I want A Hasselblad. Talk Me Out Of It!

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Andrew O'Neill

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BrianShaw

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retina_restoration said:
Why should any of us care if strangers say dumb things about our cameras?? I know I don't. People say dumb things.
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The funniest thing I ever heard while photographing with a Hasselblad was when another photographer's wife/girlfriend asked him if my camera was like his. He looked over, softly shook his head "no", and quickly left the scene. I was quite amuzed; My wife was completely puzzled...
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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John Wiegerink

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Andrew O'Neill said:
Actually, I've not quite made up my mind yet!
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Yes you have made your mind up Andy, you just don't know it yet. One thing about buying high quality gear that's nice is that you can usually unload it for very near what you paid for it and sometimes even a little more than what you paid.,
 
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Alexander6x6

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Here are my 5 cents.
The Hasselblad with a motor is a bargain nowadays as well as, for some reasons, Makro Planar 120, Sonnar 150 and 250. I have got a fully functional 500elx body for 180 Euro, one of my Makro Planars for 100 Euro and Sonnar 150 for 150 Euro. The results are extremely good (as soon you don't shoot landscapes with Makro Planar wide open) even on digital medium format sensor.
 

Pieter12

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It's like a worm in your brain that feeds on GAS. There is no stopping it, and once you get that Hasselblad, there are lenses, accessories, maintenance. It never ends.
 

Alan9940

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Like @Arthurwg, I've never had any major issues with my 500C/M. Bought it new in the early 80's with the absolutely stunning 100/3.5 lens, and fairly quickly added other focal lengths that I wanted. All of the CF variety. I had both backs serviced once to replace the light seals and because one developed a spacing problem. I would say that after all these years, the 1 second shutter speed on a couple of the lenses is closer to 1.5 secs when the aperture is stopped fully down. I've never had any of the lenses serviced.

I, also, own a Pentax 67 system and many years ago directly compared the Pentax lenses to the Zeiss lenses and found no appreciable difference. Therefore, I wouldn't buy into the Hassey system thinking "Oh, my images are going to be sharper, etc." I would totally agree with those mentioning the handhold ability of this camera; not to my preference, for sure. But, since I always use it mounted on a tripod this aspect has never concerned me.

IMO, if you want one, let the GAS consume you! You could try it out and, if you don't like it you could probably sell it for what you paid.
 

RezaLoghme

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I bought these cameras because I could not afford them when I was much younger.

I wanted to like them, and I did. But the complexity and age of the system, combined with the general downsides of a modular MF SLR (Mirror slap, lots of separate components, WLF unsuitable for weak eyesight etc.).

If it has to be a 6x6 SLR, do not discount the 553ELX.
 

MattKing

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I must confess, that whenever I think of Andrew, I think of this:

So yess Andrew, you need one.
 

NortheastPhotographic

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I can talk you out of a Hasselblad.

1. They're really best on a tripod. I can easily see camera shake when firing under 1/125th.
2. They take an hour to focus. The throw on the lenses is very long and the resistance is high. The acute matte screen helps but as compared to a rangefinder or even a Rolleiflex, it's more challenging.
3. They're inflated in price at the moment. Which brings me to...
3. Consider the Mamiya 6, which you can pretty often get as a 3 lens kit for the price of a clean 501CM kit. The Mamiya has superior lenses, a meter, is much faster to focus, and has no mirror slap.
4. Or consider a Rolleiflex! They're beautiful cameras that are very fast to use and shoot. You can get one 'like new' from Magicflex. He's even making new 75/3.5 lenses for them.
5. Finally, they're just too fiddly. I would advice a CLA at least the back right when you get one. They develop light leaks, frame spacing problems, some people say the serial number of the insert has to be the same as the back (why any factory calibration match would matter 50 years after the back was made idk but that's what they think)

The Hasselblad system does have a lot going for it but it's generally kind of overrated IMO. My favorite artists that use them, do so nearly 100% on tripods and invest in the better lenses.
 

loccdor

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Loving my Hasselblad.

 

lecarp

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#1 can you even see a neg that size?
#2 Can the front end hold an 8lb lens????
# 3 Have a 14x14 back made for your real camera!!!
#4-infinity Don't be foolish, go back to #3!!!!!!!

oh, if you continue to have thoughts like this try an Ice bath!
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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99.9% of the time, I use a tripod. No worries there.
The Mamiya 6 is a rangefinder camera, which I have plenty of. I'm after a 6x6 SLR. Thanks!
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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chuckroast said:
Then you're pretty much limited to a 'Blad. There are the various Rollei and Kowa options but both are more or less orphans. I suppose you could get a Kiev but it's not quite the same thing
Click to expand...

It'll probably be a blad or nothing. I don't want any knock offs or wannabes!
I'm thinking of something that I can use well into old age. I remember back in the mid 80's, while hiking up in Cathedral Provincial Park in BC (this is about 6 years before I became interested in photography as at the time I was working on my BFA studying "real" art making LOL) I came across an old guy with a weird looking camera on a tripod, pointing down at some vegetation. My friend who was with me, and was into photography, gasped, Hasselblad! I said hasselwhat? We stood there watching him toying with the camera, pointing some weird thing, then fiddling with the lens...then K-WHUMP and trodded off with camera over his shoulder. This was waaaay in the wilderness, and he must have been at least 80. That memory stuck with me.
 

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Here are the main reasons not to buy a Hasselblad

1) You've already missed the boat. The best time to buy a Hasselblad was about 15 years ago when the prices tanked. Nowadays, the prices have skyrocketed, and the cameras themselves have only gotten older. If I could turn back time ....... nope.

2) Ask yourself where you can get the camera repaired locally. A nice looking brick is still a brick, albeit a very expensive brick. As well made as these cameras are, they are likely many decades old and will be in need of service at some point. If you can't find anyone nearby to service your camera at a reasonable price, well .......

3) Look at the cameras you already have, and be happy with what you've got that's still working. Film, paper, and chemistry are all very expensive, irrespective of camera, so save your money for that stuff if you still want to shoot "analogue".
 
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