hand-held Hasselblad?

[janet cull]

I'm just curious...do any of you shoot with your Hasselblad hand-held? I'd love to be able to. Focusing is

always slow (and the tripod so heavy and difficult to raise and lower - it's a Bogen monster!), but I wonder

if it's something I might hope to master.

[vs]

<a href="http://vs.fotography.ru/suzdal/1.jpg">A hand held shot</a><br><br>

 

/vs

[janet cull]

WOW! That's absolutely beautiful! AND encouraging...something new to go for. :o)

 

Thanks so much. I hope to see and hear more here.

 

Janet

[collin_ahrens]

I do sometimes, especially when i need to get some awkward angle that a tripod can't get. I also find the waistlevel viewfinder to be very helpful in such situations. The same rules apply to MF as 35mm for handheld shots.

[sandeep_singh_brar]

See my test: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Gfj5

[frank_bunnik]

I use mine hand-held most of the time, some examples:

http://www.fotoapparatuur.nl/photos/FotoShow.asp?FTO_ID=10851

 

http://www.fotoapparatuur.nl/photos/FotoShow.asp?FTO_ID=10576

 

http://www.fotoapparatuur.nl/photos/FotoShow.asp?FTO_ID=10080

[janet cull]

Thank you, Sandeep, for the link to tests. And thank you, also, to the rest who posted

images. I'm ready to test. Again.

[janet cull]

I just came in from finishing part of a roll in my Hassy. I don't know if I'm just a wienie-arm

or generally unstable ;o) but it's nearly impossible for me to hold the camera perfectly still,

even supporting it on my knee. I can't wait, though, to see what I got. I'll show you later.

[johnmarkpainter]

Janet,

 

I shoot mostly handheld. What Focal Length are you using? Are you cradling it in your left

hand?

 

RE: Tripod

Consider getting a Hassy Quick release plate and a Pistol or Joystick Tripod Head. Works

really well with Hassy.

 

jmp

[donald_ingram1]

If you have a 500 series camera - attach the spirit level to the slider on the left side of the

body.

 

I seem to get good long exposure results using the pre-release and keeping my eye on the

bubble before finally releasing the shutter.

I only ISO 400 film, NPH or Tri-x, which also helps.

[nemeng]

Yes of course.<p>

 

Candid people shots, either hand-held or with a monopod:

<a href="http://4020.net/unposed/blad.shtml">blad.4020.net</a>

[donald_ingram1]

Superb work Andrew

[cpj]

I RARELY use the 503CW handheld but when I do, I use the Hasselblad pistol grip system

which helps a lot. I've used the 903 SWC handheld with little problem because it is very light

and the auxiliary optical finder makes things easy.

[leicaglow]

Heck yeah! A 500 C/M body is the ultimate hand-held camera because you can make your body act like a platform. It's a great street camera because of it.

[jn02]

That is the beauty of Hasselblad/Rollei, comparable (if not better) than any MF system with super portability. I have a Metz 60 CT-4 that I use for fill. Now that I don't work professionaly I take photos of my children and what not. Photos posted are all hand held except for flowers:

 

http://www.photo.net/photos/Derek%20Rader

[BrianS1664879711]

handholding a hassy... no problem, if the shutter speed is fast (>1/125). bright lgiht and/or fast film is encouraged!

[janet cull]

I appreciate all the examples, and I am impressed!

 

I forgot to change my lens to a short one, so the first roll was shot with a 150mm. Then I

changed to an 80mm and shot another roll. I do, however, like the longer lens better. I'm

hoping to process the film shortly and I'll let you know how it looks. Thanks so much for all

your input.

 

Janet

[janet cull]

Oh my gosh, I did a first! I poured in fixer instead of dev. and realized it as I was pouring. I

quickly emptied it and rinsed, then added developer. I have faint images - the fish that got

away. Looks like they'd have been sort of good. Oh well. I'll shoot again soon. grrr...

[simonpg]

Janet put simply:

 

1. Yes absolutely. 50% of all my Hassy images (501 CM or 503CW made) are hand held. I shoot 1 roll of 120 every week of the year plus 4 trips using about 5-10 rolls each trip.

 

2. How to do it - put the camera in your hands and shoot away. Now I'm not being a "smart a..", but these are NOT the exclusive domain of tripod photography - far from it. Just use the thing the way YOU like to - they are wonderful to hold and quite intuitive to use.

 

Do not allow its size to intimidate you in any way. You will master focus and exposure setting very quickly.

 

BUT rememebr "different horses for different courses" - these are not fast nimble shooters (and were never intended to be) and that is why I and many thousands of other Hassey owners own a 35mm SLR all-dancing AF kit; 35mm rangefinder etc...

 

Just enjoy it and use it anyway you like and practice will make perfect - no one will better tell you how to get the best from your Hassy kit than you yourself.

[janet cull]

I pretty much chewed the detail, contrast, and all that's good from my film. BUT... it's not

totally lost. I can tell what's there is in focus. :o)

 

I will do it again!

[feli]

I've always had a tough time shooting my Hassy handheld, especially below 1/250th of a second. I also found that the long focus throw of the 80mm made it difficult to follow moving action.

 

I ended up with a 2.8/80 Rolleiflex and kept the Hassy for tripod work.

With the Flex you can shoot all the way down to f2.8 and 1/30 or 1/15th and still get acceptable results.

[knox . .]

I hate to admit, the older I get (50) the less I am able to hand hold my camera. My hands

just aren't as steady as they used to be. I do use it hand held though. I consider each

situation and whether I am able to steady my arm against something, leg, wall. etc. If not,

I obviously use a tripod. And yes, it would be nice to master quick focus that some are

able to on street shots etc. Again, my eyes are not what they were when I was younger.

[antonio_carusone]

I always shot my Hassy hand-held, you can see pics here www.yearofthesheep.com . The only

time I use a tripod is when there is low light and I have to use a slow shutter. I personally find

the Hassy very cumbersome when using it handheld, thats one of the main reasons why Im

moving to a Contax system.

[dave k]

I think most of my Hassy photos are hand held. I use a pocket level. I try to steady the camera by holding the camera with neck strap taut around my neck.

[r_b5]

On the ground, I tend to compose with the camera hand-held through the waist-level finder. Once I have a position I like, then I set up the tripod. I have a manfrotto 3001 with an arca-swiss head, and it takes about half a minute to get it out of the case and set up.

 

But I also like to take photos when flying, and there attaching the camera to the plane is not practical. I can either fly the plane alone and hold the camera in my right hand, or I can have a friend fly the plane and use both hands from the right seat. (Needless to say, the latter option is a lot safer in a busy area, or when I want to think about composition.) Note in this case, that there is no need for focusing, as (hopefully) you are at least 1/4 to 1/2 a mile from anything you are taking.

 

I have tried several ways to do this:

 

One is to try to hold the camera itself. This doesn't work well with your right hand.

 

Another is a modern Hasselblad black plastic pistol grip 45047. This has a nicely shaped contour for your left hand, and is not easily held with your right.

 

The best is an old-style Hasselblad pistol grip TIHNC, which has a straight shaft with a gray rubber cover. This can be held sucessfully in your right hand.

 

I use a 2000 FCW and recently bought the winder for it. I don't have enough experience with that yet to comment. It is designed for holding in the right hand, but your hand is to the right of the camera instead of underneath it.

 

I have used both the collapsing "sports" wireframe finder 43028 and the PME90. The PME90 takes the weight of the camera from tolerable to difficult, but the image is so beautiful I find it worthwhile. Strictly for aligning the image with an 80mm, both work OK, though the sports finder takes some experience to feel comfortable.

 

I realise this application is probably something you don't plan on, but if you need to use an eye-level finder someday, you might consider one of the modern pistol grips if you are right-handed, or one of the older ones if you are left handed. Don't try this while driving a car - with a plane you can divert your attention for the second or so to take the shot. In a car, you will be dead.

 

I typically use the focal-plane shutter at 1/1000. At this speed, I have no problems with blurring that I can see on 6k x 6k scans.

 

I initially found the Hasselblad hard to focus. Putting a good focusing screen (one of the Acute-Matte or Maxwell ones) in your preferred pattern in the camera helps. I routinely use the flip-up magnifier on the W/L. Expirimenting with the correct diopter lens for your vision will help as well.