A Hasselblad, more than 40 years after first looking.

colker said:
I find the Rollei TLR a quintessential camera.

It´s perfect and i am not even talking about the optics. Most cameras have excellent optics. It´s the design, the concept:

It´s a light, small camera (for a 120 film camera). It´s silent. Its ergonomics are brilliant.

Usually you shoot Rolleis w/ an assistant. You shoot them quick, very quick.. when you finish the film, your assistant throws another body at your hands.

Ok.. i will talk about the optics.. there is some magic in those lenses and how they deal w/ space, groups of people and portraits. The Rollei is a people´s camera. Even more than Leica. Rollei is about humanity, about how we look and how we gather around each other. Just look at Penn´s book: worlds within a small room. Penn writes a chapter on the book about the camera! He acknowledges the camera as truly important for those images. I never saw that happen in any other masterful photo book.
I had to have a Rollei because of Penn and made sure to buy a 3.5 because that was the lens he used. Not the big 2.8.
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Beautifully said. And I agree about the 3.5.
 
I have a confession.
After less than a year of ownership I no longer have my Hasselblad. It’s a great camera, but in the end not for me. It usually takes owning and using a camera for a while to see if it is for you. It was always a dream camera, but dreams do not always align with reality. I’m glad I had the experience, and I loved the images that I got from it.
I can’t believe this, but for the first time in over a decade I didn’t have a film camera. A weird experience.
 
Maybe you all saw this about one of the most famous Hasselblad shots ever? The Sonnar 250 for this one. It’s a tribute to the camera you have with you, the merits of being organised, the value of exposure tables over light meters and disobeying plans and schedules. And bracketing with colour reversal film.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LHbFIieK-uo#
 
Richard G said:
Maybe you all saw this about one of the most famous Hasselblad shots ever? The Sonnar 250 for this one. It’s a tribute to the camera you have with you, the merits of being organised, the value of exposure tables over light meters and disobeying plans and schedules. And bracketing with colour reversal film.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LHbFIieK-uo#
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If ever a photo was about being in the right place at the right time! Love that image.
 
Hasselblad was always my "dream" camera.
Having to use Advertising agencies models,
with incorrect inserts in magazines, lenses mis-used,
easy risk of jams and horrible loading of film after my Rollei Automat..
I would pass my studio, pick up my Mamiya C3,33 or 330 as time went by..
65mm, 80mm, 135mm and ultra sharp (too sharp) 180mm..
use that inplace of Hassie.
Only once was questioned no "cut outs" on positives or negatives..
"I taped over!" said the liar.
Mamiya was great but no match for Hasselblad lenses..
Pentax 6x7 offered way larger format and easy framing with prism, standard equipment.
Traded 6x7 and lenses to Sammy's in LA for my M6ttl.
Medium format covered by Penn's choice, Rollei Automat 75mm Tessar.
 
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Hasselblad was my dream camera for decades, too. But now that I could easily afford one, I realized that I don't like the square 6x6 format, so I bought a Mamiya RZ 67 with three lenses. Contrary to what is stated above, Mamiya Sekor Z lenses are fantastic!
 
My Uncle Ned Westover used Hasselblads in the 1960s on his photo travels all over the world. I never dreamed I would be able to afford one, but prices are now fairly reasonable.

I joined the Hassy posse in 2017 when I got a 500 c/m with the 80 Planar from a member here. Got an extra A12 back and then got a new tripod for Christmas, with a Manfrotto ball head with quick release plate. Went out yesterday and shot three rolls of Portra 400 at the "golden hour" along the American River in Sacramento. Everything fell into place, and I look forward to more landscape photography with this kit.

I've got a Rolleiflex Automat and a Rolleicord, and they're wonderful cameras and much lighter to carry than the Hasselblad, but the Hassy works beautifully as a camera for use on a tripod. It slows down the process of picture taking, as people have noted above, which for certain kinds of work is a good thing.
 
Richard G said:
Got to try these things Michael. Not all will stick. I'm not bored yet.
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I’m glad your not bored, I’m still loving your journey! I didn’t get bored, it just wasn’t getting used. I don’t like having things around that don’t get used, I’d prefer to pass it on and someone else can enjoy it.
 
Bingley said:
My Uncle Ned Westover used Hasselblads in the 1960s on his photo travels all over the world. I never dreamed I would be able to afford one, but prices are now fairly reasonable.

I joined the Hassy posse in 2017 when I got a 500 c/m with the 80 Planar from a member here. Got an extra A12 back and then got a new tripod for Christmas, with a Manfrotto ball head with quick release plate. Went out yesterday and shot three rolls of Portra 400 at the "golden hour" along the American River in Sacramento. Everything fell into place, and I look forward to more landscape photography with this kit.

I've got a Rolleiflex Automat and a Rolleicord, and they're wonderful cameras and much lighter to carry than the Hasselblad, but the Hassy works beautifully as a camera for use on a tripod. It slows down the process of picture taking, as people have noted above, which for certain kinds of work is a good thing.
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Great James. I’ll look out for those in the Gallery. I’m back to using the Automat now too. Sweet camera and the Rolleinars are fun.
 
Can't not get the Hasselblad out when there's tullps on the hearth...

This is the 150 Sonnar. I see more in this than I saw in the flesh as it were. The tones in those petals are wondrous. Slightly out of date Velvia 100. Sturdy tripod, mirror and body shutter pre-release, cable release. Probably 1 second at f11.

U28906I1562726215.SEQ.0.jpg
 
Richard G said:
Can't not get the Hasselblad out when there's tullps on the hearth...

This is the 150 C Sonnar. I see more in this than I saw in the flesh as it were. The tones in those petals are wondrous. Slightly out of date Velvia 100. Sturdy tripod, mirror and body shutter pre-release, cable release. Probably 1 second at f11.
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Beautiful, Richard!
 
Lovely flowers!

I must get my Hasselblad 500CM out and do some shooting with it. It is such a wonderful camera ... I've been concentrating on other things for a while now, it's time to revisit this one.

Particularly as I contemplate buying Hasselblad's new CFV50c II digital back that was announced for it... 🙂

G
 
Thanks John and Godfrey. The dance of the technology is very calming and absorbing. I was photographing some lovely little daisies in front of a neighbour’s house with the Rolleiflex a few years ago. He was the Premier of our state. He and his wife returned from an outing with me hunched over my camera and tripod in front of their house. I apologized for the appearance of a stake-out. His wife asked if I’m interested in flowers. I said that it was more the photography I was interested in. But she was right. And it’s tulips most of all.
 
Richard G said:
And thanks for the update on the new CFV50 II Godfrey.

Old meets new in this video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gNJPmk5wIHw

I nearly bought a Phase One back second hand. It was just too heavy. And the format is not square. And I love the film, itself, the loading and the 12 shots only, and the waiting. But this new back is tempting indeed.
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I enjoy shooting with film. I just know that I'm much more productive with digital capture, and can do more because of it. It's not really a matter of how many exposures ...I often go out for a session and come back with two or three exposures. 🙂

I would mostly fit a square frame crop in the viewfinder, rendering my Hasselblad to be a 33x33 camera rather than 56x56. If I then drop down one lens in my range of lenses (50, 80, 120, 150 mm), I get the same approximate FoV range I have now minus the wide and plus a longer tele. If I want a wider lens, the 907x body and XCD 21mm lens beckons.

I'm more than just tempted. Waiting for the back and the 907x body to become available so I can set up a demo and test it out to see how it works... 🙂

G
 
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