Hasselblad 120 macro vs 150 sonar?

Dear Apug/Photorio experts.

I have used the 150 and 250 Hasselblad chrome lenses last weekend and liked the working distance
Real nice for the 150 and on the used market they can be had reasonably as I don’t need mint condition for
My occasional portrait session.

However I recently saw at local gallery, portraits shot with 120mm lens and the were stunning and had good contrast and detail. On the used market, they are not as plentiful as 150 and priced a little higher, they also have max aperture of 5.6.

A) anyone have both, what’s the main difference perspective wise.
B) I am assuming one can get in closer with 120mm
C) what extension tube is best suited for 120/150 based on your experience?
D) reliability issues?
E) this would be my second lens for my 500c, many photographers have both lenses in th arsenal.....

Any photo samples with 120mm would be appreciated, as I may get the 120to compliment my 80 planar, what say you?

Many thanks for your input&feedback on this....

Harlequin

The old 120/5,6 S-Planar is a very sharp lens. It is indeed the sharpest of the C-lens lineup. However, it is optimised for close up work and sharpness drops significantly when used at infinity. If used for objects within a range of a few metres, so as for portraits, the image quality is stunning. Technical reliability is like with all C-lenses. They are decades old and can have the typical problems (slow shutter, dried up lube), but if well cared for, there should be no issue. For portraits, I can recommend the 10 and 21 extension tube. They are really cheap nowadays. The only drawback with the 120/5,6 is that it is rather slow and the background blur is not as pronounced as with longer/faster lenses. From my own experience, having the 80mm, 120mm and 150mm lens is too narrow a spacing. I always found the 250mm too long. For only two portrait lenses, I would suggest the 80mm and the 150mm. The 120mm is a bit short for close portraits but okay for head and shoulder. My own preference is 80mm and 180mm by the way.

Comparing 120 and 150 for your applications Slixtiesix has just about said everything. My best friend had a 120, but he used it for butterflies and other small animals.

The extension tubes work fine and can be used with other lenses and stacked. There are charts available that give the exposure compensation for different combinations. I haven't checked prices but would guess that you could buy several tubes in different lengths for the price of the macro. While not as convenient as a macro they have their own advantages. There is also a bellows that can be used for closeup. A bellows and 135 macro will focus from infinity to 1:1. I don't have that combo but maybe someone can comment on it.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

http:sculptureandphotography.com/

I've used the 120mm f/5.6 C lens for studio portraits with strobe lighting and it was TOO sharp for portraits of women. It tends to show every little bump, pock mark, scar on the face, even the super tiny fuzzy hair on the face show up. A Softar does knock down the sharpness on the 120mm but I didn't have one at the time. The 150mm is the recommended lens for portraits, it provides sharp images but not glaringly sharp images.

I would get the 120 Makro-Planar over the 120 C Planar. The former has a wider max aperture, will focus closer, has comparable performance close up, but also stronger performance at infinity.

Portraits, as I used to shoot them, need less, not more contrast or sharpness. If you've ever taken a portrait of a woman over 40, she will likely need a bit of skin softening. The real lens to use is one with chromatic aberration. The more modern lenses use filters or inserts to gain softness. However, a lens with some chromatic aberration will soften the skin as was done in the 20's-50's with the old soft-focus cinema lenses. I've shot with both and prefer the older lenses.

I had an old Cooke triplet (a real one), that was converted with a newer shutter with X-sync. Sorry I don't still have it.

I rarely take portraits so the 150mm lenses is my least used lens. If I was going to do a lot of macro photography I would consider the 120mm or the 150mm with the variable length extension tube. It comes down to what do you photograph and how. I have the Fisheye [30mm], SWC [38mm], 50mm, 80mm. 100mm, 150mm, 250mm, 500mm and the 2XE extender.

I have both of these lenses. My first choice was the 120mm because of the focal lenght. I think that the closer distance to the model, gives a more modern perspective for portraits. The S-Planar is a wonderful lens for all purposes, except in bad lighting conditions. For these situations i bougth the Sonnar 150mm, also a great lens.
The proper choice for me, should have been the Macro Planar 120mm f4.
Michael

Dennis-B said:

I had an old Cooke triplet (a real one), that was converted with a newer shutter with X-sync. Sorry I don't still have it.

Click to expand...

I have 3 of those and the new Cooke PS945. They are without peer for portraits. I have one of the old one converted to work on my 203FE and it's wonderful for B&W.