Hasselblad 500EL/M 20 Years In Space

nkbitsch · Jan 19, 2010

Hi friends!

I know an old man, who has been collecting cameras for decades.

He knows that I'm into Hasselblad, so he asked me if I wanted to buy his Hasselblad 500EL/M 20 Years In Space limited camera.

There has only been made 1500 of these, and as I know, they are extremely rare.

This camera has almost newer been used, since it was a collectors item.

My question is: He askes £730 for it. Is this a spectacular offer, or is it what they normally sell for?

Thanks
Niels

sandholm · Jan 19, 2010

Hi

Hard to value, but i would say that £730 is a good deal, few made, some is out for sale, have seen them be valued around 1000 to 2000 euro (if everything is included, box, books, everything), even seen higher then 2000... but never sold

If you want it, sure £730 is pretty good, and you get a nice camera. If you instead get it as an investment, well, only time can tell, 10 years down the road it can be worth 50 or 5000, totally unpredictable, but as you say 1500 units produced, and i dont think that many are used so there will be quite a lot of them around, are there 1500 serious Hasselblad collectors in 15-20 years... only time will tell

cheers

eddym · Jan 19, 2010

I bought one of those new in 1980. Ended up trading it (with two additional lenses) for a Linhof Technika V with 5 lenses. I didn't buy it as a collectible, but used it as a camera. It was nice, but the Tech V was better.

nkbitsch · Jan 19, 2010

Thank you for the quick reply.

Well i'm not a collector, but a user. I have dreamt about a Hasselblad the last couple of years, but my intentions was never to buy a ELM. The past month i have been looking for a 500cm at a reasonable price, but when the old man said he was selling his limited ELM, i got al exstatic, and thougt "why not spend the couple of hundres extra".

But i'm an amateur photografer, and i need to use it for handheld pictures "only".

I've heard that the ELM should be pretty big, but is it to big for handheld shooting?

nkbitsch · Jan 19, 2010

Btw. I don't know if he still has the original box, manuals etc. all I know is that he have the camera, and two different matching backs.

If he donsn't have the box etc. is it then worth nothing more than a regular ELM?

eddym · Jan 19, 2010

I found it a bit heavy and unwieldy. I bought a grip, which helped. But the 503 that I have now is much easier to carry and hand-hold. The motor was not an advantage for my use of the camera.

Barry S · Jan 19, 2010

If you're looking for a user camera, I'd get a 500CM over a special edition EL/M. User EL/M's sell for very little because of their bulk and battery dependence. Do you really want to tie up your money in a collector's edition? I'd buy it only if you felt like you could immediately sell it for a profit and get what you need. If the seller is a friend that expects you to treasure the camera, it sounds more like an anchor. Collectors prefer pristine cameras, so you might be (justly) inhibited to use it for fear of ruining the value.

2F/2F · Jan 19, 2010

IMO, if, as you stated, you are not a collector, then forget about it and put that money into a more extensive "regular" Hassy kit.

sandholm · Jan 20, 2010

nkbitsch said:
Btw. I don't know if he still has the original box, manuals etc. all I know is that he have the camera, and two different matching backs.

If he donsn't have the box etc. is it then worth nothing more than a regular ELM?

Well, I am no camera "collector" but I do love Hasselblad, if its missing the box and extras (certificate) its worth less. Also if you buy it, get his receipt for the camera. You want as much as you can to track the history, the more you have the more the value is.

If you only look for a camera to photograph with it I would recommend you dont get it (it will ruin the "special" value of it). If you want it because its cool and would look pretty in your study/workroom then yes (it is pretty cool), but for shooting I would say get an 500 C/M with a couple of lenses and backs. You dont need the motor, its good in the study on a tripod otherwise its a pain. If you find a 503 thats even better but the 500 C/M is a workhorse and it wont let you down.

cheers

nkbitsch · Jan 20, 2010

Thank you guys, for all of your reply's.

I'll go see it tonight, I don't think that he has any hard feelings if i'm selling it (short time after). He bought it 23 years ago from his insurance company (it was stolen). He tells me, that it's MINT, and works as a charm.

My motive for buying it, would probably be to go walking directely to a auction house selling it, and then go buy a 501cm, or even a 503cw.

My question is: Am i paying to much for it, would I be able to sell it, and make a profit (to buy another Hasselblad) or would I be wasting my time and money on a old peice of equipment, that would difficult to sell?

bdial · Jan 20, 2010

If you're buying it with the intention of reselling at a profit, you should do what you can to research what its value is, or might be.
Here's a good place to look; http://www.westlicht-auction.com/index.php?id=175100&acat=175100&_ssl=off

In inspecting it, pay close attention to whatever flaws it may have, and consider how that may affect your ablility to sell it as a collectable.
Collectors can be pretty picky.

nkbitsch · Jan 20, 2010

Hi again.

I ended up not buying the camera. It wasn't cosmetic as good as i tought and he had no box, certificates what so ever.

Thanks for the help everybody..

BTW. what's a fair price to pay for a 501cm with 80mm planar t* in europe?

GeoffHill · Jan 21, 2010

I paid £990 for mine about a year ago

Hasselblad 500EL/M 20 Years In Space

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