing a tripod thread itself, and a leatherette patch.
Maybe it is not even a camera-plate, thus is without bevelled edges.

I stumbled across this page in my Googling, which would seem to suggest it's either a 'Supreme Wide Angle' (SWA) or 'Super Wide' (just SW, no 'C'). I believe these were the first to introduce the 38mm Biogon and were made between '54-'57 (with the first SWC introduced in '59).

http://www.gilghitelman.com/news_0005.html

 

[AgX]

Quite similar:

https://www.camleyphotographic.com/...de-camera-38mm-biogon-akvi-condition-8e-5838/

 

[John Koehrer]

Would this use the same date coding as later cameras? vhpictures

 

[nick_clark]

Would this use the same date coding as later cameras? vhpictures

I’m not sure?

 

[bdial]

Hasselblad Historical has a brochure and user manual for early super wides; http://www.hasselbladhistorical.eu/HW/HWpre57Br.aspx

The date code should work, there is a calculator on that site too.

 

[Lachlan Young]

As you discovered, it's the first of the superwide Hasselblads - the baseplate is the same as the 1000f etc & the slightly odd lens setup again predates the introduction of the C-series lenses which were the first Hasselblad lenses to integrate the leaf shutter in the lens barrel when they replaced the 1000f/1600f focal plane Hasselblads. If it works well, it'll be pretty much as good as a later swc, just with slightly more awkward handling.