Last word: Rolleiflex vs. hassy?

[Bob Marvin]

LOL–I once had someone ask if my lowly Moscba 5 was a Hasselblad

 

[Tony-S]

That's a tough call. I'm sure these 2 fellows debated the matter. To be sure, a Rollei operates free of vibration, a Hasselblad goes off in your hand like a little bomb.

I vote for the Hassy because Heidecke has his pants way too high!

 

[NB23]

Why is that so? And how does it relate to the perceived comparison, "quality wise" between a Rolleiflex and a Hasselblad 500c (or any other Hasselblad)?
In skilled, well experienced hands any camera — from a pinhole to a top-drawer Hasselblad, will deliver the results the photographer envisioned. They are, after all, only tools.

With a deep humbleness, I can certify you that I do make any camera sing. My question was really about sharpness and the quality of the lenses, if there was a definitive answer in regards to their quality (Xenotar VS. Planar comes to mind with die-hards in each camp, I noticed).

After having read the entire conversation, I tend to prefer the Rolleiflex for its compactness and its general ease of use versus a more Clunky Mirror-slapping Hasselblad...

 

[Mark Fisher]

I have both and the Hasselblad gets most of the use. There is no difference in the image quality if both are on a tripod.

Rollei TLR - one lens option, compact with waist level viewer, a bit awkward to handle, slow 3.5 lens (important to handhold), tiny filters/hood tiny tripod works fine with leaf shutter makes for a very compact kit, really poor view screen compared to acute matte in the Hassy

Hassy - Multiple lenses, great 45 deg finders+screens, everything is larger and heavier, better ergonomics IMHO for hand holding

I think I'd like my Rollei more with a better finder and use it when the larger kit makes no sense. Both work and have made great images. It all depends on what is important to you.

 

[Tom1956]

The best option is a EL or ELM to approach the vibration situation in Hasselblads. The weight and bulk of the motor/battery pack absorbs a great deal of the shock of mirror slap and thereby brings the Hasselblad question back on par with the Rolleiflex, which has practically nil vibration. But then, for me, the size and weight of an ELM is such that you question that if you're going to tote around that kind of bulk and weight, it may as well be a 4x5. But to be sure, and ELM is a very stable and very handy camera. After re-foaming mine, and bringing back up to snuff, mine trips off smooth as silk. Then I set it down and pick up my CM to compare, and it's like holding a little bomb when I trip it off, in comparison.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

A Planar/Xenotar is equal in both. A Rolleiflex is "collectible", and therefor not something you want to risk getting banged around or lost, as in a trip. Hasselblads are a dime a dozen. If you bang it up, ebay is full of more. No clear answer I can see.

Speak for yourself about using Rolleis. I just dragged my pair of 2.8E Planars to Paris and Chalon Sur Saone with me. They're both user grade cameras, not collectible toys, and they're solid workhorses. They are built to be used and meant to be used, and they just WORK.

This has not been my experience AT ALL. People are threatened more by feeling like something is aimed at them. They are almost universally, again in my experience, charmed and disarmed by my Yashicamat 124 used with the waist level finder (it too has a sports finder you can use at eye level) though in practice I use it more at "neck level" with it held up to my head with my eye against the focus magnifier.

I absolutely agree. Rolleis are very charming to people and non-threatening. They make it easy to take street photos of people without being obtrusive. The near-silent shutter and no mirror slap lets people think that they're not being photographed.

As to the original question, the optics are a non-issue between the two cameras, with the exception of the 1/2 stop speed loss for the Rollei against the Hasselblad. What tips it in the Rollei's favor, I think, is that to gain that 1/2 stop (which you're really only going to notice when focusing, not when exposing), you're adding a LOT of weight to the Hassy between the lens and the interchangeable film backs.

As to the point about the Hassy being waist-level only, not true - they made prism finders for the Hasselblad so you could shoot eye level, as well as prism finders for Rolleis. You can also get new focusing screens for the Rollei that are just as bright and sharp as the Acute-Matte, but on pre -F models, they're not (easily) user changeable.

 

[jerrybro]

I have an old Rolleicord and a Blad. The Cord is not is the same optical league as Flex, but I find the Xenar a very pleasant lens. The Cord is so light and so easy to use compared to the Blad, and they do get different levels of attention. With the Cord I'm just a funny old guy with a funny old camera. With the Blad people presume I'm a pro, or they think its a video camera of some sort.

 

[DanielStone]

I've never owned a Rollei(of any derivation), but have used a few. Great, compact system.
I have owned Hasselblad, and really enjoyed the "system" that it allowed me to have(usually comprising a 50, 80 and 120 or 150). 100% satisfied with Hasselblad technically, but I felt myself cropping it down to a 3x4 ratio quite a bit. So now I'm using the GX680 system(much bulkier, more of a studio-designed camera vs the "field capable" Hasselblad).

If you want a system, I'd go with HB
If you only want a 75/80mm lens, and nothing else for that camera, then I'd stick with the Rollei

cheers,
Dan

 

[TareqPhoto]

I have Hasselblad and really like its handling and design, will not point again about the focusing screen issue, but rollei may not be any better maybe in that case.

Really difficult situation when you have to decide between 2 great bodies if same format regardless of why you use it for, each body has pros and cons, so what will suit you may not suit others, and this is where people here give opinions or recommendations and then it is open to take it or not.

By the way, the 6x6 format systems or bodies i was going to try beside Hasselblad are: Rollei, Bronica, Mamiya 6 and Fuji GF670, who knows what's next after Hassy, i am completely done with 6x7.

 

[Slixtiesix]

As others said: If you want a system, the Hassy is the way to go (or Bronica or Rollei 6000 / SL66 for that matter). If you want a light, compact, silent and non-intimidating camera, the Rollei wins.
Regarding absolute picture quality I don´t think there will be much of a difference. You will need a tripod, cable release and fine grained film and need to examine the results with a loupe to see differences in resolution. The only thing that may be different is the bokeh.

 

[Tom1956]

I'm seriously thinking of sending the front element of my 3.5E off and having that expensive fellow re-polish and re-coat it, and I'll have my Rollei back after all these years. The front element coating on it is so bad, it's like looking through crumpled cellophane or a shattered windshield or something. With my Rollei back working I can get rid of the entire Hasselblad kit and kaboodle and cleat out even more room in this little house. I don't shoot enough to have more cameras than a camera store, and the house would be a lot more comfortable without having to step around and trip over all this junk.

 

[rdtaylor_sea]

I had John polish and recoat the front element of my 3.5E. I bought if from KEH as an "ugly" camera as the front element had salt spots all over it. It's now almost perfect and the pictures that it takes are mind-blowing.

 

[pgomena]

I own a Rollei and a Hasselblad. I like them both for different reasons. I often wish my Rollei had interchangeable lenses and wasn't so cumbersome to reload in the field. I love the Hasselblad's system approach because it's so versatile. I've passed up many a potential shot because the Rollei was too wide an angle of view for the situation. I've grabbed the Rollei for many a hike because it all fits in a backpack.

 

[Pioneer]

I own a Rollei and a Hasselblad. I like them both for different reasons. I often wish my Rollei had interchangeable lenses and wasn't so cumbersome to reload in the field. I love the Hasselblad's system approach because it's so versatile. I've passed up many a potential shot because the Rollei was too wide an angle of view for the situation. I've grabbed the Rollei for many a hike because it all fits in a backpack.

Wow!

I take the shot and then crop later. The pictures from my Rollei's Tessar are sharp! And the sharpest part is the center. Even the crops are stunning.

I have had the opposite where I wished the Rollei had been wider. That can still be worked with but it is a bit trickier and will require a leveled tripod.

 

[JW PHOTO]

I had John polish and recoat the front element of my 3.5E. I bought if from KEH as an "ugly" camera as the front element had salt spots all over it. It's now almost perfect and the pictures that it takes are mind-blowing.

I just bought a 3.5F from KEH in "Ugly" condition for $199.00. It doesn't have the waist level finder and the meter is not working, but the camera looked pretty darn nice from the picture. I'm curious to see what it looks like when I get it. I have a few parts for the body and a meter+cell, but if the lens it bad I might think of a polish job also. What does a front cell polish usually run cost wise? JohnW

 

[JW PHOTO]

I own four Rollei cameras, plus one on the way, two Blad bodies + lenses, one Blad SWC, two Pentax 67 bodies and eight lenses, one Yashica 124G, and a couple of Konj-Omega Rapids and lenses. I've used them all, but the most used are the Blads and the SWC. The one that gets the most use is a old 500C that was my first real camera. A 500C/500CM is not much different in size to carry around than a Rollei. It's a little noisier, but the image quality is just as good, at least with my equipment. I like Rolleis for the images they render, but the twin lens camera I like the most as a "fun & ease of use" camera is that blasted Yashica 124G. Plus, it too takes very nice pictures. Now, the big question is this - "If I were to choose only one camera" the answer to that would have to be my old trusty Blad 500C. Everything else is really good, but for my type of shooting the Blad is just about perfect. Different strokes for different folks of course. JohnW

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

A 500C/500CM is not much different in size to carry around than a Rollei. It's a little noisier,

A little noisier???

 

[Tom1956]

A Hasselblad has its use, a very important if not historic one. But it has a vibration situation. Notice I did not use the word "problem". A Rollei does not have this. Just the plain facts, ma'am.
My C is a gorgeous, compact, and impressive piece of equipment anybody with an eye admires. My much cheaper and less coveted ELM has the beef to stand up against that mirror slap, hand-held. Lugging it around is another tale.

 

[Pioneer]

A little noisier???

If you are used to using Pentax 67s a Blad is only a "little" noisier than a Rollei.

 

[JW PHOTO]

If you are used to using Pentax 67s a Blad is only a "little" noisier than a Rollei.

Most definitely! Another thing I should have mentioned is that at age 63 I suffer from severe hearing loss/nerve deafness do to a war back in the late 1960's and just plain getting old. With that I seem to think the Blad is not to terrible bad in the noise department. As for the vibration? If I have enough light to hand hold I then "usually" have a high enough shutter speed to help compensate. If light fails and mirror/shutter induced vibration are going to cause a problem it would be tripod time anyway. Of course you always use a tripod and mirror-up if you want all the Blad can give. One off my Blads is a 500ELM with prism and grip that seems to be a little better setup for hand-holding, but likes been said, it is slightly heavier than either the 500c with waist level or a Rollei with even its prism. I know there are diehard Rollei fans just like there are diehard Hasselblad fans. I'm both, but if I had to live with just one outfit it would be the Hasselblad for sure. Oh, and another plus is the fact that one can usually buy a very nice 500ELM with lens, waist level and back for LESS than you can get a good Rollei E series camera and far, far less than one can get a good Rollei F series for. I have both and know which one I want to be buried with for those Heavenly sky shots in the hereafter. We all have our own opinions and that's just mine. JohnW

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

You will not see any meaningful difference in picture quality.

The Hasselblad is wonderful to hand hold once you get used to its ergonomy. But the Rolleiflex is even nicer hand held.
The Rolleiflex is very stealth and quiet. The Hasselblad is not.

On a trip, and if I had both kinds of camera, I'd take the Rolleiflex any day of the week due to its smaller weight and how quiet and elegant it is.

 

[Dali]

It all depends on your style. If you don't mind carrying additional lenses and/or backs, go for the Hassy. If (like me) you can shoot with one lens only (actually two!), go for the Rolleiflex/Rolleicord.

 

[dpurdy]

Apparently there is no last word. Or the last word keeps changing depending on who has it. That said there has to be some reason all the famous Rollei guys eventually switched to Hasselblad... Iriving Penn, Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Helmut Newton etc. Of course they were probably all sent Hasselblad kits for free for promotional reasons.

For myself the temporary last word was Rolleiflex after several years using Hasselblad as an employee in a commercial studio. The H camera always annoyed me due to the modular parts and the need to remember things about it that I have now forgotten. I always found the Rolleiflex to be beautiful to look at and I only need the one lens for what I do with it.

That said the last word has temporarily changed for me to Pentax 67 because I have gotten sick to death of square pictures and I can't bring myself to crop to 645.

You have to find your own last word and don't expect it to stay last forever.

Dennis

 

[jcc]

Very curious as to what this vibration, some people are mentioning, with the Hasselblads. I've never had a problem with them.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

The vibration is caused by the impact of the mirror slapping into the frame of the body when you release the shutter. It is present in the Hassy, obvious in a Pentax 67, and non-existent in a Rolleiflex (or any other TLR). It is most problematic at the slow end of the hand-holdable shutter speed continuum- between say 1 second and 1/15th, maybe up to 1/30th. Faster than that, there isn't enough time for the vibrations to record. Slower, and they fail to record as well because they don't last long enough. Oddly, the lack of sharpness they cause will be more noticeable when the camera is on a tripod. Hand-held, your hand is more likely to induce softness by its inherent instability than the mirror slap is.