I want A Hasselblad. Talk Me Out Of It!

[Andrew O'Neill]

@Sirius Glass I was only kidding... please contribute if you can.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

@David R Williams thanks for all that info! I've got my eye on a 500CM kit, actually... I've seen it, handled it a bit, ran some film through it, and quite enjoyed the experience. But...

 

[BrianShaw]

@Sirius Glass I was only kidding... please contribute if you can.

A kind gesture but you already know 2 things shout him: he’ll tell you to buy a Hasselblad (and a bunch of lenses) and he’d chime in on this topic whether invited or not.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

A kind gesture but you already know 2 things shout him: he’ll tell you to buy a Hasselblad (and a bunch of lenses) and he’d chime in on this topic whether invited or not.

 

[OAPOli]

@Andrew O'Neill, just trying to follow the OP!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

@OAPOli and your input is precisely what I want to hear! If you have any more, please let me know!

 

[John Wiegerink]

Don't do it Andy! Just plain don't do it, no matter if your ass is falling off, just don't do it. Take all the money you'll end up investing in even a Hasselblad with a simple three lens outfit, two backs and buy donuts instead. Think of all the enjoyment you'll get munching on all those donuts. There, did I do a good enough job talking you out of it?
All kidding aside, you really won't regret it. I tried to scratch out a little living shootings weddings and family portraits and it wasn't until I bought a simple 500C and 50mm, 80mm and 150mm that I felt pretty much completely satisfied. I tried a Koni-Omega Rapid, Mamiya C220 and C330, Yashicamat 124 and 124G, Bronica S2A, a Norita 6x6 SLR, 35mm SLR, Mamiya 1000 645 with AE prism and a RB67. The Mamiya 645 was probably a close second to the Hasselblad, but I just loved how well thought out the Hasselblad system was and it worked near perfect for me. One thing that I liked was that the 500C with the waist level finder and standard 80mm is not a whole lot bigger than my Rolleiflex twin lens and even the older Zeiss chrome C lenses are just plain outstanding. My camera and original "open window" 12 back were made the same year I graduated from high school, 1968. It was owned by a professional photographer before me that did educational videos for Kodak, It's still going strong and hard ever has given me a problem. Backs and lens shutters have acted up for me, but never the camera body itself. I swear by the old 500C and 500CM and not swear at them. I also own several motor drive Hasselblads since I got them for extremely low prices. The do work fine but are a little noisier and heavier than say a 500CM. The only real complaint I have with the design is in the back area. The film runs through the back with a reverse curl and if you leave film in your back for an extended time there will be a slight bend memorized in the film, which will end up in a frame. I never had a problem with this in my wedding shooting days since I burnt through the film and processed it right away, but with casual shooting I don't burn through a full roll sometimes and then it might be in the back until the next shooting adventure. My vote for you would be the 500CM if you just want today your toe in the water to see if it's warm enough and you like it. Of course if you have a rich wife there are other more modern, more expensive choices in the Hasselblad lineup. Life is way tooooooo shooooort not to enjoy a new/different toy now and then. Besides Andy, you'll just get fat eating all those donuts anyway. Hey, that might be a good excuse to use on your wife! Honey, do you want a fat, lethargic husband or a slim, trim full of vim and vigor one?

 

[Nokton48]

Howdy Andrew! I like the Olde 500C/M and C T* Lenses that match. Recently I have discovered a CFV16 Original Hasselblad Digital Back. What a Hoot! Barn Owl Cameras took over for David Odess and that's where I have been sending things recently.

Here's my basic setup in shorts to mids. My other 6x6 studio cameras are the Mamiya C22's and C33's. I find results are very similar.

Digital V System 30mm to 120mm by Nokton48, on Flickr

 

[OAPOli]

Ok @Andrew O'Neill

Film is a bit annoying to load where the film needs to go under the tab.

Early-gen C12 backs are complicated to get the counter to 1.

Film back design isn't great with a sharp 180 turn over a small diameter roller: film may kink a bit if left for too long.

The winder on the film back doesn't lock after advancing the film via the body.

No shutter release button lock.

DOF preview requires changing aperture to cancel.

You need to hold the shutter release for the duration of the exposure for 1/4s to 1s.

EV lock on C-type lenses.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Jeesh! You guys are supposed to talk me out of it!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Ok @Andrew O'Neill

Film is a bit annoying to load where the film needs to go under the tab.

Early-gen C12 backs are complicated to get the counter to 1.

Film back design isn't great with a sharp 180 turn over a small diameter roller: film may kink a bit if left for too long.

The winder on the film back doesn't lock after advancing the film via the body.

No shutter release button lock.

DOF preview requires changing aperture to cancel.

You need to hold the shutter release for the duration of the exposure for 1/4s to 1s.

EV lock on C-type lenses.

Wow there sure are a lot of quirks! The DOF preview thing sounds a bit weird... I wonder why you have to hold the shutter button in for so long for those slower speeds?

 

[BrianShaw]

Don't do it Andy! Just plain don't do it, no matter if your ass is falling off, just don't do it. Take all the money you'll end up investing in even a Hasselblad with a simple three lens outfit, two backs and buy donuts instead. Think of all the enjoyment you'll get munching on all those donuts. There, did I do a good enough job talking you out of it?
All kidding aside, you really won't regret it. I tried to scratch out a little living shootings weddings and family portraits and it wasn't until I bought a simple 500C and 50mm, 80mm and 150mm that I felt pretty much completely satisfied. I tried a Koni-Omega Rapid, Mamiya C220 and C330, Yashicamat 124 and 124G, Bronica S2A, a Norita 6x6 SLR, 35mm SLR, Mamiya 1000 645 with AE prism and a RB67. The Mamiya 645 was probably a close second to the Hasselblad, but I just loved how well thought out the Hasselblad system was and it worked near perfect for me. One thing that I liked was that the 500C with the waist level finder and standard 80mm is not a whole lot bigger than my Rolleiflex twin lens and even the older Zeiss chrome C lenses are just plain outstanding. My camera and original "open window" 12 back were made the same year I graduated from high school, 1968. It was owned by a professional photographer before me that did educational videos for Kodak, It's still going strong and hard ever has given me a problem. Backs and lens shutters have acted up for me, but never the camera body itself. I swear by the old 500C and 500CM and not swear at them. I also own several motor drive Hasselblads since I got them for extremely low prices. The do work fine but are a little noisier and heavier than say a 500CM. The only real complaint I have with the design is in the back area. The film runs through the back with a reverse curl and if you leave film in your back for an extended time there will be a slight bend memorized in the film, which will end up in a frame. I never had a problem with this in my wedding shooting days since I burnt through the film and processed it right away, but with casual shooting I don't burn through a full roll sometimes and then it might be in the back until the next shooting adventure. My vote for you would be the 500CM if you just want today your toe in the water to see if it's warm enough and you like it. Of course if you have a rich wife there are other more modern, more expensive choices in the Hasselblad lineup. Life is way tooooooo shooooort not to enjoy a new/different toy now and then. Besides Andy, you'll just get fat eating all those donuts anyway. Hey, that might be a good excuse to use on your wife! Honey, do you want a fat, lethargic husband or a slim, trim full of vim and vigor one?

I didn’t read a word you wrote after “donuts”. That’s a very valid option!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I didn’t read a word you wrote after “donuts”. That’s a very valid option!

 

[BrianShaw]

Wow there sure are a lot of quirks! The DOF preview thing sounds a bit weird... I wonder why you have to hold the shutter button in for so long for those slower speeds?

Because the secondary shutter isn’t connected to the lens shutter timing.

Seems like a lot of quirks but don’t most camera systems have quirks…

 

[mshchem]

Buy a nice one ttl flash version. Acute matte screen absolutely. I have a couple 503cw bodies and a 501cm. Later chrome bodies may have a tiny bit of chrome defects, I suspect that requirements to get rid of hexivalent chromium may be root issue.

If you don't care about ttl the 501cm is lovely, the kit lens 80mm CB is fantastic.

I had Bronica SQAi stuff but I needed blad. The Bronicas never failed, more advanced electronics, AE etc, long-term they're disposable as zero support.

I have a left hand grip, the original Swedish version, love it.

Make darn sure of the focusing screen as the Acute Matte ones tend to get swapped. I actually like the simple standard screen Acute Matte matt? The split image screen is also nice. The fancy screen requires the newer meter finder (I really don't like the blad metered prism, but I'm not patient) .

I think you'd really love it.

 

[Melvin J Bramley]

As the title of this thread states... Sirius Glass, stay out of this!

Buy a Bronica SQ and save $thousands.
I had a Bronica and sold it to buy a Mamiya 645 Pro.
The Mamiya is nice but 6x6 is more convenient.

 

[David R Williams]

Wow there sure are a lot of quirks! The DOF preview thing sounds a bit weird... I wonder why you have to hold the shutter button in for so long for those slower speeds?

...the shutter release button not only fires the mirror, lens shutter and aperture, when it's depressed it holds the secondary shutter open (at the back of the body, which prevents light from getting to the film when the lens shutter is open for viewing), so an overly quick release of the main shutter button may allow this shutter to close before the lens shutter has completed it's timed exposure at long exposure times. These exposure times are generally marked with an orange line on the shutter speed ring on more recent lenses to act as a subtle reminder.

Work methodically, think about what and how you're shooting, and it'll rarely/never happen.

 

[loccdor]

Q:

What's the difference between a donut and a lens aperture?

A:

Thickness, as well as sugar content.

 

[4season]

They can be pretty labor-intensive to overhaul, which likely translates to $$ (but I taught myself to service them).

Newer lenses incorporate more plastics, and lens markings are mostly thermal transfers, which rub off. Older C lenses have mostly engraved markings, save for the shutter speeds.

Newer camera bodies incorporated "Palpas" antireflective material, which seems to have aged poorly. I'd expect to replace it with something longer-lasting.

These synthetic materials did improve usability of the products when they were new, but no one anticipated they would still be in service today.