Hasselblad SWC is cool

[raid]

If anybody is interested, here is the full set of Hasselblad/63 filters.
These fit the Superwide and the 50/60 Distagons.
You attach them with a retaining ring set, or a screw-in lenshood.

Green "G"
Yellow-Green "YG"
Red "R"
Orange "O"
Yellow "Y"
Neutral Density "ND" 64X

There is of course also the UV "0", keep those on lenses for protection.

The red filter would be good for B&W film and landscapes. The green filter is good for portraits.

 

[bigeye]

I see a filter that is between the lens hood and the camera. How does the filter retaining look like?

Photo.net has a good picture.

Charlie

 

[Godfrey]

The red filter would be good for B&W film and landscapes. The green filter is good for portraits.

... For B&W film:

Red filters are pretty extreme, too much so for anything but relatively severe landscape work IMO.

I use an Orange filter most of the time. Does almost as good a job as a red filter for darkening blue skies, and lightens, softens Caucasian skin tones (heals a lot of bad skin ;-).

Green filters do a similar thing with darker skinned people, and also do a great job of helping to separate/brighten the tones in mixed foliage. I find I only rarely use the green, however.

I also like pretty deep ND filters too, 6 stops or so (ISO 100 becomes ISO 1.5). Gives me the opportunity to extend exposure time quite a lot for the effect that gives. Good, truly neutral ND filters are useful for both B&W and color film. I *think* B+W still makes them in Series VIII ...

 

[venchka]

Yellow-Green, K2, Yellow-Orange, 3 stop ND. Covers all of my bases. Add a polarizer as needed. Yes, they also work for B&W film.

Wayne

 

[PointOmega]

Does anyone know what viewfinder Friedlander is using in the Avedon photo? Love the camera, can't stand the stock viewfinder.

 

[Godfrey]

Does anyone know what viewfinder Friedlander is using in the Avedon photo? Love the camera, can't stand the stock viewfinder.

Do you have a link to the Avedon photo?

The standard SWC viewfinder is a little funky, the one supplied with the 903SWC model is optically better and easier to use. But I missed the bubble level on the body of the 903SWC, and like the DoF indicators on the Synchro-Compur shutter models.

Nothin's perfect. ;-)

BTW, the Acratech Arca-Swiss type QR plate I ordered for the SWC arrived yesterday. The camera now mounts on the tripod's ball head as if it was set in cement, superb quality and fit. Acratech makes Really Good Stuff!

G

 

[MikeL]

Does anyone know what viewfinder Friedlander is using in the Avedon photo? Love the camera, can't stand the stock viewfinder.

I think he's using the stock 903 finder, and it has a custom flash bracket around it.

 

[rlouzan]

Take a look at Pancro Mirrors, most ND9 filters are a bit yellow on slide film.

... For B&W film:

Red filters are pretty extreme, too much so for anything but relatively severe landscape work IMO.

I use an Orange filter most of the time. Does almost as good a job as a red filter for darkening blue skies, and lightens, softens Caucasian skin tones (heals a lot of bad skin ;-).

Green filters do a similar thing with darker skinned people, and also do a great job of helping to separate/brighten the tones in mixed foliage. I find I only rarely use the green, however.

I also like pretty deep ND filters too, 6 stops or so (ISO 100 becomes ISO 1.5). Gives me the opportunity to extend exposure time quite a lot for the effect that gives. Good, truly neutral ND filters are useful for both B&W and color film. I *think* B+W still makes them in Series VIII ...

 

[Nokton48]

I posted this earlier in this thread: Lee Friedlander by AVEDON:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27816736@N06/2639584806/

And, here is AVEDON, by Lee Friedlander:

http://www.hidinginplainsight.mobi/2008/03/friedlander-and-avedon.html

Is he using a digital camera as an electronic viewfinder, mounted above the SWC?
And then a flash shoe and shoe-mount flash on top of that?
Pretty darn cool. Point and shoot, Baby. Impressive results.

AVEDON is using an 8x10 Sinar Norma, if anybody is interested. I have one, too. 😎😎

 

[Godfrey]

Minor trouble in paradise: the aftermarket lens hood I got does not fit the hasselblad 63 orange filter I've obtained. PITA.

If that Hasselblad C 50 lens hood for the Distagon 50mm works without vignetting, I'd nab it as they run in the $65-90 range, where the C 38 hoods I've found are going for $150-$250.

I've sent the seller of this aftermarket hood a note. If he can't find me one that works, I'll return it ...

So it goes.

Godfrey

 

[ChrisN]

I posted this earlier in this thread: Lee Friedlander by AVEDON:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27816736@N06/2639584806/

And, here is AVEDON, by Lee Friedlander:

http://www.hidinginplainsight.mobi/2008/03/friedlander-and-avedon.html

Is he using a digital camera as an electronic viewfinder, mounted above the SWC?
And then a flash shoe and shoe-mount flash on top of that?
Pretty darn cool. Point and shoot, Baby. Impressive results.

AVEDON is using an 8x10 Sinar Norma, if anybody is interested. I have one, too. 😎😎

I think it is a standard 903/905 finder, but mounted inside a metal frame that provides a higher mounting point for the flash unit. I can just make out the rubber eyecup. The finder is pretty big compared to the earlier version.

 

[Nokton48]

Hi Chris,
It does look more like a metal frame, rather than a digital camera. I don't have a Superwide (yet!) and am not familar with the 903/905 finder, although I have heard the newer finders are somewhat improved over the older ones. Although it looks rather bulky, it is still quite an interesting-looking rig.

I use Stroboframe Brackets with my 500C/M and EL/M bodies, for shooting flash with Modified 283's, and Norman 200B strobes. These brackets put the flash about 12" directly over the top of the lens, which I think is the perfect position for medium-format on-camera flash units. Friedlander's adaption would accomplish about the same thing, I am guessing.

 

[Godfrey]

I think it is a standard 903/905 finder, but mounted inside a metal frame that provides a higher mounting point for the flash unit. I can just make out the rubber eyecup. The finder is pretty big compared to the earlier version.

Yes, that's a standard 903/905 SWC finder. The bracket around it provides a flash unit mounting ... with the finder fitted in the accessory shoe as normal, there's nowhere to mount a flash. The bracket gives a place to mount both finder and flash.

G

 

[Godfrey]

...If that Hasselblad C 50 lens hood for the Distagon 50mm works without vignetting, I'd nab it as they run in the $65-90 range, where the C 38 hoods I've found are going for $150-$250.

A little spate of Ebay hunting and I've located and ordered

- Hasselblad filter retaining ring C
- Hasselblad 50 C lens hood
- Hasselblad 38 C lens hood
- Hasselblad diffusion (soft focus) filter
- Hasselblad green filter
- Hasselblad lens cap C

I found three 38 C lens hoods for $250, $250 and $165 BIN pricing respectively. So I ordered a mint condition 50 C hood I found for $40 to give it a try ... then, an hour later, I found another 38 C hood in good but not beautiful condition for $70, mis-labeled. Ach.

At least this way, I'll know for sure whether the 50 C hood vignettes on the SWC compared to the 38 C hood. :-/

It's pouring outside at the moment. Perhaps I should load the camera and be ready if it stops for a little bit...

G

 

[bigeye]

3mm difference between the 38 and 50 shade.

Charlie

 

[Godfrey]

3mm difference between the 38 and 50 shade.

Thanks! I saw that somewhere. But does the 50 lens shade vignette on the SWC? That's the question no one seems willing to answer ...

It seems unlikely, most manufacturers err on the conservative side and make their hoods too short to be most efficient. But there seems no way to know for sure without trying them both in a test setup.

G

 

[raid]

Use the ground glass back at different aperture setting to chek it out.

 

[Godfrey]

Use the ground glass back at different aperture setting to chek it out.

Yes. But you still have to have both to compare them.

G

 

[raid]

Yes. But you still have to have both to compare them.

G

If the less costly shade does not vignette, then I woud keep it. Maye someone who uses the hood on the SWC can comment on this issue.

 

[Evanjoe610]

Sorry for chiming in so late, been busy with my roof repair from Hurricane Irene.
Raid and Godfrey, the older 50mm C lenshood will vignette at the outer edges of your image frame.

If you have the original 38mm C lens-hood for the SWC, SWC/M, use it as it has a little lip to allow you to mount the correct Bay 63 filters for use with the hood.

The filter retaining rig will only hold the filter, and not include the hood. Its one or the other. I do not have the older 50mm C lens to test out this theory, but believe that it works similarly like the filter to original lens-hood setup as described above.

Its best to buy the original Hasselblad filters if possible. The 3rd Party vendors such as Tiffen, Hoya, Kodak , H & H did make Series 8 filters that will work on the SWC.

The main difference is positioning of the rear filter ring that faces in "near-contact" with the front of the 38mm Biogen front optical lens. If you have the original filters and compare it against the 3rd Party vendor, the portion of the filter that is flush with the filter ring must face the front of the lens and must sit in the3 front of the lesnhood. Don't be in haste and assume the filter will fit either way. THe seating of the filter glass flush up front allows the rear portion to have an "air distance" held in place by the actual filter ring. Look at the3 filter before you insert it into the lens-hood.

There were many reports back then of the front lens getting scratched or impacted by the filter. I bought my SWC from Ken Hansen Photo and remember Ken installing several of the buyers of this problem. I was on of those buyers. The SWC & SWC/M with the C lenses were sold by Ken Hansen whenever he got them in. Majority of the time it was sold out to the many young Japanese photographers to used it as a Point & Shoot camera.

I use an assortment of filters to supplement the original Hasselblad Series 63 filters. Majority of them are Hoya or Tiffen with MC coating. My SWC was converted to SWC/M when the upgrade kit was widely available for Polaroid back use.

Finders - I use the original finder as it is more solid then the newer OEM 903/905SWC finders. I have one of the newer finder for tripod use only. Not so sure of the quality of the Chinese made 903/905SWC finders on eBay.

As for straps, it was a choice of the thin leather strap, hand strap, newer nylon strap (I use all three) and the Domke Griper strap.

I use my SWC/M as a Point & Shoot when I travel overseas for medium format images. For all intend, it serves its purposes as a high quality camera.

Evan

If the less costly shade does not vignette, then I woud keep it. Maye someone who uses the hood on the SWC can comment on this issue.