Accessories for Outback

<p>Hey<br>

First time poster here.<br>

Recent owner of a Hasselblad 500c, and in the next few weeks i'm going on a road trip to the aussie outback and I'm gonna be living there for a few months. Main ambition is to get photos of the landscape, and the vastness of it all really.<br>

Only armed with the 80mm lens. No filters. No acute matte screen. No spare back. No wide angle. I've got some money saved to buy a few accessories but not an infinite amount, so basically am gonna have to prioritize. What would be the most important piece of equipment to buy in these conditions?<br>

Thanks</p>

<p>A lens hood, if you don't have one.<br />And a soft brush + blower brush, to get the dust of it all.</p>

<p>The rest of your money will be best spend on film, film, and more film.</p>

<p>Almost forgot: you do have a light meter? If not get one even before getting a lens hood.</p>

 

<p>Tripod.</p>

<p>Hey guys.<br>

Thanks for the tips. Have tripod and a blower already. I use a Nikon digital system which I've had for years so have a fair amount of generic accessories.<br>

However I bought the Hasselblad because I felt for landscape work, the nikon was severly lacking in detail. Hence investing in medium format.<br>

I use the nikon for my light meter which has been pretty successful so far.</p>

<p>Plastic backs to put your cameras into and protect your lenses with. Once sand, grit or dust enters the focus helical it usually means an expensive repair is necessary. Believe me, I know.</p>

<p>And I mean protection all the time, even and especially when you are shooting. Sand gets into lens ⟶ end of photo project.</p>

<p>Leaving aside the costlier "accessories" such as lenses, spare body, and spare back, the next things I would want after the lens shade would be a cable release and the bubble level attachment.</p>

<p>Water <em>very important!</em></p>

<p>Steve<em><br /></em></p>

<p>Hey Steve,<br>

All good advice above. I shoot a lot of landscape in Australia, mainly Tassie. My most used lens is a wide angle though. Tripod, cable release, lens hood and bubble level - all essentials, I never go on a trip without them. </p>

<p>Thanks Lex.<br>

I was thinking of a wideangle. Do you use a 40mm or 50mm? <br>

Do you use any filters at all?<br>

Also the screen is so dim, I would like to upgrade. And even though this is a 500c the screen actually pops right out whereas other models have a couple of screws to fix the screen in place. Is the difference between the standard screen and acute matte really that noticeable?</p>

<p>

<p >Steve, I use mostly a Mamiya 645 when I'm out in the bush so my comments were more of a general nature rather than Hasselblad specific. With the Mamiya I tend to favour 45mm a lot of the time, although I carry 80mm as well and use it. Filters - sometimes graduated NDs or polariser, but probably >90% of shots are without any filter.</p>

</p>

<p ><br />I can't comment on the different Hasselblad screens but I'm sure there are others who will have first hand knowledge. Just a suggestion, you might find that focusing on a dim screen is easier with a prism finder. I also have a Rolleiflex SL66 and find the prism works much better for me than the WLF.<br>

 

 

</p>

<p>The difference between the standard screen and the Acute Matte is one stop.<br>

So close down the aperture, and change back and forth between f/2.8 and f/4, and you'll see how much (or little) that is.</p>

<p>I find the older, dimmer screen - though dimmer - easier to focus. I do need the split image rangefinder with the Acute Matte screens. (The reason for that is in the optical trickery that makes Acute Matte screens brighter.)<br>

So try before you buy: you too made like the aid of a split image rangefinder in the screen when switching to Acute Matte.</p>

<p><em>"Also the screen is so dim, I would like to upgrade. And even though this is a 500c the screen actually pops right out whereas other models have a couple of screws to fix the screen in place."</em></p>

<p>Sounds just like mine, an early 500 C/M with the removable screen and "500 C" on the side. Check that you have the lens aperture open for focusing and framing. You might have accidentally pressed the little button that stops down the aperture for checking the depth-of-focus. To reset it you need to move the aperture ring to 2.8 (you will need to set the EV to 12 or lower to be able to select f/2.8).<br>

A 50mm lens would be good, but then you'd spend more time swapping lenses and less time looking for images. I'd put the money into film instead and get to know the 80. I would take a yellow and red filter, and a 2-stop graduated neutral density to let me darken the sky for more balanced exposures.<br>

Good luck and have a great trip!</p>

<p>Q.G. rightly suggests "And a soft brush + blower brush, to get the dust of it all." Even more important is a quantity of plastic zip-lock bags to keep the dust out of every piece equipment in the first place, INCLUDING the soft brush, because the red dust finds it's way into cameras and even the best camera bags. I know. I lived in Australia for 40+ years and went into the Outback a number of times, crossing the continent, North X South and East x West.<br>

Certainly get atleast a<strong> 50mm Distagon</strong>, even a C, because the Outback is all about broad horizons. You'll be sorry if you don't have a wide angle lens of some sort. Avoid the chrome and get a black one. I used to, and still do think the chrome C lenses are nice to look at, but are not so practical when you have the camera set up and get blinded by the reflection of the sun. Believe me, black lenses are better if for this reason alone.<br>

I agree with comments about the viewing screen. You'll get by with the old standard screen in most situations. They are bright enough for outdoor work.<br>

Don't leave the film in any part of the vehicle exposed to the sun or even just covered by one layer of something - anything. It will roast.<br>

A spare magazine if you can. So you can carry colour as well as B&W, or other choices. Even having two loaded with the same is a big plus. Carry white reflector cloth, perhaps foil lined on one side to drape over the camera whilst it stands on the tripod. The camera will otherwise become an oven.<br>

Good luck and take care.</p>

<p>Cheers, Kevin.</p>

 

<p>Been away for a few days so that's why I haven't replied.<br>

Great advice on this thread. You guys have made me think about things I wouldn't have even considered before, esp like the zip lock bags, and the reflector cloth. <br>

Not long till I go now so thanks.</p>