Hasselblad Zeiss PC-Mutar 1.4X Shift Converter Lens

<p><strong>[Apologies in advance for asking this question... should have searched the archives before posting!]</strong></p>

<p>Hi,<br>

I've an opportunity to pick up a mint- condition Hasselblad Zeiss PC-Mutar 1.4 Shift Converter lens for a pretty reasonable price.<br>

Lenses I have are 50, 80, and 150...<br>

Has anyone had experience with this shift lens converter?<br /> Thoughts on it?<br>

Thank you in advance for any comments.<br /> Cheers</p>

<p>No, but I'm glad to test it for you if you want to send it to me. I've been wanting to buy one of these, but they're never very cheap<g>. I'd be interested as well.</p>

<p>The crop factor means you never get that wide even with the 40mm, but accepting that, it's very satisfying having nice squared off buildings with a better/lesser proportion of foreground.<br>

It is not so brilliant when used handheld with a 500 series camera : I made a pair of pins to replace the double cable release to make it a bit more portable. It would be great with a focal plane 200 series camera.</p>

<p>I sold mine a few years back, and now have a flexbody. The newer 50CFi can he shifted 12mm to give about the same vertical coverage as the 38mm SWC, so for me it's a better if restricted to tripod solution.</p>

 

<p>If you scan your film (or shoot digital), its very easy to correct for convergence in Photoshop. This entails some resampling and cropping, but the effects are hardly noticeable. Save your money for a tilting lens adapter, which can't be easily emulated.</p>

<p>PhotoShop??? Bad idea. Digital??? Wash your mouth out with lye! ;^)<br>

Buy the PC-Mutar, according to Wildi fifth edition it will work with the 40mm through the 100mm, although 100mm will darken if shifted more than 10mm.</p>

<p>Steve</p>

<p>Well, you can put a book or two under one end of the easel when enlarging, and at least one Beseler had a tilting lens option to keep things in focus. The PC Mutar with its double cable release and 1.4x TC is clumsy at best. At least with the darkroom (or Photoshop) option, a 40mm lens is still a wide angle.</p>

<p>If you want to print uncropped showing the film rebates and hasselblad pips, then in camera correction and framing is the way to go.<br>

Although you could cheat in photoshop and re-install the rebate after perspective correction/cropping, nothing beats the satisfaction of a perfectly composed and aligned optical print.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the comments... I've opted not to go for it because I also shoot LF.<br>

Secondly, I don't shoot too, too much architectural photography. So, again, this probably wouldn't fit my needs all that well.<br>

However, the tilt adapter sounds more suitable for landscape shots that require placement of the plane of focus. Thanks for the suggestion Edward.</p>

<p>Michael... the seller is looking for $1,000 for the complete unit. So, if you're keen... let me know and I'll see if it's still available. :)</p>

<p>Thanks all.<br>

Cheers</p>

<p>I just think it's a waste of money for a half-baked deign, something to appease the Hasselblad amateurs who want a Hasselblad to be something other than what it is.<br>

That said, the FlexBody was the better deviation from the fixed lens modular design. The ArcBody was just so highly priced it was doomed to failure, and the only thing "Hasselblad" about it is the interface for Hasselblad magazines. For the same money one can buy a fully functional technical camera, dare I say: "the real thing".<br>

Rather than the Shift Mutar, hold the 40mm properly to control the verticals, then crop out the foreground.<br>

A better investment would have been if the Schneider 55mm PC Super Angulon were offered with a Hasselblad mount for the 2000/200 series.</p>

<p>I have seen some interesting "franken-cameras" mating the FlexBody+Mutar that allowed near viewcam degrees of freedom. So interesting that Hasselblad representatives wanted a look at the plans!<br>

To your point- if its something you think you would use, then purchase. I rather get the right shot in camera than spend any more time in post. My God, the size of files now have my computer crawling as it is.</p>