Hasselblad SWC anything to watch out for?

mshchem · Jan 7, 2021

I've got a 903, it's a wonderful camera. I've found that the finder works great. It's funny because you can see the aperture and shutter speed through the viewer. I bought the view screen and reflex finder. If I was using for commercial use I think this would be something that I would use more often.

One thing to watch out for is YOUR FEET. I have a great Ektachrome transparency that I'm going to have to cut a mask for to project. A beautiful sunlight coming through the trees hitting a flower, I hit the exposure dead on. At the bottom of the frame, I can see my 11E shoes,,just enough to drive me crazy. I bought a really nice 40mm CF wide angle but that lens feels like it's heavier the the whole super wide setup. True Biogon design is amazing on the 38mm lens on the SWC. These cameras were used on Earth orbit missions by NASA, Mike Collins famously losing grip of one on a Gemini flight, thus giving Hasselblad, bragging rights about the first Swedish satellite.
It's all part of the wonderful simple elegance of the classic Hasselblad cameras

Sirius Glass · Jan 8, 2021

mshchem said:
I've got a 903, it's a wonderful camera. I've found that the finder works great. It's funny because you can see the aperture and shutter speed through the viewer. I bought the view screen and reflex finder. If I was using for commercial use I think this would be something that I would use more often.

One thing to watch out for is YOUR FEET. I have a great Ektachrome transparency that I'm going to have to cut a mask for to project. A beautiful sunlight coming through the trees hitting a flower, I hit the exposure dead on. At the bottom of the frame, I can see my 11E shoes,,just enough to drive me crazy. I bought a really nice 40mm CF wide angle but that lens feels like it's heavier the the whole super wide setup. True Biogon design is amazing on the 38mm lens on the SWC. These cameras were used on Earth orbit missions by NASA, Mike Collins famously losing grip of one on a Gemini flight, thus giving Hasselblad, bragging rights about the first Swedish satellite.
It's all part of the wonderful simple elegance of the classic Hasselblad cameras

I always check the viewfinder for my feet when I use my 903 SWC.

mshchem · Jan 8, 2021

I lost my head

Warren Williams · Jan 10, 2021

I’ve owned a SWC/m with a T coated Len and consider it one of only two or three cameras I will never sell. It’s simplicity and light weight combined with the clear uncluttered viewfinder makes it one of the few cameras I’ve ever used where the camera doesn’t “get in the way”. I haven tried one of the models with the improved viewfinder.

Deleted member 88956 · Jan 10, 2021

Warren Williams said:
I’ve owned a SWC/m with a T coated Len and consider it one of only two or three cameras I will never sell. It’s simplicity and light weight combined with the clear uncluttered viewfinder makes it one of the few cameras I’ve ever used where the camera doesn’t “get in the way”. I haven tried one of the models with the improved viewfinder.

Benefits of SWC are quite clear. In fact they were clear before I started the question here. Thanks for supporting same point view. But never having owned the camera, I wanted to be sure there is nothing I would miss when hunting one down.

Warren Williams · Jan 10, 2021

In terms of specifics, I heard rumors about inner lens scratches and supposed inferiority of latest lens design but not sure of their accuracy. I did hear the T coating made a difference which is easier to believe. Many like the newer finder and feel it is less distorting and prefer the internal level. I’ve found the older finder very useable and a little less bulky. The older sector may have shutter parts that are unavailable.

Sirius Glass · Jan 10, 2021

Warren Williams said:
In terms of specifics, I heard rumors about inner lens scratches and supposed inferiority of latest lens design but not sure of their accuracy. I did hear the T coating made a difference which is easier to believe. Many like the newer finder and feel it is less distorting and prefer the internal level. I’ve found the older finder very useable and a little less bulky. The older sector may have shutter parts that are unavailable.

I heard rumors about inner lens scratches and supposed inferiority of latest lens design but not sure of their accuracy. When the camera was not properly serviced, which would have prevented that.

I did hear the T coating made a difference which is easier to believe. T* coating does eliminate flares.

Many like the newer finder and feel it is less distorting and prefer the internal level. True.

The older sector may have shutter parts that are unavailable. C lens parts have become harder to find.

Pieter12 · Jan 12, 2021

Arthurwg said:
I've always wanted to know how Lee Friedlander's SWC flash set-up works. Many of his "Western Landscape" pictures are flashed in the foreground.

Arthurwg · Jan 12, 2021

Wow! Thanks for posting.

eli griggs · Jan 12, 2021

If the finder is beyond most finding, how about asking Dora Goodman Cameras if they have a suitable one for SWC cameras already to go with their own cameras, or if they will print you what you want in that area.

Those cameras are interesting ( I just saw them for the first time, and they might consider making them sometime in the future, to us V series mags, lenses, etc, for those without the cash to repair their darlings when service is so expensive, or as a spare 6x6 cm. body.

It would be nice to see an APUG version of this great system.

IMO.

Pieter12 · Jan 12, 2021

eli griggs said:
If the finder is beyond most finding, how about asking Dora Goodman Cameras if they have a suitable one for SWC cameras already to go with their own cameras, or if they will print you what you want in that area.

Those cameras are interesting ( I just saw them for the first time, and they might consider making them sometime in the future, to us V series mags, lenses, etc, for those without the cash to repair their darlings when service is so expensive, or as a spare 6x6 cm. body.

It would be nice to see an APUG version of this great system.

IMO.

It doesn't seem to me that they make any optics, although they might be able to come up with something by adapting an existing wide angle viewfinder like the voigtlander 21mm.

Sirius Glass · Jan 12, 2021

eli griggs said:
If the finder is beyond most finding, how about asking Dora Goodman Cameras if they have a suitable one for SWC cameras already to go with their own cameras, or if they will print you what you want in that area.

Those cameras are interesting ( I just saw them for the first time, and they might consider making them sometime in the future, to us V series mags, lenses, etc, for those without the cash to repair their darlings when service is so expensive, or as a spare 6x6 cm. body.

It would be nice to see an APUG version of this great system.

IMO.

Just do not buy one without its viewfinder.

NB23 · Jan 12, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
Just do not buy one without its viewfinder.

Pieter12 said:
It doesn't seem to me that they make any optics, although they might be able to come up with something by adapting an existing wide angle viewfinder like the voigtlander 21mm.

The thing is, the finder has to be protruding enough to be, at least, flush with the back.

Pieter12 · Jan 12, 2021

NB23 said:
The thing is, the finder has to be protruding enough to be, at least, flush with the back.

Do you mean the body or the magazine back? The Hasselblad finder does not protrude to be flush with the back. Anyway, there would be a fair amount of work that would be needed to adapt another finder to use for the SWC. Not really worthwhile unless you already have a body without a finder and don't want to pay what the going rate is for an OEM finder on the market today. But you probably wouldn't save that much in the long run.

NB23 · Jan 12, 2021

The magazine back.

It is indeed very hard to create/adapt a finder for the swc.

Pieter12 said:
Do you mean the body or the magazine back? The Hasselblad finder does not protrude to be flush with the back. Anyway, there would be a fair amount of work that would be needed to adapt another finder to use for the SWC. Not really worthwhile unless you already have a body without a finder and don't want to pay what the going rate is for an OEM finder on the market today. But you probably wouldn't save that much in the long run.

eli griggs · Jan 13, 2021

Did Hasselblad no make a wire finder for these camera's?

eli griggs · Jan 13, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
Just do not buy one without its viewfinder.

And when that hard to find option is no possible when good deal on the body comes along, whom are you going to call?

I've seen plastic disposable camera viewfinders improvised and rebuilt to fit other camera's, cold/hot shoes, like 35mm rangefinders, so why would it be a big deal to print a plastic viewfinder to the correct angle of view, even if only 'lensed' with acrylic or/and bits of fresnel business card sized magnifying lenses?

Enterprise is the combination of current tech and will to make a thing, so we have the tech, where's the will to see it done, rather than bemoan the rarity of expensive kit that can be replaced until the real deal comes along?

If I had the machine, foder and time to play with learning to make these, I'm sure it could be done easily enough and the company I suggest already has all that and the experience to pull it off.

IMO

Sirius Glass · Jan 13, 2021

eli griggs said:
And when that hard to find option is no possible when good deal on the body comes along, whom are you going to call?

I've seen plastic disposable camera viewfinders improvised and rebuilt to fit other camera's, cold/hot shoes, like 35mm rangefinders, so why would it be a big deal to print a plastic viewfinder to the correct angle of view, even if only 'lensed' with acrylic or/and bits of fresnel business card sized magnifying lenses?

Enterprise is the combination of current tech and will to make a thing, so we have the tech, where's the will to see it done, rather than bemoan the rarity of expensive kit that can be replaced until the real deal comes along?

If I had the machine, foder and time to play with learning to make these, I'm sure it could be done easily enough and the company I suggest already has all that and the experience to pull it off.

IMO

So you want a particular model car and the only one you find has been crushed and it only one foot thick. Would you still by it? This is not just my opinion, I have talked to several Hasselblad repair men and they also say do not but a SWC that does not have its viewfinder because there will be problems from miss use.

But of course you know better than everyone.

If all your friend were going to hang themselves, would you hang yourself too?

eli griggs · Jan 13, 2021

Sirius, if you do no try the unorthodox, you never know if an alternative to convention is possible.

In this thread, it's already been noted that often these viewfinders are missing from camera or sold as add ons, at very high prices.

Sure, if I were in a position to buy a SWC type Hasselblad, with finder, I'd do just that, however, no everyone has that option, so, what then I ask you?

I've already said it before, I'd try to find out what is possible, even if it were a v shaped coathanger mounted in the film-plain forward, just to get an Idea of where the right and left boundaries were, at their widest.

Printing a finder replacement to do even this, would be a step up to no having any idea of my image field, no?

Traditions, when it comes to kit, are fine, until they become impossible and critical of efforts to continue as best one may, under whatever circumstances currently exist.

You are probably correct when you write that I think I am right and all others are wrong, a lot of us do that, including yourself on occasion, however, that's no reason to become hostile to an ideal presented by another, IMO.

Let me communicate my Ideas, and find my own way, perhaps with others here, just as I and others here, treat you.

I hope you'll understand and I wish you the very best of health.
Eli

Pieter12 · Jan 13, 2021

It seems to me a viewfinder with a improvised optics is worse than no viewfinder at all. The 38mm has a 91º angle of view--and it shoots square. Not something you're likely to come across from a parts bin or disposable camera. Because it is so beyond what the eye can take in at once, I don't even think you could come up with a practical wire viewfinder for that angle. You would be better off just pointing the camera and shooting with no viewfinder at all. But the best advice is to find a camera with a viewfinder.

Mike Lopez · Jan 13, 2021

Pieter12 said:
It seems to me a viewfinder with a improvised optics is worse than no viewfinder at all. The 38mm has a 91º angle of view--and it shoots square. Not something you're likely to come across from a parts bin or disposable camera. Because it is so beyond what the eye can take in at once, I don't even think you could come up with a practical wire viewfinder for that angle. You would be better off just pointing the camera and shooting with no viewfinder at all. But the best advice is to find a camera with a viewfinder.

Everything in this post, and then some. I can't imagine why anyone would drop the kind of money required to obtain an SWC, and then pretend that a wire viewfinder is that way to use that camera. You'd be just as well off simply pointing the camera in the general direction you want, and then cropping the hell out of the negative, thereby wasting a lot of your film area. If composition and vision don't matter, then go right ahead and use a coat hanger for your photography.

Pieter12 · Jan 13, 2021

Mike Lopez said:
Everything in this post, and then some. I can't imagine why anyone would drop the kind of money required to obtain an SWC, and then pretend that a wire viewfinder is that way to use that camera. You'd be just as well off simply pointing the camera in the general direction you want, and then cropping the hell out of the negative, thereby wasting a lot of your film area. If composition and vision don't matter, then go right ahead and use a coat hanger for your photography.

At which point, why even bother with an SWC...

NB23 · Jan 13, 2021

I can see how well would a window finder work, but that would actually imply some serious engineering involving TWO square windows separared by a few inches, with diagonal lines and where both centers should match, for a proper accurate view. But that window mounted on the cold shoe would be almost as wide and high as the camera itself. What would the point be, then?

And it would cost a lot. Probably in the 2-3-400$ for something very well done. Which is the price of a small original viewfinder...

Sirius Glass · Jan 13, 2021

eli griggs said:
Sirius, if you do no try the unorthodox, you never know if an alternative to convention is possible.

In this thread, it's already been noted that often these viewfinders are missing from camera or sold as add ons, at very high prices.

Sure, if I were in a position to buy a SWC type Hasselblad, with finder, I'd do just that, however, no everyone has that option, so, what then I ask you?

I've already said it before, I'd try to find out what is possible, even if it were a v shaped coathanger mounted in the film-plain forward, just to get an Idea of where the right and left boundaries were, at their widest.

Printing a finder replacement to do even this, would be a step up to no having any idea of my image field, no?

Traditions, when it comes to kit, are fine, until they become impossible and critical of efforts to continue as best one may, under whatever circumstances currently exist.

You are probably correct when you write that I think I am right and all others are wrong, a lot of us do that, including yourself on occasion, however, that's no reason to become hostile to an ideal presented by another, IMO.

Let me communicate my Ideas, and find my own way, perhaps with others here, just as I and others here, treat you.

I hope you'll understand and I wish you the very best of health.
Eli

I would set aside the money and wait longer. Perhaps buy and older version. Patience is a virtue that I personally am short of, but I waited and something better came along and I bought it. If one waits a while that will not cause the rotation rate of the Earth will not slow down.

Sirius Glass · Jan 13, 2021

Pieter12 said:
It seems to me a viewfinder with a improvised optics is worse than no viewfinder at all. The 38mm has a 91º angle of view--and it shoots square. Not something you're likely to come across from a parts bin or disposable camera. Because it is so beyond what the eye can take in at once, I don't even think you could come up with a practical wire viewfinder for that angle. You would be better off just pointing the camera and shooting with no viewfinder at all. But the best advice is to find a camera with a viewfinder.

+10

Hasselblad SWC anything to watch out for?

Deleted member 88956

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