Nikon SB-15 for Hasselblad 500cm?

athbr · Nov 3, 2017

Hi everyone,

Hoping to attach a flash to the hasselblad using the left-side cold shoe adapter. I took an interest on the Nikon SB-15 unit. It has a slim profile and it rotates horizontally meaning I can keep it flush with the hasselblad body rather than it sticking awkwardly out.

Has anyone used this unit (or similar designs) with your hasselblad? Feel free to comment with any and all suggestions for portable flash solutions with 500 series Hasselblads.

Sirius Glass · Nov 3, 2017

I use one of these with my Nikon SB800 and my Hasselblad.

athbr · Nov 3, 2017

Sirius, you mean you use the SB800 with the hasselblad? How do you like it? I feel like it is a bit big for my street photography needs.

Sirius Glass · Nov 3, 2017

It is light enough for my needs. The choice is the SB800 or the three battery flash for my Speed Graphic. Also I do not do street photography.

The bar can be used for 35mm cameras too and it eliminates red eye.

saman13 · Nov 3, 2017

I don’t have a hasselblad, but I like using the SB-15 with my Mamiya TLR for the reason you mentioned. It has a cold shoe on the side so a flash that doesn’t rotate up would stick out awkwardly and might catch on something. It has enough power for me, is compact, and I got it for about $4 from KEH. What’s not to like?

BrianShaw · Nov 3, 2017

I use similar class of flash with Hasselblad but prefer attachment with a flash handle... or is that what you mean by “cold shoe adapter”?

athbr · Nov 3, 2017

Hi Brian, do you remember what model specifically you used? What about them made you want to switch over to a handle and what handle do you use currently?

Theo Sulphate · Nov 3, 2017

It may not be obvious, but the SB-15 flash lamp section can also be tilted slightly (there's a release underneath).

I'm addicted to old analog style flash units, though I've never actually used one on a Hasselblad.

BrianVS · Nov 3, 2017

Is the cold shoe insulated? The SB-15 has a PC cord port, but I don;t think that using it will automatically disconnect the Hot Shoe. I've had some flashes that automatically disconnect the hot shoe when using with the PC cord.

Other than that- I've used the SB-15 for decades, but always with the hot-shoe. For a cold-shoe, I used the Vivitar 283. Both Very reliable. Elvis saw my Vivitar 283 at the Capital Center in 1974, still works.

saman13 · Nov 3, 2017

BrianVS said:
Is the cold shoe insulated? The SB-15 has a PC cord port, but I don;t think that using it will automatically disconnect the Hot Shoe. I've had some flashes that automatically disconnect the hot shoe when using with the PC cord.

Other than that- I've used the SB-15 for decades, but always with the hot-shoe. For a cold-shoe, I used the Vivitar 283. Both Very reliable. Elvis saw my Vivitar 283 at the Capital Center in 1974, still works.

It doesn’t automatically disconnect the hot shoe, but a piece of electrical tape in the cold shoe of the camera solves that problem.

Sirius Glass · Nov 3, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
I use one of these with my Nikon SB800 and my Hasselblad.

I added a hot shoe cord to it and use it that way for the Nikons and Hasselblad.

BrianShaw · Nov 7, 2017

BrianShaw said:
I use similar class of flash with Hasselblad but prefer attachment with a flash handle... or is that what you mean by “cold shoe adapter”?

Hi. Sorry for the delay in response; I seem to have lost track of this discussion.

I am using a stroboframe. I think it may be an older discontinued model. I’d have to look at the box (which I cannot do at the moment) to know for sure.

The decision to get/ use a handle was two-fold: getting the flash further away from lens axis and making the camera a bit easier to handle. But that decision also drives a need to use a prism rather than the waist level viewer.

M Carter · Nov 7, 2017

A bit of an aside - I rarely shoot "events" but one client thinks I'm an "event shooter", and they pay my commercial stills/video day rate, so... what the hell.
But my D7100 (DSLR) was dead the night before the shoot. Wonky displays, buttons locked up - off for repair. I usually use an SB-16 for that setup.

I was about to start calling every assistant I know to see if they do events, but I got out my "other" digital camera, mirrorless Samsung NX1 that's a phenomenal video beast (and takes my Nikkor glass)... and busted out my old-school Vivitar 285. Played around with the auto setting calculator and shot some tests. The gig went great, the shots look fine (28mpx sensor that I really like more than Nikon's - Samsung rocked this camera before they threw in the towel).

Anyway, I'd forgotten how good a job the 285 really does. I've used it manually on a ghetto rig to attach it to Speedo-mount accessories with a tiny wireless trigger for oddball gigs, but man, that auto sensor really did the job. I'm going to have to try it with my RB sometime.

Theo Sulphate · Nov 7, 2017

Vivitar 285 is one of the best. Very flexible. Not expensive these days.

Nikon SB-15 for Hasselblad 500cm?

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