ulrik_neupert

A Kiev 60 TTL Kit is a great package to start with (You have to buy one that works of course). You can add some very nice Zeiss Jena lenses for very little money. I bought a used but mint Kiev 60 Kit for 350 DM recently via ebay and added Zeiss Jena lenses (4,0/50 and 2,8/180 for 150 DM each). The reason for buying this camera was that I wanted to have fun with the Arsat 30 mm lens (full frame fisheye)which I have found for 300,- DM used ( I did not want to buy a 30 mm lens for my Hasselblads because I could not justify the expense). Ah yes, and then there is the 65 mm lens I found at ebay for about 120 DM. Yesterday a friend of mine gave me a Zeiss Jena 120mm lens and a Pentacon 4,0/300 (they need servicing but they were for free). This is a very cheap system to start with that gives you a lot of options and reasonable quality. I will publish the results of a Hasselblad/Kiev comparison during the next months.

 

Have fun

 

Ulrik

I went to Ecuador 3 years ago with my Hasselblad gear. I would not expect to find film or processing facilities there. Bring with you everything you need. I would not worry too much about safety. Just be careful with pickpockets in big cities (I watched one in a tram in Quito). There are places in Guajakil where you should not go, with or without Hasselblad. In my experience you will not attract too much attention. Of course children will be very curious. What I did is the following: Let children look through the waist level finder and point the camera at their friends. Release the camera here and then to get some great pictures. This works fine with the 80 mm lens. In general the waist level finder is very helpful with people photography. Take your Hasselblad with you wherever you go!!!

 

Ulrik

You need the adapter plate 45148 to mount the Hasselblad 2000FC/M to the Hasselblad Tripod Quick Coupler S.

 

Ulrik

I took exactly the same route. First mounted the camera to the flash bracket, then bought the useless medium format camera bracket. Now I have mounted an old style Tripod Quick Coupling from Hasselblad firmly to the Metz bracket. This is a very stable and convenient solution.

 

Ulrik

I used the lens only for a few days on a 202 body. Did not like the handling, it was not the "snapshot" outfit I thought it might be. Its weight makes the camera very uncomfortable to hold, the closest focusing distance is not good enough for tight head shots. Try before you buy! (Alternative: for less money one could buy a second camera body with back, 60 mm lens, 150 mm lens and extension tubes in good condition). Ulrik

 

 

Ulrik

Sorry, I am just a poor old-fashioned 6x6 user with a bent film path and there is no 38mm Biogon available for 6x7, so I only comment on places I especially liked on Hawai'i (have only been on two islands)and not on technical issues:

 

1. Volcano National Park on Big Island (I would spend a few days there and stay at the Country Goose B&B in the village Volcano)

 

2. Mount Haleakala on Maui (Take the walk from the summit for a few kilometers down to the car park, start at sunset)

 

Ulrik

Another option is a Kiev 60 (maybe some reworked design) with east German Zeiss optics. Your budget should allow for a body with TTL-prism finder, waist level finder, 3 lenses and lots of film.

 

Ulrik

The Hasselblad 500 CT* lens is an old design and will not give better performance than the 250 and 350 mm lenses. It does suffer a bit from chromatic aberration. Buy it if you really need a 500mm lens and if you do not have the funds available for the Apo-lens. I paid 1500,- DM for my 500 CT* in like new condition. Don't pay more. For portrait and nature photography the 150 and 250 mm lenses are far more versatile and much easier to handle. There are more comments on this lens in the archieves.

 

Ulrik

Rich,

you did not tell us very much about the destinations you are going to visit nor if you travel alone or with a group. If you travel with a bigger group in south Iceland you will not have many opportunities for serious bird photography. It might be too late for puffins anyway. I`d strongly recommend to get a rental car, strong hiking boots and rain gear to explore the scenic locations in iceland. I would not spent much time in Rekjavik. Your F3 equipment will do everything you want. Think about a tripod or a monopod. I hope you visit Iceland in the first half of august. In the second half (rough estimate) the sun goes down at night. If you have specific questions, just ask me. Ulrik

My optician made a diopter for my Kiev prism (built in 1991) from my old glasses for about 10 US$. I installed the diopter by putting it between some threaded rings of the ocular that seem to be made for that purpose. Just take it apart and see yourself.

 

Ulrik

"One would think Zeiss would keep records of what they are doing. Why else put numbers (serial numbers and codes alike) on lenses?

Zeiss and Hasselblad both appear to be very reluctant to give any definitive answers in this matter."

 

I once got information from Zeiss that their lens documentation starts with serial-no. 4000000. I had a 250 mm Sonnar with a lower serial-no. (25xxxxx)and they did not know what type of shutter was inside before I sent it to Oberkochen.

 

Ulrik

Hasselblad 501 CM and Mamiya 7II are very different cameras. I use the Hasselblad for travel photography. Some thoughts:

 

Do you use slide film to make slide shows? (if yes, go for Hasselblad, projectors for 6x6 are available at reasonable price, no change beetween horizontal and vertical pictures)

 

Do you use different films? (only Hasselblad gives possibility to change the film backs)

 

Do you want to make close-ups or need long telephotos for wildlife (again, go for Hasselblad)

 

If I only wanted to make prints from my pictures and were only interested in a very small selection of lenses (lets say standard lens and wide angle) I would use the Mamiya. I don't.

 

Ulrik

If the lens has never been used it will definetly need to be cleaned and lubricated. I was very happy with my 250 Sonnar non T* C-lens, it had good contrast and sharpness. There were just a few shots that showed flare because of extreme lighting conditions. Unfortunately a mechanical fault that neither Hasselblad nor Zeiss were able to repair occured in the shutter mechanism. The lens was from 1965. It also showed signs of lens separation. So be careful.

Let me add that when shortening the CF80 shade to fit your CF60 lens you should be able to control the degree of vignetting with Hasselblads multicontrol rear body cap.

Ulrik

The answer is that the old 80mm and 150mm C-lenses have a Bay 50 mount for filters. Your local camera guy shop was wrong.

The Arca Swiss B1 is not only known for its stability, it also has a very good performance/weight ratio. Add a 13xx Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod and you have a lightweight outfit that suits your Contax. Ulrik

To answer your question more precisely, the 100 and 150 mm C-lenses have not been changed in their optical formula when CF lenses were introduced, upgrading them does not make much sense. The current FLE 50 mm lens is according to previous posts significantly better than the 50 mm C-lens and the 50 mm non-FLE CF lens. So if you want to brake your pockets, this could be a start.

Ulrik (happy user of 50 mm non-FLE CF lens)

This hoax story is nothing but nonsense. Apart from pictures the astronauts brought stones back from the moon. Believe me that the abundance of certain isotopes inside these rocks produced by irradiation with galactic and solar cosmic rays cannot be duplicated by man or be found in meteorites. I have the feeling that this discussion is now off topic. Sorry. BTW they used mainly the 60mm Biogon lens on the Hasselblad Lunar Surface Camera. Ulrik

The problem is in the gears of the magazine and can be easily repaired. If the camera has not seen service for a while, better send it too to the service for cleaning, lubricating and mirror alignment.

Ulrik

I can second Bob's comment (saturation and contrast appear to be better on 6x6 vs 35mm slides). One thing not mentioned before is that when using 6x6 slides there is no switch between horizontal and vertical, allowing you to use the whole screen without a margin (that always reflects back some straylight).

Contact the camera manufacturer, then you will see if Yashica cares for there custumers. Olympus provided me with an adapter to use 1,5 V silver cells in my OM-1N, Gossen did the same for my Lunasix 3 exposure meter.

Hasselblad is working together with Olympus in the area of macro photography. If I remember it right there are bellows from Olympus fitting Hasselblad cameras,equipped with Olympus 3,5/20 mm and 3,5/38 mm macro lenses.

Let me give you a terribly redundant answer. Although both cameras will give you pictures of similar quality the Bronica is so UGLY I would never consider it. Start with a 501 CM or if you need TTL-flash-metering with a 503CW. The Kiev prisms can be good value for money. I sold mine because of the weight, I prefer to compose with the standard viewfinder. When I bought my first Hasselblad as a poor student I could not imagine how to afford additional lenses. But they tend to accumulate over time, now I have more than I can carry (be sure, there are bargains out there). BTW, the jamming problem with Hasselblads has been discussed so often, I had two jammings in 12 years, one was my fault.--Ulrik

I once did a mistake on a wedding that has not been mentioned before: I exposed a 35mm roll twice! This is of course more difficult with 120 film.

I have the Arca Swiss B1 on a Gitzo 326 tripod. It holds my Hasselblad with the 500mm lens very stable. No problems so far.