Hi Jake,
You're quite right with the above. Basically you get to have your cake and eat it too. All the benefits of a focal plane shutter and lens shutter, according to which one you want to use.
I'm sure you've already seen it, but, just in case you may retrieve the original instruction manual here:
http://www.butkus.org/chinon/hasselblad/hasselblad_2000fc/hasselblad_2000fc.htm
The shutter curtains are probably the biggest concern. I've been watching a few examples of this model over the years and they're quite affordable. But it seems many advertised have curtain issues. I only say this because, the examples I've watched on eBay have nearly always had creases or wrinkles in the curtains which have been visible in the listing images. I'd probably own one with minor imperfections in the curtain foil at the right price, but that price would be tempered by the knowledge that eventually, problems would occur.
Regarding your concerns about the rear shutter of your EL, it's nowhere near as fragile as a proper focal plane shutter. Yes of course you don't want to bang magazines into it, but if you did it would have to be a good whack near one of the hinges, I reckon, to actually cause immediate damage. Still, I applaud your diligence in caring for your equipment. It's usually better to be too careful, than not careful enough, yes?
But bear in mind that it's not necessary to remove a back at all to re-load it. You can easily leave the shell attached to a body and just remove the insert to unload and re-load. I do this with my 500C/M if I'm walking about, simply because it means there is one less thing to have to try and hold when re-loading on the move. You can do it with the dark slide inserted or removed (providing the slide has been installed the correct way with the curl at the handle towards the lens, that is).
With a 2000FC model, the obvious appeal of using the camera this way is that, (providing, of course, you don't need to change films mid-roll) you can completely sidestep any risk of damage to the curtains. Though, from what you've said, Jake, you're being so careful that I doubt you're the sort of owner who'd be likely to trash a curtain anyway.
Douglas Fairbanks or his son Jeffrey at
Classic V are the people in the UK to get the best information about the 2000FC from. I'm pretty sure replacement curtains have not been available for some years, but they'll be able to confirm this if you're seriously considering buying one. Douglas actually successfully converted one of his to cloth curtains some years ago, but it's not a service he's offering or even willing to do for owners, so please don't ask him to! He's always been very helpful to Hassy owners, though, so may be prepared to talk about what was involved. I mention it only because if you decide to buy one and it endears itself to you sufficiently, *if* you can find a technician who is up for non-routine modifications and likes a challenge, it would be one way of making a 2000FC usable for some years ahead. But, it would cost you more than another standard body to have one converted and first, you would have to find someone willing to do the necessary work.
Cheers,
Brett
