Hasselblad for street shooting? MF advice needed.

Hi all,

 

So I want to buy a MF camera. I am seeking the following:

 

1. Manual focus

2. close focusing

3. 3 Lens setup would be 20 or 24mm, 50mm and 70mm (in 35mm format). If I only

had one lens it would be a 24mm (in 35mm format).

4. only handheld

5. sole use with film (no consideration of future digital back)

6. sole use will be street photography/ abstracts.

7. doesn't weigh a ton.

 

I am leaning towards a Hasselblad as I prefer SLRs to rangefinders. So some

questions:

 

1. Can a 'blad Prism finder accurately focus so I don't have to put my eye to

the camera. In theory, I could capture more spontaneous/discreet street shots

this way. True?

2. Is a 'blad light enough for handheld street shooting? Are these cameras too

big and not discreet enough?

3. Which model? I was thinking of the 503cw or perhaps an SWC.

4. Am I better off with a Mamiya 6 (or 7)?

 

Any help appreciated.

 

Thanks.

"So I want to buy a MF camera. I am seeking the following:

<br>

1. Manual focus 2. <b>close focusing</b>"<p>

 

This eliminates the mamiya 6/7

 

If you must shoot mf for this I'd look at the Mamiya 645 slr's out there since they will be easier to handhold.

Have you ever considered going to a store, having a salesperson configure a 'Blad as you wish and walk around the store with it? This will give you a much better perspective on the equipment than asking another's opinion which is entirely subjective.

 

As an example, I've not had a problem using a RB-67 to shoot a wedding. Care to try that?

My first advice would be to buy a leica, but short of that, you certainly can use a 'blad on

the street.

 

I assume when you talk about shooting with the camera not to your eye, you mean with a

waist level finder? Prisms are more acurate in my experience, but you certainly can focus a

blad with a WL finder. Especially with a wide lens. In fact you'd basically be scale focussing

with the swc. I've seen some incredible work with the swc on the street. But it won't solve

your longer lens requirements.

 

I shoot with my 501cm on the street all the time. It does attract more attention than a

leica, but sure, you can be somewhat discreet with it I guess. Maybe get a black version.

It's certainly handholdable. I shoot it at 1/60th all the time with an 80mm lens, although

1/125 or higher is desireable. I shoot slower sometimes too, but I'm often looking for a

gritty black and white look and absolute sharpness is not required.

 

Zeiss glass is incredible and I find hasselblad photos to be very rich, and I love the square

format.

 

If you're looking to do real decisive-moment type work, a mamiya 7 would be better, and

the glass is also first-rate. But I decided against one due to the lack of close focusing for

tight portraits.

Rolleiflex 6008i with Schneider Super-Angulon 40mm f3.5. Has all you want (focuses as

close as 40cm!) plus a lot more convenience, like a reliable light meter that works with the

chimney finder. A chimney finder allows for very unobstrusive shooting. You can also set the

6008i's mirror to silent return mode, which takes away a lot of camera noise.

There's no way you can be discreet with a Hasselblad and prism finder for street shooting. Same story for the big Mamiyas. For MF street work, a bargain TLR is great. (Rollei Automat, Yashica D or 124, Minolta Autocord, Ricoh Diacord) If one of these gets wet, bumped or dropped you won't have a heart attack. Roger WB<div></div>

A lot of people like the SWC for street. It is lighter, quieter than the other cameras from the 500 series. You get a viewfinder with it, no prism. The finder is sort of accurate once you get used to it. Since their is no mirror it may be used hand held at very low speeds. I used down to 1/4 sec regularly, my friend down to 1 sec. I have found the other Hasselblads a little heavy for the street, and not so great for hand holding.

Mamiya M645 with a waistlevel finder, 35/3.5, 80/1.9 and 120/4 Macro lenses. Add a prism for shooting verticals. That covers your needed lengths (20/50/80 equivalents on 35mm) and will be far cheaper than a Hassy (you should be able to get everything except the 120 for less than a 501CM with a waistlevel and 80 CF lens). Get the N version of the 35 over the C.

 

You certainly can be discreet with a MF SLR if it lacks a winder (My Mamiya winder is bloody loud though). Use MLU+Sportsfinder when you can, for really quiet shooting. Waistlevels are a big bonus for being discreet, people don't realize a camera you're looking down at is ready to shoot.

 

TLR's are nice, but you're stuck with a normal lens unless you go for the (Big and heavy) Mamiya's. The SWC is excellent, but it's one VERY wide lens only.

As soon as I pull my Mamiya 645afd out, people either stare at it, shield their faces, or run

for cover.

Rich: I often carry a disposable plastic Rollei in the street instead of the Leica I own for that purpose because it does not scare the prey. Shoot from the hip or frame the subject. Either way gets very little attention. People just think you are a tourist (at least here in NYC).

Barry,

 

The short answer is: yes, but there are far better tools for the job.

 

So, in the first place, I second the idea of the SWC - if you load it with a 1600 ISO film, you can shoot it at f16 most of the time outdoors, and the sharpness will be amazing. This one has been done with a 400ISO film at f11, to give you the idea:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1454617012&size=l

 

You can also do something silly like pulling out a 500 EL/M with a 60 Distagon and do this:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1196316254&size=l (sorry for the lousy scan, this was done on a flatbed)

 

or a 500 C/M plus the 100 Planar and shoot this:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1425333602&size=l

 

But honestly,before your arm drops off, for what you want you'd be much better off considering a top quality 35mm rig, for example with the Nikon FM3A and the 25/2.8 Distagon ZF you could shoot this:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=484319483&context=set-72157600129345564&size=l

 

or this;

 

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=484251968&context=set-72157600129345564&size=l

 

and with the 35/2 Distagon ZF this:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=494049907&context=set-72157600129466148&size=l

 

and with the 85/1.4 Planar this:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1448922050&size=l

 

or this:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1428332042&size=l

 

and with the 50/2 Makro Planar ZF you could do this:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=866865568&context=set-72157600939299824&size=l

 

But then, if you really are serious about street photography, you should use a rangefinder for the 12-75mm range and an SLR for the rest.

 

Take a look at my shots here:

 

 

or even better, take a look at the shots of a professional reporter here:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aglimpseoftheworld/

 

Good shooting!

I have used a handfull of cameras for SF, the ones I liked most were Mamiya 6 and bronica ETRSi with plain prism. Now after a lot of changes (needed the money) Im using a minolta autocord, early type i think, quite nice. TLR arent my cup of tea but getting used to it. Here is a shot from a couple of weeks ago in Jerusalem.

 

I do think the M6 is THE camera for street, tlr are nice too if you can get along with them.<div></div>

For wide-angle work an SWC is a good choice. Mamiya maybe easier in general, but the SWC offers film backs and advantages for tripod work.

 

for not so wide-angles, I would prefer a Rollei TLR for normal focal lengths, but for an SLR with a set of focal lengths, a Hassy or a Mamiya 645. I own an old Hassy, don't really do street shooting, but can say that the Hassy lives up to its reputation.

Black, chrome or one of the new party colors - an Hasselblad is not going to be "descrete". You obviously want to be noticed, or you would be out shooting with a Leica, or a small 35mm SLR like a Pentax or Nikon F3hp. There is no advantage of medium format over 35mm in terms of image quality if you shooting without a tripod - other than grain. There are plenty of disadvantages, including size, weight, slow lenses and shallow depth of field.

 

Since you want to be seen, then be seen as a professional, not someone shooting up skirts. I've shot street scenes all over the world and the US, and have never obviously offended anyone. It's amazing how "invisible" you are when you seem to know what you're doing and move with confidence.

 

My camera of choice on the move is a Nikon D2x, which is actually larger and heavier than the Hasselblad but a lot easier to hold and faster to use. With an Hasselblad (and tripod), I seem to attract more fellow gearheads (I keep it cordial but brief), nothing more.

It doesn't meet all the requirements listed here, but I find the Bronica RF645 superb for street photography - so unobtrusive and quiet and the vertical orientation of the film suits many street situations. Also love the SWC but it's often a bit too wide.

Consider this:

Nikon F4.

 

AF or manual. Get a waist level finder for it. 35 or 28mm lens.

 

I've tried MF rangefinders for this kind of thing, but no matter how 'quiet' the camera is,

people tend to notice when you're looking at them through a large, VERY foreign-looking

machine. A Mamiya 6/7 or the like is just 'strange' to people who notice it....

 

 

Roger B ? great shot. That's yours? Looks like a Doisneau or Boubat. Fantastic.

Barry, some of what you said was contradictory like wanting slr and then talking about Mamiya 6/7. I often get lost myself in the choices and wonder if I can use compact cameras of various types to get what I want.

Most of us wind up buying more and having lots of gear sitting around.

 

From my sorry history of trial and error I am going to give you my best shot and tell you why.

 

Pentax 645n. Its compact, slr, ttl meter, handles well and way faster than a Hasselblad would, can do Autofocus if wanted or switched off and used as a manual focus camera. Lens and body are rugged yet light.

Lenses are faster than Hassy lenses you get at least 15 exposures per roll or 30 with a 220 insert. The Pentax lenses are known for being sharp and the SMC coating is felt by many to be the best coated lens formula ever used for photography

 

The lenses and Bodies are resonable, look at the Photo.net classifieds

you will find several complete systems one body a couple of inserts and 3 lenses for under $900. The mirror is very smooth and dusk street scenes at low shutter speed are easy to hand hold. Oh, one more thing, they made several zoom lenses too.

Barry I could not find the manual focus lenses, especially the fine 35mm which is like a 20mm on the 645 format. So here is a web page of data on autofocus lenses that also can be focuses manually.

 

http://www.pentaxcanada.ca/film/mf/645lenses/645_autofocus.php

Thanks for everybody's comments.

 

Yes this is a dilemma. I want to do street photography but not just people..building/urban landscape abstracts as well. So I'm looking for a MF neg that can be enlarged up to 16x20 (maximum) and still have some sharpness and detail about it. 35mm film will not get me there, though I haven't tried a Leica.

 

Sounds like the 500 series Hassy isn't the way to go either. I haven't looked into the Pentax or any TLR as an option so I will do a bit of reading.

 

...a mamiya 6 in good condition still looks tempting..

 

any other comments would be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

Barry

Harvey..how does the pentax handle manual focus? Is it easy to do?

Another vote for Rollei 6008, if you insist on MF. Although not as good, the Bronica 645 or 6x6 platforms will be a lot cheaper.

I love my Hasselblad 500CM, but I think trying to use it for street photography would be about as convenient as playing a grand piano in a marching band. I think the SWC has possibilities, and also second the suggestion for a Rollei TLR. However, be advised that the latter actually draws a lot of attention. I've tried it. People come up, "Hey, whats with the old box camera? Shooting from the hip with a Leica IIIc and 35mm lens is a better idea. But you said you wanted medium format. Actually the Mamiya RF is not a bad idea. I think a rangefinder camera or a TLR is better for the purpose than an SLR.

The limiting factor for hand-held shooting with 35mm or medium format is always going to be camera shake. The same angular acceleration is going to cause the same problems, regardless of the camera. It's actually more problematic for medium format, since the cameras are harder to hold and the lenses (hence shutter speeds) are much slower.

 

You can get a decent 16x20 inch (or were you thinking centimeters) print from 35mm and fine-grained film, a 10+ MP DSLR, or medium format with nearly any film. Unfortunately, you need either a tripod or a lot of blind luck to do so consistently.

Barry I gave you the autofocus page before, here is the manual lens page.

 

http://www.pentax.ca/film/mf/645lenses/645_manualfocus.php

 

Just like all the Autofocus lenses you can always turn the focus ring and focus. But the lenses on the link I just gave you are older manual focus lenses. By the way Pentax 6x7 lenses can be mounted on a 645n body with an adapter. So you can decide if you like either lens line, this is handy since no other manufacturer let you do that between format sizes lines. You can use a 75, 80, 90 with leaf shutter or a Longer 105mm f2.4. All these lenses are faster and focus closer than the Mamiya rangefinder lenses and of couse slr has no parallex issues close up. Here is the Pentax 6x7 link to specs on those lenses that can be used with the Pentax made mount adapter.

 

http://web.mit.edu/dennis/www/pentax67/lens-info.html

You should be able to shoot with a leica or other good 35mm rig and print 16x20 if you

don't mind grain. If you don't want grain, you'll have to move up to MF.

 

You will certainly notice an increase in quality when you move up to MF, tripod or not.

Besides better sharpness and less grain, you'll notice richer tones that come from a

reduced amount of enlargement for a given print size.

 

I think the SWC is an incredible street camera. The 500 series less so, but it's useable for

street portraits and architecture and the like.

 

Leicas are nearly invisible since they're small and could be mistaken for point and shoots

to the uninitiated. Anything bigger and I'm sure you'll be spotted as a photographer, so

you might as well pick a system you like to use and learn to be discreet and carry yourself

like a pro, and people will largely ignore you.