ulrik_neupert

My comment regarding the quality of the old 500mm Hasselblad C-lens is not hearsay but based on test shots (colour slides) I examined under my enlarger with a 80mm-Schneider-Componon-S-lens and 10x magnification. Along dark contours I observed red and green stripes (shadows) as result from chromatic aberration. Thats why I decided to go with a 250 mm lens and a 2x-converter instead of carrying that 500mm lens around.

 

Ulrik

Some of the Zeiss lenses from Oberkochen carry the name "Opton" because they were made for markets in east europe where Zeiss Jena had the rights for the brandname "Zeiss". However, I never heard of a 3,5/50mm lens for Hasselblad. All the 50mm lenses should have an opening of 4,0 or 2,8 in the case of the F-lenses. A damaged 50mm lens with oily stains etc. is not worth a single $ as long as you do not know if this lens can be properly repaired or not. Hasselblad and Zeiss can't repair everything because of lack of spare parts. Buy a lens that works with warranty. If you search long enough it does not have to be much more expensive. Good luck, Ulrik

I have used the Vivitar 2x converter with the 150 and 250 C-Sonnar lenses. No complaints regarding optical and mechanical quality. Might be better than carrying an old design 500mm C-lens around that is heavy and not of the highest optical quality. Be prepared for a dark viewfinder and that focusing will be much easier with a prism or magnifying hood than with a standard foldable waist level finder. You could use the search function, some aspects of this topic have been discussed before.

I'd like to extend the question. What about the 38mm CT* lens of the Hasselblad SWC, which has the same filter mount as the 50mm C-lens and an even wider angle of view?

I used the Canon Sureshot A1 under water with negative film and above water with slide film. The picture quality was good, however my own diving/snorkeling skills and underwater photography abilities require a lot of improvement. The instruction book recommends ISO 400 negative film under water, not the ASA 100 slide film you mentioned. Therefore I am not sure if it will work. As mentioned above, a flash near the lens does not seem to be a perfect solution, especially in hazy water. If it is possible you should practise before you visit the Great Barrier Rief to test the different exposure modes (with/without flash etc.). I found the operation of the camera very convenient.

What you describe is very common and usually the result of a worn or decomposed light seal where the darkslide (I think that is what you call "volet", it can be inserted/extracted in full light and in both manners, though one way it will not allow you to take out the insert of the magazine)slides in. You can check it by holding the magazine without the darkslide against a lightsource and looking if light comes through that slot. This was the case with two of four magazines I bought and it is nothing serious. It can be repaired by Hasselblad. You can do it also yourself. Buy a darkslide seal, it costs around 10 US$, remove the magazine plate that faces the camera, replace the seal carefully. The job takes around 15 minutes. But be careful not to ruin the new seal and do not loose one of these little screws that hold the magazine plate.

If you want to use a wide angle with little or nearly no distortion you should rent a Hasselblad SWC with its 4,5/38mm Biogon lens. This has only an angle of 900 diagonally but should be much more versatile, especially as your other lenses are 80 and 150mm. After the first test shots with my new SWC (well, its only 23 years old) I am very happy with this camera. The best idea is to buy this camera and celebrate it with a few bottes of red wine.

There is no other major difference between 500C and 500C/M than the way the screen is changed (there are many little differences, also between different 500C/M cameras). The old screens are quite dark so it is nice to have the option to change the screen yourself which is cheaper. Some say that it is better to avoid the very early 500C cameras (serial no. starts with "C"). The 2.8/50 mm lens has no built in shutter, so you cannot use it with a 500 series camera, you need a series 200 or 2000 camera for that. Look at the condition and be prepared to pay for an overhaul.

I think you do not have to start with 3 lenses. Here the budget of 3000$ will be very tight but not completely impossible if you search for a while and buy the 50/80/150 or 250 mm combination which is the most common and therefore cheapest on the second hand market. Buy at first a complete kit of Hasselblad 500C/M, T*coated 80mm lens and 12 or A12 back. This is the outfit I used for several years before I added more. Then take your time to search for the rest of the equipment. Old chrome lenses can be great performers but keep in mind that Hasselblad and Zeiss do not always have optical and mechanical spare parts for older lenses, especially older than around 1965 model year where the shutter mechanism was a little different. Do not spend all your money at the beginning, your camera body might need an overhaul (replaicing foam pieces, cleaning, lubricating). Look if light comes through the darkslide slot of the magazine and if spacing is o.k.. Very often the light seal needs to be replaced (you could do the repair yourself, the seal costs around 10$). Hasselblad bodies, magazines and lenses need service from time to time, so it is a good idea to buy with guarantee.

Just an example for a buying sequence which resulted from my needs (and took 10 years): 500C/M+80CF+A12--12 back--Vivitar 2x converter--50mmCF--150mmCT*(600US$!)--500C/M spare body--250C--A12--SWCT*+A12. When you buy a 150 mm lens it will not take long that you will look for an extension tube or 2, start with a 21mm tube.BTW,all this gear fits into a Lowe Pro Trekker AW. I once had a Kiev TTL-prism which was great but was tired of carrrying it so now I only use a handheld Gossen Lunasix 3 meter. The SWC I bought recently came with an unwanted A12 magazine. So I am selling a 12 or A12 magazine with new light trap, good condition for 450 DM (12) or 600 DM (A12).

I made a 4 week tour to Ecuador and Galapagos in October. The weather was perfect at this time. Wildlife was reduced due to El Nino but there was still very much to see. If you do not go on a Galapagos Tour especially for photographers there will not be much time to setup a tripod. Thats why I used a monopod with quick coupling for my 6x6 SLR with lenses up to 250mm and occasionally a 2x teleconverter. Do not forget a wide angle, you might find yourself standing on the walking path surrounded by dozens of marine iguanas. The films I used were Agfachrome Professional 100 and 200 which give very natural colours. No fill in flash was allowed on animals. We had a friendly capable guide called Franklin but were not happy with the crew on the "Darwin Explorer". Email me privately if you have detailed questions, also regarding the Ecuador mainland.

For info goto the Rollei TLR Page:

http://www.vestdata.no/~taase/Rollei.html

I dry my B+W negatives in the bathroom where there is not much dust.

Before hanging them into my shower cabin I put them into a Tetenal

Drysonal bath which contains alcohol and then wipe it off. So the

negatives dry very fast and there is not much time for the dust to

accumulate on the surface.

That seems to be the old style Hasselblad screen with split image and

microprism. I use it myself. The new brighter Acute Matte D screen

with similar setup has not a diagonal but a horizontal (or vertical,

depends how you put it in) split image.

I am no Pentax 67 user but I made a short side by side comparison of the old and the new version at the Photokina in Cologne. The shutter shake seems to be the same . No improvement here (I tested a Bronica SQB 6x6 camera and it did not appear to be much better, contrary to the Hasselblad). The new metering prisma is much more friendly for those who wear glasses as you can see nearly the entire screen.

Unfortunately only the new 40FLE Distagon and the 80mm Planar will be CFE lenses with electronic data bus communication with Hasselblad 200 bodies. The rest of the lenses will be CFi lenses without this feature. I don't care, I will stay with my 500 C/M anyway. But I think they missed a chance to make the 200 series more attractive, especially for those who also use 500 series cameras.

I use glassless mounts after having bad experience with the longlivety of glass-mounted 35mm slides. The worst glassless 6x6 mounts I ever tried were those from Gepe. The metal frame bends the slide, making it impossible to lay flat. I now use the Hama Proslide AV glassless frames. Of course the slides are not as flat as in glass-mounts. It is always a compromise.

Hasselblad has introduced a new zoom lens, the FE 4.8/60-120. It is produced in Japan and for the 200 and 2000 series cameras only. Look at it at the Hasselblad homepage. Ulrik

The first chrome 80 mm lenses until the early 60's are of a different optical design with only 6 elements. There are also a lot of transition chrome 80 mm lenses from the early 70's which have a T*-coating and carry this label. For details see Rick Nordin's "Hasselblad Compendium", the most complete collection of information about the Hasselblads from 1948 on till today, including also serial No. information about the lenses and dates of manufacture etc.

There was a test in a german photo magazine last year. All these lenses are fine. The Schneider Apo 90mm and the Rodenstock Apo-Rodagon 80 mm are at the top of the list, followed very closely by the Schneider Componon-S (costs half of the apo-version, thats why I bought it). Rodenstock Rodagon and Nikon EL are also very good. That4s what I think I can remember. Email me for details if you like and tell me your negative size, I have the photo magazine edition at home. They also tested other brands and cheaper glass from the aforementioned manufacturers (not everything can be recommended, unless you take your photos with a pinhole camera).

A Hasselblad 500C/M with 4.0/50 and 4.0/150 mm lens is usually my travel combination. If this is too much to carry I use an Olympus OM-1N with e.g. 2.8/28 and 2.8/100 lenses or the Olympus XA. The Olympus SLRs and lenses are small, lightweight and tough.

My Kiev prism takes four EPX 625 G cells, these have 1.5 Volts, EPX 625 cells with 1.35 Volts (more common) do not work.

I have an A12 magazine from 1980 that shows a little light leak. This

appears to be the result of a decomposing felt light trap. Is the

replacement a DIY job ? Or should this only be done at the

Hasselblad workshop and how much do I have to expect to pay for that ?

 

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Thanks for comments

 

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Ulrik

I have been to Maui and Big Island last year (Didn't consider going to Oahu). Driving to the top of the kaheakala-volcano at night will provide you with a spectecular sunrise. From the top there is a path that takes some hours and ends at another parking place. The views of the volcano, the craters and the rare plants (Silberwurtz in German) are fantastic. You will find many pools and waterfalls near the west coast. Big Island is also great, especially the volcano national park.

I would like to know if it is possible to use Kiev magazines with Hasselblad 500 bodies, maybe with some modifications.

Thanks for input.

The cheap price for a Sonnar 5.6/250 chrome lens does not reflect a lack of quality. As far as I know (and the technican at Hasselblad here)the glass is the same as in a new CF-lens. The difference is that it is single coated and not multicoated. This might here and then lead to somewhat lower contrast in situations with bright background,but this effect will not be very drastic in a telephoto with four lenses. I also bought a chrome 250 mm lens a short time ago and did not find a difference to my 150 mm T*-coated lens on my first colour slide test shots. In fact I am very happy with it. I think the lens will definetly be suited for you. However, check the lens and its mechanics carefully, insist on warranty, use a lens shade and take beautiful pictures.