Rolleiflex SL66 vs. Hassy 500CM

[rich815]

Recently I got a hold of an SL66. I'd always felt I wanted one as I

much admired the photography, philosophy and writing of the late Barry

Thornton. The one I bought ended up requiring a bit of work but now

works fine, though the screen could be brighter. I've made some very

fine photos already in only the first few rolls. However, today a

friend of mine, a pro who is getting out of the business, offered me

his mint Hasselblad 500CM kit at a fantastic price. After holding and

firing off a few shots I was amazed at how much lighter, more

stream-lined, more compact the camera was, and how much more bright

the screen was and how much easier to focus was. I'd used a Hassy

500C before but it had been a while and I had forgotten how much

smaller and light it was even now with my SL66 in hand.

 

Now granted this Hassy kit is a studio-used only kit in practically

mint condition and I was comparing it to a 30 year old Rolleflex SL66

kit that, while it works fine now, is definitely in user condition.

However there was no denying the fact that the SL66 is MUCH heavier

and more bulky to use. On a tripod this is not so much a factor but

then again that bright and flawless screen n the Hassy has me in awe.

 

I was particularly attracted to the whole concept of the SL66 because

of its ability to tilt and allow much deeper DOF; even at f/5.6 I can

get the foreground to horizon in focus. To do that with the Hassy

requires stopping way down and use much slower speeds. On the other

hand I look at Charlie Waite's photos in his book "The Making of

Landscape Photographs" which were all taken with a Hasselblad 6x6

system and see that even stopping way down as he seems to for many

shots (f/22 or so) the impressive tack sharpness is still there.

 

I think you can see where I'm going with this: I found the Hassy

system much easier to handle, to focus with, and a joy to hold and

focus. I thinking now I might sell off the SL66 and go with this

great deal of a Hassy kit that was offered me. I hesitate in some

respect as I've dreamed of the SL66 for so long, and after all, one of

the great photography heroes used one (!).

 

Anyone who has experience with both can comment? Will I miss that

tilt feature too much? BTW, and I plan to shoot mainly B&W landscapes.

[trex1]

I'd keep both if you can afford to. You can always sell the Rollei later. I went through the same dillema with the Bronica EC and the Bronica SQAI and now a Hasselblad C501. The Bronica was just about everything I wanted, close focus, no need to change backs, but it was just too heavy! The Rollei sounds like the Bronica EC, but with the added benefit of the Zeiss lenses and tilt macro ability, etc. I was also drawn to this camera. Buy the Hassy, especially if it is a good deal and keep both of them. You can always sell the Rollei on Ebay in the future.

[nicolas_roudenko]

Hi Richard,

I've had the same dilemn. I've had a 500CM with a 2.8/80 and sold it for a SL66E. Then a year after, I was missing the 500CM. The great plus of the SL66(E) is the possibility of the proxy photo. You have almost no limits (16cm) to approach the subject. Anyway after a year of using it, it never became close from my "hand". I noticed I would prefer the lens in shutter, the portability. So...I just sold the Rollei and buy another 500cm with a 80 CF. Yesterday afternoon, I made some photos and it was a great pleasure. The SL66 is nice on a tripod but handhold I found it was not a must for me (the camera in itself is very, very well made). So now I keep the Contax G2 at home and walk around with the hasselblad for some new adventures,

Kind regards

Nicolas

[bob_the_builder1]

It is a really hard choice. Both cameras have their advantages. I own an SL66 too and have

found that a service and after-market screen make a big difference to the use of the camera.

Although they Hassy seems to be easier to hand hold I would not recommend that for quality

landscape pics. I would stick with the SL66. As you have indicated image quality is excellent

and you should be using a tripod anyway for those landscape shots. Not to mention the

much cheaper accessories, lenses and backs available.

[bengt1664878721]

The 500cm is certainly a wonderful camera, and compared to the SL66 it feels a great deal smaller and lighter. It sits better in the hand and is better suited for hand-held shooting than the Rollei. I guess it's prettier, too:) Mounted on a tripod, however, I personally prefer the SL66. I find the tilt very useful for many landscape shots, and the bellows focusing gives the lenses a rather extended range of use. (Remember that lenses can be retro-mounted on the Rollei for even closer focusing.) For improved DOF there is also one further f-stop on (at least some of) the Rollei lenses (f 32 on the Sonnar and Distagon, f45 on the Makro-Planar). The super smooth focal-plane shutter means you wont't need to calibrate lenses, but it also means that the SL66 isn't as versatile for using with a flash.

 

As to the screens: on my SL66 the screen is brighter than on the Hasselblad I've compared it to, so I guess this comes down to which screen model is installed. As far as I know, all screens for the Rollei 6000-series is compatible with the SL66.

 

Good luck deliberating. They're both beautiful machines.

[vincenzo_maielli]

I think that Hasselblad 500 CM it's more reliable then Rolleiflex SL66.

Ciao.

 

Vincenzo Maielli Italy

[gary_ferguson1]

Richard, I owned an SL66 system, and like you Barry Thornton was the

inspiration, I met him a couple of times and he'll be sorely missed. I've also

owned Hasselblad V equipment for nearly thirty years.

 

I'd stick with your SL66 for a little while longer. Hasselblad V prices just seem

to keep falling, so I wouldn't be too influenced by what looks like an

unrepeatable bargain, hang aroung Ebay for a while and you'll probably

better your friend's offer before too long.

 

Also, bear in mind that for hand holding neither the Hasselbad nor the SL66

are particularly great, but from memory the mirror slap on the SL66 is quite a

bit softer and that extra mass soaks up the vibrations better, which is why

some Hassie users prefer to hand hold with the much heavier 553 ELX or 555

ELD.

 

It sounds like you've already conquered the big problem with the SL66, which

is the manual dexterity to operate the tilt mechanism. And armed with this skill

you can do something that Charlie Waite can only dream of, which is capture

wind blown scenes at 1/30s instead of 1/4s!

 

So, I'd advise that you fully explore the SL66 for a year or two, and then if you

finally do sell at least you'll have a full appreciation of a unique and very

special camera.