Newbie Hassy Owner

[stuart_todd]

Now that I've peeled myself off the ceiling. I've ditched the Mamiya

645 and the Lubitel2 and I now have myself a tidy 500C with the

boring standard 80mm lens, WL and A12 back.

After some talking to other ex Hasselblad users (I only seem to know

ex-users than current users... which makes me wonder), I've

discovered that after you buy your first 'blad, a bit of an upgrade

path follows.

I have installed the first obvious upgrade- Rapid Winder Crank.

What next? Accumate screen? Focus Ring? Dark Slide holder? etc etc

Help... the options seem endless... and with the price of Hasselblad

parts the words 'money pit' spring to mind.

Also I've been told that once I've got my 80mm 2.8, if I then get

myself a 50mm f4 and a 150mm f4 lenses, I'll never need to buy

another lens again? Is this true? And the three people that told me

this said it has something to do with the optics and square format.

Again, True???

 

Regards,

 

Stu :)

The Overly Excited New Entrant to the world of Hasselblad.

[jay_.]

The first thing you'll want on the 500C is a brigher focusing screen. A competent repairman (or if you know what you're doing yourself)can separate the metal frame off an Acute-Matte and install it in the 500C. Or, trade it on a 500C/M which has interchngeable screens. Next you'll want an eyelevel prism. A Kiev "NC2" type should be fine if you find a decent one (crapshoot but possible)and it'll cost you a lot less than a Hassy prism. The 50/4 and 150/4 will pretty much do it, yes. Get the CF versions as the older ones are getting harder to have repaired, and the CF's are nicer to handle and have more reliable shutters, and also the older 50/4 is not as good optically as the CF-FLE. Get the FLE version of the 50/4, it'll only cost maybe a $100 more than the non-FLE CF. Forget the dark slide holder, focus rings and all the other idiotic doodads except one: the side-rail-mount shoe. It's a convenient place to clip a Sekonic 208 meter.

[brandon hale]

Well I use a 250mm, 120mm, 80mm and a 40mm so it just depends on what you going to. I could live with just a 50, 80 and 150 and do most of what I do now! Get a Polaroid back, I use mine a lot. Not only does it allow me to check the exposure and composition, it gives me something to give the natives. I also like my pro lens shade, if you are using the older silver non T* lenses it can make a big difference. There is no end of the stuff you can put on a Hassy so have fun, the used price of this stuff has been going down big time!

 

Brandon

[curt_hagenlocher]

I second the suggestion for a Polaroid back -- though it depends in large part on what you plan to shoot. The Proshade is something I wish I'd gotten -- by buying a new lens shade for the 80, I paid a significant fraction of a used Proshade without getting a significant fraction of its utility.

[q.g._de_bakker]

Stuart,

 

Just take your time; don't ask for suggestions, but wait until you find out yourself what it is that you (!) would want to change or add to what you have. Let the necessary options present themselves, wait until they are indeed "obvious". (For instance: you have changed the transport knob for a winding crank. Why is that so "obvious"? Did you find the knob was limiting you in any way, or did you merely following someone else's advice?)

 

A 500C with 80 mm (what gave you the impression that this is a boring lens?) and WLF is a very usefull thing to have. You can do lots and lots with it (just think of all those happy TLR-users, most of which are stuck with the 80 mm lens only forever).

[keith_laban]

Amazing!<p>

 

All these people offering advice without having a clue on how Stuart intends to use his Hasselblad.<p>Stuart, how <b>do</b> you intend to use your Hasselblad?<p><a href="http://www.keithlaban.co.uk">www.keithlaban.co.uk</a>

[keith_laban]

Q.G.

 

Well said Sir!

[Don Harpold]

Hello Stuart,

 

About 1 1/2 to 2 years ago I was going through the same thing. I bought the 500C with 80mm T and 12 back, then got a 500CM with another 80 T and A12 back then an early 50mm F4 and then the 150mm both chrome. I use the 80mm the most and then the 50mm the 150 stays in the bag most of the time. I do like the focus knob it helps with the 80mm T and the chrome lenses. I found the Acutemat screen brighter and very nice but I can focus easier with the screen on the 500C, I just put a Maxwell screen in the 500CM but have not got a chance to try it much yet. I would suggest you run some film through the camera for a while before you spend a lot more money, I have bought things that I have not used, meter knob etc. I do like the bubble level. Probably the best thing to get is a second back, I carry three and it is so nice having B+W and Chrome and Neg film at you finger tips. Again just use the camera for awhile, there is always stuff on the bay and you can find good deals if you wait and watch.

 

Don

[r s]

Stuart,

reading your entry here I must say it doesn't seem as if you know why you bought what you did...<br><br>

<i>

"with the boring standard 80mm lens"

</I><br>

There is absolutely nothing boring about this lens. Try it out first before you make that assumption. All the photos at my site at: www.pbase.com/rsilfverberg were taken with the 'boring 80mm lens'.

<br><br>

<i>

I only seem to know ex-users than current users... which makes me wonder</i>

<br>

Wonder what? If you're concerned about buying the camera I would have wondered BEFORE I bought it as you must have known these people prior to the purchase.

<br><br>

<i>the words 'money pit' spring to mind.</i>

<br>

You mean you didn't look at prices before you decided to go with the camera? Not sure what to answer you on that one.

<br>

<br>

<i>the options seem endless</i>

<br>

Yes they almost are and that is one of the most amazing things about this camera.

<br>

<br>

Bottom line here, and sorry if you think I'm being hard on you, is that you got a great camera in your hands. Unless you're a professional don't rush out and buy a second and third lens. USE the 80 for, say, a year. Then take the decision if you want to move wider or longer. It's a lot of money. Rent the lens you want to buy for a weekend or two before going for it.

<br>

<br>

When it comes to 'accessories' ALL you will need this first year is;

<br>- camera, back, 80 lens and WLF

<br>

- bright accumate screen (i personally really like the split image one (42215 i think it is)

<br>

- lens shade

<br>

- tripod

<br>

- cable release

<br>

- bag

<br>

- light meter

<br>

- lots of film

<br>

<br>

You may end up adding a filer or two but that should really be it.

<br>

Enjoy your camera.

[dick roadnight cotswolds]

Hi - I have the same lenses as Brandon - 40, 80, 120, 250, and 555 ELD and Flexbody.

 

You may be interested in my thread:

 

"101 ways not to get a photograph with a Hasselblad"

 

dated 24/2/2002

[Aoresteen]

As a 500C user, I'd tell you to get the "chimney" finder - works wonders with the old 500C screen.

 

Next I get 100 rolls of your favorite film and shoot it all before buying another lens. Look at the results and then decide what the next lens should be.

 

I'd get a Bay 50 to 52mm adapter and use 52mm filters.

 

I use the 50mm, 80mm, 150mm, 250mm and 300mm lenses (the 300 I use with my 2000 FC/M body).

[desmond_kidman]

I agree with the sage advice of a few posters about not rushing to buy what other folks think you need.

 

1. Prism: I've owned the 45 and PME 90 and sold them both. They make the camera so much more heavy and bulky......but this depends on what you shoot. If you're a wedding photographer constantly shooting candids of folks who don't want to stay still you may want a prism. If you are shooting static objects use the pop up, or an inexpensive chimney, and learn to compose with the image reversed. I personally believe this is a good exercise in "separating your eye from reality". The common pitfalls of "trying to get it all in" and "shotgunning everything in sight" because SOMETHING in the scene caught your eye can be shortcircuited by having the image on the screen be bit different (reversed) than what you saw. Now you can begin again to look at the screen for the REAL image. But again, it depends on what you are shooting.

 

2. Boring normal lens: don't let anyone else convince you normal lenses are boring. If YOUR way of seeing requires the use of a different lens, fine. If not, shoot, shoot, shoot with the normal lens. And then notice how many scenes you really wished you could have had greater image coverage, and how many you are cropping way down. This will point you toward either a wide angle or longer lens for the next lens.

 

3. I started out with a 500CM and went to a 503cw, which came with a crank. To me there is no difference. Unless you are trying to rattle off a rapid succession of shots, something this camera isn't the best at anyway, you may not need it. When handholding you simply turn the knob forward with the right hand while you turn the camera back with the left hand: a rapid wind without major stress on the mechanism. On a tripod, for still objects you won't be in a rush anyway. Maybe this is why I was never plagued by jams (only one, when I hit the shutter release while removing a lens), I was not treating the camera like an impact wrench or tommy-gun.

 

4. Screen: Although the accute-matt is brighter, it does not snap into focus as sharply as the old screens in my opinion. If you're shooting inside a lot, or if you simply need brighter, you would probably like the brighter screen. I have one, new, for $70.00 if you're interested, contact me off line.

 

Was it Adams who said, and I know this far from exact, "If you have more than 1 lens you never have the right one,"? I could not wait for my first wide angle Hass lens. Then the 150. Then 120. 250. 100. 250SA. 38. 180. But the greatest number of shots were the 80 and then 100, both normal lenses. I've loved buying and using, I would never talk anyone out of the same fun, but don't let having only 1 lens or only the pop up finder, or only 1 back, make you think you can't take great images. Let it force you to be creative.