Hasselblad lens/ext tube reccomendations: head a've nd shoulder portraits

I want to take head and shoulder portraits but I'm unsure on which focal length I should pursue. I'm thinking 120mm, 150mm, or 180mm, mostly. I've browsed through flicker and I've seen good and bad portraits from all of these lenses. I've never owned a telephoto either so I have no sense of which focal length I like. They're all candidates.

Here is a portrait that I particularly like (Sean Penn by Hiro).

sorry for the obvious subject title typo

I've found that there ain't just one lens that works with every person--you have to find the right match--each person has a different distance that they look better at--some people actually look better or skinnier up close than farther away--it depends how they are shaped.

you are looking for the "do all" wrench that they used to advertise--"throw away all those other tools" and buy the "do it all socket"....it replaces ALL these other tools

what you end up doing is stripping ALL your nuts that you use that "do all" on----

what you want to do is get that big VARIOGON....that is the "do all" in the hasselblad line. Or buy the tubes,the 150, the 180, the 250...hell..may as well get that 160 tessar too....you will...everyone eventually does start gathering equipment...

Doubt that your choice of lens among those you name maked much difference for your results, rather it depends on you and what you do.
A much appreciated Swedish portrait photograper (Hans Gedda) worked, as far as I know, most often with the Planar 80mm!
/Bertil

I think it might help if you tell us about your budget. All Hasselblad telephotos are quite good, some better than others in some respect.
The 120/5,6 (old version) and 120/4 are very, very good lenses. However, they are very sharp and can be rather short fort head and shoulder portraits. This really depends on personal taste. I think portraits made with them have a more 3-dimensional look because you are closer to the subject.
The 150/4 is a nice all around telephoto. Older versions can be a bargain. It is also very good, though not as crisp as the 120mm. The look is not as "clinical" as that of the 120mm. Sharp and contrasty nonetheless.
The 180/4 is another lens renowned for its sharpness and high contrast. Considered as one of the best lenses in the Hasselblad-lineup. Rather expensive, as it was introduced in the early 90s and is one of the newer lenses. As the 120mm, some consider it even too sharp for portraiture.
The 250/5,6 is another lens that can be had for cheap. It is quite long, so portraits tend to look flatter than with the other telephotos. It is not as sharp as the others, but this is no drawback for portraiture I think. Depends on taste again. Personally, I don´t like it that much because it is rather dark and slow (5,6) and too long for handheld use.
Then there is the 160mm Tessar. Some like it a lot because it is light and balances well with the camera. Others regard is as inferior to the other telephotos. I don´t know how much truth is in there. It was introduced in the late 90s as a budget lens.
A 32mm Extension tube might serve you well!

Thank you for your replies.

My budget is flexible as long as the lens is reasonable. I looked at keh.com's prices (as I usually go with them) and they 150mm's are very reasonably priced at $300-$400 (BRG). They do not have 120mm and 180mm's in the BRG condition but in EX condition they're roughly $800 and $600....I'm in no rush so I'd rather wait for BRG, I guess, but these prices are OK for me if I felt that I needed one today.

I was aware of the sharpness problem, I figured that I can probably meddle with soft-focus filters (which I've never used) or something.

Leaning towards the 180mm at the moment, but I think that they can all be excellent or poor depending on my style/technique/preferances. I just got to pick one and make it work, or try another if it doesn't!

I think 180mm will be a good choice. It also matches quite well with the picture of Sean Penn that you posted.
Here are some portraits made with the 180/4 that I really like:

http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=...tput=images_json&tbm=isch&chk=sbg&um=1&itbs=1

21mm tube

The 21mm extension tube and the 150mm Sonnar is what I use for head and shoulders portraits.

The 120mm can be too sharp for female portraits, it will show with amazing clarity each and every little mark, hair fuzz, blemish or zit. The 150 with tube 21 is a much better match. You might also have a Softar 1 and 2 handy to soften even more. RandyB

I love the classic look of the 150 sonnar.
I have a 21 and a 10mm