Is that a Hasselblad?

[Sjixxxy]

(Thread resurrection)

It made me really happy to see this pop up in my thread alerts.

 

[GLS]

I've been asked this various times, but only when it was actually my Hasselblad I was using, so maybe the general public isn't totally clueless

 

[rubbernglue]

I think it was the first time around 2011 here in Stockholm when I walked around with my Bronica S (which looks a little bit like the HB) when I met a group of elders in which one of them loudly said towards me 'HASSELBLAAAD' as we met from different directions, then I turned around as they had walked by and said "No - BRONICA!'
He looked just like a questionmark.

I have heard this plenty of times, at first I thought that this was something swedish as Hasselblad (was) swedish and I live in sweden, but then (not at least as of this thread) I understand it is far broader than I thought.

It always makes you lough..

EDIT; adding a pic of the beautiful Bronica S

 

[Bill Burk]

I know this is somewhat non-sequitir...

But yesterday out with my Ikonta C, a charming couple asked me if it was a Leica.

 

[pbromaghin]

Hah! 2nd time for me. Yesterday I pulled my baby SuperIkonta 6x4.5 out of my pocket to show to a guy and he said, "Is that a Hassleblad?"

 

[Kino]

Got pinged on this yesterday with my Kowa 6. I'll give him props for knowing it was a medium format camera and that I was shooting film...

 

[abruzzi]

I don't think anyone has ever mistaken one of my MF cameras (Bronicas, Rollei SLR) for a Hasselblad. If anything they get mistaken for movie cameras.

 

[JensH]

I don't think anyone has ever mistaken one of my MF cameras (Bronicas, Rollei SLR) for a Hasselblad. If anything they get mistaken for movie cameras.

My Rolleiflex SLX was suspected to be a movie cam several times, once even as traffic camera while on a tripod close to a road...
Newer got the Hasselblad comment.

 

[What About Bob]

+1 on the movie camera/camcorder.

Once in a great, great, while I will get the comment: "Oooohhh a Hasselblad!" you have a very fine camera there." This has come from the older generations. All other times, nope.

Off and on, as long as I have had my Hassie, I would get the "That's an interesting looking camcorder" or "Is that a camcorder?" It has been mistaken for an old movie camera and commonly a VHS-C camcorder and one time someone asked me: " Where does the tape go?" I have also been asked if I am a documentary filmmaker.

Just days ago while walking the trail toward the dog park a small group stopped by me as I was setting up. A lady from the group immediately came out with: "What type of movie are you filming?" Kind of felt like I was Andy Warhol for a moment there. Then here come the dogs right behind them. One tiny pup, out of the bunch, walking right to my tripod and attempting to hump it.

I have had both VHS and VHS-C camcorders in the late 80s when I was a teen. Many camcorders back then did resemble being box-like but come on, Does anyone still use VHS?

 

[Molli]

Thought I'd revive this as I got asked "Is that a Hasselblad?" from a completely unexpected and slightly unusual quarter. I was at the State Library Of Victoria a couple of weeks ago, playing tourist by taking the History of the Library Tour. I had my Mamiya C3 with me and temporarily derailed the tour by laying it on a table and pointing it straight up at the dome overhead. I was asked if the camera was a Hasselblad by a Vietnamese Buddhist Nun, part of a group who travelled into Melbourne from their monastery in the outer regions.

The other reason for reviving the thread is because I've just seen some of the artwork that's going to adorn one of the new city train stations. Melbourne Artist Dianna Wells (https://www.instagram.com/dianna_wells) used her Hasselblad to take photographs at the National Herbarium of Victoria in the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens to create a sort of grasslands wilderness. She also made lumen prints and all of these photos will be an integral part of the new ANZAC Station.
(Sorry if I sound like a tourist operator/advertiser - I'm just a tad excited!)
There's a short little snippet about it here:

 

[Sirius Glass]

Thought I'd revive this as I got asked "Is that a Hasselblad?" from a completely unexpected and slightly unusual quarter. I was at the State Library Of Victoria a couple of weeks ago, playing tourist by taking the History of the Library Tour. I had my Mamiya C3 with me and temporarily derailed the tour by laying it on a table and pointing it straight up at the dome overhead. I was asked if the camera was a Hasselblad by a Vietnamese Buddhist Nun, part of a group who travelled into Melbourne from their monastery in the outer regions.

The other reason for reviving the thread is because I've just seen some of the artwork that's going to adorn one of the new city train stations. Melbourne Artist Dianna Wells (https://www.instagram.com/dianna_wells) used her Hasselblad to take photographs at the National Herbarium of Victoria in the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens to create a sort of grasslands wilderness. She also made lumen prints and all of these photos will be an integral part of the new ANZAC Station.
(Sorry if I sound like a tourist operator/advertiser - I'm just a tad excited!)
There's a short little snippet about it here:

I have not been asked "Is that a Hasselblad?" recently. I could not see the Instagram attachment.

 

[fstop]

My late brother asked if it was a Hasselblad when I got it years ago because he had seen the Kiev 88 selling cheap. I told him I got a tag sale deal and didn't say what I got, just pulled it out.Second owner of a barely used camera.Was in storage for 25 years because the lube dried up. A few minutes of cleaning and lube and it has been working perfectly for years.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

It just happened to me in Newfoundland this summer! I was in St. John's, walking down the Signal Hill trail, and shooting with my Mamiya C330. Someone going up saw it, and asked me if it was Hasselblad.

I was so pleased with someone being interested in analogue photography that I showed the ins and outs of my camera, explained the difference between TLR and SLR, let them peer through the WLF, and disserted on the size of enlargements. Good times.

 

[mshchem]

Thought I'd revive this as I got asked "Is that a Hasselblad?" from a completely unexpected and slightly unusual quarter. I was at the State Library Of Victoria a couple of weeks ago, playing tourist by taking the History of the Library Tour. I had my Mamiya C3 with me and temporarily derailed the tour by laying it on a table and pointing it straight up at the dome overhead. I was asked if the camera was a Hasselblad by a Vietnamese Buddhist Nun, part of a group who travelled into Melbourne from their monastery in the outer regions.

The other reason for reviving the thread is because I've just seen some of the artwork that's going to adorn one of the new city train stations. Melbourne Artist Dianna Wells (https://www.instagram.com/dianna_wells) used her Hasselblad to take photographs at the National Herbarium of Victoria in the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens to create a sort of grasslands wilderness. She also made lumen prints and all of these photos will be an integral part of the new ANZAC Station.
(Sorry if I sound like a tourist operator/advertiser - I'm just a tad excited!)
There's a short little snippet about it here:

Quite wonderful.

 

[Molli]

It just happened to me in Newfoundland this summer! I was in St. John's, walking down the Signal Hill trail, and shooting with my Mamiya C330. Someone going up saw it, and asked me if it was Hasselblad.

I was so pleased with someone being interested in analogue photography that I showed the ins and outs of my camera, explained the difference between TLR and SLR, let them peer through the WLF, and disserted on the size of enlargements. Good times.

That's how I sidetracked a tour group, too! Mind you, after insisting that everyone come and look through the waist level finder and then realising I was holding things up, I rushed taking the photo I wanted of the dome overhead and now have one less photo of twelve to print.
So, yay, a small group of lovely people got to enjoy the marvels of my entirely manual camera, the scene on the ground glass and hear all about how much I love my darkroom, but.... boo... I distract myself and muck up far too easily some times!

I had an hour long conversation with a Scottish gentleman on a ferry a few years back when he saw me using my Yashica TLR. It turns out he was apprenticed to a wedding photographer as a young lad and used to rush back to the darkroom to make proof prints between the wedding and the reception, then rush them back for the photographer to see if he'd missed any important shots, guests to put in orders and for the bride and groom to have a preview souvenir to take with them on their honeymoon.
Probably one of the most enjoyable conversations I've had with a stranger about darkroom work. I'm betting your curious passerby enjoyed hearing from you every bit as much as I enjoyed hearing from my fellow ferry passenger!

On a slight tangent, I went back to the library later that afternoon in the city and a guy ran across, ducked in front of me and snapped a photo of the camera and then ran away again. Somewhat bemusing.

 

[Molli]

It just happened to me in Newfoundland this summer! I was in St. John's, walking down the Signal Hill trail, and shooting with my Mamiya C330. Someone going up saw it, and asked me if it was Hasselblad.

I was so pleased with someone being interested in analogue photography that I showed the ins and outs of my camera, explained the difference between TLR and SLR, let them peer through the WLF, and disserted on the size of enlargements. Good times.

(Side note, I just binge watched six seasons of Hudson & Rex - St. John's is so beautiful!)

 

[Molli]

I have not been asked "Is that a Hasselblad?" recently. I could not see the Instagram attachment.

Sorry Sirius, I didn't mean for that to be an embedded attachment. I only got an Instagram account quite recently because it was the only way to see stuff people kept linking to - I don't actually use the account or (clearly) have any real clue HOW to use it!
It was just a few minutes of artist, Dianna Wells, talking about using her Hasselblad to photograph grasses and flowers (explaining to those not into our world that it uses film and takes square photos) and also made lumen prints, all from specimens collected and kept at the National Herbarium of Victoria. Those photographs and prints have been enlarged and used to create a wilderness area of artwork at one of the newly built train stations in Melbourne, Victoria.
My apologies to you, @Sirius Glass, I hadn't intended to render that inaccessible and I certainly sympathise with not wanting to sign up to "social media" type things.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Sorry Sirius, I didn't mean for that to be an embedded attachment. I only got an Instagram account quite recently because it was the only way to see stuff people kept linking to - I don't actually use the account or (clearly) have any real clue HOW to use it!
It was just a few minutes of artist, Dianna Wells, talking about using her Hasselblad to photograph grasses and flowers (explaining to those not into our world that it uses film and takes square photos) and also made lumen prints, all from specimens collected and kept at the National Herbarium of Victoria. Those photographs and prints have been enlarged and used to create a wilderness area of artwork at one of the newly built train stations in Melbourne, Victoria.
My apologies to you, @Sirius Glass, I hadn't intended to render that inaccessible and I certainly sympathise with not wanting to sign up to "social media" type things.

Thank you for getting back to me. Have a great day and a better week.

 

[pbromaghin]

A couple weeks ago in Bread & Cie restaurant in San Diego a lady senior citizen walked by our table and asked if the Rolleiflex was a Hasselblad. She said her husband used to shoot a lot of film but switched to digital.

It's really surprising how people notice and take interest in the Rolleiflex. In a week of using it as my walking-around camera, it got more than a comment per day.

 

[AERO]

Yeah, but the really weird part of it was I was standing at a urinal at the time, and didn't have a camera with me...

 

[Arthurwg]

I was walking around NYC with my Nikon and a teenage boy walked up to me and asked if that was an F6. It was, and I was astonished.

 

[AERO]

Using a Zenith 80 "Hasselbladski" I have never been asked about it...just hearing the bang of the FP shutter tells people it aint a Hasselblad before they ask!!

 

[JerseyDoug]

Nobody ever confused any of my other cameras with a Hasselblad but...

A couple of winters ago I was taking pictures of the closed storefronts on the boardwalk with my (1957) Leica IIIf. A young woman carrying a big DSLR with an even bigger zoom lens walked up and said, "Cool camera. How many megapixels?"

 

[Terrence Brennan]

Nobody ever confused any of my other cameras with a Hasselblad but...

A couple of winters ago I was taking pictures of the closed storefronts on the boardwalk with my (1957) Leica IIIf. A young woman carrying a big DSLR with an even bigger zoom lens walked up and said, "Cool camera. How many megapixels?"

I’ve had that question (or very similar) many ties when out and about with my Leica M4-P around my neck.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Nobody ever confused any of my other cameras with a Hasselblad but...

A couple of winters ago I was taking pictures of the closed storefronts on the boardwalk with my (1957) Leica IIIf. A young woman carrying a big DSLR with an even bigger zoom lens walked up and said, "Cool camera. How many megapixels?"

I have been asked that question about my Hasselblads and my Nikon AF cameras.