I want A Hasselblad. Talk Me Out Of It!

[bdial]

Alas, we have failed you, sir Andrew.

Congratulations!

Be sure to keep the RB and Hasselblad separated, no telling what sort of mischief might happen.

 

[mshchem]

In my view, a better way to get this book is find a used copy on Amazon or Alibris

This is where I got my copy. I would recommend an older version unless you want to read about the autofocus models.

 

[chuckroast]

This is where I got my copy. I would recommend an older version unless you want to read about the autofocus models.

Yes, I have the Fourth Edition which was published in 1996. It pretty much covers anything I ever cared about shooting with 500C/Ms and 501C/Ms and their respective lenses from old through the CF family including the FLE variants. As you say, it doesn't cover the automagic bodies that came later.

It does not cover the CFi lenses but - although I have a couple - I have no bodies able to take advantage of that anyway. In any case, I don't think the CFi variants are optically different than their CF predecessors.

 

[Pieter12]

Exactly. I asked preplexity.ai what it knew about the site's content. Here is what it said:

Downloads from modusdever.com are likely illegal. The hosted PDFs, such as Langford's Starting Photography (5th ed., 2007), The Hasselblad Manual (7th ed., 2018), and Ansel Adams' The Print, contain explicit copyright notices from publishers like Elsevier/Focal Press, prohibiting reproduction or distribution without permission.

Copyright Evidence​

These books assert "All rights reserved" and require prior written consent for any sharing, including electronic means; the site offers them freely without such authorization. Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition catalogs also note rights managed by galleries and licensing agencies, not released for public download.

In my view, a better way to get this book is find a used copy on Amazon or Alibris.

Isn’t all the material on the Butkus site copyrighted? I am a staunch supporter of IP, but the sale of an older edition such as the one I downloaded probably would not have paid the author anything. If at all it would be a remaindered or discarded book, only making money for the seller.

 

[chuckroast]

Isn’t all the material on the Butkus site copyrighted? I am a staunch supporter of IP, but the sale of an older edition such as the one I downloaded probably would not have paid the author anything. If at all it would be a remaindered or discarded book, only making money for the seller.

It's a hard thing to navigate. On my own archive site, if someone points out something is still under Copyright protection, I try to contact the author and ask permission. Really old stuff or things no longer available at all for purhcase, I don't worry much about. Failing that, I take the content down.

But in this case, a lot of the stuff these guys are hosting is actually still in print.

 

[Arthurwg]

and we might just stay.

Might be a great idea.

 

[Arthurwg]

Of course you're going to need the second edition of th Nordin book as well.

 

[mshchem]

Isn’t all the material on the Butkus site copyrighted? I am a staunch supporter of IP, but the sale of an older edition such as the one I downloaded probably would not have paid the author anything. If at all it would be a remaindered or discarded book, only making money for the seller.

I doubt that any of the material on Butkus' website is a concern. I am guilty of contributing financially. His wife is very nice, even if it's only a couple dollars.

 

[Melvin J Bramley]

A Hasselblad is a system camera, with great versatility and supurb engineering and optics. I had a 500C, which was quite cheap because of its age, but still a first class camera. Get one. You wont regret it. is the dogs bollocks of 6 X 6 format.

I had all my male dogs neutered so it' understandable why I have never owned a Blad!
Neutering takes the urge out of things!!
Andrew, beware of falling asleep a trip to the vet or rubber bands!!

 

[John Wiegerink]

Just checked the weather in Andy's area and it looks like he'll be out for a test run this morning. Sunny!

 

[mshchem]

Just checked the weather in Andy's area and it looks like he'll be out for a test run this morning. Sunny!

It's a whole different world not having to lug the monster camera. Still I suspect there's going to be something alternative in his workflow eventually.

 

[chuckroast]

Just checked the weather in Andy's area and it looks like he'll be out for a test run this morning. Sunny!

Meh. I had my 'Blads out this past Wednesday in 22F weather + wind to shoot the snow on the trees. It was brisk, but quite beautiful.

Cold, snowy days are ideal shooting weather. You just need two things: Warm clothing and more donuts.

 

[Nokton48]

Maybe he will shoot XRay cut down, using their special scissors. The Single Exposure Backs are great fun and WOW they are beautifully made. With the Single Exposure Back you can carry your 500CM in a sweatshirt or jacket pocket.

I'm planning on firing mine up soon. I have a ton of 6.5x9cm sheet film which is what fits the Hasselblad Scissors. The Scissors are Sheffield (sp?) super high quality. Whole deal smacks of Quality and Precision.

Very popular way to Hasselblad in Japan I read somewhere.

 

[John Wiegerink]

Meh. I had my 'Blads out this past Wednesday in 22F weather + wind to shoot the snow on the trees. It was brisk, but quite beautiful.

Cold, snowy days are ideal shooting weather. You just need two things: Warm clothing and more donuts.

Two things? You need three: warm clothing, donuts and COFFEE! Well, hot chocolate instead of coffee for those younger whippersnappers.

 

[chuckroast]

Two things? You need three: warm clothing, donuts and COFFEE! Well, hot chocolate instead of coffee for those younger whippersnappers.

I think the word you're looking for is "schnaps" ... uh, I mean ...

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I really wanted to go out with the camera today, but I've got to finish this print first. Maybe tomorrow....

 

[chuckroast]

I really wanted to go out with the camera today, but I've got to finish this print first. Maybe tomorrow....

I spent the afternoon split printing new 'Blad and old 4x5 negs. It's a glorious way to spend a day.

 

[John Wiegerink]

I really wanted to go out with the camera today, but I've got to finish this print first. Maybe tomorrow....

No rush Andy, we've waited this long, we can wait a while longer. I finished my chores early today and took my, like new, Rolleicord Vb and my almost like new Super Ikonta B out for a 2 1/4" spin. I really like both of these cameras, but must say that the Rolleicord Vb kicks the Super Ikonta B's butt when it comes to image quality. That little 3.5 Xenar lens on the Vb is as good as any of my Rolleiflex Planar or Xenotar lenses. Super sharp and plenty of contrast. Might have to do a head to head battle test with my 500C and the 80mm f2.8 "T". That little Rolleicord Vb might just kick its butt too.

 

[Dusty Negative]

Andrew, your Mamiya RB67 camera is already a better, more versatile, and more productive camera than any Hasselblad.
Look at some RB67 features:

Bellows focussing means every lens does close-ups. The wonderful Hasselblad 150mm portrait lens doesn't focus close enough without an extension tube.
Leaf shutters for flash synch.
Best mirror damping system ever, no mirror slap, no camera shake.
Lenses from fish-eye to telephoto at moderate cost.
Rotating back means never having to turn the camera on its side.
67 format negatives naturally fit standard rectangular paper sizes. Square shooters 6x6 have to crop and waste film area to do the same. The 'blad becomes a big, heavy, expensive 645 camera for rectangular formats.
Weight doesn't matter 'cos it's on a tripod.
Purely mechanical system, no electrics, no electronics to fail. No tricky matching of components to avoid a jam. The RB67 should be repairable into the indefinite future.

And it's not a veblen brand that asks stratospheric prices for mundane accessories.

And if you really really want to shoot square you can do it with the RB67. Just get a P Adapter plus a M Adapter and a Roll Film Holder from the Mamiya Press system.

I think you’ve just convinced me to keep mine.

 

[BrianShaw]

No rush Andy, we've wasted this long, we can wait a while longer. I finished my chores early today and took my, like new, Rolleicord Vb and my almost like new Super Ikonta B out for a 2 1/4" spin. I really like both of these cameras, but must say that the Rolleicord Vb kicks the Super Ikonta B's butt when it comes to image quality. That little 3.5 Xenar lens on the Vb is as good as any of my Rolleiflex Planar or Xenotar lenses. Super sharp and plenty of contrast. Might have to do a head to head battle test with my 500C and the 80mm f2.8 "T". That little Rolleicord Vb might just kick its butt too.

The Vb is a real winner. When mine needed an overhaul and I found that my repairman retired it was replaced with a 501cm. Not an even-Steven swap, though. The Vb really does kick its butt in many ways, but not all. I miss the Vb…

 

[John Wiegerink]

The Vb is a real winner. When mine needed an overhaul and I found that my repairman retired it was replaced with a 501cm. Not an even-Steven swap, though. The Vb really does kick its butt in many ways, but not all. I miss the Vb…

I guess I jumped off the track a little with mentioning the Rolleicord Vb. I sure like the double exposure prevention on the Vb, but what amazed me was the lens. I have a Rolleicord III and the Vb lens is in a different league. I bet my 75mm f3.5 Xenar on the Vb is better than the 80mm f2.8 on Andy's 500CM. Want to bet a Andy? Andy, oh Andy, where are you? Must be out fondling his new little darling.

 

[Alexander6x6]

Andrew, your Mamiya RB67 camera is already a better, more versatile, and more productive camera than any Hasselblad.
Look at some RB67 features:

Bellows focussing means every lens does close-ups. The wonderful Hasselblad 150mm portrait lens doesn't focus close enough without an extension tube.
Leaf shutters for flash synch.
Best mirror damping system ever, no mirror slap, no camera shake.
Lenses from fish-eye to telephoto at moderate cost.
Rotating back means never having to turn the camera on its side.
67 format negatives naturally fit standard rectangular paper sizes. Square shooters 6x6 have to crop and waste film area to do the same. The 'blad becomes a big, heavy, expensive 645 camera for rectangular formats.
Weight doesn't matter 'cos it's on a tripod.
Purely mechanical system, no electrics, no electronics to fail. No tricky matching of components to avoid a jam. The RB67 should be repairable into the indefinite future.

And it's not a veblen brand that asks stratospheric prices for mundane accessories.

And if you really really want to shoot square you can do it with the RB67. Just get a P Adapter plus a M Adapter and a Roll Film Holder from the Mamiya Press system.

I prefer shooting transparencies/slides. Shall we sit down before you tell us how much one should pay nowadays for a 6x7 slide projector and 6x7 slide frames?

By the way, even though you don't like the 6x6 format, I would warmly recommend seeing how volumetric a square slide is on a 2.5x2.5 metre projection compared to any rectangular one.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I guess I jumped off the track a little with mentioning the Rolleicord Vb. I sure like the double exposure prevention on the Vb, but what amazed me was the lens. I have a Rolleicord III and the Vb lens is in a different league. I bet my 75mm f3.5 Xenar on the Vb is better than the 80mm f2.8 on Andy's 500CM. Want to bet a Andy? Andy, oh Andy, where are you? Must be out fondling his new little darling.

I have a Vb, actually...and a non Vb. They are both top shelf cameras for sure!

I'm planning to go out later this afternoon, with the 8x10, as there is something that I've been wanting to photograph for weeks, but the weather has been the pits. Hopefully, today will be like yesterday. Gorgeous sunlight!
A Hassie outing will happen soon...

 

[cowanw]

You may find "The Hasselblad Manual: by Wildi helpful.

As I recall, there are several editions so you want to try to find a newer one.

Number 5 is the best edition for film Hasselblads.

 

[John Wiegerink]

Number 5 is the best edition for film Hasselblads.

I'm going to upgrade from the 3rd edition when I get a chance. The 3rd edition was my bedside reader for many years and is extremely informative for the Hasselblad user.