Do I really want a Hasselblad 500c/m?

[Phantomas]

Rolleiflex is not a Hasselblad (I own both).
Get a Hassie, it's one thing that I can advise with certainty. It's a hellova camera and produces hellova photos. When I saw my first roll out of the Hassie I said to myself that this is one camera I will always own. I still stand behind that sentiment.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Meh. Step out of the 19th Century and try a Rolleiflex 6x6 SLR instead. 😉

 

[ROOOO]

I bought a 500cm to accompany my M3 as I really like medium format and mechanical cameras. It's been a great experience, with the 80mm it really is easy to carry around and use. There's lots about the Hasselblad which is really well thought out and makes it a delight to use - such as the EV setting on the lens which once set to the meter means you can change the shutter and aperture together to have an easy choice of exposures at the same value.

One thing to note though, is that whilst the 80mm is a relatively lightweight lens the other lenses I have - a 50mm and 150mm - are much heavier and substantial and carrying a full set of gear, plus spare backs, lenshoods etc soon becomes heavy.

Worth it though for the sheer quality of the pictures you can produce from a combination of the quality of the kit and the tonality of the medium format film.

Thanks! Good to know that it's possible to carry this thing around without too much trouble. I don't think I would use any lens other than the 80mm. I've bought different focal lengths for my M cameras and ended up selling them because I always use the 50mm Summicron.

In response to some of the other comments, I think I'll need to go find out and try it out to see if the shutter sound is going to be a deal-breaker.

 

[mfogiel]

For what you want to do, Hasselblad is useless. You will be much better off with a 2.8 Rolleiflex, posibly coupled with the pentaprism and hand grip. It will let you shoot down to 1/30th without much shake, and in silence. I have both the Hasselblad system and the Rolleiflex F, so I know what I am talking about. Hasselblad is great for studio and landscape work, and you can also use it at the events, but you definitely need a flash. (Not that a flash with the Rollei makes any harm either...)
Take a look here:
http://ultimospettacolo.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/la-dolce-vita-paparazzi.jpg

And take a look at this image by Ted Croner, who was using a TLR for his NY street shots:

http://www.artknowledgenews.com/files2010jan/Ted-Croner-New-York.jpg

Not to mention Vivian Mayer, Doisenau or Bishoff

 

[mani]

LOVE my 500cm - something really satisfying and tactile about the whole experience of using it. I haven't given up on my Leicas either - they have a completely different place and function.

Still - the shutter clack is extremely loud in comparison with a film M. My 2-year old daughter says 'ooh' every time I take a shot with it. 🙂

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Just budget for a Bright Screen. Blad's have miserably dark finders. Top notch image quality, though. Like a Leica, as Keith said, if you are lusting for a Blad, just buy it and get it out of your system! 🙂

 

[Armoured]

I completely agree with those who say try a modest TLR first - Yashica, Minolta, Rolleicord, Ricoh, even a Rolleiflex first. They are much less obtrusive, quieter, and simpler (read: much more likely to work with no issues). This will at least allow you to try out and see whether the developing/film/scanning issues with 120 work for you.

That said, I've got the same desire for a Hassey and will eventually dive in. I've used the Kiev system and despite its foibles, I like it - it's just different from the TLRs.

Something about the big SLRs including Hasseys scream 'photographer' to many subjects - which works sometimes, and at other times is a burden. The bazooka shutter then scares off the second group completely. TLRs sort of whisper 'non-threatening addled in the head amateur' - which works for me, and the shutter is so quiet you can truly be unobtrusive.

There's no reason you can't get both, and if you want it, you probably will eventually. I'm just suggesting start with the TLR first based on what you're using now.

 

[Re Konn]

I went through the same GAS attack you did a few years ago for the same reasons. As much as I loved the 'Blad system I ended up selling it as I personally found it a little too slow and bulky for my street needs.

I did end up loving the square format and now find myself using a couple of older Agfa folders - an Isolette III and Super Isolette whenever I have the square itch. They're nice and compact. The lens quality of the Agfas probably doesn't come close to the Hassey lenses in any sort of clinical/MTF chart mumbo jumbo comparison but it's definitely sharp enough for what I need.

Take Keith's advice. Buy it and try it. If you end up liking it then life is grand. If not you'll definitely be able to easily sell it off.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Lovely little camera with the 80/2.8: rather big and awkward with anything else. I had one for a few years but sold it purely for commercial reasons: art directors are famous for heroically unsympathetic cropping, and book designers are even worse, so I went to 6x7 in order that they'd have SOME idea of what the picture was supposed to look like on the page. I regretted it for a while but when, three or four years back, I was loaned another, I was totally cured of that.

Suggesting a TLR instead of a Hasselblad makes as much sense to me as suggesting a Range Rover instead of a Jaguar, or vice versa. They're so different that I'd never consider them in the same breath. Indeed, I'd recommend a 'baby' Linhof if you just want top-quality LF and don't care what camera you use.

Cheers,

R.

 

[mani]

One thing I forgot to add - one of the things I particularly like about the Hassy system is that you can add extension tubes for a macro/close-up/portrait set-up with just the one lens: if I add an 8 or 10 extension, the 80mm becomes a great close-up portrait lens, adding a 16 or 21 makes it a super macro.

No connection with this photographer - but a great example here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabroadbank/3366596538/

 

[biakalt]

I just bought the 500C/M a month ago and really love it. But I doubt it'll replace my Leica 🙂
buying into the new system theres lot of add-on and gear I have to consider to buy,
.new medium format scanner
.lens - i'm just gonna stick with the 80/2.8 for now which is great lens
.back (magazine)
.tripod
.filters
...
oh and FILM of course. Hassy eats film like no other

but I enjoy the medium format SLR approach, sharpness, clarity, great tonal transition. I've only used it for still life, landscape, cityscape so far, haven't took it on street yet - which is a hassle.

 

[zachary]

I always pick my 500c/m over my other MF gear, such a beautiful camera to use. Drives the ladies wild as well 😉

 

[thegman]

Love my Hasselblad, but I'm far from convinced it's that great for handheld use. Maybe you just need to get used to it, but I find it a pain to meter for handheld, but if you're happy with Sunny 16, maybe give it a try.

 

[Armoured]

Suggesting a TLR instead of a Hasselblad makes as much sense to me as suggesting a Range Rover instead of a Jaguar, or vice versa. They're so different that I'd never consider them in the same breath. Indeed, I'd recommend a 'baby' Linhof if you just want top-quality LF and don't care what camera you use.

But if someone's used to driving a mini and planning to drive it in a city center, they might find the handling of the Rover unmanageable.

Very different cameras, of course; but given what the OP mentioned as what he does now, a not unreasonable suggestion.

And no reason to do only one of the two; fortunately, they're both less expensive than most cars.

 

[Mackinaw]

My advice, go for it. 120 has a look unto it's own.

As for street photography with a 120 SLR, in the summertime, I often walk the local streets with my Rolleiflex 6006. Big and loud as it is (built-in motor film advance), the truth is there's often enough background street noise to drown my Rolleiflex out.
Very few people look up when I hit the shutter button. And for those that do notice, most are just curious about my old film camera.

Jim B.

 

[ChipMcD]

A Hasselblad 500 series is a great camera with a great lens, but it is a clunky, slow camera. I use mine almost exclusively on a tripod. The Hasselblad SWC, however, is great for street shooting, and the 38mm Biogon is a mind blowing wide angle lens. It's my favorite camera. Look at the SWC group on Flickr.

If you want a "normal" lens for the street, look at Mamiya 6, 7 or 7ii rangefinders. All have really great optics and will not seem too much different from your Leicas. Don't discount old 120 Zeiss, Voigtlander and other German folders. They mostly have 4 element Tessar style lenses, but are not as rigid and precise or as fast as modern rangefinders. But where else can you get a 6x9 image for a couple of hundred bucks?

Finally, as others here have suggested, TLRs, with a style adaptation, can be used on the street. Rolleiflexes sport either Zeiss Planar lenses, like the Hassy, or Tessars (or the Schneider counterparts to those lenses). YashicaMats have Tessar knockoffs that are very sharp from about f8 up. I have not used Mamiya TLRS, but lots of folks do, and they even have interchangeable lenses and a bellows.

Lots of opyions at lots of price points out there for medium format, and you'll be blown away at the quality of those big negs or slides. Have fun.

 

[Roger Hicks]

A Hasselblad 500 series is a great camera with a great lens, but it is a clunky, slow camera. I use mine almost exclusively on a tripod. The Hasselblad SWC, however, is great for street shooting, and the 38mm Biogon is a mind blowing wide angle lens. It's my favorite camera. Look at the SWC group on Flickr.

If you want a "normal" lens for the street, look at Mamiya 6, 7 or 7ii rangefinders. All have really great optics and will not seem too much different from your Leicas. Don't discount old 120 Zeiss, Voigtlander and other German folders. They mostly have 4 element Tessar style lenses, but are not as rigid and precise or as fast as modern rangefinders. But where else can you get a 6x9 image for a couple of hundred bucks?

Finally, as others here have suggested, TLRs, with a style adaptation, can be used on the street. Rolleiflexes sport either Zeiss Planar lenses, like the Hassy, or Tessars (or the Schneider counterparts to those lenses). YashicaMats have Tessar knockoffs that are very sharp from about f8 up. I have not used Mamiya TLRS, but lots of folks do, and they even have interchangeable lenses and a bellows.

Lots of options at lots of price points out there for medium format, and you'll be blown away at the quality of those big negs or slides. Have fun.

Agreed, but it's even more incredible on Alpa 66x44mm, partly because of the format (where it's pretty much an exact 21mm equivalent) and partly because an Alpa 12 WA is MUCH easier to hold still. I keep meaning to ask Alpa to make me an A4-dimension mask with an 80mm diagonal.

Of course, only 100 Alpa-fit Biogons were ever mounted, and I have 1% of them...

Cheers,

R.

 

[pagpow]

I with ChipMcD and Roger on this one. Until they chimed in I could not understand why no-one had mentioned the Mamiya 6 or 7 or the Fuji Texas Leicas.

Seems there are two or three things going on here --

1) shooting habits and targets ==> seem better suited to MF RFs or scale like the Alpa

2) medium format ==> can go to any of the options discussed, not just the Hassy

3) Hassy lust ==> can only be satisfied by a Hassy, we are told

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to figure out which of these hungers dominate.

And did you think people on RFF would actually talk you out of buying gear?

Giorgio
"The best way to eliminate temptation is to yield to it."

 

[ChipMcD]

Agreed, but it's even more incredible on Alpa 66x44mm, partly because of the format (where it's pretty much an exact 21mm equivalent) and partly because an Alpa 12 WA is MUCH easier to hold still. I keep meaning to ask Alpa to make me an A4-dimension mask with an 80mm diagonal.

Of course, only 100 Alpa-fit Biogons were ever mounted, and I have 1% of them...

Cheers,

R.

Roger,

You are probably right, but even as profligate a photo spender as I has a limit. I managed to fight off Alpa GAS once, so get thee behind me Satan! ;-)

Chip

 

[Roger Hicks]

Roger,

You are probably right, but even as profligate a photo spender as I has a limit. I managed to fight off Alpa GAS once, so get thee behind me Satan! ;-)

Chip

Dear Chip,

I am behind thee... I am behind thee... I am creeping up on thee...

Now I'll make it worse. Frances prefers the 35/5.6 on her 12S/WA, shooting on 6x9cm. Not as good a lens, but a LOT more real estate (56x84mm instead of 44x66mm) AND you get a small amount of shift...

Cheers,

R.