Hasselblad... new vs Previous versions

Dobry vecer z Prague zase,

Thank you Tim,M.Kary,Brad,Andrew for all your input, it was very helpfull

After a great deal of spirited discussion, I finally convinced a local dealer here to allow me [with an escort] to take a 501cm and 50mm lense for a test drive...I must say I have not been so excited about something mechanical since my first Triumph TR6 ,I just hope it would be more reliable!

 

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My question now is, new vs previous versions when it comes to bodies and lenses...I cant seem to get much info here[in czech or english] re older versions of this camera and lenses,

If I must buy new I will, however if there is little advantage to this I will take the savings.

 

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The lenses I am interested in are the 50mm and 40mm, I assume they exsist in older versions.

One thing not in my favor in Central and Eastern Europe is a very limited used Hasselblad inventory and a subsequent high price for any used premium photo gear. Perhaps it means a trip to N.Y. or London.

 

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Any advice on difference in performance or quality between new and previous versions of the above mentioned would be greatly appreciated.

and if someone knows of a good dealer of new and used Hasselblad gear in Europe that can compete with NY prices.

 

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Thanks again...

Laurence

Laurence,

 

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I don't know of any european dealers that can beat NY prices such as B&H. In regards to your questions about older Hasselblad bodies and lenses. Used Hasselblad bodies can save you a considerable amount of money. Look for a used 500 series CM body in near mint condition (and recently serviced). As far as lenses go you have several choices, the older chrome lenses (usually NOT T* coated), and black T* coated lenses. The old chromes are still excellent lenses and usually run between 800-1500 US dollars. The black T* coated lenses are usually around 200-500 dollars more. I've got an old 50mm black T* that is excellent and I know several people who love their chrome 150s. The only used lenses you probably want to stay away from are the 350 and 500. I think the formulas of these lenses have changed considerably. As far as the rest buy USED and save some money.

 

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Good Luck

Try Oehling*-Foto in Mainz/Germany for second-hand Hasselblad.

It is probably the largest Hasselblad-dealer in Germany and not too far from Prague.

The address is: Foto-Oehling*, Ludwigstr. 2, D-55116 Mainz, Germany.

tel +49-6131-28 11 44, fax +49-6131-28 11 88. Try to get hold of Ms Wolf - she knows what she's talking about.

 

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Best of luck,

C.U. Volp

(Cambridge, UK).

Try the danich dealers Photografica or FOTO/c. Both found at the Net: www.photografica.com and www.fotoc.dk. I dont know if they can compare in price with the dealers in USA, but they are close to you.

The prices for photographic equipment are normaly much higher in britain than in germany. But there are exceptions. I have the impression Mamiya TLR stuff is cheaper here. Don't know exactly about Hasselblad, has always been beyond my limits. Furthermore the pound is extremly high at the moment, which doesn't effect prices within the country.

 

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I suggest to try Germany. Perhaps you want to have a look in "Color Foto" they have lots of adverts for used stuff, in order to get an idea on the prices and perhaps also dealers. The copy is approx 9DM which is negligible against the prices for the lens you are looking for. Hope that helps

Laurence, Try to get hold of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0240802519/photonetA/8181-8390198-153376">The Hasselblad Manual</a> by Ernst Wildi. Even though I didn't end up buying a Hassie, I bought this book when I was researching MF camera systems - and found it to be well worth while reading. It's a tad expensive, but full of information (also, don't make the mistake I made and buy 'The medium format advantage' by the same author - it's basically the same book but with the Hassy model descriptions taken out).

I've saved about 30% over B&H prices by shopping in Japan

(http://speedcore.com/usr/fs/camera/jshop.html) for EOS

stuff, but I've never looked at European cameras there. <p>

 

Any idea if Sweden would have the best prices on Hasselboxes?

In Japan you can get avoid sales tax by showing passport and

return ticket. Maybe there's a similar way to avoid taxes

in Sweden (which I assume would be fairly high)?

 

Frank Sheeran

In Japan, medium format is very competitive. I've even seen old ladies inspecting MF gear at the big chain stores:-)

Hassy stuff in Japan is cheaper than NYC mailorder. If the exchange rate

were 100 yen/dollar, it would probably be about the same. A 503cw

set w/ 80/2.8 planar and magazine is around 360,000 yen (the 503cxi

is around 320,000 for the set, while the 203FE set is 675,000 yen). It's

not difficult to find these prices at the small camera shops in Tokyo

(not the big chain stores; they're the cheapest for Japanese cameras).

The big surprise is Rollei equipment...like 30% less than NYC prices.

Basically, the new dealer prides are about the same as the USED NYC prices.

A 6008 integral set w/ 80/2.8 PQS planar can be easily found for

498,000 yen. Lenses are also light-years cheaper. I saved $2000 USD on

a schneider 40mm/3.5 super angulon...and this

was when the exchange rate was around 120 yen/dollar. And it's not gray

market at these prices! For my entire Rollei system (body w/ 2 magazines,

4 lenses, extension tube, teleconverter, hoods, etc.) I saved $9000 USD

over NYC mailorder prices! Leica is also cheaper, as are zeiss/contax

lenses. I have an article on buying cameras in Japan on photo.net

(the link is at the top of the "buying a camera" page), but it's written

for visitors to Tokyo. Unfortunately, I don't know much about mailorder

here other than that the prices aren't likely to be as attractive. The

only Euro camera equipment I've found to cost less in NYC is the Linhof

technorama 617S.

 

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--Jim