My first Hasselblad pic ... and a thankyou!

40+ years of waiting. Why?

Better late than never is totally correct.

Keith, how does the Hasselblad compare to the Bessa III? We want the whole low down.
 
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I just got a WLF for my Mamiya m645 and I will agree that the view through that is so much bigger and clearer than through the Prism finder...

Now, getting back to the Blad's...I have a question...
Do you get to see your image all the way through shooting it or is there a brief period of no image while shooting...I was reading this thread and was informed that some of these cameras have a focal plane shutter...I did not know this...I thought they all were leaf shutters and you had to flip up the mirror before tripping the shutter...therefore not seeing the image at the exact time of your exposure...
 
Keith said:
One thing I meant to ask is what's the most usable prism finder to get ... when I go to KEH's site there seems to a lot of different types?
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I really like the perspective given with the WLF, and the light weight.

I do not find much of an advantage of prisms with MF cameras.

I used a Rollei TLR for years beginning when I was in high school, I would rather make sure I have a really good screen than mess with a heavy prism, the image just seems to lend itself better to careful composition. I have TLR and SLR prisms, including a 45 degree for Hasselblad, but will pass them along to Zuz.

The Beattie screen was by far the brightest, if you come across one at a good price, they are sometimes "in the box" with a trade in. The Kiev 88 split image screens might be the best thing made by the company.

Perhaps you can borrow one and see if it is your cup of tea? A plain 45 degree should be reasonable and common.

Regards, John
 
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The 20x and 200x focal plane series cameras have instant return mirrors which minimize the SLR mirror blackout. With the 500/501/503 the leaf shutter stays closed and the mirror up until they are wound on. There is no need to pre-release the mirror : unless you want to.

nikon_sam said:
Do you get to see your image all the way through shooting it or is there a brief period of no image while shooting...I was reading this thread and was informed that some of these cameras have a focal plane shutter...I did not know this...I thought they all were leaf shutters and you had to flip up the mirror before tripping the shutter...therefore not seeing the image at the exact time of your exposure...
Click to expand...
 
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nikon_sam said:
I just got a WLF for my Mamiya m645 and I will agree that the view through that is so much bigger and clearer than through the Prism finder...

Now, getting back to the Blad's...I have a question...
Do you get to see your image all the way through shooting it or is there a brief period of no image while shooting...I was reading this thread and was informed that some of these cameras have a focal plane shutter...I did not know this...I thought they all were leaf shutters and you had to flip up the mirror before tripping the shutter...therefore not seeing the image at the exact time of your exposure...
Click to expand...

You might argue that with the majority of SLR's you do not see the image at the "exact" moment of exposure, I found you might miss an eye blink, if that gives you an idea of the amount of time involved. I used a Mamiya C330s for weddings for a long time because I could often catch a blink at time of exposure.

I do not think it is a big disadvantage, and the cameras function fairly smoothly. If I were shooting groups, I would make several exposures.

The first Blads had focal plane shutters, some of the most recent ones do as well, the majority of Blads you find with have a leaf shutter, but you can think of the blinds in the body back that open and close with the exposure, while not affecting the film exposure time, as perhaps technically a shutter.

Regards, John
 
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venchka said:
40+ years of waiting. Why?

Better late than never is totally correct.

Keith, how does the Hasselblad compare to the Bessa III? We want the whole low down.
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Now there's a comparison I can't resist making ... although you realise it makes absolutely no sense at all to compare these two cameras! :D


Price ... Hmmm!

Build quality ... has to go to the Hassy sorry, it's built like a tank! The Bessa exibited very irregular frame spacing and the Hassy is superb in this area.

Ease of use and versatility ... no competition, the Bessa is truly brilliant. The Hassy by comparison is photography while wearing a straight jacket!

Shutter sound ... are you kidding? :p

Image quality ... that Heliar on the Bessa would be very hard to top for sharpness but it's a little slow at f3.5! I like the look of the Zeiss lens more.

Class and abilty to impress others (important) ... definitely the Hassy. The Bessa is very non descript while the Hassy looks like something from another time zone and if the look doesn't impress them the shutter sound certainly will! :p

:D :D :D
 
Remember "Blow-Up"?

Remember "Blow-Up"?

Chick Magnet Factor: Hassy? :D :cool:

Thanks Keith. I won't feel bad to only have a used Hasselblad.

PS: You must try some 120 Ektar 100. The combination of Zeiss 80mm Planar and Kodak Ektar 100 is Stupefying!
 
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I discovered today that cats aren't big fans of Hasselblads!

A friends cat was laying on it's back in the sun and there was an interesting shadow on the ground beside it ... I walked over and focused on the relaxing feline who was actually checking me out and looking at the Hassy and seemed quite unperturbed ... until I fired the shutter! :eek:

The poor animal leapt into the air and took off like it had been shot out of a rocket launcher! :D
 
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Cat Launcher: Advantage Hasselblad.

What bag do you reckon will work for a 500-501 & one lens and one back? With a meter, film, filter or 2? Plus perhaps one M body & lens?
 
venchka said:
Cat Launcher: Advantage Hasselblad.

What bag do you reckon will work for a 500-501 & one lens and one back? With a meter, film, filter or 2? Plus perhaps one M body & lens?
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I've been carrying the Hassy around in my Domke 5-XB (I think that's the one) with the 80mm Planar, film back, a hood and my Sekonic 308s and a couple of spare rolls of film.

It's absolutely perfect for this set up! :)

No room in there for an M though! :D
 
Double Negative said:
There are several. They're either 45º or 90º so first decide on that. It really depends on your application. I find the 90º a little awkward for everyday use; the 45º is a better compromise IMO.

Then they come in metered and non-metered versions. If you like to use a handheld meter, then it's a no-brainer. The non-metered are also lighter and cheaper. Those that are metered come in several varieties, from the older type that give you an EV value (e.g. PM51) or the newer type that give you typical shutter/aperture values (e.g. PME45, PME90). The latest PME finders truly are NICE. But they're pricey.

Then you have a variety of older prisms that don't have any metering and are decidedly "old school" but work just as well as the newer types. You can also use Kiev finders, which also come in a variety of flavors. Compatibility and quality are, "less than par" generally. ;)

One thing to keep in mind is that the WLF has the highest "out of the box" magnification for critical focus. You could attach a flip-up magnifier to a prism which should give you a little more, but you're building a real monstrosity here...
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Question:

I use a 2003FCW years ago, and have never tried it with a corrected image (I see it inverted); some time ago I checked (briefly) prisms on internet, and I thought there were just metered prisms available... I didn't like the price of those... I couldn't believe those prices, I remember... So I just forgot it...

Do you have any idea of cheaper models (by hasselblad or other brands) of unmetered prisms and which would be a good place to look for them?

Thank you!
 
I just got my first Hassey as well- a 500cm- and share your sentiments completely. Love at first sight.

I am interested in this 'peekaboo' style back- can you elaborate?
 
Jeff Fillmore said:
I just got my first Hassey as well- a 500cm- and share your sentiments completely. Love at first sight.

I am interested in this 'peekaboo' style back- can you elaborate?
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Congrats on your new Hassy! :)

I have to say as much as I was impressed by the camera when I first got it, it's only now that I'm starting to really realise how good it is. The 80mm Planar lens has converted me to the Zeiss way of thinking with it's look and I'm now sort of wondering about some Zeiss glass for my rangefinders!

Also ... as much as the Hassy is perceived as being more at home on a tripod I'm finding a lot of satisfaction in shooting it hand held at around 1/30 sec in poor light with 400 film ... it can produce stunning images under these conditions IMO if your not obsessed with sharpness.

The 'peekaboo' style back refers to the method of lining the film up with the first frame after loading ... it has a flap on the rear of the magazine that you open to look through to the back of the film to advance to the correct mark for your first exposure ... from then on it's automatic spacing! It's kind of fun! :p

I love this camera ..... :D
 
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