Hassy 500c/m or the Bronica SQAi

Luseboy · Jun 4, 2011

Chris Harvey said:
Folks, what can I say! Thanks so much for your comments and advice. This has really helped me make my mind up, i shall be going down the Bronica route. I'm not fussed about presige and although as i said this in not going to be my main workhorse it is going the get well used.

Steve, i like your comment about a Twin Lens, i think i mught put that down on a sub list.

Thanks again folks

Chris

glad to hear that you've made the right choice!

Honestly, I would go against a tlr. I find them a little awkward to use, and especially awkward to compose with. If you do get a tlr though, a rolleiflex or a mamiya c220/330 would be the stuff. The c220 is a big camera though...

Adrian Twiss · Jun 4, 2011

When I came to replace my MF gear I did a pricing comparison between Hasselblad and Bronica. I could get a 500cm 80,50,150mm lenses and three backs for around £2300. I eventually got a Bronica SQB with 50,65,80,120,150 and 250mm lenses, 4 backs, a plain prism and polaroid back for £1400. The original focussing screen was pretty ropey but I picked up a pristine beattie screen for £50. I used a Hasselblad semi professionally in the late 70s and I was very impressed with the the lenses' performance. However, my Bronica lenses give me all the performance I need. I enlarge up to 15 inches square. I managed to get almost a lens, for lens replacement for my Excata 66 system that had both Zeiss and Schneider lenses. I sold that system for nearly £900.

waynecrider · Jun 4, 2011

I guess their both kind of long in the tooth, so a clean example in either without having to get a cla would be my route. Overall comparisons have been done to death and it's really a match except a lens or two may be better between them, but if your a enthusiast, it doesn't matter. The important part is that you will want to pick it up and carry it.

NJS · Jun 5, 2011

the only reason why I now wish I'd opted for Hassy instead of Bronnie few years back is availability, Hass market is pretty much saturated and there are more available parts/accessories wherever/whenever you look up for one. That also includes lenses, prisms and especially backs/inserts (which are the only quirky thing with SQs). the posthumous recognition that Bronnie got in few recent years also bumped up the prices on the used market which for an extra 20 to 30% doesn't make any difference for a starter kit. keep that in mind if you plan to build up your future 6x6 system in time, some lenses and important accessories might not be available then because a lot of people are getting into SQ-A system these days.

Chris Harvey · Jun 13, 2011

Hey Folks thanks for all your comments. I ended up buying a Bronika SQAi, 50mm PS and 80mm PS all in fantastic condition - really pleased.

Regards

Chris

Trasselblad · Jun 13, 2011

For those of us who do care about brand-name, getting a Bronica (or anything else) over a Hasselblad is like having an itch you can't reach.

Thomas Bertilsson · Jun 13, 2011

Congratulations! Well done. Enjoy your camera and let us know how it's working out for you. Pay no attention to my heathen Swedish countrymen (Trasselblad ) and his opinion about the Hasselblad cameras. It will make no difference in your pictures - the genius comes from you, the photographer. Never forget that. Ever. You will thank yourself for it. Learn that camera inside and out, and when you're at one with it, go make fantastic pictures.

- Thomas

Chris Harvey said:
Hey Folks thanks for all your comments. I ended up buying a Bronika SQAi, 50mm PS and 80mm PS all in fantastic condition - really pleased.

Regards

Chris

Colin Corneau · Jun 13, 2011

I used both - had a very complete and minty SQ-Ai kit gained before the prices went up. I bought a 500C only because I had a great deal on it...and, I wanted to have a fully manual, mechanical body.

That's it. I was happy with the Bronica and I found my film, development and exposure had a far greater effect on my images than any lens comparison. Some of my very favorite images were shot on that kit, so -- Thomas' advice is sound.

Sirius Glass · Jun 13, 2011

Congratulations on your decision! The following is for others who have not made the decision. Yes, the Hasselblad and lenses are more expensive, I am talking about the more serviceable CF lenses not the C lenses, so for me the time between buying the lenses was greater. For me, the Hasselblad fits in my hands better, "felt" more solid, parts and services are more readily available. In the end, the decision is a very personal one, which camera will you be happier with ==> no one can or should make that decision for you.

Steve

2F/2F · Jun 14, 2011

Sirius Glass said:
Congratulations on your decision! The following is for others who have not made the decision. Yes, the Hasselblad and lenses are more expensive, I am talking about the more serviceable CF lenses not the C lenses, so for me the time between buying the lenses was greater. For me, the Hasselblad fits in my hands better, "felt" more solid, parts and services are more readily available. In the end, the decision is a very personal one, which camera will you be happier with ==> no one can or should make that decision for you.

Steve

...and to add to that, which I agree with entirely, neither of these cameras is going to make bad work good or good work bad. One is effectively a clone of the other; they are 80 or 90 percent the same IMO. What should make the decision is how much you are willing to pay for that extra 10 or 20 percent that the Hasselblad has in build quality, and (arguably) ergonomics.

Trasselblad · Jun 14, 2011

Let me qualify my statement: apart from brand-name itch - and as Thomas says - for making photos, it has no bearing what brand or equipment you use. Almost. For example, I've seen someone using a simple P&S with results that I can only wish for.

Congrats on your purchase. Now, go out and "make photos", don't just "take pictures".

lxdude · Jun 14, 2011

2F/2F said:
...and to add to that, which I agree with entirely, neither of these cameras is going to make bad work good or good work bad. One is effectively a clone of the other; they are 80 or 90 percent the same IMO. What should make the decision is how much you are willing to pay for that extra 10 or 20 percent that the Hasselblad has in build quality, and (arguably) ergonomics.

And for many, cachet.

benjiboy · Jun 14, 2011

lxdude said:
And for many, cachet.

Yes it has "cachet", if you have a Hasselblad round your neck people think you know what you're doing .

KarnyDoc · Jun 14, 2011

benjiboy said:
I would do some research into which would be easiest to have serviced, and the availability of spare parts.

I will second what Benjiboy says.

I cannot speak to the availability of Bronica service, however, I can speak to Hasselblad: they have a repair center here in New Jersey.

I'd long been interested in Hasselblad, and the opportunity to buy one on eBay came up six years ago. I was the sole bidder on a 500C/M kit consisting of the body, 80mm C lens, and 16-exposure back, for $350. I later bought a 12-exposure back in a separate auction. (I later sold the 16-exposure back.)

At one point, I somehow managed to break parts in both the body and the lens, and contacted Hassy about repair. I shipped everything off to them. While I was at it, I had the backs overhauled. About a couple of weeks later, I got back a kit that performed as though it had just come off the assembly line.

Between the purchase and repair, I'd spent about $1,400, roughly one-third the price of a new-in-the-box 501CM. Six years later, it still performs flawlessly.

Dieter Zakas

NJS · Jun 14, 2011

I'm very fond of Zenzanon coatings but sometimes there are certain situations where T* would make up a big difference, like here:

off the tracks by OverdeaR :

I'd suspect that the upper flare comes from me (should have removed the UV filter) but the lower violet/purple flare is definitely something I see all the time in my night shots with bulbs directly (and sometimes even indirectly) in the frame.

Trond · Jun 15, 2011

Congratulations with a great camera! I'm using a much older Bronica S2A, and it doesn't bother me a bit that this model went out of production a long time ago, I also think the lenses are great. In any case, you are the photographer and the camera just a tool, as Thomas points out above.

Sirius Glass · Jun 15, 2011

Enjoy!

ruilourosa · Jun 16, 2011

you should have bought an hasselblad...

lol

Hassy 500c/m or the Bronica SQAi

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