Tells it like it is.
Tells it like it is.You're missing the point. If you know the seal is fine, don't tape it. Pretty simple, right? But if there's any question (and with a potentially 65-year-old back, there is always a question), put a strip of tape.
But maybe you prefer light leaks on your photos.
Regarding the light seals, please do NOT leave the dark slide in the slot especially when not using magazines for longer periods. Light seals will live much longer if not compressed permanently. Of course, this advise only accounts when there is no film left in the magazine.
No. Not at all. If you know when the light seal will fail, you must be psychic.
Let's put it this way: is it possible to regret putting tape over the opening? It sure is possible to regret not doing it.
The 500 c/m is a great camera. I bought it when my Mamiya 7 was taking forever to be repaired and I figured after I got it back I'd sell the Blad, and it would be kind of a rental. But 2 years on, and I'm selling the Mamiya. The 500 c/m is a masterpiece.
I recently bought a SWC 903 and I haven't picked up the 500 c/m or any of my other cameras since. Sure it's ultra wide, but it is so very sharp that cropping in post is available. And it is the essence of photography. No meter, no focusing screen. Everything has to be done mentally. I can't put it down. The greatest camera I've ever owned, without doubt.
MOST IMPORTANT: whatever you choose, it'll need maintenance sooner or later. Buying any film MF camera requires you to know whom you will be sending your camera to for, at a minimum, a CLA (cleaning, lubrication, adjustment). Based on my earlier experiences, I did things with the Blad in reverse order. I found a repairman I trusted and bought a Blad off him when one was available (https://barnowlcameras.net/). Never regretted that for a moment. Find a repair person and then buy a camera you know he can repair accurately, quickly, and reasonably.
You just might have to try one. If you can swing the price of a 903SWC I would go for that.Such an inspiring post! I never clicked with the WLF Hasselblads and found the prisms unwieldy. The SWC sounds like a salvation!
When I posted earlier about the SWC as the "only" Hass to buy, I did forget about the motorised bodies which others did not skip on. After acquiring the (hugely disappointing) 503CW, I did go for the 553. For reasons likely related to overall added heft over non motorised 500s, it feels different, it sounds different, and handles different.
I'm on the bus carrying those who have hard time adjusting to how standard 500 box lands in the hand and operates, all of this is pretty much out the window with a motorised body. Add the still rather low price on these, competitive with any other MF brand, and so long as that extra height and weight is not a problem, you have a great controller of Hass lenses.
The best first tale of how badly a Hass was used is the condition of the back plate as it shows wear from switching film magazines. Motorised bodies were in their day just studio cameras and many went through significant repetitions. But even these days, there are many in near unused condition, as many were back ups, hardly saw any use.
To summarise my "Which Hass", SWC has its lens and does not require further investment in lenses, if that is all one needs. Once one goes with any other body, I want to point out the Flexbody, which to me after SWC and EL bodies is the one to remember about and "flexibility & fun" it adds to Hass kit.
All 500 standard bodies feel to me hollow, odd handling, and as such not what I thought I was getting into.
The handbook explains: "The camera requires regular maintenance with 'normal' use." Later, normal use is defined as several hundred rolls of film per month! Mine has never seen any use close to that. All I ever had done was replace light seals on a film back and fix the aforementioned jam.
The SWCs sound like a MF version of Leica RFs.
I have the ground glass adapter for mine and the Hassy magnified chimney finder fits it fine. It's a great combo for critical work, but I find I almost never use it with my SWC. As far as zone focusing goes I have no problem at all, but I used cameras like the Rollei 35 for years so I'm used to it. I have no other camera equal to the SWC and that's probably more the reason I won't sell it when it's time to thin the herd down a bit.They're not even close.
The SWC, unless you have the ground glass back, is essentially zone focus. You need to be able to think in terms of hyperfocal distance. So, you need to be paying attention to the aperture and have a good understanding of exposure. There's no meter. The viewfinder is not adjustable for distance. The lens is not removable. The wide angle is not universally useful.
Such an inspiring post! I never clicked with the WLF Hasselblads and found the prisms unwieldy. The SWC sounds like a salvation!
You just might have to try one. If you can swing the price of a 903SWC I would go for that.
I have the ground glass adapter ... but I find I almost never use it with my SWC.
That's exactly what happened and why I have the ground glass adapter for mine. I've been doing toooooo much stumbling across things lately and it's time to stop buying and do a little selling.I wasn't saying there's anything wrong with it. I was saying it's nothing like a Leica rangefinder.
I imagine I'd almost never use it, either, although I'd probably buy it if I ever stumbled across it for a reasonable price.
The DOF with that Biogon makes distance guesstimation nearly fool proof.
You shoot landscape with SWC with hyperfocal distance, doesn't get any easier. I called zone focusing on SWC a "stretch" because of DOF range on Biogon and ease with which to get the "zone" in range every time. It's only for close ups when ground glass adapter is a big plus, as pretty good background blur can be achieved with precise focusing.Depth of field with distance guesstimation is zone focus. Different words for the same things. An SWC has continuous distance focusing, though. No pictograms of heads, bodies, trees, or mountains.
Hi
I’m looking to buy a Hasselblad camera but have little knowledge of their pros and cons, the 500c seems possible affordable, how good are they in comparison to the 501 and 503, they appear to be quite pricey, does their cost just the higher price?
Many thanks Ben
A 501 (c) can be up to 50 years older than a 501 (c) (3), but they are all very rugged, and if treated right, they will last another couple of decades. Repairmen with spare parts are getting rare. The era Hasselblad is coming to a close but I'll shoot them 'til they die, and the last repairman has with them. I think Hasselblad would be well advised to have a 500-series repair shop in every continent or country within the next 10 years. They wouldn't run out of business and would do a lot to keep the brand name high.
Ralph,A 501 (c) can be up to 50 years older than a 501 (c) (3), but they are all very rugged, and if treated right, they will last another couple of decades. Repairmen with spare parts are getting rare. The era Hasselblad is coming to a close but I'll shoot them 'til they die, and the last repairman has with them. I think Hasselblad would be well advised to have a 500-series repair shop in every continent or country within the next 10 years. They wouldn't run out of business and would do a lot to keep the brand name high.
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