Hasselblad still making 503CW?

[snaggs]

They're on the website and B&H seem to sell them new. I'm enjoying 6x6 so much, and compared to digital, even blads don't seem so expensive anymore. I was born in Sweden so have always wanted one. What is the best portrait lens for the blad?

Daniel.

 

[Double Negative]

Either the 4/180 or 4/150 Sonnars are generally considered the go-to portrait lenses. Some prefer the 180, others the 150.

http://www.olegnovikov.com/technical/cfi150vscfe180/cfi150vscfe180.shtml

 

[chriscrawfordphoto]

I use the 150, its a great lens for portraits, but I wish it focused a little closer.

 

[Slixtiesix]

As far as I´ve read they are still selling stock cameras and may continue production as soon as these are sold. The last production batch was made in 2008. We had a thread about this recently. Zeiss has however stopped producing the lenses. As for the portrait lenses: Everything in the 80-250mm range can be taken into consideration. 80mm is more for full length or half body shots. 100mm and 120mm I would use for half body/head and shoulder portraits. 150 and 160mm are well suited for head and shoulders or head shots, as is the 180mm. The 250mm is quite long. I do not like it very much because its quite slow also and needs a tripod. Then there is the 350mm, but it´s even larger and heavier of course. Apart from what I´ve said, there is no problem in using a 180mm for full length shots too. I´ve seen some great pictures made this way. I would however never use the 80-120mm lenses for tight head shots, since proportions will definitely look odd.
Concerning sharpness: Lenses are all sharp but some more than others. If you want the highest sharpness and contrast, go with the 100mm, 120mm and 180mm lenses. 80mm is pretty sharp too once stopped down a little. I found my 250/5,6 soft. (I have a Rollei, but lenses are the same) My 150mm is quite sharp but lacks a bit contrast (I have the version with single coating). I would rather make the choice on angle of view needed. The CF lenses offer the best value for money.

 

[Alan Gales]

What focal length is your definition of a portrait lens?

I own a Hasselblad 500cm with the 80mm Planar. The 80mm is great for full length portraiture or environmental portraiture. If you are looking for 3/4 length shots or closer then you may want something longer.

Most people want a normal lens and/or short telephoto lens for portraiture. With Hasselblad they normally look at the 80mm, 100mm, 150mm and 180mm lenses.

The 80 and 150 are earlier designs while the 100 and 180 benefit from computer designing and are sharper and I might add, heavier and of course more expensive.

The Hasselblad softar filters were always popular for shooting women with the 150mm because some considered it too sharp. So I guess you need to decide how sharp a lens you need and how much you are willing to pay for it. If your lens is too sharp you can always soften it with a softar filter.

In my opinion, if you are a portrait shooter only, I would buy the 80mm and the 150mm. If you also plan on using the lenses for other work and do not shoot large format, I would very much consider the 100mm and 180mm which are some of the sharpest lenses for the Hasselblad. The 60mm is another ultra sharp lens and it is great for group shots.

 

[Ian David]

I haven't used the 180, but the 150 is a nice portrait lens on the Hasselblad.

 

[artonpaper]

I had a couple of Hasselblad bodies, backs, and several lenses back in the eighties when I had a commercial photography business. I found it useful to have a set of extension tubes. I did head and shoulder portraits with a 150 and a 250. Some folks look better when photographed closer, and some further away. Even full length has a very nice look when photographed with a 150, assuming you can get back far enough. For more informal portraits, including environmental portraits, I'd used an 80 or a 50. I also did some work for a photographer who covered trade shows around the country. I rented a super wide on those occasions. Even that focal length, 38 mm, was useful for certain types of portraiture.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I use the 150, its a great lens for portraits, but I wish it focused a little closer.

Try a close-ring with the 150mm lens.

Steve

 

[batwister]

The 250 is great for head and shoulders. There's even a portrait example image with the 250mm in one of the Ansel Adams books. Unless you live in a very big house with plenty of light however, it's very much an outdoor lens.

 

[snaggs]

Thankyou for all your replies, does the 180 focus closer?

Daniel

 

[Slixtiesix]

The 180/4 has a minimum focusing distance (object-front lens) of 1,3m, the 250/5,6 of 2,2m according to the datasheets.

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The 180mm is also said to be well suited for macro work.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

General guidance is with either the 150 or the 180, an 8mm or 16mm extension tube. It's enough to bump up the close focus without altering exposure significantly (you're talking 1/4 or 1/3 stop compensation, which your aperture/shutter combination isn't capable of anyway). If you think in terms of 35mm lenses, the difference between the 150 and 180 focal-length wise is the difference between an 85 and a 100. Frankly, I'd go for the 180 if you have to choose.

 

[Ian David]

Keep in mind too that the 180 is physically somewhat longer and heavier than the 150. Depends what type of use you are planning to put it to, but for my purposes I wouldn't want a bigger heavier lens than the 150. You may feel differently, but just thought I'd mention it...

 

[Double Negative]

The 180 is longer, heavier and more expensive. It has a touch more distortion and vignetting. But yes, it is slightly sharper. It's that reason alone that people usually say "get the 180" and why it costs more.

You'll almost certainly want to pick up the aforementioned 8/16mm extension tubes. You can then focus much closer; especially combined!