How old is my Hassy 500 C?

[brian_turner2]

My wife just bought me a used 500 C for Christmas. It came equipped

with an A-12 back, waist-level finder, and the silver-finished 80mm

Ziess Planar. This is my first Hasselblad system, and although

everything appears to be working fine on this great looking camera, I

would like some advice from some of you who know more.

 

First off, is there any way to determine how old it is? Any serial #'s

to reference? I've already concluded that it is an earlier model 500 C

(because it has the dual tripod sockets), but how early?

 

Second, is there anything crucial I need to know about this particular

model? Any common problems associated with these? Should or should not

do's?

 

Finally, I understand this model went through several mechanical

changes thoughout it's production. Does that still make it compatible

with the rest of the Hasselblad system? Will newer lenses and backs

still fit this body? I'm not familiar enough with these to be certain,

since I've only been trying to read up on them through web research.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Th

[stefan heymann]

Brian, you can see the production year if you look at the serial number: There are always two letters in the serial number. These correspond to the production year like this:<br>

<pre>VHPICTURES

||||||||||

1234567890<br></pre>

 

E.g. UT is year 76, and SS is 00, which is 2000.<br>

BTW: VHPICTURES means "Victor Hasselblad Pictures".<br>

<br>

Regards Stefan

[mark_mitchell4]

Your 500c is compatible with most everything Hassey makes today, backs (except digital), lenses, prisms. You may want to think about upgrading the focusing screen to a acutemat or equivalent, as the older screens are rather dim. Plus, longer lenses will cut off in the viewfinder as the newer models have a longer mirror, believe the cut-off is around 150mm. Enjoy it!

[rick_campbell]

Brian,

 

Crucial? Get a good book like one of the Wildi ones on Hasselblad. Learn to load the film properly (under the little silver tab with the film facing forward, not the paper). But most importantly, do not try to remove or install the lens unless the camera is cocked!

 

Have fun.