hasselbad 503CW for events?

[picturetaker607]

Hello,

 

I am writing a business plan and was looking at a hasselblad 503CW for photographing events. I am new to Medium

format so please bear with me.

It seemed to me that because the the 503CW does not have a light meter or auto focus it would be too slow for

events.

I know that hasselblad sells its camera's al-carte. are the options I can add that would make it quicker for use

as an event camera? can one add an option to make it TTL for a flash?

 

Many Thanks

[david_schilling___chicago_]

That's a whole lot of camera....I don't understand the need to use one for events. Why not go with a typical dSLR or 35mm film camera?

[picturesque]

The fact that you are asking these questions tells me that your decision to use a Hasselblad 503CW for events was not made with full information. I would rethink your decision pending getting all of the info. While the 503CW is just fine for events, since legion of event photographers used it for years, and you can very well be successful in event photography with it, using one now would be sensible only if you are going into this with eyes open and realize that you are going against the mainstream and taking on several disadvantages that one would only do if one has a plan how to mitigate them. You don't provide a lot of info re this aspect so I won't go into what those disadvantages are. I say this even if you are thinking of getting a digital back for it.

 

To answer your question, the 503CW can be very fast to shoot, but using the 'old' ways of being fast--zone focus, the light meter in your head as well as in hand, excellent flash skills and good anticipation skills. That plus learning how to change a film back real fast.

 

The 503CW has a TTL option. You need to get a compatible flash and module.

[fotografz]

The 503CW comes equipped with TTL flash control using various flash units including different models from Metz, SunPak, and the

Hasselbald D40 barebulb type which needs no separate module..

 

The 500 series Hasselblads are totally modular in design. There are both metered and unmetered prisms, various backs and many lenses

old and new.

 

It once was a mainstay for event shooters, but fell to less use as more 35mm cameras became more capable, and films improved. With

digital cameras came a further decline in use for this application.

 

These cameras are fully able to produce stunning image quality, but require some dedication and practice to use effectively ... especially

at a fast changing event.

 

Even though I am fully digital, I still occasionally use a 503CW for weddings ... with both a CFV digital back and film backs.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/4338670

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/4328605

[christopher hartt dallas]

We sold ours and use a Canon 1Ds3 with superior results generally due to host of technology & accessories produced by Canon. You might even keep your eye on the new 5D2 arriving in a couple of months.

[neilambrose]

<p>You don't say what kind of events. I assume you mean general social photography where you arrive at an event and

make money from selling pictures. In which case consider the following:</p>

 

<p>One of the key competitive advantages in event shooting is speed of workflow. Most event shooters plan on being

able to capture, process and print all in the same event so they can make sales on the spot. Average turn around time is

generally less than 20 minutes, utilising digital capture and portable dye-sub printers. The Hasselblad is a great camera,

but will be a non-starter for events work unless you are planning on getting a digital back.</p>

 

<p>If you don't know much about metering with a hand-held meter then you're probably not ready for a Hasselblad

yet. Given its price, you'll find it a considerable investment that requires a certain level of understanding before it will

deliver results. Unless you're an experienced and thoughtful photographer (it's a slow-paced, considered type of

photography) you'll find it clunky and difficult to use. And without practice, almost impossible to use comfortably under

pressure. Not to mention the complexities of digital workflow for a Hasselblad, which is considerably more intricate than

your average consumer digital camera.</p>

 

<p>Why choose a 503? If you're doing event work, without doubt the best course of action is to buy a moderate digital

camera that meets a minimum feature set and that you can use at a profit as you're starting out. After you've been doing

it for a while you'll have a better idea what you need, and can then make secondary purchases with more insight. If

you're at the stage of designing a business plan based on limited photographic experience then a 503 (or any medium

format camera) would be a remarkably poor choice.</p>

 

<p>Margins are very thin in event photography. The people who do well have the minimum possible investment in

equipment, and the maximum investment in workflow. It's 65% about selling, 30% about speed, and only 5% about

photography. Starting in a competitive business from scratch with a camera system that requires over $20,000 invested

in camera, digital back, lenses, printer and workstation is not the way to go. You could accomplish the same thing with a

$3,000 investment in lower spec used equipment.</p>

[conraderb]

matthew - I hope that you know what you are doing and know a bit about photography, but it looks like you don't.

 

the obvious answer is just to carry a meter. it sounds ridiculous, but writing a business plane with a hassie in mind for events is sort of ridiculous too :-)

[steve_c.5]

The venerable Hassy was a maintstay of wedding and event photography for many years, and it still finds favor among purists and film afficionados, but for the modern, fast-paced world of weddings, digital is the only way to go. For top quality, you'd be much better off to spend those bucks on the Nikon D3, a new Canon full-frame model, or the new Sony A900 full-frame DSLR with associated Zeiss glass. You'd be much happier with the speed and versatility, and with the in-camera metering system. The ability to go from ISO 100 in bright daylight to indoors in natural light at ISO 2000 or higher with the press of a button, and being able to shoot hundreds of full quality images without changing film far surpasses the capability of any film based camera. And, the lenses are SO much more affordable and plentiful in most cases.

 

If you're new to medium format, you can just as easily be "new" to the world of full frame digital. This is 2008, not 1978. Come with us, come into the light! Join our digital world!

[Ed_Ingold]

I shoot mostly events, and I can't understand why you would need medium format quality, giving up the speed and ergonomics of a DSLR in the process. I occasionally use an Hasselblad if I need to take large group pictures for publication, but even then a 12MP DSLR does nearly as well with a lot less effort. It's hard to get the best out of medium format, film or digital, unless you use a tripod and a well ordered lighting system. Anything less than the best is simply not worth the effort in comparison.

[steve_c.5]

Matthew, if you're writing a business plan, you're presumably doing so to obtain funding somehow. I don't know what your situation is, but I'd have a hard time loaning "large-format" money to someone who's "new to medium format photography". Hassy's ain't cheap! As someone who shoots weddings often and profitably with a 12mp DLSR, I can agree with Edward above that you're better off going the DSLR route, instead of cutting your teeth on a big dollar film camera. If you insist on shooting a Hassy, you'd be better served (and so would your financier) to look for a good used one, rather than trying to buy a new one. And, in my personal opinion, you'd be better served still to go digital.

[savagesax]

Sold my Hassy's a few months ago because the Canon 1ds mk3 produces pretty fine images. If you are totally in love with film and dislike digital, well the Hassy's are super cameras. When auto focus was first offered in 35mm cameras, frankly I could focus faster with the manual lenses then the auto focus cameras. Thats not the case anymore. So with that in mind you may miss some shots at the events.

[bms]

I am just browsing and I do not do events, but I have used medium format. If you want to see what it is like, why not

get a used Mamiya RZ67 online, or something similar, with one or two film backs, a metering prism, and a good

lense (probably can be had for ~$300-400) and play around with it, see if this is the sort of thing you want. You can

probably sell it a few weeks later at minimal loss, those prices remain fairly stable I do not know what you are after,

but I' d echo the above and say go DSLR (D700, D3, 5DII) and you won't regret it.

[fotograf-aurel-virlan]

I worked many times on Hasselblad... 503cw is good body, but you can't make wedding photojournalism with this kind of

camera... If you really like Hasselblad (like me), and if you have enough money, tray with new one Hasselblad H3DII ! http://www.hasselblad.com/promotions/h3dii.aspx ... But think again: it worth? http://www.photoprotips.com/20071024/5d-

vs-h3dii/ .... I work with Canon 5D (even if I dream at H3DII): it is faster and it works really better in low light conditions ... In

my site, http://www.nuntafoto.ro, in menu, at "Intrebari fotograf" I mentioned that I dreams to work with H3DII (sorry that the

site has still just romanian language version)... until then I prefer 5D, and in Q1/2009 I'll buy the new 5D Mark II

Think deep

[bob_osullivan]

I agree with Benjamin. A hassy is way overkill given your apparent skill level/understanding. I still enjoy using MF film at events but only as a supplement/backup. After I've gotten all my "must have" shots on digital, I might shoot some MF Portra or Delta 100. I still have my Mamya RB67 and a Bronica ETRSi that I use for this. You can get either of these fully outfitted for a few hundred bucks. But the workhorse is the Canon 5D and 30D.

 

Learn to use light meters for ambient and for flash. This will come in handy for both film and digital photography. Also, to get great photos concentrate more on composition and lighting and less on the camera.

[rich_evans]

Back in the day the Hasselblad (or actually any medium format) was THE camera to use for weddings....I used to

shoot with a Hassy 500CM with only an 80mm and a 150mm along with a number of film back for many events and

it was actually one of the the major reasons I stopped doing weddings for awhile - it was simply too much work, and

I found that I was missing things. While the results were generally spectacular, that was then, this is now. The

whole paradigm of what wedding photography is about today has generally changed from a static, posed formal

situation to a more relaxed, candid, fun event (at least the ones we've been shooting - but that's our style). You

really need to take a look at what most photographers are using these days and recalibrate. My current setup is a

D3 with a D300 and three lenses - 12-24 f/3.5, 28-70 f/2.8, and a 70-200 VR f/2.8 - and my clients generally get

anywhere from 500 - 900 images over the course of the day. There is absolutely NO WAY you'll be able to do that

with a Hasselblad. --Rich

[steve_c.5]

Rich is right. Times have changed, and so have client expectations.

[Spearhead]

It would be far better to write a business plan without the equipment decision, focusing on client expectations, and then make the equipment decision. That will show you why so many responses above are suggesting that your equipment choice is probably not a good one, especially starting out in a competitive field.