Hasselblad 500CM - 2nd thoughts

[rayonline_nz]

Your view on this please. Just received the 500CM. Having second thoughts. It is a lot smaller than the RB67 but does pretty much the same job for me and the RB67 is a lot more versatile. You can crop down to 6x6, you have a rectangle with rotation back, closer focus distance.

Maybe from what one reads before and seeing at a store and trying it out initially is a more different after the dust settles.


Cheers .....

 

[Eric Rose]

The RB is a great studio camera but for day in and day out shooting on the move you will be happy to leave your RB home.

 

[nanthor]

IMO, that is the reason that the Hasselblad is so popular, the size. Seems every other medium format SLR (except the Bronica SQ) is at least a little bit bigger and that little bit makes them much harder to handle. Bob.

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

I have one and love it. It comes everywhere with me (within reason).

 

[chip j]

Use 2 RBs--one for each hand.

 

[frank]

Not everyone loves Brussels sprouts. That's okay. Use what feels right for you. Doesn't matter what others think.

 

[Sirius Glass]

One of the big reasons that the Hasselblad is so popular is because it easily fits in the hand and does the job. The RB67 is large, heavy and should only be used out of doors when wearing a truss.

 

[benjiboy]

One of the big reasons that the Hasselblad is so popular is because it easily fits in the hand and does the job. The RB67 is large, heavy and should only be used out of doors when wearing a truss.

I always though a truss should have been a part of the Mamiya RB67 accessory system like the L grip

 

[yessammassey]

Yeah, if you want the size and versatility of an rb67, but lighter and with a few better lenses, look at an rz67. Or maybe a Pentax 67.

 

[mweintraub]

One of the big reasons that the Hasselblad is so popular is because it easily fits in the hand and does the job. The RB67 is large, heavy and should only be used out of doors when wearing a truss.

You need to work out more.

 

[M. Axel Wikstrom]

I use the 500C/M 10:1 over my RB. It's just easier to lug around... well worth losing that extra cm of film area. And I like the square format anyway.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

For over 20 years, from the SWC to the 500C/M to the 553ELX motorized Hasselblad, I've used these cameras. They make a solid, tight, high quality system with excellent lenses. I have no complaints - and never any jams (just keep the lens and body cocked when swapping lenses).

That said, Hasselblads seem somewhat clinical to me. With my RB67's I have a certain fond connection with them and the RB system is at least the equal of Hasselblad. I have walked around town all day with my RB's as well.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

One of the big reasons that the Hasselblad is so popular is because it easily fits in the hand and does the job. The RB67 is large, heavy and should only be used out of doors when wearing a truss.

the reason for the Hasselblad popularity in my mind is its robustness and it being a very versatile system camera with excellent lenses;from landscape to architecture and studio;it can handle it all with ease and to perfection.

 

[Jim Noel]

Next you might try the most versatile of the 120 SLR's - Rollei SL66. It outshines my Hassy in many ways.

 

[frank]

Has anyone got a size comparison shot of a Hasselblad 500, Rollei SL66, and an RB/RZ?

I'd love to try a Roller SL66 but (aside from the cost) it looks to be almost as big as the Mamiyas.

 

[Slixtiesix]

It is! The SL66 is quite a bit bigger than the Hasselblad, though not as bulky as the RB67. https://www.flickr.com/photos/nacho-pop/12268683636/in/faves-42967632@N05/

 

[Maris]

I tried the both Hasselblad and the Mamiya RB67 systems hoping the Hasselblad would be a superior way accessing the best medium format lenses. But in the end I chose the Mamiya. Why?

I routinely make rectangular photographs, squares are rarely optimum, and the Hasselblad effectively becomes a 645 camera and a heavy and expensive one at that.
The Mamiya 67 format is very "efficient" compared to a cropped Hasselblad negative. The difference is 50% more useable negative area in favour of the Mamiya.
And the biggest disappointment was Hasselblad's brilliant 150mm portrait lens. It can't do face portraits without an extension tube. That was an expensive nuisance I could do without.

Sure the Mamiya is heavier but I'm shooting medium format off a tripod for the best roll film quality. If I didn't want that I'd accept a quality loss and shoot 35mm.

 

[frank]

So the SL66 looks to be the size of a Bronica S2a.

 

[Larry the sailor]

I've never even had a Hasselblad in my hand so no comment on those. But while the RB67 is a beast of a camera it can be managed. I've had mine out on my sailboat several times and with a bit of care had no trouble even going out on the foredeck to get the shots I wanted. I do need to pay more attention to where things are in the foreground though, an out of focus lifeline a foot in front of the lens will pretty well spoil a shot of a another boat on a hard beat with the rail in the water.

 

[MattKing]

I sold Hasselblads for a while. They are beautiful cameras, but they definitely weren't for me.
I am left handed. My three Mamiya options - C330, 645 Pro and RB67 all work really well for for me, particularly if I have a left hand trigger grip.
For others, it is the reverse - the Hasselblad system is perfect for them.
Don't make a decision based solely on reputation. Ergonomics are very important.

And by the way, those who say the RB67 is too big to carry or hand hold are wusses

 

[flavio81]

The RB was made as a studio camera for bridal and family photography where the photographer could do the whole job on a single roll of film, and still give what the 4x5's were giving for enlargement. The Hass was made to be a hand camera.

The problem is, the "hass" has strong mirror vibrations when shooting, going below 1/125 is risking it a bit, while the RB67 has a super smooth mirror mechanism, smoother than most 35mm SLR.

By the time you add the weight of a tripod, the RB becomes lighter, because you don't need it for general handheld shooting with the RB.

The RB67 was made as a general purpose medium format SLR, not just a "studio" camera. Otherwise field accesories like the 500mm lens or the sports finder wouldn't exist. Or it wouldn't have been designed for operation in subzero temperatures. Or it wouldn't have the special centrífugal governor that elliminates mirror vibrations. None of this is necessary on a studio camera. Studio cameras are shot often on a tripod, always on comfortable climate and almost always using flash.

Photographers without fear of big stuff, the world over, have successfully carried the RB to anywhere.

 

[flavio81]

And by the way, those who say the RB67 is too big to carry or hand hold are wusses

This. This. This.
This, a million times!!

 

[bascom49]

I purchased an RB 67 Pro SD outfit on a lark five or six years ago. I got an entire kit, 50mm to 250mm lens and a Soligor spot meter to boot for a few hundred bucks off of the auction site. I've been shooting handheld since. I now have an RZ kit along with extra bodies as well.
With both I use the neck strap, sometimes the trigger grip. I carry one with me all the time, typically with just the 110 mm on the RZ and a meter.
I truly love using these cameras.

 

[MattKing]

One well known example of someone who used an RZ67 handheld from time to time:

 

[jason314159]

One well known example of someone who used an RZ67 handheld from time to time:

[photo of Annie Lebowitz deleted]

Annie Lebowitz primarily used the RZ in a studio. I assisted for a fashion photographer who handheld on location an RZ with a long lens ALL DAY. He told me the ability to flash sync at all speeds and the ability to rent lenses or replacement bodies wherever he went -- this was early 2000s --was important. He uses Canon digital equipment these days...

As Matt said earlier, ergonomics are very important. I used to shoot weddings with a Hasselblad 501CW and the lack of a light meter annoyed me. Also, I screwed up the lens attaching to the body once during a shoot. The variability in sharpness mixing inserts and A12 backs annoyed me as well. I ended up buying a Rollei 6008i, although a loved the 180CFi lens and would have bought a 200 series Hassy except they were so expensive at the time. Functionality for the type of shooting you do is also important. For example, if you are shooting outdoor fashion with a strobe, a Contax 645 is probably not the right setup for you, even though it is a wonderful camera. If you are shooting nature you probably want the largest image area possible. I would add cost the ability to fit D-----l backs (if this is important to you) as consideration.

For the original poster, I would keep shooting the Hasselblad a bit more and see if it grows on you. Many people can repair Hasselblads. The Hasselblad 60mm, and the 180mm are among the many excellent lenses for this platform, in my opinion. And, you can use extension tubes to get closer focus. I keep my Rollei extension tubes in Portabrace pouches in my bag and I can add them to my lenses quickly.