Hasselblad 500 CM ?

Hi there,

I thought recently about buying a digital back for a MF camera or even a whole system but for that I would have to get rid of my Leica gear... which I love to bits and I just cant get rid of.. and which I bought a new WATE by the way

So, that means that my supply of cash is somewhat limited and I just fall in love everytime I see a MF image and I would like to print big : I dont with my Leicas but also because I know if I enlarge them BIG , quality would suffer a bit.

So I started to look around and I thought about a Hasselblad.. film one.

Later on, I could add a digital back but to be honest, its not exactly a priority now.

So Im a plain idiot to think about a 500 CM ? I know I should avoid the C model ( been reading... ) since the M allows the exchangable screen and the price difference between C and CM is negible ...

What should I look for ? Im torn between going to ebay or just stick with my usual dealer ( FFORDES ) which has been 100% up to now...

Or I should forget the whole idea and stick with my Leicas ?

Damn MF, seems like a mermaid, luring and luring..

A lot can go wrong with a 'blad, spending that kind of money I would play safe.
And Ffordes are good people as you already know.

At first I had a Leica (for try) liked it a lot but could really afford it, so gave it back after it turned out to need a CLAD on top of the buying price. Sometimes later - always taking pictures wit a 124 Mat - I got my first Hasselblad through ebay. Being careful from whom you buy will reduce the chance to get a broken one. I bought all my Hasselblad gear from ebay and the one time I got a broken one I could give it back - was no problem because I only buy from people with 100% feedback who deal with this kind of equipment. Now I own 2 Hasselblads (500cm and 500elx with four lenses, five backs etc) - and I love them. Didn't spend more than 500 bucks for ALL the stuff. How that? I usually buy whole sets and sell some stuff seperately. Takes some time but refunds my own gear. Whole sets are usually cheaper than buying things one by one. So thats my way getting good gear not beeing rich enough to just walk into a store. If money wouldn't matter that much, I would rather buy in a store that I know.
Coming back to MF - I have different MF and also 35mm Rfs and SLRs, most of the time I shoot MF because of the incredible sharpness and the love for this format. It's really different from the 35mm, especially when you want to print big. Wouldn't swap a Leica for a Hasselblad though - for me they serve different purposes - I hardly ever like to take the Hasselblad with me walking through streets and nature, although this camera is comparable small, it doesn't suit me for spontaneous shots. I use the Hasselblad when I know what I want to take pictures of, special projects and so on. For everyday purpose I either use a small rangefinder (like the Leica when I could have a hold on it) or - when I want to shoot MF (which I do most of the time)- my new Mamiya 6 (Texas Leica) - which is the camera I find the best for me to company myself when I am on my ways.
I would keep the leica and would try to find someone to let me use a Hasselblad for some time - you will fell the diffrence and find out on the end, if a Hasselblad will suit your purpose and if you like its unique handling, which is quite different from a RF.

The hasselblad is a whole 'nother beast compared to a leica. Yes, the enlargements are beautiful, yes, you can add a digital back (although I'm not sure I'd recommend that, I haven't heard any good things about them, people can prove me wrong though.)

What do you shoot? This makes the difference between your RF system and the hasselblad most glaring. I love my 500C/M, it's a beauty of engineering and design, but then so is a leica. If large prints are the only thing that's swaying you into hasselblad territory, I'm not sure if it's worth all the money / getting rid of your leica system.

With that said, if you're looking for a trade....

There's no way round it, though: miniature format is miniature format. Whether Leica or Lomo, the limits of the format will show.

But having said that, i would never get rid of something i love to bits.

So try to get a MF camera (almost any will show that MF is better than even the best minature format camera. Just like almost any LF will [etc.]) alongside your Leica.

If money is a problem as you say, why not get a Rollei TLR or a Bronica SQ?