etienne_w

<p>Medium format cameras can take a (almost) infinite variety of forms, much more than 35mm cameras. They vary in picture format, camera type (TLR, SLR, Rangefinder, etc.), feature set (e.g. interchangeable film backs), etc etc etc.<br> One approach to the problem is indeed to start defining the format you want to shoot, then look for cameras within this format. What do you want to do with the pictures? Scan? Print? Project? (in case of slides). Projecting is relatively affordable up to 6x6, becomes incredibly expensive for 6x7 and as good as impossible for larger than that. <br> Another approach would be to define your priorities in terms of camera equipment: size/weight, price, focal lengths (do you want one, or more? rather wide, normal or tele?) Do you shoot one film only or do you want to be able to change rolls mid-film?<br> Sorry I came with more questions than answers :) If you give us a bit more details we will be able to help you.<br> Etienne</p>

<p>Just like any mechanical device, Hasselblads require regular maintenance. Among mechanical models such as V series, SWC (all models), etc., I wouldn't say any is more or less reliable than others. Note that the weak link of the system is the film magazine. You need to have those checked regularly (I have mine checked every 3-5 years or if I suspect "strange" behaviour, e.g. bad frame spacing, lack of focus etc.). I also bought a couple spares, as price tend to go up recently.</p> <p>The focal plane models (1000, 1600, 200-series) are more delicate and more difficult to service. Many repairmen will not service them. Besides, spare parts are getting scarce if at all available. Electronics can fail too. I personally stay away from those models despite my desire to try that legendary 110mm at some point of time. 200-series models are NOT CHEAP.</p> <p>Contrarily to the 200-series, the electrical 500-series models can be had for little money those days (generally cheaper than other 500-series!) and therefore easy to replace should yours fail. Earlier models use a proprietary battery while later models (553 ELX) run on AA's. Mechanically, they are not much more than a 500-series with an electrical winder, nowhere as complex as a 200-series. If you want one of those I would recommend to go for the 553 ELX. </p> <p>As far as lenses go, nothing to say... all good, and they will last a long time. Keep the shutter cocked and exercise the lenses once in a while if you are not shooting. Have the shutter serviced regularly (my rule of thumb is every 10-20 years although others might disagree with that number). </p> <p>Bottom line, don't worry about reliability. Hasselblads can take a lot of abuse. They are beautiful picture taking machines. The system is well thought-out and relatively light-weight compared to other medium format SLR's. I'm sure my Hasselblad will outlive me (and I am very, very far away from retirement age!) And with the recent film revival we don't even have to worry about film availability - not to mention digital backs, but that's a topic I don't want to open here. </p> <p>Hope this helps,<br> Etienne</p>

<p>Apologies I don't know the Ektapro model you are mentioning and whether it is a 35mm or medium format projector.<br> If your slides are medium format, you need glass mount. GEPE mounts are good but not cheap - around €1.20 a pop here in Germany.<br> For small format slides you will be fine with glassless mounts, although glass is always recommended for ultimate projection quality (all other parameters, projector lens etc. being equal)<br> Hope this helps,<br> Etienne</p>

Hi Sam, I would suggest to have a technician inspect your lens. What kind of lens is it? Etienne

"while subtly insulting users by suggesting things like video and live view detract from the pure photographic experience that they are offering." Isn't it what Nikon tried to do with the Df a little while ago? I personally dig this approach. To me the photographic experience in its purest form is a fully manual camera, preferably medium format film. Love my Df when shooting digital and I would consider an M if it was not so expensive. (Side note, the Df has live view, and although I don't use it often I cannot imagine being without.)

<p>Hello Stanislav,<br> The split focusing screen really helps accurate focusing. I use only this and cannot imagine focusing without a split "rangefinder". <br> There are several generations of focusing screens, the latest and allegedly greatest being the Acute Matte D (Hasselblad reference # 42217). I have the somewhat older Acute Matte (ref. # 42217) which works well for me. A friend will lend me an Acute Matte D in a few weeks to compare it to the non-D, I will be able to report more by then.<br> There are also some third-party screens by Maxwell and Beattie, among others. I have no experience with those but there is a bunch of information on this forum (look for older threads).<br> Note that screens do not come cheap, even 2nd hand. A good condition Acute Matte D with split and grid (the most popular) can easily run above $300.<br> Hope this helps,<br> Etienne </p>

<p>If the film is properly stored (long term in the freezer and short term in the fridge) you don't need to worry too much about expiration date. I bought Velvia 50 and Provia 400 in large quantities when I was living in Tokyo 10 years ago, stored in the freezer ever since. I cannot see any difference or shift in color. Just remember to take the rolls you intend to shoot out of the freezer 24 hours before use. I also have some rolls in the fridge (~ 5°C / 40°F) for "immediate" use (a few hours after taking them out of the fridge).</p> <p>Hope this helps,<br> Etienne</p>

Simon, I jumped into rangefinder world a couple months ago with a Zeiss Ikon (the no-name model from the years 2000's) with that Zeiss Planar 50/2. It is an absolutely wonderful lens and a great all-rounder. It works great with slide film. You cannot go wrong with it especially if the price is right. It is very flare resistant hence you might not even need the hood. I personally don't use one. Later I will try to post a shot taken directly into the sun (I need to scan it first) to show you flare resistance. If you buy it, ensure that it does not have wobble in the focus ring. Mine does and I will have this fixed under warranty. This does not affect image quality but somehow disturbs the ergonomics. Reading internet fora it seems to me that no one likes the provided Zeiss lens cap which is not too ergonomic and easily lost. Just put an UV filter in the front of your lens (it takes 43mm if I remember correctly) and forget about the cap. What kind of film and subjects do you plan to shoot? Etienne

<p>For you Provia 400X shooters, how do you like it? (we can start a new thread, I feel guilty hijacking this one...). I have mixed feelings with it, but I fear I might be the one to blame: I used it mostly in bad lighting conditions (e.g. rain or so). I am also probably expecting too much Velvia colors out of it, something it has never been designed for. I recently decided to try it in better conditions, let's see what comes out. (long live Hasselblad interchangeable backs hey hey )</p> <p>Talking about new films, the first batches of Ferrania should come out anytime soon according to their schedule. Their first endeavour is a 100 ISO E-6. See www.ferrania.it.</p> <p>Etienne</p>

<p>Well, not really with a DSLR but more certainly a Phase One back. Have a look at this:<br /> <a href=" <p>Anyway, although most members of this forum will probably never fork out 50 grand (or whatever that contraption might cost) into such a high-end system, I see this as a confirmation that DSLR scanning, up to now realized by DIY-ers only, has its place somewhere in the scanner market. Your thoughts?</p> <p>Thanks,<br /> Etienne</p>

Rory, thank you. This is awesome stuff. It is pretty much the workflow I use too, although you have developed its details much further than I have. So if I understand you correctly you set the curves individually for each negative you scan? With positive slides I generally use the same setting for all. I bracket at the scanning stage and select the best exposed picture (optimal exposure might vary with the density of the slide). I apply little, if any, post processing after that. I generally leave the curves alone. I have been searching for a one-size-fits-all kind of setting for negatives but without success so far. This might simply not exist as you tend to imply. Happy shooting! Etienne

Emir, I'm with you. I love my X100s! and I have used it quite a bit. But I recently realized that am a film photographer at heart. I entered the digital world 2 years ago (with the X100s) and after using it exclusively for one year (not a single film roll, this is to tell you how I enjoy the Fuji, which has been with me virtually everywhere ever since!) I just had to come back to film. Digital Leicas are waaaay outside my price range, although the combined value of my Rolleiflex, Hasselblad, X100s and now Zeiss Ikon probably amount to the same money. The thing is, the cost of those has been split over more than 10 years, mostly second hand (save for the X100s and now the Zeiss) and their value hardly depreciate anymore. Not the case with a digital camera, be it a Leica. But I digress. If a digital rangefinder were introduced for, say, the price of a D810, I am not sure I would buy it. Would you? It would surely be nice, though! Wait and see, there is so much new stuff coming on the market those days. Not to forget smartphones. My colleague has the latest iphone and I am amazed at the picture quality those devices achive. To the point that it does not take much exaggerating to think that cameras such as the X100s as "social cameras" (as both of us are using) are just "pure vanity" show-off devices ;-) Happy shooting! Etienne

<p>I get a kick out of projecting slides (in particular 6x6) and my favorite film is Velvia 50, of which I have dozens in my fridge. A friend of mine gave me at least 20 or 30 rolls in 35mm format many years ago when he moved to digital and they have been in my freezer ever since. I am really curious how the 50/2 ZM (Planar) renders on Velvia. I also own a Rolleiflex Planar and looking at the spec sheet of both lenses, I am amazed at how similar their designs look like. The Rollei is incredible with Velvia.</p> <p>Up to very recently I have never been much into B&W but I am learning it now. I do not have the equipment to process myself and I like the security of having a lab doing it for me. I only shoot 10/20 rolls a year hence at around 5 Euros for an E6 roll (either 120 or 36 exposure 24x36) it remains affordable. To answer your other question I am not too much into scanning, at this point I have the lab doing the processing create a CD of my B&W negatives. It "somewhat" works. I do slides with a DSLR and have been successful so far (if I remember correctly I wrote a post about that some time ago).</p> <p>Yes, I know the bank account problem... This time I did not ask the bugger its opinion and just pulled the credit card, lol. I have a yearly bonus from the company coming next month, it should help.</p> <p>Happy shooting!</p> <p>Etienne</p>

<p>Yes it is a beautiful camera. There is info around the net which compares it to Leicas and Voigtlanders. Long story short the Zeiss Ikon represents the middle point in terms of price between those two. The body has been discontinued (as Greg mentioned above) but the Zeiss ZM series of lenses are still in production. Zeiss even introduced a new 35 1.4 less than one year ago.</p> <p>My experience with Leica is limited to holding one in a store and looking through it, but I have to say the Zeiss viewfinder is better (to me!) than the Leica. The only quirk I could see on the Zeiss Ikon so far is that the exposure time display in the viewfinder is in full stops. This limits exposure precision in manual mode to 1 stop, which can be problematic with slide film. There is a workaround, though. In AE mode the meter drives the shutter with 1/12 stop precision. The camera features a nice AE lock system: press the AEL button and the exposure is locked for the next 20 seconds. Half pressing the shutter will expand the AEL time, pressing the AEL button again (assuming it is still active) will cancel it. You can even apply exposure compensation when AE is locked. Really neat. With other cameras I always used manual mode rather than AE lock, but I can see myself adapting to that easily.</p> <p>A lot has been written in various reviews about the exposure time display being barely visible, if at all, in bright light. This is true. I realized that this does not disturb me much. When I really want to see it I hide the viewfinder with my left hand.</p> <p>Bottom line, if you are tempted by a Zeiss Ikon, go for it. You will not regret it and there is a huge choice of glass (covering a wide price range) for it on the market.</p> <p>Etienne</p>

Wouter, I had been looking on ebay the last couple of days too, if only to convince me that I did not overpay for the camera. They seem to be pretty rare indeed, and owners seem to hold on them. The only one I ever saw before "for real" was hanging on the neck of a tourist in Munich last summer. Check out classifieds on rangefinders forum and APUG, one might pop up from time to time. I will let you know if I ever decide to sell mine. Etienne