what Zeiss lenses would you keep?

I finally got ahold of a pelican case full of Hasselblad. 2 500cm bodies, and 4 lenses being the meat of it. Being so new to film I just have not had time to use all of it. I am getting ready to have my first 4 rolls developed (2 lens per body, 12 shots each) which were really just tests for the health of everything, and to familiarise myself with things before hittin the streets.

I need time to learn film photography as well as learn these cameras and already know that I will not need everything. I will be letting go of a body and 2 lenses. I just don't think that I am going to really have time to use everything to find out which of the 4 that I would use the most, so it will have to be assisted logic i guess.

So, on to what may help. For perspective sake, lets say that you are looking to start shooting portraits. Other than that you would of course like to have as much of an all around set-up as possible. I know that is not much to go on.

I know that I don't deserve all this, but truley want to learn overtop of/kind of rewrite what I have been doing with digital for 6 years. It was/is humiliating to realise that I know practically nothing. Good thing i am only in my 20s.



50mm f4 blk t*
80mm f2.4 blk t*
120mm f5.6 macro plannar
150mm f4 sonnar
also have a 55mm extension tube and a komura 2x extender.

thanks for any assitance

Well, if it were me and I could afford to keep it all, that is what I would do. Really, money aside, its a pretty basic kit. For portraits, the longer lens. For close ups, the macro. The WA for interiors, landscapes, and the 80 for almost everything, low light, street, anything and everything.

I would not haul it all, all the time, although sometimes I would.

Sorry I am not much help in what to ditch.

illumin8em said:

I just don't think that I am going to really have time to use everything to find out which of the 4 that I would use the most, so it will have to be assisted logic i guess.

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Really?

Relax, don't do something you will later regret, keep all the optics!



Cheers


André

2F/2F said:

Really?

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I go back full time to college at the end of August. I completely lost interest last semester, only thinking of things that i wasn't doing in college like taking pictures and going to art school. I did not finish up well. I tried to get into a few art programs at other universities but it did not work out, can't afford it. So I have to go back with some focus, bring my GPA back up and hopefully transfer out next opportunity.

So yes, i believe so. It is not how I want things to happen, but I need to down size, and i need to recoup some of what I spent. It was a bold (some say stupid) move to buy the gear being such a newb, but i have not been able to stop thinking about it for two years since my freshman year. I had the money so i jumped. I kept it apart from the money that I had saved for a possible school transfer with the thinking that it would be better to show up with a good camera that i know how to use rather than nothing but a Nikon DSLR and no knowledge of traditional photography.

Oh also, for helping teach a beginners digital photo class I have been given an Omega enlarger with a buch of plates, and other darkroom equipment which I have no idea how to use a will have to learn as well.

Well, if you really have to sell some if it off, I would hang onto the macro lens for sure...and...well, shoot. It's really hard to say. Any of those lenses can be used for general photography and portraiture. It depends on the shot. I guess one body has to go. It is hard to recommend against keeping a normal lens, but one will come up again some day. In this case, I would probably keep the 50 and the 120 myself...and hopefully at least two backs, preferably three. The 120 is not so long that it can't be used as a general-purpose lens, and it can also serve as a portrait lens from any distance. As for the 50, it is not so super wide that it cannot be used as a general-purpose lens either, and is also a decent wide when you step back. It is really all up to your preferences, however. You need to just shoot, shoot, shoot so you can decide for yourself. IMO, you can't get anything worthwhile from any camera if you don't put in a lot of time and effort. Good luck.

illumin8em said:

I need time to learn film photography as well as learn these cameras and already know that I will not need everything.

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I wouldn't rely on magical thinking. Take your time. You will come to conclusions that might surprise you.

This is a very nice set. The 50, 80 150 are the cornerstone lenses in this line, while the 120 MPis a gem for half body portraiture and close up. If you are really convinceed you have to sell something and stick with just 2 lenses, then keep the 80 and the 150 for portraiture, better still, keep the 120 MP, sell the rest and buy a 60/3.5, but to be completely frank, just try these lenses first, and then you will understand why you should keep them all... I have 12 Hasselblad lenses, and they are all indispensable... ;-)

You will need, or at least have a use for, all of that at one time or another. If you need to replace any of it later it will no doubt cost you more. Unless you need the money for food, do not sell anything. It will all wait for you to get around to using it.

If you have to, sell it all except the 80, one body, and one back. Keep a second back and the doubler if possible. This is a great kit and more than adequate for most.

Keep your lenses. You have made a wise choice on your bodies and system. You've bled once, now learn to use them all. You have a system that is proven, and IMHO the best there is. (I'm biased ) and you have a back up body incase one has problems and you can keep on going while one is out for a CLA.

I think the majority of work can be handled with the 50, 80, and 150. It will pack down fairly small. I can get those lenses, one 500 c/m body with WLF and 2 x A12 backs, Gossen Lunasix 3S meter, plus 15 rolls of film, and hoods and filters into a small Lowepro (Orion AW) belt pack that is adaptable into a backpack. It's in my car all the time and ready to roll at a moments notice.

As these are the older lenses, you really need to use them regularly or as some say exercise them. If they need a CLA, do it now while parts are still available.

I agree with 2F2F on the 50 & 120mm lenses. It would be similar to a 35mm kit with 35 & 90.
The extension tube + 150 make a great portrait combination though. Normal lenses & I don't see the same but the 80 is a 2.8 & compared to the others a fast lens.

If you want a more flexible outfit and are happy on a tripod or with lights, the 50 and 120mm will do pretty much everything. Personally, I'd keep the 50, 80 and 150mm. The 120mm is worth the most so I'd sell that. If you still need to raise more money, you could sell that you use the least...which you'll know better when you've had a chance to use it.

I would recommend that you keep all of them.

Or 50 and 80

Or 50, 80, and 150

I understand the problem of being camera rich and short on cash while in college, but consider that you will be letting go of a lens(es) for less than it will take for you to buy them back. I think you should save them and find other ways to raise cash.

Steve

The 80mm will be the easiest and cheapest to buy again later, so that is the one I would sell first (along with the 2nd body).

Keep the rest - maybe you can earn a little money with them.

Matt

Well, not to be contrarian, but the 80 would be first on my list to keep. It has the widest aperture of the bunch, and sometimes having that extra stop is important. From a personal standpoint, I would also keep the 50. I absolutely fell in love with that lens when I bought it and now use it the most. I'm just a wide angle kind of girl. So, if you could only keep two then those would be it. If you can keep a third, make it the 120, the macro is really nice to have especially since the other two lenses don't focus that close. You probably only need one body, and I would highly recommend having at least two film backs. Also consider selling the extension tubes. While they can certainly be useful, if you're really just beginning take some time to learn how to use everything else inside and out before you start futzing with all that because it can get truly confusing at times.

Actually, unless you really want to do a lot of macro work, I'd get rid of the 120. You can accomplish the close-focusing with the 80 or the 150 by getting an extension tube or two for a fraction of the price of the 120, and the 120 is a very unflattering portrait lens because it produces some rather harsh bokeh at non-closeup distances (bokeh being a japanese term for the quality of out-of-focus areas).

TheFlyingCamera said:

Actually, unless you really want to do a lot of macro work, I'd get rid of the 120. You can accomplish the close-focusing with the 80 or the 150 by getting an extension tube or two for a fraction of the price of the 120, and the 120 is a very unflattering portrait lens because it produces some rather harsh bokeh at non-closeup distances (bokeh being a japanese term for the quality of out-of-focus areas).

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Exactly what I was thinking. The 120mm is the most limited. Yet it's expensive. Thus for me, it would be the first one to go. I'd keep the rest, if possible. Then you'd have a wide, a normal and a portrait/short tele. If you can only keep two, sell the 50mm too. The 80mm and the 150mm are worth the least, but you probably will use them the most. If you want one lens only, then keep the 80mm normal lens, a good place to start.

But you've got the lenses already. It seems silly to sell them right away. Summer's not a great time to sell anyway. Give yourself a month with a dream kit, shoot a bunch of film and see what works for you.

-Laura

That kit is overkill man.. I guess that's my nice way of saying that i'm somewhat jealous. I've only one body, one back, one lens, etc.

Makro Planars go for a pretty good price. I'd love one, myself, but can't afford it any time soon.

The best piece of kit for me was a good lens hood.

Nice...
If it were me, and I was going to be doing lots of portraits as you say, I would keep the 150 and then sell the other bits in the following order (if you really must sell anything):

2nd body (sell first)
120
50
2nd back
80 (sell last)

But then I am me, and you are you
Try to keep it all if you can.

Ian

These guys are all right. Sell the Porsche first; then the Rolls and then what ever else you've got. But keep these lenses. they are a planned gift from Heaven and a message is attached. These are your tools with which you can conquer new worlds. You will need them. Replacing them and you will have to do this later on will be expensive and the replacements may not be as good as what you already have. Go forth and photograph!
Logan

Indeed.

If you must sell anything, sell the second body. There is no need to have two.
I'd let the Komura go too. But it will not fetch much, so you might as well keep it.

But if it absolutely must be a lens, it would be either the 120 or 150. Grab a coin and toss.
It was mentioned that it will cost more to get the 120 back later, so maybe, on that basis, the 150.

I think you ought to sell the 120mm and the extra body. That will get the most cash for the least loss of utility. The extension tube and the 2x extender won’t bring anything in comparison to their usefulness, you need at least one body and the other three lenses are basic kit for a Hasselblad. If you still have to sell something, then, sell the 150 and, after that, the 50mm. That would leave you with a body, a normal lens that can be doubled to 160 and the extension tube that can be used for macro.

Frankly, at your age and in your position, you need to be worrying about other things than this kit. If I were you, I would sell it all and concentrate on doing whatever it is that you have to do to complete your studies. As it is, the kit is an expensive distraction that you cannot afford. If you really want to learn about film, about the basics, you can do that with a 35mm camera and a meter that will read incident and reflected light and has a spot metering attachment. You get a lot more practice with 36 frames to a roll for the same amount of processing time and money that you only get 12 frames for with the 120 roll in the Hasselblad and the same economy of scale applies to everything else that you might need to learn about film and how to use it when using a 35mm vs. a 6x6 camera.

So, yes, you will not get anywhere near what it will take to replace the Hasselblad and it is a lousy time to sell it, but that is not what is important to you at this time in your life. Concentrate on doing what you have to in order to get yourself to where you can do what you want in life and the cost replacing the Hasselblad will not be a problem. If you need a film camera, sell the Hasselblad kit, get a small, manual 35mm SLR with a fast, normal, lens (a 50mm f1.4, for example) and something like a Minolta IV F light meter with a 5 degree spot attachment. Get the best lens you can and stay away from programmed, automated anything. An electronic shutter that is infinitely variable within its range would be a good thing, but not a requirement.

Basically, you need a body with an accurate shutter, a good lens that is as fast as you can afford and a meter. On KEH, today, you can buy a Minolta X-700 with a 50mm f1.4 lens, both in excellent condition, for $200, shipped. Watch for a Minolta IV F with a 5 degree spot meter on eBay, but it is not necessary. May not be everyone’s dream system, but it will certainly do everything you need it for and it will do it for a lot less in film and processing costs than what you have. Figure out who and what you want to be; if school will help you get there, fine, do what your instructors require and finish it.

Looks like you've already got the setup which most MF shooters long for. Don't sell a single lens. These have you covered for just about every contingency. Wide-angle to portrait. These are certainly what I look for in a complete kit. You're already ahead of the game, don't shoot yourself in the foot.

There you are: at your time of life, you need a Minolta...