Hasselblad - Holy Trinity or 60-100-180?

etn · Feb 28, 2023

Photomultiplier said:
I got my 60mm CF Distagon today! Complete with original box, user manual, lens pouch and lens shade! Near mint condition i'd say.

At the first try i thought: What? Looks a lot like the 80mm... Then i compared the two and it was, of course, as anticipated: Wider FOV but without the distinct wideangle characteristics.
Looks very promising to me. I bet the shorter focal length will come in handy in the mountains. At least i hope that the selection of two focal lengths works fine, but we will see.

You'll love it. The perfect companion to your new 120

Steven Lee · Feb 28, 2023

etn said:
So instead of insulting you, I'll congratulate you on your new lens What is it?

And I have to confess... I did the same as you... a comment above triggered my interest in the 160 CB, I had to order one (with return policy!) to give it a try. So if you get insulted for buying a lens, I think I deserve insults too

Matt King expressed his admiration for the 65mm f/3.5 lens for his Mamiya TLR. This system has a huge sentimental value to me because it was my first medium format camera, which I love returning to every once in a while. My most used MF combination is the 60mm Distagon on a Hasselblad, so it just made perfect sense to acquire my favorite focal length for my oldest MF camera, so I gave up and bought it.

Just got home from work and found the package on my porch. Beautiful condition and just as described, thank you Japan.

blee1996 · Feb 28, 2023

So far I have been rocking two lens kit: 60mm on the 500C for compact everywhere photos stuff, 150mm on the 553ELX for home studio stuff. I convinced myself not to get a 80mm or 100mm, since I already have Rolleiflex with 80mm Planar for that. After two false starts, this time I started to enjoy the Hasselblad V system.

David R Williams · Feb 28, 2023

I've been following this discussion with interest, as I've built a Hasselblad system over the past few years with an SWC, and 50, 100, 120 and 180 (all CFi's) with a 501CM.

I did try an 80 CFE over the past few weeks (coincidentally with this thread) as a step between the 100 and 50, but after having being conditioned to the bite and crispness of the 100, I came to feel that the 80 really isn't a lens for me in this range of focal lengths.

I'm constantly blown away with the image quality of the Hasselblad lenses, and don't think there's anything other than a great lens among them - we're spoiled for choice on these great optics. It's only a question of one's personal preferences for focal lengths, and small trade-offs between the lenses which are well documented for those making these decisions.

etn · Mar 1, 2023

Steven Lee said:
Just got home from work and found the package on my porch. Beautiful condition and just as described, thank you Japan.

No import duties on orders from Japan? I never dared tried ordering anything from there. All my orders from outside EU were hammered; therefore I never dared ordering anything expensive from Japan. Pity, as they seem to have nice stuff. Japanese-made cameras are usually less expensive than in Europe, whereas Leica and Hasselblad are way above the already excessive EU prices.

Steven Lee · Mar 1, 2023

@etn This probably depends on the country of your residence. I do not know how this works between Japan and Germany. In the US it depends on the item and, I think, on price. For high-ticket medium format purchases we get an additional invoice from FedEx to pay for import duties. AFAIK it does not apply to 35mm format cameras.

David R Williams · Mar 1, 2023

In Canada, we don’t pay import duties for most photo related imports, but do get charged for Goods and Sales Tax based upon the province of residence of the buyer.

And usually a FedEx, UPS, or CanadaPost brokerage fee as well.

Slixtiesix · Mar 3, 2023

The free-trade-agreement between Japan and the EU came into effect in 2019, so in theory, there should be no import duties in Germany. I have not tried it yet, but I am tempted!

dave olson · Mar 3, 2023

I find that all I need is my 50, 80, and 150. The 80 is a very versatile lens. I don't equate it with a 50 in 35mm. Since I try and do most of my Hasselblad shooting handheld, that precludes me from any lenses longer than the 150.

Sirius Glass · Mar 4, 2023

dave olson said:
I find that all I need is my 50, 80, and 150. The 80 is a very versatile lens. I don't equate it with a 50 in 35mm. Since I try and do most of my Hasselblad shooting handheld, that precludes me from any lenses longer than the 150.

I do not take portraits so the 150mm lens is my least used lens. I use the 250mm often. Just use faster film such as ISO 400 and you will have no problem hand holding the 250mm lens. The 500mm lens is different and requires a tripod because the swing weight makes it harder to hold steady even with ISO 400 films plus with the fastest shutter speed of 1/500 second limits the exposure choices when hand held.

Philippe-Georges · Mar 5, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
I do not take portraits so the 150mm lens is my least used lens. I use the 250mm often. Just use faster film such as ISO 400 and you will have no problem hand holding the 250mm lens. The 500mm lens is different and requires a tripod because the swing weight makes it harder to hold steady even with ISO 400 films plus with the fastest shutter speed of 1/500 second limits the exposure choices when hand held.

When I read about you considering a 400ASA film as a "fast film", then I am surprised how intensive the light in your region must be!
Over here (North-Western Europe) right now, on a good day t1/125sec and F5.6 with 400ASA and no filter is a lucky day, that's t1/60sec and F4 with 100ASA which is the very least to shoot handheld with a Distagon C 50mm T*.
So if I don't want lug a tripod on a walk, a sous-bois is out of the question then...

Sirius Glass · Mar 5, 2023

Philippe-Georges said:
When I read about you considering a 400ASA film as a "fast film", then I am surprised how intensive the light in your region must be!
Over here (North-Western Europe) right now, on a good day t1/125sec and F5.6 with 400ASA and no filter is a lucky day, that's t1/60sec and F4 with 100ASA which is the very least to shoot handheld with a Distagon C 50mm T*.
So if I don't want lug a tripod on a walk, a sous-bois is out of the question then...

Yes I use faster shutter speeds and smaller apertures during the day, but also I get to shoot hand held longer when the light is waning.

grain elevator · Mar 5, 2023

Philippe-Georges said:
When I read about you considering a 400ASA film as a "fast film", then I am surprised how intensive the light in your region must be!
Over here (North-Western Europe) right now, on a good day t1/125sec and F5.6 with 400ASA and no filter is a lucky day, that's t1/60sec and F4 with 100ASA which is the very least to shoot handheld with a Distagon C 50mm T*.
So if I don't want lug a tripod on a walk, a sous-bois is out of the question then...

That's just convention. ISO 400 films are commonly called fast, 100 medium speed, even though today that could be considered slow, especially compared to digital, where some cameras don't even go lower than ISO 200 or so.

Philippe-Georges · Mar 5, 2023

grain elevator said:
That's just convention. ISO 400 films are commonly called fast, 100 medium speed, even though today that could be considered slow, especially compared to digital, where some cameras don't even go lower than ISO 200 or so.

I know, but I was talking about the (local-) light circumstances rather than technicalities...
But, yes, in photography technique has to adapt to the light..

BTW, I like that quote by J-M Petzval...

grain elevator · Mar 5, 2023

Philippe-Georges said:
I know, but I was talking about the (local-) light circumstances rather than technicalities...
But, yes, in photography technique has to adapt to the light..

BTW, I like that quote by J-M Petzval...

Thanks, at the chance of again writing something you're already aware of, it's not actually by Petzval, it's Goethe's famous last words which I found funny to misattribute to the guy who first gave photographers more light to work with...

Sirius Glass · Mar 5, 2023

Philippe-Georges said:
When I read about you considering a 400ASA film as a "fast film", then I am surprised how intensive the light in your region must be!
Over here (North-Western Europe) right now, on a good day t1/125sec and F5.6 with 400ASA and no filter is a lucky day, that's t1/60sec and F4 with 100ASA which is the very least to shoot handheld with a Distagon C 50mm T*.
So if I don't want lug a tripod on a walk, a sous-bois is out of the question then...

With the fast shutter speeds and small apertures, great depth of field means one does not need to stop down to check what is in focus.

Edgy01 · Mar 18, 2023

My Zeiss lenses are based more upon the glass quality than the focal length!
As a result I have what I consider to be their best.

38mm Biogon on the 903SWC (better then the last formulation in the lead free glass 905SWC.

The 40mm CF IF 3.5
The 40mm CF. 3.5

The 100mm
Lastly, the 250mm f/5.6 CF Superachromat

Dan

Sirius Glass · Mar 18, 2023

Edgy01 said:
My Zeiss lenses are based more upon the glass quality than the focal length!
As a result I have what I consider to be their best.

38mm Biogon on the 903SWC (better then the last formulation in the lead free glass 905SWC.

The 40mm CF IF 3.5
The 40mm CF. 3.5

The 100mm
Lastly, the 250mm f/5.6 CF Superachromat

Dan

I too have the 903 SWC, but I eschew the 40mm lens. I bought the 30mm C Fisheye and the 500mm C lenses, even though I otherwise stick with the CF lenses, because the quality was high and the price so low that I could not pass them up. All the Hasselblad lenses are high quality glass, see my signature please.

Steven Lee · Mar 18, 2023

Edgy01 said:
My Zeiss lenses are based more upon the glass quality than the focal length!
As a result I have what I consider to be their best.

Dan, I am glad your choice makes you happy. But realize that it's confusing to Hasselblad newcomers. It is confusing because they're interpreting it based on their past experience with other brands, where indeed some lenses are materially better than others.

But within the Zeiss/Hasselblad universe, the differences between the best and the worst are borderline academic and takes considerable effort to exploit. (coming from a guy who owned nearly the entire lens lineup at some point, and done a fair share of resolution target shooting on a tripod, examining negatives with high powered loupes)

So, as a counterpoint to your statement, for the benefit of those who're thinking about dipping their toes in the Hasselblad system, let me say this:

All Zeiss/Hasselblad lenses are the same.

I would say it's the major advantage of the platform. It's like having the same lens which transforms into different focal lengths. I am not aware of any other system with this benefit. Everyone has duds and gems.

Sirius Glass · Mar 18, 2023

Steven Lee said:
Dan, I am glad your choice makes you happy. But realize that it's confusing to Hasselblad newcomers. It is confusing because they're interpreting it based on their past experience with other brands, where indeed some lenses are materially better than others.

But within the Zeiss/Hasselblad universe, the differences between the best and the worst are borderline academic and takes considerable effort to exploit. (coming from a guy who owned nearly the entire lens lineup at some point, and done a fair share of resolution target shooting on a tripod, examining negatives with high powered loupes)

So, as a counterpoint to your statement, for the benefit of those who're thinking about dipping their toes in the Hasselblad system, let me say this:

All Zeiss/Hasselblad lenses are the same.

I would say it's the major advantage of the platform. It's like having the same lens which transforms into different focal lengths. I am not aware of any other system with this benefit. Everyone has duds and gems.

How do you figure that @Edgy01 is a newcomer to Hasselblad? Maybe here but not to Hasselblad.

Steven Lee · Mar 18, 2023

@Sirius Glass He is clearly not a newcomer! My point was that his words could be misinterpreted by newcomers, who will be tricked into believing that Zeiss/Hasselblad platform offers some less-than-stellar lenses. It doesn't. They are all crème de la crème, and the differences between them lie strictly within scientific/academic/engineering realm, not in one's photographs.

(one can discover these differences by mounting Z/H lenses onto a GFX adapter, but they're not visible in realistic scenarios shooting ISO 100-400 films)

Sirius Glass · Mar 18, 2023

Steven Lee said:
@Sirius Glass He is clearly not a newcomer! My point was that his words could be misinterpreted by newcomers, who will be tricked into believing that Zeiss/Hasselblad platform offers some less-than-stellar lenses. It doesn't. They are all crème de la crème, and the differences between them lie strictly within scientific/academic/engineering realm, not in one's photographs.

(one can discover these differences by mounting Z/H lenses onto a GFX adapter, but they're not visible in realistic scenarios shooting ISO 100-400 films)

OK we violently agree on: They are all crème de la crème, and the differences between them lie strictly within scientific/academic/engineering realm, not in one's photographs.

Edgy01 · Aug 11, 2023

The “trinity” lenses depend upon your photography. My preference is toward the wide end of things.

My collection is the 38mm Biogon, the 40 CFE IF, the 100CF, and the 250 Superachro.

But that’s just me.

dan

Sirius Glass · Aug 12, 2023

Edgy01 said:
The “trinity” lenses depend upon your photography. My preference is toward the wide end of things.

My collection is the 38mm Biogon, the 40 CFE IF, the 100CF, and the 250 Superachro.

But that’s just me.

dan

38mm Biogon, the 50mm, the 80mm, and sometimes the 250

Hasselblad - Holy Trinity or 60-100-180?

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