Hassy??

GeneW

GeneW

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I've been getting Hasselblad cravings. For the simple reason I've always been interested in owning a Hassy system but could never afford it. There are now some nice 500cm kits going for nice prices.

So convince me one way or the other: am I nuts, or should I go with the 'inner person' ? 😀

Seriously, are any of you Hassy shooters? I'd be interested in knowing your feelings about owning/using a Hassy system. Initially I'd be looking at an 80mm lens and two backs. Then a portrait lens. Any pitfalls to avoid if I pursue this whim? Any alternatives you'd propose? I'd need to sell my Rolleiflex 3.5F Planar system to get into Hassy.

Gene
 
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Firstly, you will almost certainly regret selling your Rolleiflex,...I base that on the fact that everyone I have known who has sold a Rollei (including me, and I still have two) later regrets the parting. The 'Flex is a very different animal to a 'blad.

Secondly, remember that they stopped making the 500c about 30 years ago and most were well used in pro situations,...also, as I remember only too well, the 500c was never a very reliable model being prone to several well documented types of failure in both body and magazine. The 500cm was introduced to overcome some of these, and is a much better camera although it is worth remembering that all these MF slr's are the most mechanically challenged of cameras.
 
Don't go for a 500c model. The lenses from that period (C type instead of more actual CB, CF, CFi...) can no longer be serviced, there are some craftsmen who do repairs on them, but if you get problems with the shutter its very probable that it can't be repaired.
Look out for a 501C with the CB lenses, not too expensive and reliable/repairable.
Taking images with it is a unique exerience, the viewfinder is exceptionally bright and the whole system is built like a tank. Difficult, with low apertures (<5.6) the DOF for closeups becomes very short, an effect that is very nice to play with.
 
Gene don't sell the Rolleiflex! 😱 I don't know anything about Hasselblad but I do know two people who "moved on" from Rolleiflex and they are still bemoaning their fate. 🙁
 
backalley photo said:
i thought you sold the dslr because it was too heavy to carry around comfortably?
how does the hassy compare re. size & weight?

joe
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I've never achieved consistency, Joe 😀

I appreciate all the comments and already feel the Hassy forces starting to recede ... think I'll just keep the Rollei.

Maybe it was something I et for breakfast ...

Gene
 
Let me turn you, I would get the hassy, I've had mine for 12 years, it was our main portrait camera. I have a 501 and have been looking at getting the 40mm for it, love the wides.
I wouldn't sell the Rollei though, they are too nice! Tough decision, good luck!

Todd
 
If you like your Rollei, then you've already overcome one of my main objections, the left-right reversal. Putting a prism on top to "fix" that problem results in what I think is an awkward package to hold and shoot. Years ago I used Rollei & Mamiya TLRs and (briefly) a Hasselblad 500c when I worked in a camera shop. It was an interesting familiarization. Of these I preferred the Mamiya, oddly enough.

The Hasselblad was an incredible fine machine, but some years later when I too got the medium-format bug, I chose the big Pentax 6x7 for its operational resemblance to the familiar 35mm SLR, and I've been happy with it since.

The more modern 645 SLRs look interesting, with their winder attachments and prism viewfinders. ALL of these medium format cameras are now reportedly out of production, with in some cases new product still in the pipeline, and prices have plummeted. Good time to buy!
 
I appreciate the advice and observations! I'm sobering up (my bank balance is like a cold shower) and I think I'll hang on to the Rollei. I'd still like to do something that's fun in the MF arena though. So let me turn my attention to RF's -- folders and rigid bodies. In keeping with my quest for portability, how about a nice Zeiss Ikonta folder? Those of you who shoot with them, how would you rate the lens/image quality?

Any other recommendations in this area?

I have a little change left over from my DSLR and lens sales and I'd like to do something non-35mm with it.

Gene
 
I have a 500cm and will have to say, it is a wonder. I agree it is a totally different beast than your TLR. You can carry it like a TLR and shoot it like a little RF. Think long and hard about parting with it. The Hasselblad is a "MACHINE," and a work of art. I would say, if you got the bug, there is nothing like a Hassey. Look for a 500cm or 501c with a CF lens and you will have everything you would want. I think KEH has some strong points when looking for Hassey stuff. A little more pricey than ebay, but with a trustworthy rating system and excellent warrenty they were the way to go for me. That being said, you can find good kits on ebay too for close to or under $1,000. Figure $200 for your second back and you are in.
 
Iskra !
The Rolls Royce of MF folders. GREAT viewfinder - very large, clear, contrasty (I'd say, as good as the one on my Bessa R, except for parallax compensation), and the rangefinder is coupled (rare with MF RFs of that era).
The lens is also great, a Tessar clone, VERY sharp, on par with some of my MF SLR lenses by CZJ and Mamiya; partly responsible for the great results is the fact that unlike most other folders, this one does not have front-cell-focussing (only the first element of the lens moves for focussing), but moves the whole lens assembly.
The camera is very solidly made, but has one weak point: it has an automatic film detector/counter/double exposure lock (you don't have to watch a red window in the back for film numbers, you don't even have to line up the start mark on the film with a dot), but this complicated mechanism is broken on a lot of Iskras; but if you're considering Zeiss Ikon, you might just as well get an Iskra from a reliable source like Fedka, for a price that is higher than usual, but still much lower than what a ZI would go for (I'd say in the 120 - 150 USD range).

Roman
 
I have a CF 150mm lens too, but it doesn't get that much work. I have a real craving for the CF 50mm, I think that will be great in square format.
 
Years ago I used the 120 planar at work. I had to take a portrait of an employee, an older woman, and the lens is so sharp I spent a day retouching the neg to cover up the lines.

I've been intrigued by the folders for years. I used to shoot with a Super Speed Graphic in the early 70's, a pretty big folder! Ansel Adams did some pretty great work in the early days with a folder, I think a Ikonta. It worked great when he was climbing cliffs in Yosemite.

I started out with a Yashicamat when all my friends were marveling over Spotmatics and F's. My shots came out a lot nicer because of the larger neg.

I guess I'm a gearhead and want more than I really need.
 
FrankS said:
Don't say no, but also don't sell that Rolleiflex!
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Good advice, I'm sure of it. I think that rather than get into a whole new system right now, what I should do instead is buy more film for the Rollei and USE it more.

Thanks for listening, and thanks greatly for the advice and the images. Hassy will haunt me, I know, and maybe in the not-so-distant future ....

Gene
 
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