Tips on focusing at night with hasselblad?

Ektagraphic

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Are you using a waist level finder or prism?
 

keithwms

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Can you scale focus?

For night focusing with the rb67 (with which scale focusing is a bit difficult*), I have put a flashlight at the point of focus, aimed toward the camera. That works well enough but of course it isn't always practical.

*Note to interested rb/rz users: there is only one lens for the rb/rz line with which you can do easy helicoidal scale focusing, namely the 100-200 zoom. For all others you have to scale focus via the bellows factor chart on the side of the camera, which is a minor drawback.
 

paul ron

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Cheap laser pointer. Tape it to your camera. Focus on the red dot n you are good to go. Just watch not to get in the eyes of your targets or spot planes or cops.

*Not recomneded for street shooting, it scares people in public and may get you in trouble.
 

Q.G.

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I think those are the only options available.
When there is too little light to see enough to focus, you either guess and use 'zone focussing', or provide enough light on your subject to see enough to focus the normal way, or combine both methods (focus on something - a lamp - ear your subject, then estimate how much to adjust for your main subject's position relative to what you could manage to get in focus the 'normal way'.
 

Ric Trexell

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What is the distance?

I think more information is needed. If you are talking 5 feet then why not a flash light? If you are going out to 20 feet, then we are talking some powerful lanterns. You must be shooting something that you don't wish to broadcast that you are using a camera. Would it be animals? I think you need to give more information for others to help you. I suppose if it was possible to go to a spot in the day time and focus on your subject and record exactly where everything is set, you could come back at night and put your tripod in the same spot and set your lense to the same place it was and you would be pretty close. It sounds like you don't want it known that you are shooting, so I guess you will just have to shoot and guess. Sort of like a photographer will bracket for exposure, you will have to bracket for focus. Have fun whatever you do.
 
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