Does a Hasselblad SWC qualify as RFF gear ?

[Hektor]

I've got a 1954 Superwide which I had cla'd last year.
Does it qualify for RFF or shall I stick to my IIIa with 50/F2.5

Regards John C, U.K.

 

[Hektor]

Hi ManGo, Hmmm, It's definately not a reflex cause it doesn't have a mirror. It uses a direct vision view finder and scale focussing. You could use an accessory rangefinder with it, and I do have one, but the lens is 38mm on 120 film so DoF is good even wide open at F4.5.

I'm thinking of having a go with Delta3200, what do you think ?

It does feel a bit deviant saying "Hasselblad" on RFF, But I like to think of it more as a "Zeiss" with a Swedish back on it. I heard that Zeiss built most of the early ones and then sent them to Hasselblad to have the backs put on.

Regards John C.

 

[rover]

It does feel a bit deviant saying "Hasselblad" on RFF, But I like to think of it more as a "Zeiss" with a Swedish back on it.

I never thought of it that way, so true.

I vote to let'er in, but I am pretty liberal you know.

 

[Hektor]

Her's a rough and ready digipic if anyone wants to look.
I,m new to all this and don't really know how to work RFF yet. If I mess up please forgive and advise me. I'm definately a filmosaurus.

later edit: I tried to upload an attachment but I don't know whether it has worked, Oh well here goes...

 

[phototone]

The SWC is a "Viewfinder" camera, with guess focus. You view through the top-shoe mounted viewfinder. I sure wish I still had one. It is a "brother" to rangefinder cameras. If you take the VC 12mm, 15mm, or 25mm lens and put it on your Voigtlander, or Leica then you have the same concept, because these lenses are not rangefinder coupled. The Zeiss lens on the SWC is one of the absolutely sharpest super-wide angle lenses for medium-format film.

The SWC is a worthy companion to those that work with RFDR cameras. It should be welcome here. Also, not all Leica thread mount cameras have a rangefinder, you know. I believe the Russian "MIR" camera just has a viewfinder. The original Barnack Leica was just a viewfinder camera. You could purchase a shoe-mounted auxiliary rangefinder to use though, as you could do for this SWC.

 

[Doug]

As a "direct view" camera that doesn't view a projected image on ground glass or LCD, I'd say it qualifies, certainly as much as a Bessa-L does. And I'd say this equally opens the door to the Nikon F with the special versions of Voigtlander wide angles and viewfinder base that replaces the pentaprism! 😀