Which Hasselblad to keep? 500c vs 501c

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crumpet8

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so I have two cameras at the moment and am going to sell one. Both work, but the 501c barn doors seem to be a little worse off for wear?

What are everyone's thoughts on this? Better to keep the one that is in better shape? Or the newer one as it still works. How bad do the barn doors look? Trying to avoid future repairs/save the repairing for as far into the future as possible :smile:
 

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jspillane

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501c is MUCH newer (decades newer) than a 500c. The 500c does not have an interchangable viewing screen, and the stock screen of the 501c will be of higher quality.

501c cannot change the winder (problematic for me as I use the meter winder when travelling). Condition is everything, but if both are operating normally the 501c is the better camera largely due to age (and it will fetch more on the used market).
At the end of the day, they are more the same than different...
 
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crumpet8

crumpet8

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501c is MUCH newer (decades newer) than a 500c. The 500c does not have an interchangable viewing screen, and the stock screen of the 501c will be of higher quality.

501c cannot change the winder (problematic for me as I use the meter winder when travelling). Condition is everything, but if both are operating normally the 501c is the better camera largely due to age (and it will fetch more on the used market).
At the end of the day, they are more the same than different...

My 500c has a screen that can be swapped out so Im able to get the best from both cameras into one. Mainly asking about the house itself and especially the barn doors. They clearly look a little scruffy. Side note.... How precise is the meter winder? I usually just carry my gossen lightmeter with me so probably wont get one, but you never know :smile:
 

jspillane

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Are you sure you have a 500c instead of a 500c/m? The serial number on the body indicates that it was made in 1972, which is a couple of years into c/m territory (the 500c was discontinued in 1969). I've heard that there are some 'late' 500c marked cameras with the interchangable screen (really just early production c/m's).

Your 501c was made in 1995, according to the serial number. So you can see, it is a much newer camera. Since the screens are interchangable, you can test which one you prefer and keep that (the 501c would have come with a Accu-Matte 'D' stock screen which is much brighter, but it could have been swapped out at some other point).

Honestly, the 500c/m and 501c are almost the same camera, except for age and the inability of the 501c to take alternative winders knobs. I personally love the meter knob, but it's accuracy is no comparable to a digital light meter - it is a (well made) older selenium style meter. It is plenty accurate for black & white negative, but if I were shooting transparency or highly detailed work, I would use something else. Most of the meter knobs you see on the used market are no longer functioning properly, so be sure to inspect and test before buying one.

Again, condition is everything, but the 501c is much younger, so unless you plan to use a different knob or prefer the chrome of the 500c/m, I would stick with the 501c.
Both sets of barndoors look better than my 500c from 1968, and I've never had a single problem with it... so I suspect you'll be just fine with either camera.

Honestly, I'd find it hard not to keep both to have one as a back-up!
 
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crumpet8

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Are you sure you has a back-up!

Must be one of those cross over models as it says 500c on the side. And yep, the screen is exactly why I picked up the newer model! Thanks so much for the comparison with your 500c, that helps greatly :smile: I noticed inside the 501 theres some cracking to the inner layer against the wall. anything to worry about?
 

jspillane

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The cracking on the inside of the body is the palpas coating cracking. Hasselblad added this coating to some of their later models to supposedly lower internal reflections and (perhaps) dampen sound. I haven't noticed any notable difference from the bodies I've used that have the palpas vs the ones that do not. Similar to the internal 'stray light absorption' done on the later CFi lenses, I suspect it is mostly marketing.

Unfortunately, the palpas becomes brittle and cracks over time- but I've never heard of it being anything other than a cosmetic issue (it's not damaging any of the mechanics). The older models like the 500c and 500c/m do not have the coating, so do not have the internal 'cracks' along the body. But really, the body itself is fine, it is just a layer on top of the metal which is cracking.

Someone else may have more knowledge on the subject than I, though...
 

TheToadMen

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Keep the newer 501. The 500 series are getting rather old and not all parts are/will be available for long.
 
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crumpet8

crumpet8

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I would keep them both. Should a repair become necessary for one you have a backup. Repairs as well as CLA can leave you without one for longer than you would like.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

I'd gladly keep them both but have too many cameras and too little money :/ Pentax 67, a horseman 45 and a digital dslr round out the rest of my kit. Not including the old folding camera (6x9) I have for holidays where I don't want to carry too much.

I also have access to another v series body if absolutely necessary...
 

Theo Sulphate

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Another vote for keeping both.
 

Chris Livsey

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If you need to liquidate for cash the 501 will bring considerably more.
I tend to look at the marks made by careless back attachment and both bodies look pretty good. All those newer doors have cracks and fissures really nothing to worry about, same on the inside coating.
Personally I would keep the 500 nostalgically it is the classic, the 501 was a "dumbing down" of the line, just my opinion of course and they are still a Hasselblad with no offence against their owners, if I found one at a good price I would not hesitate.
 

etn

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If you can afford it, keep both. If not, keep the one in better condition, or the one which might have a feature important to you. A few examples are: waist level finder old vs. new style (=a la Rolleiflex), which focusing screen (in particular if you cannot change it, but this seems not the case), etc.

Or, sell both and buy a more recent one, 503CW or 501CM. Those have the gliding mirror which can be useful if you use long lenses. They might also have less "mileage".
 

John Wiegerink

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My 500c has a screen that can be swapped out so Im able to get the best from both cameras into one. Mainly asking about the house itself and especially the barn doors. They clearly look a little scruffy. Side note.... How precise is the meter winder? I usually just carry my gossen lightmeter with me so probably wont get one, but you never know :smile:

I have the winding knob meter also and I'm amazed how accurate that old selenium meter still is. It's nice to be able to meter in incident or reflective mode with it. I have a very nice and very accurate Gossen Luna StarF digital meter and the two match exactly. Of course the Luna StarF will read in much lower light levels, but for any dawn to dusk shooting the winder meter works great and it's always with you.
 

KeithM

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My 500c has a screen that can be swapped out so Im able to get the best from both cameras into one. Mainly asking about the house itself and especially the barn doors. They clearly look a little scruffy. Side note.... How precise is the meter winder? I usually just carry my gossen lightmeter with me so probably wont get one, but you never know :smile:
Interesting about the screen. I took the plunge into the world of Hasselbad late last year with the purchase of a 1969 500C (TE 93195) and being a 500C assumed the screen was non-interchangeable. However, having read this thread I took a closer look just now. The screen is held in with four small screws, so does this put it into the 'interchangeable' category or is it merely 'disassemble for repair/servicing' ?

500CScreen_zpsx03ml5ef.jpg
View attachment 172948
 

mike c

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Those are the non-interchangeable, the interchangeable has two little clips that retract and the screen falls out.
Those four screws also adjust the focus of the screen, so unless you have the right tools (body gig, micro measuring tools) I would leave them to a tech. that does , as they adjust your focus.
 

Chris Livsey

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Interesting about the screen. I took the plunge into the world of Hasselbad late last year with the purchase of a 1969 500C (TE 93195) and being a 500C assumed the screen was non-interchangeable. However, having read this thread I took a closer look just now. The screen is held in with four small screws, so does this put it into the 'interchangeable' category or is it merely 'disassemble for repair/servicing' ?
View attachment 172948

The CM and late C models that have interchangeable screens have the two clips on each side of the screen holding it in place they are simply pushed in to release and change the screen. A user operation.
That is a standard C model, strictly speaking the screen can be replaced as you see being held in with the screws, as you say 'disassemble for repair/servicing'
The problems are: the screen is set on shims, and a spring which are required for calibration of the focus position, what screen are you going to use to replace?
The "modern" interchangeable screens do not fit (without surgery). Beattie certainly and probably others did make screens for the 500C but good luck finding one and a technician to calibrate the position.

Your screen looks very nice, leave well alone :wink:
 
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bdial

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The first Hasselblad I owned was a 500C and I changed the screen successfully on my own. It probably helped that at the time, I was not aware of the pitfalls:smile:, but no images were harmed in my doing it. This was back when the internet was a DARPA pipe dream.
Given that I replaced it with an easier to focus split image screen I like to think the images improved.
Changing a screen on a 500C isn't rocket science, but does require turning screws instead of sliding the little clips.
 

mike c

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bdial, I did the same with my 500c and got short of lucky, but when I took my 500cm in for a cleaning I mention to the Tech. at Sammys that I had dropped in a new acu-d screen. Right away he took the lens off and put the body into some kind of box frame and took some measurements and said I was OK, he said that even some of the 500cm drop in after market screens needed to be checked for alignment , later Hasselblad adopted the accumatt screen themselves.
 

Sirius Glass

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Mike at Samys adjusted the screen seating on my 503 CX. He did the same checks that he did for mike c.
 
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