Hasselblad Prism advice needed

lxmike

lxmike

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anyone own, use or indeed have any user knowledge on Hasselblad prisms, in the market for a plain prism for my 500c, any help gratefully appreciated
 
I've owned a couple of the NC-2 models, 45 degree prism. Both worked well, no separation or problems. I also had a Kiev prism of the same design and it wasn't as comfortable as the Hasselblad models- some cutoff if my eye was positioned properly, as I remember.

One of the NC-2 prisms looked like it had been through a sandblaster on the exterior. Still clean glass and worked well. I have the feeling cosmetics doesn't indicate much about function.

I picked up an NC-2 on Ebay for $15 and showed it to someone who had been shooting Hasselblad in the 60s and 70s. He almost cried as he told me about the $650 he paid for his.
 
Do you want a chimney style prism or a angle prism? Angle prisms are a good choice for both hand held and tripod use. The 45 degree is quite popular for it's versitlility and can be found with a meter. 90 degree finders bring the camera to eye level, all will provide some level of magnification. Be aware of problems older finders may have, haze, fungus and with angle finders, the possibility of mirror desilvering. Start by looking at the big auction site to get an idea of what is out there. Also check the big resellers like KEH or B&H photo. Good luck with your Hasselblad, I sold mine for a Leica.
 
Dan Daniel said:
I've owned a couple of the NC-2 models, 45 degree prism. Both worked well, no separation or problems. I also had a Kiev prism of the same design and it wasn't as comfortable as the Hasselblad models- some cutoff if my eye was positioned properly, as I remember.

One of the NC-2 prisms looked like it had been through a sandblaster on the exterior. Still clean glass and worked well. I have the feeling cosmetics doesn't indicate much about function.

I picked up an NC-2 on Ebay for $15 and showed it to someone who had been shooting Hasselblad in the 60s and 70s. He almost cried as he told me about the $650 he paid for his.
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thanks for the reply, l am searching ebay on a daily basis at the moment:D
 
I had a 45º, non-metered prism for my 500C/M and liked it very much. It seemed much more "natural" for me to focus with the prism as opposed to the waste-level finder, as I've been shooting SLR's for forty years. For me, it made shooting the Hasselblad like shooting a big SLR.
 
madNbad said:
Do you want a chimney style prism or a angle prism? Angle prisms are a good choice for both hand held and tripod use. The 45 degree is quite popular for it's versitlility and can be found with a meter. 90 degree finders bring the camera to eye level, all will provide some level of magnification. Be aware of problems older finders may have, haze, fungus and with angle finders, the possibility of mirror desilvering. Start by looking at the big auction site to get an idea of what is out there. Also check the big resellers like KEH or B&H photo. Good luck with your Hasselblad, I sold mine for a Leica.
Click to expand...


many thanks for suh an informative reply, l am following this on ebay the moment a hc-4
 

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Timmyjoe said:
I had a 45º, non-metered prism for my 500C/M and liked it very much. It seemed much more "natural" for me to focus with the prism as opposed to the waste-level finder, as I've been shooting SLR's for forty years. For me, it made shooting the Hasselblad like shooting a big SLR.
Click to expand...

thats what l hope to when l use a prism as a lot of my shooting has been either with rangefinders or slrs
 
I have the same sort of prism as Timmyjoe, but I prefer the WLF (larger, brighter image with magnifier making for easier focussing). To each his own :).
 
I still have a PM45 but rarely use it as the weight unbalances the camera when used with smaller lenses like the 60/80/100mm ; with a 150mm it feels better ; with the 50mm I use the side bubble level so the WLF wins out again.
Had a PM90 a long time ago - the small image and eye-level ergonomics never worked for me.

p.s. ffordes have a PM and a PME http://www.ffordes.com/category/Medium_Format/Hasselblad/V_Series/Finders/Screens
 
The 45 deg prism wins in my book. I would go with the NC-2 one, as the PM45 versions are heavier, and I have found the metered one difficult to calibrate properly. The 90 deg prism you were bidding on is somewhat a PITA to use, because your eye has to be centered dead spot on, else you don't see a thing. The PME 90 is better, but has slightly lower magnification. These prisms only make sense if you really need to shoot with the camera at eye level, otherwise the 45 deg prisms are more natural to use.
 
The HC4 is/was my choice. Doesn't work too well when wearing glasses however.
The waist level magnifier is great when the camera is on a tripod. Also, There is a 45 degree prism with a meter available that was made in Ukraine. I like it.
 
besk said:
The HC4 is/was my choice. Doesn't work too well when wearing glasses however.
The waist level magnifier is great when the camera is on a tripod. Also, There is a 45 degree prism with a meter available that was made in Ukraine. I like it.
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hmmmmm now you have me in deep thought, l wear glasses, was toying with the HC-4 but l am equally drawn to the nc-2:D is the later any good for specticle weares
 
Last Hasselblad I owned was a 503CW. I had the metered PME 45 degree angle finder for it but most often I found just using the waist level was less bothersome. My eyeglass prescription is fairly strong so when looking through the eyepiece of the finder I could see most but not all of the focusing screen and had to move my eye to see the corners. With the waist level it was easy enough to see the entire screen and the magnifier is great for fine focusing. Try working with just the waist level hood for a while. There are plenty of finders out there should you decide you really need one.
 
madNbad said:
Last Hasselblad I owned was a 503CW. I had the metered PME 45 degree angle finder for it but most often I found just using the waist level was less bothersome. My eyeglass prescription is fairly strong so when looking through the eyepiece of the finder I could see most but not all of the focusing screen and had to move my eye to see the corners. With the waist level it was easy enough to see the entire screen and the magnifier is great for fine focusing. Try working with just the waist level hood for a while. There are plenty of finders out there should you decide you really need one.
Click to expand...


wise advice many thanks
 
Yes, I have a hc-4. It has a built in diopter adapter you can set to your eyesight, and you cannot really use it with glasses anyway, because you need to center your eye precisely. In my opinion it is a rather cumbersome finder.
 
I used to buy NC-2's for a very few bucks, and re-paint them.
I know a guy who used to have his repainted in an auto body shop.
Yes they looked like new but that's overkill IMO. Agree the HC-3 and HC-4/70 are difficult to use, have to center your eye.

I really prefer the stovepipe finder. You should try one. Also very little money.
 
Another chimney vote. I inherited two NC2s and don't use them. For me one problem is the fixed diopter. My sight's not bad but apparently it's no good. :)
 
I have not tried this one, but I use sometimes a meterless PME 90 on my F bodies, and you can easily see the whole image even with glasses, but at the expense of having only a 2x magnification ( the image is small). For this specific use ( shooting over a balcony fence) it's OK, but I find 90 degree prisms really cumbersome to use on a Hassy unless you are using a tripod. If you use glasses, there are only two good solutions: WLF and NC2 or PM 45 deg prisms. Actually, the best would be the Kiev NC2 copy with the eyepiece from the original NC2, which is somewhat wider. The Kiev VF is a bit brighter than the original.
 
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