Hass 2000FC - large mirror or not?

[Sim2]

Hallo there,

I have a question regarding the Hasselblad 2000FC – does this camera have the larger (non-vignetting) mirror or a smaller mirror?

I have seen a suggestion that the larger mirror was only applied to the 2000 series from the 2000FC/m (mirror). Is this correct? I thought the all the 2000 onward cameras had the larger non-vignetting mirror as standard.

Any info apprectiated,
Sim.

Btw, I know that the 2000Fc doesn't have the retracting shutter but I have yet to put my finger through the exposed shutters in my Canons!

 

[dentkimterry]

All 2000 series have the larger non-vignetting mirror, one of the best reasons to have one! I have three.

Terry

 

[Sim2]

Thanks, I thought they all had the larger mirror - just didn't want to make a mistake getting a small mirror one!
If you have or used the 2000FC, what is your verdict esp compared to a 2000FC/m or /w?

Sim.

 

[dentkimterry]

I have the FC, FC/M and FCW. All very much the same. FC/M has the retractable shutter, FCW accepts a motor drive and I think has better anti reflection coatings inside the body. Get what ever one you get the best deal on. I paid $295-450 US for mine.

Terry

 

[Q.G.]

The 2000 FCW and 2003 FCW have a slightly different, more sturdy shutter mechanism.
So if there is a choice, get one of these FCW models.

Not that the older ones are bad. Far from it.
But with very few people wanting to work on these even when they were still in production (too complicated), anything you can do to ensure that you will not need to find someone who is willing to (and capable of) repair your camera should it ever need it should be done.
Chances are that a broken 2000-series camera will never be revived. Once broken, always broken.
So to minimize the risk, choose a model that is least likely to fail.

More important however is that the shutter curtains are free from imperfections. A slight mark, dent even, will not necessarily make a shutter useless. But it is the beginning of the end.

Metal foil makes a good material for shutter curtains, because you get very thin, very lightweight, opaque curtains with great tensile strength. Something Hasselblad needed for his ideal shutter (as a bird photographer, he needed something as fast as possible).
But while great under tension, i.e. when the curtains accellerate, very thin metal foil is lousy when the curtains need to come to a stop again. It buckles and folds.
The corrugation of the foil gives it some rigidity in one direction, while still allowing it to roll around the rollers on either end.
But there's a limit to wht it can do. With dents caused by uncarefull handling, the chance that the foil will buckle is much increased. Any creases and folds are signs that it already has done so.

So to keep the lethal, final buckle and crumple as far aways as possible, look for a camera with perfect shutter curtains.


The Palpas, internal anti reflection coating, is only in the 2003 FCW, absent in all other, earlier models.


The "M" in FC/M stands for "M"odified. Just as it does in 500 C/M and EL/M, 501 CM, SWC/M. The last one doesn't even have a mirror. So it's not that.