Hasselblad prices have really gone up

GLS · May 31, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
80mm and 250mm is better since it is a 3:1 image change rather than a 2:1 image change. I do not do portraits generally, the 150mm lens is my least used lens.

I think 250mm would be too long for many situations, plus it's a stop slower, both of which are of relevance for shooting hand-held without camera shake.

My advice? Get the 180mm for a long option. It is optically superior to either the 150 or 250, and focuses closer thereby allowing a tightly framed headshot without the use of extension tubes or close up filters. Some people complain that it is too front heavy, but that issue is exaggerated IMO and I certainly don't find it to be a problem. The 120 Makro-Planar can also be a good portrait lens, but is not as good for tight headshots as the 180 because the perspective is then less flattering.

Eventually you will probably want the 50mm as well for city shots.

Arthurwg · May 31, 2021

Yikes! Just looked at prices. They really are going up. I was looking for a 60mm CFi and I saw some listed at $1100.00+. . These prices are heading for Leica territory. On the other hand, some prices are falling, A 180mm CF or CFi seems to be going down, perhaps because it's an awkward lens to use. I wonder where else to shop besides Ebay.

sfphoto · May 31, 2021

haruharu said:
Thank you. At the moment i am interested in portraiture and cityscapes. Wondering if i am better served with purchasing 50mm, 120mm or 150mm. (Have 80)

I started with the common 80/150 'C' lenses but was not happy.
So I purchased the super sharp (somewhat fast f3.5) 100mm. I added Proxar lenses for closeups and an excellent Komura 2x tele extender.
I then sold the 80 & 150 and purchased a 60f3.5 & a 250mm thus ending up with a nice 'range'.

warden · May 31, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
80mm and 250mm is better since it is a 3:1 image change rather than a 2:1 image change. I do not do portraits generally, the 150mm lens is my least used lens.

the OP is interested in portraits and I’ve never shot a portrait with a 250. The 150 works great though, especially with an extension tube. I found the 80 mm slightly too wide for portraits for my taste so since he already has that lens I figure that would be the city lens.

sfphoto · May 31, 2021

Arthurwg said:
I wonder where else to shop besides Ebay.

Perhaps FredMiranda.com?

GLS · May 31, 2021

Old Gregg said:
eBay, photrio, craigslist, fredmiranda, https://old.reddit.com/r/photomarket , keh.com

The EX-rated 100mm CFI Planar was listed on keh.com for just a few hours, and someone snagged it while I was hesitating... The shutter spring failed on one of my (otherwise excellent) CF lenses and I looked into replacing everything with CFI/CFE variants and the prices are just insane. Only managed to upgrade the 150mm as their CFi versions are not outrageous.

I wouldn't worry overly much about longevity of the hardware in the CF range. I know they upgraded to a more robust spring material for the CFi/CFE models, but I imagine total failure of a CF spring is a very rare occurrence. I certainly hope so anyway, as my 180 and 120 MP are both CF, and both in excellent condition (especially the MP, which is a very late CF production date and was absolutely mint condition).

In general CF vs CFi/CFE is a bit of a game of swings and roundabouts. They each have their pros and cons. Main advantage of CF is the price (although that gap is narrowing recently), whereas the CFi/CFE lenses have nicer feel to the focusing because of the better helicoids. In some respects the hardware on the CFi/CFE is inferior though because of the increased use of plastics. The most dramatic lesson I received in this regard was when the plastic flash sync port housing on my 100mm Planar CFi broke completely off! On inspection I found it had clearly happened before at some point during its lifetime and then been "repaired" by supergluing it back on. It was only a matter of time before it happened again, and I was just the unlucky sod in question. I ended up sending it to Jeff Fairbank at Classic V, who filled the internal cavity of the port housing with self curing aircraft epoxy, then re-attached the housing to the lens barrel by means of a screw tapped into the set epoxy. It is impossible to tell externally that anything has been done, but that bugger is never coming loose again! Apparently it is a common failing of the CFi/CFE lenses, according to him, so be sure you don't put too much stress on the cover (say, by gripping it to twist the lens on/off the body).

haruharu · May 31, 2021

warden said:
An 80 with a 150 is a nice pairing imho.

it seems to be the next step for most beginners. Its also a bit more affordable than other options. Id love to really get a lens that can blur the background and capture a undistorted portrait.

Sirius Glass said:
80mm and 250mm is better since it is a 3:1 image change rather than a 2:1 image change. I do not do portraits generally, the 150mm lens is my least used lens.

I dont have the gliding mirror on my 500cm. And with a microprism will the microprism be black when i am shooting wide open? Also in which situations will I use the 250mm? I assumed it was for wildlife and really capturing details in a landscape.

GLS said:
I think 250mm would be too long for many situations, plus it's a stop slower, both of which are of relevance for shooting hand-held without camera shake.

My advice? Get the 180mm for a long option. It is optically superior to either the 150 or 250, and focuses closer thereby allowing a tightly framed headshot without the use of extension tubes or close up filters. Some people complain that it is too front heavy, but that issue is exaggerated IMO and I certainly don't find it to be a problem. The 120 Makro-Planar can also be a good portrait lens, but is not as good for tight headshots as the 180 because the perspective is then less flattering.

Eventually you will probably want the 50mm as well for city shots.

I definitely want a 50mm CF FLE. Been keeping my eye out for one. I see a good deal on the 120mm currently. What do you mean by not as tight? Sorry I am a complete beginner.

sfphoto said:
I started with the common 80/150 'C' lenses but was not happy.
So I purchased the super sharp (somewhat fast f3.5) 100mm. I added Proxar lenses for closeups and an excellent Komura 2x tele extender.
I then sold the 80 & 150 and purchased a 60f3.5 & a 250mm thus ending up with a nice 'range'.

What were you not happy about? Id love to hear your experiences.

Thank you everyone for replying to me! It is very helpful

GLS · May 31, 2021

haruharu said:
I see a good deal on the 120mm currently. What do you mean by not as tight? Sorry I am a complete beginner.

As in the framing. A "tight" headshot would fill the entire frame with just the subject's head. Something less tight would be head + shoulders, or head + torso. To frame a tight headshot with the 120 lens requires you to get closer to the subject than you would with the 180. As a result their features will be slightly distorted because of perspective (i.e. in a front-on shot their nose appears bigger than it really is). Admittedly it's less of a problem than with the 80mm or 100mm lens, but it's still noticeable.

Sirius Glass · May 31, 2021

haruharu said:
I dont have the gliding mirror on my 500cm. And with a microprism will the microprism be black when i am shooting wide open? Also in which situations will I use the 250mm? I assumed it was for wildlife and really capturing details in a landscape.

My 503 CX does not have the sliding mirror. I have not found that to be a problem with the 250mm, 500mm and 500mm with the 2XE, however I changed to view screen to have only cross hairs and not micro focus ring nor focusing wedges to go dark when working with long lenses.

sfphoto · May 31, 2021

>> I started with the common 80/150 'C' lenses but was not happy.
> What were you not happy about? Id love to hear your experiences.

The 60mm (full length portrait) plus 100mm (head & shoulders) ended up being also useful for reportage as well.
For me those 2 replaced the 80 and the 2x extender replaced the 150. I also added a SWC.
For such an inexpensive price you might consider a 2x extender for your 80mm to see how you like the EQ focal length.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/801843493-USE/komura_2x_manual_focus_converter.html

Kodachromeguy · May 31, 2021

haruharu said:
Also in which situations will I use the 250mm? I assumed it was for wildlife and really capturing details in a landscape.

Here is an example. I find I use the 250mm a lot, more than I expected to when I first bought it. On the diagonal, it is approx. the equivalent of a 135mm on 24x36. Mine is a 1967 silver barrel model which only cost $87!! A hood and Bay 50 filters cost more:
https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-long-view-and-some-gas-250mm-sonnar.html

dutchsteammachine · May 31, 2021

Lucky me! I got into MF about 3-2 years ago. Got two large Mamiya 645 S1000 and RB kits for what now seem like bargain prices.

Methinks I was ahead of the curve of new 35mm shooters wanting more quality and starting to look for medium format.

I was also a few years ahead of the curve of 35mm.

I was actually gifted my first 35mm camera at school(Maybe 6-7 years ago now?), the gym teacher gave it to me. A simple Praktica SLR. But the camera that started it all!

Arthurwg · Jun 1, 2021

Arthurwg said:
Yikes! Just looked at prices. They really are going up. I was looking for a 60mm CFi and I saw some listed at $1100.00+. . These prices are heading for Leica territory. On the other hand, some prices are falling, A 180mm CF or CFi seems to be going down, perhaps because it's an awkward lens to use. I wonder where else to shop besides Ebay.

Did I say $1100.00? I had another look,. Several for sale at $2000.00 + (from Japan).

warden · Jun 1, 2021

haruharu said:
it seems to be the next step for most beginners. Its also a bit more affordable than other options. Id love to really get a lens that can blur the background and capture a undistorted portrait.

I think most/all of the Hassy lenses longer than 100mm will do that (undistorted portrait + bokeh), so it's a matter of choosing the focal length you like. For portraits the focal length decision will be heavily influenced by the type of portraits you want to make (head only, head+torso, whole body, etc). The 150 is a slow lens (f4) but don't let that fool you, it'll blur the background. The amount of background blur has a lot to do with the distance from the camera to the subject and the distance from the subject to the background, and you don't need a fast lens to control those distances.

GLS · Jun 1, 2021

Arthurwg said:
Did I say $1100.00? I had another look,. Several for sale at $2000.00 + (from Japan).

That's just nuts. You could almost buy a superachromat for that (although probably not for much longer).

GLS · Jun 1, 2021

Kodachromeguy said:
Oh, have you tried?

There's a guy in Italy selling one right now for $2200.

Ai Print · Jun 3, 2021

I just bought a 120mm F4 Makro Planar in CF to replace my otherwise perfect 120mm 5.6 S Planar. All my other lenses besides my 40 and 350 are Bay 60 so it was just time. So that brings me to 9 lenses in CF, CFi CFe, one in XCD, 14 A-12 III backs and 6 bodies.

Given current prices, I am glad my system is mostly complete.

Slixtiesix · Jul 22, 2023

From my observation, Hasseblad prices have come down again during the last months. Not nowhere near the rock bottom they were 10 years ago, but back to what I would call a decent, not overpriced level. Around 2.500 Euro for the 503/501 bodies complete with standard Planar and A12 back in good condition.

Sirius Glass · Jul 22, 2023

Silly me. When the professional photographers were dumping there film Hasselblads and lenses around 2007, I bought my 503 CX for $400US, the 45 degree PME for $150US, the 80mm for $500US, the 50mm, 150mm and 250mm for $400US to $800US, and the 903 SWC for $3200US. I kept posting on APUG and photo.net that it was the time to buy up Hasselblads and lenses. Those that listened to me are happy; those that did not gripe about the Hasselblad prices.

Duceman · Jul 22, 2023

Slixtiesix said:
Not nowhere near the rock bottom they were 10 years ago...

I'd say 'rock bottom' was more like the mid 00's. In 2006, I picked up a 500c/m with 80mm lens and a couple of backs dirt cheap... I want to say for less than $600USD. Picked up another 500c/m and a 503cw bodies for ~$300 each. I should've kept on buying.

Kodachromeguy · Jul 22, 2023

Slixtiesix said:
Hasseblad prices have come down again during the last months.

I wish Bay 60 filters would come down to earth prices (not Leica earth, normal photographer earth).

eli griggs · Jul 22, 2023

Kodachromeguy said:
I wish Bay 60 filters would come down to earth prices (not Leica earth, normal photographer earth).

Use adapters and 67, 72, 76 mm threaded lenses, from the same quality makers you wanted bay 60 lenses in.

At worse, you are buying backups to the bay 60+ lenses, to use between good finds.

The best of this is you can use you cameras now!

RalphLambrecht · Jul 22, 2023

MattKing said:
Unless you are Sirius Glass, who is planning to be buried with his.

not a bad idea; nobody in the family wants them anyway

Philippe-Georges · Jul 23, 2023

RalphLambrecht said:
not a bad idea; nobody in the family wants them anyway

I would have mine CLA'd then, you never know what's happening in the afterlife, not to mention the chaos of the last judgment!
And don't forget to bring enough film, anyhow, the real problem will be the developing: X-Tol or Rodinal...

jeffreyg · Jul 23, 2023

jeffreyg said:
At first I thought it could be the camera but I was using two cameras which would be two different backs and two different lenses. I also didn’t use all the rolls. I developed an unused roll which was also fogged. I shot a roll in each camera from the same batch of film that I didn’t take with me They were fine so it wasn’t the cameras it had to be the X-ray. Subsequent rolls in the same cameras have been okay. Hasselblads 80 mm and 250 mm Delta 400 fresh chemicals. I don’t know which airport or both.

BAC1967 said:
I’ve been photographing West coast wildfire damage for years. Wildfire

MurrayMinchin said:
Fireball sunrise this morning through a band of thick smoke hugging the mountains on the northeast side of our 7 Km wide valley. No smoke on the mountains to the southwest. Must be close...

Hasn't been really hot, but it's been dry enough to stress cottonwood trees who's upper branch leaves are starting to turn a bit yellow.

koraks said:
Thanks @btaylor and @Sirius Glass , much appreciated (and you made me chuckle Sirius )

Well, sort of, but I think we're just not that optimistic about an impartial discussion of politics being possible. It may seem to work for a few posts, but personal preferences will start to seep in, people will get fired up and before you know it, there are hard feelings where they don't need to exist on a photo forum. It's just very hard to keep anything agenda driven entirely out of the debate. It's a razor-thin (and very sharp) edge you'd have to balance on, collectively. A bit like dancing the tango on a tightrope. Being neither an acrobat, not a dancer, I sure know I'd break a leg, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

And personally, I'd hate to police threads where some people can have their say because they know how to formulate things in a very intricate and refined manner, while others we would have to silence because their writing style is more direct and therefore also less nuanced (and more partisan, or at least seemingly so). The advantage of banning the entire topic is that it's (mostly) clear to all involved, and the same rule applies to us all. And that's not a political statement on my behalf

jeffreyg said:
About thirty years ago I ran across the set of 1953 baseball cards and some other memorabilia that I collected as a kid. They had not cost me anything because I would return soda bottles for neighbors who didn’t want to bother. The local market would exchange packs of bubble gum with the cards for the deposit money. I sold them and bought a Hasselblad with the 80mm, 150mm and 45degree prism. Out of curiosity I checked the value of the cards that are now worth over $27,000.

I have added another body and several lenses and other accessories to the kit since and enjoy using the equipment

Whatever the value of my equipment is it hasn’t appreciated as much as the cards. Check your attic you never know what might be in it.

Hasselblad prices have really gone up

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