Hasselblad 500cm or Mamiya C330 for travel

I have been out of the photography game for a couple of years now, but I'm

looking forward to getting back in. My best pictures have come from medium

format and/or while travelling. I have experience in Mamiya RB and RZ systems,

and previously used the RB with the 90 f3.8 and two backs as my travel rig. As

you can imagine, this got pretty heavy lugging around Europe, but the 6x7 negs

balanced that out.

 

I have never used the square format, but it seems to strike a good balance

between size and system weight/portability. Of the myriad 6x6 cameras

available, I'm interested in the Hassy 500cm and Mamiya C330. I don't tend grow

huge systems, so the most I'd be looking at travelling with would be a

500cm/80mm/2 backs or C330/80mm and 55mm. I don't have time to rent either of

these systems (Hassy or Mamiya TLR), which is too bad, but I have fiddled around

with both and found them perfectly acceptable.

 

I guess my questions are... Does anyone have experience travelling with either

or both of these systems? What is the weight/size difference between the two?

When push comes to shove, am I just better off picking up another RB67 system

and travelling with that again (please say no)? Thank you all in advance.

Hassey is much lighter....smaller....and faster.

Russ is right. Also the Hass lenses are far better.

I've owned both, and the Hasselblad is a no brainer. SLR beats TLR every time.

I should note that I only shoot available light, and when traveling, tripods are out, even monopods. I know this compromises sharpness, etc, but I travel light, except for the medium format camera of course.

If you are doing available light and handheld, the Mamiya will probably produce sharper pictures. The leaf shutter plus no mirror more than makes up for the optics in low light situations. Also, I used to own a C220 with is somewhat less convenient, but lighter so would be worth considering. Lastly, I would not be so sure that a kit with an 80 and a 55 for the mamiya would be heavier. The body is pretty bulky, but the lenses are quite lightweight. In the end, though, I sold my set up and simply went with a Rollei TLR. I used the 80 most of the time and appreciate the low weight, high quality optics and hand hold-ability of the Rollei.

Greg: Neither is that easy to hand hold, but the Hass is easier. For hand holding the Pentax 6x7 is the easiest. But it is hard to load and is not as good as a Hasselblad at all.

I shoot RZ67, C330, plus 7II rangefinder and for travel the 7II wins hands-down. Obviously a rangefinder has its own strengths and weaknesses, but except for film loading the 7II really shines. But the 7II still loads faster than my Leica M6, another fantastic travel companion for those 35mm shooters. Anyways 7II lenses are f/4 or f/4.5, which is slightly slower than matching C330 glass. Coatings on the 7II lenses is more effective. 7II lenses sharpness/contrast are legendary. But 7II is a big chunk of change, even a quality used kit. Perhaps still price competative with Hassey systems? Anyways, Ken Rockwell article on the 7II and the earlier 6 version are worth checking out here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/mamiya/7.htm Photo.nets Gearing Up describes the 7II also. Good Luck!

I have not used the C330 but found the 500C/M very easy to travel with. I too like low light

photography and have found there <i>is</i> a difference in the quality of prints taken with

a 500CM and a Rolleiflex 2.8F in low light: the Hasselblad wins hands down (and that is

without MLU).

I have owned both. The C330f had the 65mm, 80mm, and 250mm plus Porroflex and Paraminder. I was disappointed in the coverage of the 65mm. The 55mm would be much better for Europe. I found the C330 had a high fiddle factor and taking photos were r--e--a--l s--l--o--w compared to 35mm.

 

I went shopping for the 55mm lens and ending up trading for the Hasselblad 50mm, 80mm and 250mm. One of these days I will add the 150mm. I can shoot much faster with the Hassy than I could with the C330. The Hassy is lighter and much less cumbersome.

 

If you take the C330 I will applaud your efforts to keep the demand for Hassleblad products down. If you take the Hassleblad I will applaud you good taste and wise selection.

 

Steve

From my experience, the Mamiya is bulkier but has one great advantage - there's a lot less to wrong. I used a C330 for a couple of years where I was putting five to ten rolls through daily and it gave me no trouble whatsoever. I've used Hasselblads on and off for forty years and have a lot of respect for them but a Hasselblad mirror box has a lot of possible points of failure.

 

I'd be just as torn as you but I think I'd come down on the Mamiya's side. Remember, you'd have two shutters, so if one goes bad you'd still be able to take pictures.

I think there is some confusion over the term 'handholdability.'

 

Some people are using it to describe ergonomics and comfort. Others are using it to

indicate matters of Results, relative to usable shutter speeds.

 

I might agree that a Rolleiflex may not Feel like the most logical camera in-hand. But, the

results should be better than with any SLR, if those results can be influenced by mirror

slap and/or a focal plane shutter.

 

Greg -

I have both a Rolleiflex TLR and Hasselblad, and have previously owned just about

everything else in the MF world. If you're sure you're going to want the potential to use a

second lens, i would probably go with the Hasselblad. If you might be content with (only?)

a 75 or 80mm, consider the Rolleiflex. The Rollei is smaller/lighter than a Mamiya C.

 

But, have you considered a rangefinder? Either a Mamiya 7, or possibly a Fuji GA645zi?

They're great for travel, and about the only thing they don't do well is close-ups. Plus, no

mirror slap, quiet operation, quick focusing....

 

The Hassy versus Mamiya systems you proposed are not evenly matched if you're adding a

second film back with the 500. You could get away with only one back, which would match

the TLR. Depending on your choice of film, you could shoot 220 rolls with the Hassy. Does

the Mamiya support that? Only some Rolleiflexes do.

 

You should see some of the work posted by a guy calling himself "agedsenator" on Flickr.

He photographed Italy in the 1950s, with a Rolleiflex. Fantastic stuff. Maybe it'll also show

you you don't need an additional lens.

 

Derek, mirro slap is a myth. By the time the mirror has "slapped" the picture has been taken.

Both the C330 and the 500cm will shoot 220 film, if you can find the type you want. The 500cm will allow you to switch between different types of film mid-roll. Furthermore, multiple backs allow for fast film changes when you _really do not_ have to time to load a new roll => the C330 does not have those capabilities.

 

Steve

I'll vouch for a Hassy 500CM with a couple lenses. I traveled a lot (backpacking and foreign travel) with a 500CM and 80CF for years and it is light, compact, and so nice and easy to use. In a digital age, the good ole Hassy 500 remains my favorite camera ever. Hand holding it or on tripod, the 500CM with a waist level is my preferred shooting style.

Good luck. Jerome.

Thanks for all the great responses.

 

I have considered the Mamiya rangefinders but I don't like them for a couple of reasons; first, I'm tall, and I prefer the perspective of a waist-level photo, ala MF with a waist level finder. Not to say I'd rather be three feet tall, but to my eye, it makes for better perspective. Second, those cameras are out of my price range.

 

I've also considered Rolleiflexes, but apparently a CLA is advised upon taking delivery of the camera, which puts it over or to the upper reaches of my price range. Also, I heard some things can rattle loose if it is aboard a motorcycle (I read this in some thread, don't know if there is any truth to it). That crosses the Rollei off my list as motorcycles are my primary means of transportation.

 

So it looks like the Hasselblad might be the winner. However, I have heard bad things about the mirror box; jamming, etc. In fact, I bought a 500cm with a jammed mirror once, thinking I could fix it. I ended up selling it as it was. Can anyone comment further on the reliability of the 500cm vs. C330? The last thing I need is my highly refined Sweedish picture-box taking a crap on me somewhere abroad...

Greg, if the Hasselblad does jam it is very very easy to unjam. Dont worry.

<p>I use Hasselblads for travel and landscape photography. Nothing else comes close IMO - they're light (for MF, at least), small and excellent quality. In terms of reliability - quite simply my 503CW is the most reliable camera I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot). I've used it in all weathers and in several countries with zero problems. The internet throws up stories about stuck mirrors or jammed bodies but it doesn't match my experience. There's no reason for a 500CM to 'take a crap on you', unless of course you buy one that's already broken.</p>

<p><em>erek, mirro slap is a myth. By the time the mirror has "slapped" the picture has been taken</em></p>

 

<p>Not quite true. It all depends on what shutter speed you're using. If, for example, you're shooting a 1 second exposure on a tripod then mirror slap is a very real factor. But I agree it's not a practical concern when hand-holding. For a start, your body will vibrate more than the mirror does.</p>

Neil, if you are shooting on a tripod then you can use MLU and not worry.

... or rather MPR. ;-)<br><br>(You can't lock the mirror of any 500-series Hasselblad up. It will come down as soon as the camera is wound.<br>You can Pre-Release the thing though.)

Q.G. Actually the mirror has been released but not returned...

Yes. And not 'locked up'.<br>So it's not MLU.<br><br>Many cameras offer mirror pre-release. But very few offer MLU.<br>If that's what you want, get a Hasselblad 2000-series ody. Their mirrors can be locked up, to remain up for as long as you want then to.<br>They can be pre-released too, of course.

Q.G. It depends how you look at it it. The mirror is locked up whilst the image is being taken,

so for all intents and purposes it is mirror lock up.

Bob,<br><br>So every time i push the release button, the mirror is locked up for a shot while, whether i use your "MLU" feature or not. But i can do that in advance (as in "pre-") too, and then it is called "lock up". Now i understand... ;-)<br><br>What would you propose to call a feature that stops the mirror coming down as soon as you start using the camera again (as it does, using your "MLU")? A feature that allows full use of the camera with the mirror out of the way, until you allow the mirror to come down again?<br>'Locked mirror lock up'?<br>;-)