Looking for a new MF

[ts103706@ohio.edu]

I have a Hasselblad 500C. It is a 1968 model, and has been completely overhauled in the last month. It is in perfect working condition and definitely has its pluses. I am very happy with the final results, but I have a couple issues with it.

1. No meter. I hate carrying around a separate light meter. I would really like a camera with a built in meter.
2. Expensive accessories. I cannot afford another lens. Accessories are still way too expensive for their age. I know they were top of the line back in the day, but even cheaper knew lenses should be able to compete just on the basis of technological advancements in lens-making and in production.

Does anyone have any ideas on what a good camera would be? I would really like to keep the price within $200 of what I would get for selling all of my Hassy gear and light meter.

A list of what I would be selling.
-1968 500c in perfect condition with new springs.
-Chrome 80/2.8 Planer with metal Hasselblad hood
-Original chrome back
-New black back
-Waist level finder
-UV haze filter
-Yellow Filter
-Linear Polarizer filter
-Thick nylon strap
-Flash grip
-Gossen Luna Pro with new Wein Cell batteries

thanks

 

[thebanana]

A Mamiya 645 might work for you. They are very reasonably priced, have great glass and Mamiya produced a variety of metered prisms that you might find to your liking.

Having said that, you will likely get as many responses to your question as there are APUG members

 

[ts103706@ohio.edu]

what about quality loss? I usually print full frames. Will I notice? Would 6x7 be better?

 

[PVia]

Not sure if you shoot B&W, color neg or color slides, but shooting w/o a meter is not that hard to do, esp for B&W. The exercise is a good one and the knowledge you gain will stay with you the rest of your life.

How much are you looking to get for your kit?

 

[brian steinberger]

If you wanted to stay with the square format, the obvious choice would be the Bronica SQ series. Used bodies, lenses and accessories are easy to fetch at great prices. The glass certainly isn't as good as Hasselblad glass, but would take greater enlargement to notice.

6x7 format would bring you into the Mamiya RB and RZ, both which seem like bricks to me, but do have their following. I would go for the Pentax 6x7. Again, reasonable prices on used bodies and lenses.

I personally have fallen in love with MF rangefinders. And the Mamiya 6 or 7 would be a great choice. It is the complete opposite of your SLR Hasselblad. May be a fun change for you. And they both have in camera metering. You have to accept the rangefinders natural limitations. But if you're comfortable with them, they are great!

Good luck with your decision!

 

[ts103706@ohio.edu]

PVia - I used to only shoot B&W because I thought film couldn't compare to my digital SLR for color, but that has changed. I shoot a lot of color now, and estimating exposures no longer cuts it. I also have no idea how much to expect for my kit. It looks like KEH sells the kits from $650 to $850 with just one back and without recent modifications.

Mr. Steinberger - What differences would be noticed at higher enlargements. Can a 40 year old lens really be noticeable better than a 15 year old lens?

 

[Nick Zentena]

If the meter is requirement the Pentax 645 first model is going to be the cheapest.

Then one of system cameras with a metering prism. But for example a nice latest Bronica ETRSI metering prism will more then double the cost of things.

 

[brian steinberger]

Mr. Steinberger - What differences would be noticed at higher enlargements. Can a 40 year old lens really be noticeable better than a 15 year old lens?

No, a 40 year old lens won't be noticeable different then a 15 or 20 year old lens of another brand. In tests and at high enlargements, things such as barrel distortion, flare, ghosting, corner sharpness.... etc will begin to show. If large enough enlargement you will be able to tell a difference.

I have previously owned a Bronica SQ-A and three lenses. These lenses were the PS series of lenses, which are the newer (late 80's I beleive) of the Bronica SQ lenses. The 80 I owned was great. Very sharp. The 55 was a little soft. Very soft in the corners. All lenses are different. My 55 may have just been a lemon.

One of my MF cameras I now own is the Mamiya 6 and I have previously owned the Mamiya 7II. I have never seen lenses as sharp as the Mamiya rangefinder lenses. Granted I have never shot Hasselblad glass, but I have heard in tests and from others that the Mamiya lenses for their rangefinders are atleast as sharp, if not sharper then Hasselblad - Zeiss glass. The advantage to the rangefinder design is for the ideal placement of lens to film plane ratio which results in more sharpness.

I'm rambling here a little bit. Anyway, I'm sure your 40 year old Hasselblad lens can stand up to the more modern medium format SLR lenses of the day (excluding modern Hasselblad lenses). Take this into consideration when purchasing a new system.

I would agree that Hasselblad stuff is overpriced, but I think alot of it has to do with the collectability of it. You may sell your kit for something else which may not hold its value over time. Nothing in photography holds its resale value like Hasselblad and Leica.

But then again, we're not collectors, we're photographers!

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

I have a Hassleblad with several lenses and backs.

The medium format camera that I use most is a Mamiya 7 II: Superb optics, accurate built-in exposure meter, produces 6cmX7cm negs or trannies.

Coupled rangefinder focusing body design allowed Mamiya to utilize highly optimized non-retrofocus WA lens designs.

 

[P C Headland]

If you like the square format, want an SLR with metered prism option and cheaper lenses accessories, all without compromising image quality, then as previously mentioned, the most obvious choice is a Bronica SQ-A / SQ-Ai.

Your other option for a meter, is one of the small Voigtlaender hot-shoe meters (or similar), or a Gossen Digisix. Both are small enough to forget (and lose!).

Something like a Mamiya 6 or 7 (rangefinder) would be nice, but I wouldn't see them being much cheaper than your current setup. Lenses for both are fairly expensive.

Bear in mind though, that you now have a nice, serviced camera, that should last for years. Keep looking for accessories, try KEH for bargain grade lenses, add one of the small lightmeters above, and you may be able to consider sticking with what you have.

 

[naknak]

Have a look at the Ukranian ARAX (x-FSU Kiev).
Kyprianos

 

[ts103706@ohio.edu]

P C Headland- you say check KEH for the bargain quality lenses. I can't tell by their explanation of their rating system what bargain is. What can I expect from it?

 

[Antje]

P C Headland- you say check KEH for the bargain quality lenses. I can't tell by their explanation of their rating system what bargain is. What can I expect from it?

All my Hasselblad lenses are BGN - they're just fine. One of them looks a little beaten up, but works perfectly. They all got a CLA once I received them. The results I get with this system are absolutely great (at least from an image quality point of view ). Oh, and I have mostly C lenses, only my 80 is a T*. Wouldn't hesitate to buy BGN from KEH again. The BGN back I got from them needed new light seals, but I replaced them myself, which was great fun.

Antje

 

[lgrabun]

Get Pentax 6x7. Relatively cheap, with decent lens sold for reasonable prices. They come sometimes with metering prisms and newer versions have been produces since, erm, can't now recall since when excatly but they stopped making them not that long ago.

 

[P C Headland]

P C Headland- you say check KEH for the bargain quality lenses. I can't tell by their explanation of their rating system what bargain is. What can I expect from it?

Many buyers report that KEH's bargain is usually similar to ebay's "mint"

Seriously, it means that the glass should be fine, but there may be cosmetic marks. Usually this is a few light scratches on the barrel or such like, or faded numbers. Other than that, it should be a fine user lens, rather than a collector lens. There are a few threads on APUG regarding KEH's conservative grading.