Getting a medium format SLR

[mrosenlof]

I'm a Hasselblad user. It's a good system. I have no doubt the RB67 is also a good system also. If you're OK with the size and weight, you'll probably be very happy with it!

 

[Siompa]

Well Christmas came and my dad gave me a Hasselblad 503cx with a back and the 80mm planar. So now I’ve got 400$ dollars to buy a lens and accessories for instead!

 

[Jim70]

Lucky you! A great Dad and a great gift.

 

[Siompa]

Lucky you! A great Dad and a great gift.

Indeed. He worked as a photographer for 30 years and this was his favorite among all cameras he worked with. And I’m 30 years old. Pretty good combo

 

[Sirius Glass]

Well Christmas came and my dad gave me a Hasselblad 503cx with a back and the 80mm planar. So now I’ve got 400$ dollars to buy a lens and accessories for instead!

Now start shopping at KEH. Of course they have a sale going one after the holidays. I own many Hasselblad lenses so I recommend the 50mm CF or later for a wide angle. It is wide enough without having to worry about distortion and I have used it in narrow streets in Europe on my last two trips. The 60mm lens is too close to the 80mm lens to make it worth it.
I also recommend the 250mm CF or later lenses as the first telephoto since it gives about a three times large image and is not too heavy to carry around. I also have the 150mm lens which is about two times closer but not enough to make it worth carrying. If I did portrait work then maybe the 150mm or 180mm would be more useful.

Enjoy.

 

[NJH]

I second that, always worth remembering that perhaps the most famous landscape photograph of them all was taken with a 250mm lens on a Hasselblad.

 

[Ai Print]

Most Hasselblad V system lenses are great but the 60, 100 and 180 are incredible, certainly worth aspiring to regardless of spacing.

 

[guangong]

Great concept but the actuality is not so great. The Hasselblad 200/2000 shutters are not all the reliable. I would recommend the Hasselblad V Series.

I have never had a problem with my bought new 2000FCM (my 1000F on the other hand was a disaster and the reason for shutters in lenses. Only the superior ergonomics of the Hassy saved it from oblivion) which allows me to mount a wide variety of makers’ lenses. Perhaps I am lucky. But I agree with Serious that those without a focal shutter would be a better first choice today, when cameras are bought used without a known history. Several years ago I bought a C/M from KEH for Avery reasonable price.

 

[Ai Print]

KEH is still pretty high priced. I am looking for spare 80mm lenses and A12 backs for workshop participant camera sets and the prices are fairly high.

 

[Siompa]

Now start shopping at KEH. Of course they have a sale going one after the holidays. I own many Hasselblad lenses so I recommend the 50mm CF or later for a wide angle. It is wide enough without having to worry about distortion and I have used it in narrow streets in Europe on my last two trips. The 60mm lens is too close to the 80mm lens to make it worth it.
I also recommend the 250mm CF or later lenses as the first telephoto since it gives about a three times large image and is not too heavy to carry around. I also have the 150mm lens which is about two times closer but not enough to make it worth carrying. If I did portrait work then maybe the 150mm or 180mm would be more useful.

Enjoy.

KEH is still pretty high priced. I am looking for spare 80mm lenses and A12 backs for workshop participant camera sets and the prices are fairly high.

Yeah it seems keh is pretty expensive, and since i live in sweden the toll and shipping will eat up my budget... an "ugly" graded 150mm for 270$.. it's pretty much a broken lens with useless glass?

 

[Alan Gales]

If you shoot portraiture don't forget to invest in a Softer 1 and maybe a Softer 2 filter. All of the Zeiss lenses are sharp and most women of a certain age don't like razor sharp!

Congratulations on your new camera!

 

[Neil Poulsen]

With the RB's rotating back, a good comprise to handheld would be to use an RB on a monopod.

I have an RB system w/multiple lenses and keep it in a Tenba backpack. It's heavy; but, I made this really neat cart that makes carrying it convenient.

http://www.largeformatphotography.i...p?128968-Photo-Cart-Based-on-an-Old-Golf-Cart

 

[Sirius Glass]

Yeah it seems keh is pretty expensive, and since i live in sweden the toll and shipping will eat up my budget... an "ugly" graded 150mm for 270$.. it's pretty much a broken lens with useless glass?

Fly out to Los Angeles to see me and tour California. Have KEH sent the lens to my address and since it is used equipment just tell customs that you had it in Sweden. We can even make a Fauxto$hop of you in Sweden.

 

[Siompa]

Fly out to Los Angeles to see me and tour California. Have KEH sent the lens to my address and since it is used equipment just tell customs that you had it in Sweden. We can even make a Fauxto$hop of you in Sweden.

The problem with the customs is that they probably will toll it whoever sends it as long its not within EU, I got to pay 200$ in toll on a pair of shoes from the US... I think the only thing is to write its a gift on the customs blanket or something. I don't know really. I will however let you give me that tour

 

[Sirius Glass]

The problem with the customs is that they probably will toll it whoever sends it as long its not within EU, I got to pay 200$ in toll on a pair of shoes from the US... I think the only thing is to write its a gift on the customs blanket or something. I don't know really. I will however let you give me that tour

Maybe I could pick it up, take it one a visit to you and forget to take it home?

 

[Siompa]

Maybe I could pick it up, take it one a visit to you and forget to take it home?

It’s a date

 

[Siompa]

Foundation a 150 C T* for 200$ in good condition (I hope)

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I have a couple of medium format cameras, however all with fixed lenses.

I've got a Fuji Gs645 pro (the folder version) which is amazing, but never really understood the wonder of rangefinder.
I also got a Zeiss Ikon 645 which have some issues with the film coming out "loose" if you know what i mean. And lastly i have a Rolleicord IV which is also great but a bit limited.

So after a lot of researching i feel that the Mamiya RB67 pro s is the most flexible system and also not to pricey ( got a kid on the way, so no hasselblads for this guy)

Pros:
Shoots anything from 645 to 6x8 and also polaroid ( is there also a 35mm back?)
Filmbacks, this is a must, to be able to change filmstocks on the fly.
Polaroids would be fun to try out through a good lens.
Not to pricey accessories and lenses, my photography is my hobby and not my income.
Fully mechanical, no batteries and less stuff to worry about?
Except for hasselblad, Mamiya is kind of easy to get serviced, or am i completely wrong about this?

Cons:

Maximum shutter speed of 400. Not ideal but okay. Are there faster Lenses?
The weight? I've got no problem with it, working in the film business as a camera assistant I'm used to lugging around huge cameras.


I guess what I'm after is some feedback from people who has it or if there is any alternatives that i missed.
And if someone is thinking of selling a system in a couple of months when I saved up a bit of money, please let me know.

PS. I know that hasselblad are the most reliable and still get serviced by hasselblad and the lenses are amazing but i don't have 1000$ to get started on a system since its not my job. So please, no " you should get a hasselblad". Belive me I wish I could

Sorry but despite your warning:Hasselblad is age MF standard for me and used prices allow an entry for many budgets.

 

[Neil Poulsen]

I have an RB Pro-S system that I quite like. Modular and very complete, reasonably priced system. (Priced even lower, now.) I like the extra large film format, which can help compensate not having chosen a Hasselblad. I had my body completely lubed and serviced after purchase. (The Mamiya body, that is.)

The weight's not really a problem, either. I have a neat cart that I use with the system.

Back to Hasselblad, given the choice between the two, I would get what I have. For example, I've been warned more than once about the attraction that Hasseblads can have for repair shops. If one's is photographing something with a square aspect ratio, then an RB offers no advantage. But if the scene favors an RB's longer aspect ration, which is often the case, then the RB has almost a 40% advantage over the Hasselblad's square format. That's non-trivial.

For someone just getting into medium format, an RB is a great way to go.

As for hand-held, I also have a Mamiya Universal Press, which was designed for hand-held imagery. But even when using a Mamiya RB, it seems to me that a mono-pod might come in handy.

 

[rmann]

I have an RB67 system which sits almost 100% on a tripod, a joy to use but not so much to carry. So, I use a “ZUCA disk golf cart”. Which I like a lot, even has a built-seat for resting. See. ZUCA.com

 

[Sirius Glass]

...

Back to Hasselblad, given the choice between the two, I would get what I have. For example, I've been warned more than once about the attraction that Hasseblads can have for repair shops.

I have been using a Hasselblad 503 CX, a Hasselblad 903 SWC and a number of lenses for almost a decade. I have been using it heavily and have taken it on vacations including Europe many times, as well as taking if offroading which can be very dusty. I have not neither camera has ever expressed or experiences an attraction for repair shops. They are among my most reliable cameras. Instead of wild speculation, ask Hasselblad owners.

By the way, any camera can be abused and then need repairs. It is always a good idea to RTFM and follow the instructions.

 

[Ai Print]

My thoughts on reliability of the Hasselblad V system...

I have no doubt if you handed me a Bronica, RB67, Pentax 67, etc. I could learn it and make some nice images on it, maybe even bond with it. But when I was 18, I shelled out $800 for a nice used chrome Hasselblad 500C, black T* 80 C and a peep hole style A12 back and was totally hooked.

That was at the very formative doorstep of my career 32 years ago and I never really thought to use anything else in MF. Maybe part of the reason was it demanded my attention in how I used it, how I advanced the film, loaded the backs, changed lenses and even dealt with the dreaded jam.
Hasselblads need two things for sure to keep working, they need occasional maintenance and in order to keep that interval occasional or less, they need regular use, especially the lenses. Hasselblad can take some serious abuse but if they are paired with a smooth operator, that is how they avoid the shop and simply last.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Aside from a Fuji 6x9 and a Zeiss 6x6, I have both an RB67 Pro S system and also Hasselblads.

The RB67's and their lenses have never needed repair and after nearly 24 years the Hasselblads have never needed repair (nor have I ever jammed one).

Even better, the prices for Hasselblad's excellent Carl Zeiss lenses are a fraction of their original cost. I now own several more lenses that I'd only dreamed of before.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Aside from a Fuji 6x9 and a Zeiss 6x6, I have both an RB67 Pro S system and also Hasselblads.

The RB67's and their lenses have never needed repair and after nearly 24 years the Hasselblads have never needed repair (nor have I ever jammed one).

Even better, the prices for Hasselblad's excellent Carl Zeiss lenses are a fraction of their original cost. I now own several more lenses that I'd only dreamed of before.

As a teenager I dreamed of owning a Bronica S. Working it the camera store I handled and admired Hasselblads. I dared not dreaming about or thinking about Hasselblads. Now I still cannot believe that I own and use two Hasselblads and seven Zeiss lenses.

 

[JensH]

Well Christmas came and my dad gave me a Hasselblad 503cx with a back and the 80mm planar. So now I’ve got 400$ dollars to buy a lens and accessories for instead!

Hi,

fantastic! I love the 80mm (and 75mm) FL for 6x6.
If you like to do B&W some filters (original bayonet or 67mm on an adapter) might be useful - a yellow one for the start?!
A sun shade is allways helpful...

Have fun.
Best
Jens