Hasselblad 150mm vs 250mm

[alexei_gourianov1]

Would you be so kind as to recommend one of two lenses (150 vs. 250)?

80mm is the prime lens for me but feel limitations of it, when doing

close up portraits. Would like lenses that should allow effective use

with street photography. $ is restricted otherwise would buy both.

 

Your assistance will oblige.

 

Alexei Gourianov

[charles barcellona www.bl]

Sure, get teh 180!

 

A nice compromise, it focuses close enough for tight head shots which neither the 150 or 250 will do. Also, its sharpness and contrast is above the rest - even by Hasselblad/Zeiss standards. If I had one to choose, that would be the one, no question!

[ulrik_neupert]

The 150 is better for portraits than the 250 lens on the Hasselblad, it gives a nicer perspective. For close up portraits you will need an extension tube, e.g. the 10 mm version. Both the 150 and the 250 mm lens are available in large numbers on the secondhand market. So buying both for a reasonable price is possible. If you want to buy a new lens, consider also the 180 mm lens as suggested before. I cannot comment which lens is more suited for your style of street photography, at least the 150 mm lens is easier to handle and one stop faster than the 250 mm lens. I once used the 250 lens for street photography when sitting in a street cafe in Ecuador and having the camera in the lap, so it is not impossible. I usually do not use the 250 without at least a monopod. I have both lenses in the C-version.

 

Ulrik

[gerard_perrolier]

Nothing's simple in that world.

 

150 is suitable for half-body portraits, 250 greater for head shots with blurred backgrounds (especially Zeiss Tele-Tessar 250/4 which full aperture is very convenient on that point).

 

Zeiss 180/4 is of course one of a kind but it is also an in-between focal lenght that, as such, clearly don't do anything well except maybe some landscapes (IMO, it's much too sharp for portraits : you have to use a softar lens, that takes the cake!).

 

If you can afford only one, begin by the 150 but don't fancy it's just the perfect tool : in most cases, the DOF will be too narrow for streetshooting.

 

Hope this help.

[oliver_sharp1]

I find the 150 to be perfect for head shots with a cooperative subject - I use it in the studio and find it ideal (with a tube) for close-up work. The 250 would be very unwieldy for that use - it is too long and too heavy. I often handhold the 150 with strobes, but I wouldn't try to do that with the 250. I think you'd have quite a difficult time street shooting with either, frankly, but particularly the 250 - it's not too practical to shoot without a tripod (which isn't a typical street shooting accessory) unless you have a lot of light.

 

Best of luck.

[jay_.]

I can't imagine doing street photography with a Hasselblad, but the chances of getting sharp shot handheld go down as the focal length goes up, and plus the 180 and 250 are a lot bigger and heavier than the 150. I've got the 150CF and other than very occasional use with the 2x Mutar, I've never wanted anything longer.

[c-p-j]

Looks like there are as many opinons here as there are lenses. Hasseblad says--in various recent places--that the 250 SA is their overall sharpest lens. The new 250 CFE SA is absolutely beautiful, but expensive and pretty tight for street portraits. I have owned the 120, 150, 160 and 180 and, for what it is worth, I sold the 150 and kept the 160 based on results. I'd suggest you can save a lot of money as well as weight if you go with the 160 CB. This lens has been much malighned by the photo.net experts, probably because you can buy a used one for $1100 and the CB line has been discontinued. (Although a late 1990s era lens, the whole CB group was poorly introduced and marketed by Hasselblad, leading to its early demise. The price was too high for what people who never owned one decided must be a "second rate" lens as it had no provision for use on the 200 series cameras if the focal plane shutter was selected.)

 

However my 160 CB is excellent and I make 20x24 prints from transparencies all the time. I don't think Zeiss ever made any "bad" lenses from a design or component standpoint. The 160 CB is of well-proven Tessar design, lightweight and comparable to--some say better than--the 150 CFi. Check prices at KEH on line for "mint" 160 CB lenses (and B&H), compare and see the savings. It is just the right focal length for your purposes and it is compact, lightweight and fast to focus.

[yun_chen1]

My choice is CFE180. Very sharp lens. Then my second lens is CFE350.

Perfect image and operation.

[andreas_carl]

Another vote for the 150 or 180.

[victor_randin]

Alexei: go with 150mm rather than 250mm. The first is faster at one f-stop, better optically corrected, doesn�t produce the dark strip at the screen of older 500-series with no sliding mirror system,. I have both and mostly use the first one. Hope this helps.

 

Victor

[Rob F.]

What Victor said. The 250 has not quite got the reputation of the 150 for sharpness. I have a 150 CF, and can vouch for its optical quality.

[alexei_gourianov1]

Many thanks to everyone for wisdom. I will follow up by purchasing 150CF.

[alexei_gourianov1]

Thanks to everyone for the wisdom. Got 180 as a choosen present from friends. fantastic lens! Sharp as the razor with the just right latitude for portraits.