Hasselblad 501CM Review

[boomguy57]

Hi Trevor, nice write up. If I may add, somehow the photos are compressed, enough to make me think 'Is this really what a Hasselblad and Zeiss lenses can do?'
But upon further reading, I clicked the sample images at the bottom, and it's showing that great details we expect from a 6x6. So you might want to check your Wordpress settings or something, I'm not too well versed in this.
Again, thanks for the review!

Yes, they are compressed so that I don't take up too much space. Uploading full-res samples eats up a lot of the space that Wordpress allows me for storing photos. I'm glad you still enjoyed them, however.

I have to say, full-res they are truly impressive, and you can get a pretty good idea of that from the smaller samples even IMO.

 

[bigeye]

Trevor, good intro piece. I'd add as a "pro" that flash sync goes to 1/500, one of the more significant advantages if you need it.

- Charlie

PS: you might want to run some slide film through it...

 

[robert blu]

An interesting "dangerous" report and a very good book. Bravo and Thank you!
robert

 

[elmarman]

I waited over 40 years before I took the plunge to get a Hasselblad -- it cost me most of my 'Retirement Pension Lump Sum' but it WAS in between marriages so I was on my own !! It was a new 501CM 2002 -- the A12 back jammed up on a trip to Austria and cost me a CLA on return -- I bought a good quality A16 back from a dealer and another A16 off E-bay -- well used and an A24 back off e-bay -- those backs soon developed LIGHT LEAKS and the A24 JAMS up after frame 2 and I have to take it off and wind on manually -- not so impressed so far -- also, I found the 80mm f2.8 CFE Planar is NOT as sharp as the 75mm f3.5 Planar on my Rolleiflexes -- I also have the 50mm f4 CFi Distagon T* and the 180mm f4 CFi Sonnar T* -- the Distagon has the 'Floating Eelement' adjustment -- supposed to give sharper results over a wider range of focussed distance. Well, on some shots even on tripod the sharpness is not so god and at f32 stopped down falls off badly.
Here are some sample photos ---

199 Steps by pentaxpete, on Flickr

Dave 29 by pentaxpete, on Flickr

Fishy Friends by pentaxpete, on Flickr

 

[x-ray]

I'm a longtime Hasselblad user. I use a 501cm and have a couple other bodies.

Pros:

Fully digital compatible. I use a CFV39 back on mine and it's seamless in fit comparability. Just snap it on and shoot.

Gliding mirror in the 501cm so you see all the image in the VF. The 500cm doesn't have this and lenses over 150 cut off part of the image in the VF due to the under size mirror. Big plus for the 501cm.

Built to take day in and day out heavy pro use for decades.

Plenty of parts available for repairs even the old 500c bodies.

The Zeiss lenses are spectacular and some of the best for any system.

Hasselblad is a first rate company and still service the 500 series and still offer a digital back. How many companies still service fifty year old cameras and offer a digital upgrade? Hasselblad has reps that actually contact their customers just like the old days. You can call Hasselblad and get answers to questions and purchase refurbished gear direct from them if you don't have a dealer near. I just purchased a refurb Imacon 848 direct. You get very personal service and I had my scanner in three days including a second and final checkup before shipping. They want everything to be top notch for their customers.

Finally its sort of repeating the above but Hasselblad values each and every customer and goes out of their way to please. How refreshing in this day and time. Just like the old days.

 

[azzurri]

nice and simple review trevor. and love the photos. the overall feel and colours (or lack of it in some) are beautiful. think you quite nailed the beauty of the hassey - basic, robust and so capable of beautiful pictures in capable hands.

just a note, a rough conversion of the focal length to 35mm is closer to 0.6 rather than half

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I waited over 40 years before I took the plunge to get a Hasselblad -- it cost me most of my 'Retirement Pension Lump Sum' but it WAS in between marriages so I was on my own !! It was a new 501CM 2002 -- the A12 back jammed up on a trip to Austria and cost me a CLA on return -- I bought a good quality A16 back from a dealer and another A16 off E-bay -- well used and an A24 back off e-bay -- those backs soon developed LIGHT LEAKS and the A24 JAMS up after frame 2 and I have to take it off and wind on manually -- not so impressed so far -- also, I found the 80mm f2.8 CFE Planar is NOT as sharp as the 75mm f3.5 Planar on my Rolleiflexes -- I also have the 50mm f4 CFi Distagon T* and the 180mm f4 CFi Sonnar T* -- the Distagon has the 'Floating Eelement' adjustment -- supposed to give sharper results over a wider range of focussed distance. Well, on some shots even on tripod the sharpness is not so god and at f32 stopped down falls off badly.

All lenses lose a lot of sharpness at f32. Its caused by diffraction, an optical effect that no lens can escape from at small apertures. If you ever shoot 4x5, you'll mostly be using lenses stopped down to f32, 45, or 64, because the long lenses (210mm is a pretty standard 4x5 lens) have little depth of field, and the negs are very soft compared to what you get with a 35mm camera...yet the prints look better from the 'unsharp' 4x5. Same goes for Hasselblad. The big film still gives higher detail resolution.

The 75mm Planar on Rollei TLR is a little sharper than the 80mm f2.8 Planar on Hasselblads (Or Rollei SLRs...they use the same lens design) because the TLR version is actually a different lens design. The one for the SLRs is slightly retrofocus to allow space behind the lens for the mirror. It has more lens elements than the TLR Planar.

Old Hasselblad backs always need CLA, you should never expect to buy a used film back that was likely used professionally and expect it to just work. With regular service, Hasselblads work forever, but most were used professionally in bust studios so they do need regular services.

 

[boomguy57]

Thanks for all the feedback, y'all! I'm by no means an expert on Hasselblads, but just wanted to share my impressions after using it for a few months, and show some images I have made with it.