Hassselblad forum?

[david b]

I would love to see a hasselblad forum here. Any chance of it?

 

[Fintan]

agree

 

[Ka]

Yes! Absolutely Hasselblad. I purchased my first Hassy a few months ago, only have the one 80mm lens, (I have a 120mm f/4 in my sights). My querry is, what is the performance difference between the 500 to 501 to 503's? I have the 500CM. I can see myself becoming obsessed with all things Hassy. I feel transformed.

 

[Eric Rose]

we have a MF forum. works for me.

 

[harveyje]

The performance comes from the lens - the Hassy bodies are just boxes to hold the other parts - some have additional features but do not significantly effect the quality of the results.

 

[Bruce Osgood]

I don't think camera specific forums or sub-forums are of any practical use to APUG members. There are plenty of *****Camera User Groups around.

 

[fingel]

I agree with Bruce, I use Hassy's, but I don't think that we need to promote equipment elitism on our forum, there are other places for that on the net.

 

[Ka]

I don't believe a Hassy Forum is about elitism, which does not interest me. It is about Hassy Specific information and issues. Mind you, the Hassy thing could be inside the Medium Format Forum, where ever you all prefer. Thanks for answering my questions.

 

[david b]

A Hasselblad forum definitely is not about elitism. True, there are lots of a**holes with Hassies but there are the same with Nikons and Leicas.

I just thought it would be nice to post inquiries in a specific place. (nose in the air).

 

[pierre]

In my opinion, based on my experience with other photo sites, nothing promotes discord as much as specific-brand name forums mixed in with other brands, like photo.net,and especially expensive ones. If it were me, I wouldn't go down that road. There are already camera-type forums here, and that should be enough. This website should be about the actual non-digital photography, not the brand. What camera brand is used to make a picture is really of no interest whatsoever. Any brand-specific questions can already be posted in the appropriate camera-type forum (35m, MF, LF, etc.).

 

[Ka]

Well, here be a Hassy Specific Question: The difference between the 120 macro and the 135?

Can I achieve similar results with my wee 80mm and extension tube(s)?


Cheers!
ka

 

[victor]

ka...
the 120 plannar macro is a great over all lense. but the unique point of this lense is that it is optimized as well for the close focus distance. i think that this is one among three lenses i know of this kind (the others are - the apo-ronars from rodenstok and the leica m 90 macro). this plannar is one of the best lenses.
the 80 plannar is not optimized for such thing. so the quality will not be up to the 120mm macro. but there is another differance - the field of view. the 80mm is wider one.
so.. if u want the best quality in the close range than it is the 120mmmacro. if u want wider and dont need the best quality etc than u can use the extenssion.
the 135mm lense is not femiliar to me at all.

note - the plannar 80 in my opinion is among the best lense u can have, but it is not really optimized for the close ups.

 

[Ed Sukach]

From the Hasselblad Lens Catalog:

"Makro-Planar CF f/4 120mm:

Te designation "Makro" reveals that this lens possses an optimum image correction at close range. It is a lens to be recommended when maximum corner-to-corner quality is demanded in close-up work, especially when photographing flat copy, where high contrast is also a requirement.
This lens consists of 6 elements in four groups arranged around almost symmetrically to the iris diaphram. The Makro-Planar lens perfroms best in the region of slightly reduced imaging of the subject.
The shortest focusing distance of 0.8 m (reproduction ratio of 1:4.5) can be set using the helical focusing mount. By inserting the Hasselblad extension tube 32 the macro range can be increased to 1:2."

This lens is "optimized" that is, designed with a specific parameter in mind: Close-up photography. It *will* focus to infinity, and I *doubt* (a bunch!!) that Zeiss would allow it to go that far if it was a significant "failure" at that distance.

The 135 is a different animal:

"Makro-Planar CF f/5.6 135mm:

The 135 Makro-Planar f/5.6 lens has no focusing ring and is designed for use with a bellows extension or a variable extension tube.
With the bellows, the focusing range of the lens is contiuous from infinity down to 1:1; lifesize magnification.
Like the 120 mm Makro-Planar lens the 135 mm is optimally corrected for close-up work, but it is also an excellent lens for general photography where maximum image quality and freedom from distortion are required."

So the major difference in terms of use is that the 120 mm will stand alone, and can be "accessorized" with tubes and/or bellows; the 135 mm MUST be used with a bellows or "Variable" extension tube - both of which are not inexpensive (remember that "Hasselblad" in Swedish, like "Zeiss" in German, translates to "Hoo, boy!! - *expensive*), and are somewhat heavy and a trifle clumsy.

Can the run-of-the-mill 80mm Planar be used "satisfactorily" with bellows, tubes. or "Proxar" close-up Lenses? Uh... it depends on the individual's requirements - but it is "satifactory" enough for me.

 

[Eric Rose]

I use both my 80 and 150 with tubes and the results are just fine. Maybe not scientifically perfect, but good enough for me. I have also used tubes plus diopters. Fine if you want a less than sharp image.

 

[Ka]

Thanks for your responses.
Ed, I'm printing out everything you wrote. Today, you're my hero. I have been well pleased with my medium format work to date, but need/want to know so much more. With fineart nudes and portraits my main focus, I think the 120mm macro would suit me best, but the extension route will better suit my wallet... for now. I'll upload my work, as soon as I can figure out how.

Cheers All!
ka

 

[Flotsam]

Leica... Hasselblad... Notice that no one ever requests exclusive, brand-only forums for cameras that cost less than three grand?

How about a Phoenix or Promaster forum? I don't have one now but heck, they're so cheap that I could just run out and buy one if I ever wanted to join in the conversation. :upsidedo:

 

[david b]

Actually, I was really hoping for a Seagull forum.

 

[gr82bart]

There's already a Hassey User's Forum out there. It's not the best but it fullfills gaps.

http://www.hasselbladinfo.com/discus/messages/board-topics.html

Art.