cg

Is it halfway between the nearest object and far object or a third in from the near object? My memory tells me that DOF is greater behind the subject.

Polacolor is not very sharp and the color is not very good. Fuji Instant color film is little bit better but for composition and lighting check I would stick with B&W. I highly recommend Fuji B&W instant films (if you can get it)it has better contrast and sharper.

i don't have the 2450 but if you are using epson twain software make sure that under "configuration" - "preview" that "Automatic Preview for film" box is unchecked. This will allow you to select the film area manually and get the whole image.

good luck

I am thinking about getting one of Bill's screens but I want to ask

how durable they are. Are they as durable as Hasselblad Screens? With

the H screens the top part is smooth like glass and very easy to

clean when it gets full of dirt. Just wipe it clean with a soft

cloth. Are Bill's screens the same or do they have textured fresnel

top surface that are easily damaged?

I have used the Manfrotto 055 and 160. The 055 is very sturdy but heavy and clunky in my opinion. The 190 is light but not steady enough for the Hasselblad. It's more suited for a light 35mm camera. I traded my 055 for a Slik 700DX. The Slik is taller, a bit lighter and stronger. Try the Slik out and compare it to the 055.

guess it's your lucky day. Here's the Prontor timer I mentioned: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1386758721

 

BUT..I would save my money and invest in nice cable release and a wrist watch. I find it easier to keep time using the sweeping "second" hand than looking at a digital display.

 

Good luck

I use the 501CM and it's a very nice camera for long exposures. You don't need to worry about battery drain or cold temperature effects on batteries. The groundglass is not 100%. The Hasselblad Manual in p.125 says it's 91% with the waistlevel finder and 88% with the PM5 prism. Sometimes I see things on the neg that wasn't on the GG. It's no big deal unless you want to print full frmae with the black edge showing. I make exposures using 4 to 120 seconds. Timing is not overly critical what is more important is that you are consistent so you can bracket. You can buy a cable release timer/adapter made by Prontor that has long been discontinued. I believe the device allowed for mechanically timed long exposure from 1 to 30 seconds. It was very expensive but you might find one on e*** if you're lucky

I too outgrew the 135 format. I wanted more details and better tonality in my images. I now use 120 or 4x5 for most of my work. All things being equal the bigger the format the better your images will be in terms of tonality. However, from my experience larger format lenses are not as sharp as my 120 or 135 lenses. But you would not see the difference because the large film doesn't have to be enlarged as much as the smaller format. IMHO, if you are strictly doing landscapes you might want to stay with a lightweight 4x5 field camera. All the good landscape photographers I know use this format or larger. If you want to stay away from large format then I would go with the Hasselblad or Rollei. The Zeiss lenses are well known for sharpness and excellent tonality. I have always found the tonality of Japanese lenses a little bit harsh but they are really sharp. I agree with you there is almost nothing you can do to improve your 135 results. There just isn't enough film area to record all the tones and detail.

GB 120 is ISO 200 negative film process c-41.

I just went to a wedding and the official photographer was using a 500CM. I was about 10-20 ft. away from the photographer in the church and I thought the camera was very quiet and sometimes I don't even hear the camera shutter and mirror flop when the minister is speaking. I use a 501CM and I quite enjoy the mechanical sounds it makes. A lot nicer than the sounds of the Mamiya RB67 I used to have. I agree that if you want your Hasselblad to be quieter use the leaf shutter lenses with mirror lock-up. I also use mirror-up pre release for shorter time lag when taking portraits and sharper results. If you are shooting with fast film or flash try 1/250 or 1/500 to eliminate most blinking shots.

Harry's is a good place. I've only dealt with them once and they were very nice and the price was excellent. I have dealt with ALT and Henry's. Before ALT's demise I found that there were a mix of good people and a******s in their various departments but their prices on medium/large format was good. The real loss came when Henry's bought out Broadway Camera. Broadway was a small company with great people and some of the best prices on everything. Some of Broadway's former employees are now working at Henry's. When I shop there, I try to find these people and you get much better service or prices without the attitude.

I agree, the hasselblad is a very good system. There are many more people out there who can repair a Hassleblad 500 than a Rollei 6006. Right now Hasselbad prices on used stuff are amazing. Check e**y for some really good deals on lenses and accessories. But don't forget to factor in the cost of CLA because used stuff will likely need it. I have found the mechanical simplicity of the 500CM a real asset in studio work. You don't really need much when it comes to portrait work just a good reliable body and lens unless you like to shoot fast then you may want to add a motordrive later on as in the 503CW. You can't go wrong getting a Hasselblad.

I shoot both and shots with the Hasselblads are very sharp and possibly sharper than my 4x5 Schneider and Rodenstock lenses. But at that print size the film grain is can be very visible in 120 prints compared to prints from 4x5 negatives. Because the 4x5 film doesn't need to be enlarged as much there is finer grain and more apparent detail/sharpness. Medium format also cannot compete with the tonal range of 4x5 film.

That's a great deal on the ELM kit. I also got a nice deal on my 120mm s-planar. I got it from a UK dealer for 425 GBP. The lens has a 6 month warranty and the shutter had been overhauled. Looking at the images that it has produced so far, it is definitely a keeper.

Frank, I bracketed my shots using Provia 100 and the shots that were +.5 EV were closer to normal. The shots that did not get compensation were too saturated because they were a bit underexposed. I noticed this too with B&W film. The uncompensated close-up shots are a bit muddy compared to the normal distance shots that were on the same roll. When I use my 21mm tube I always have to add at least +.75 EV to my incident meter readings with my Minolta IV. BTW, the exposure times were around 1/15 to 1/125 so reciprocity was not a factor.

Thanks QG! I knew there has to be compensation and my test film shows it. This is a really sharp lens for short distance work. It's pretty good at infinity too. Since I don't shoot landscapes and do mostly studio work I think I will be very happy with this lens. By the way, the focussing is getting smoother the more I use the lens. I guess it's been on the store shelf too long.

Thanks for the info Frank. I do have the proshade. I use it with a b50-b60 adapter so I don�t have to change the b60 mounting ring on my proshade. Right now I have CF and CB lenses. I find the 120mm 5.6 S-planar lens flares less than the CF makro-planar lens I rented in the same situation. Both lenses had the proshade attached and aimed at a subject in front of a bright window. The light was diffused but it was enough to cause flare in the CF lens. There was "aperture shaped" flare in the CF lens and only a slight loss of contrast with the s-planar. I must have rented a really poor example of the CF lens and have bought a really good s-planar. I am actually beginning to really appreciate the quality of the C lens. This lens is really much better built than my CF and CB lenses. The next lens I buy will most likely be a C lens.

 

Another question I have is with the focussing action of this lens. Is it normal for the focussing to be slightly lighter near the infinity position and slightly heavier towards the 3 ft mark? I also find the focussing heavier when the lens is pointed up. How important is it to use the 120mm-150mm shade mask? I don't have one for my proshade but does it really make a difference?

My question: What is the exposure compensation for barrel extension when this lens is used in the close focus range?

Yes come to think of it, I had the 150mm not the non-existant 90mm. I do not have extensive experience with Mamiya 6/7 lenses but I have always found that most Japanese lenses are very sharp but too much contrast for my eyes. My own preference is for the Zeiss with the nice balance of sharpness and contrast. I think the Mamiya lenses may have an edge in terms of sharpness but Zeiss lenses are plenty sharp enough!

I just got a new old 120mm s-planar T* lens. I based my decision to

get a rather old lens on comments by photo.net members. I had rented

the 120mm f4 CF makro-planar and I was amazed at how much it suffered

from flare in backlit situations. This was the only lens I could rent

so I cannot say if I got a very poor sample. Other users have stated

that you must be careful to test many samples so that you get a good

one before purchasing. Since I was in the market for a used lens I

did not have the luxury of testing many samples of the CF lens.

However, others have praised the 120mm 5.6 C version and some even

think that it is a better lens. Based on preliminary tests, I have to

say that this is indeed a superb lens. It is very sharp and it does

not suffer from the same flare as the CF version that I had rented.

This is also my first C type lens. I am very happy with its built

quality and compact size. It will take getting used to the coupled

shutter and f stop ring but I think that it is a very nice feature.

The film was Delta 100 developed in d-76. I was using the Mamiya with the 75 and the 90 at the time. The Hasselblad was with the 80mm CB and 50mm CF-FLE. I cannot garantee that they were both exposed and developed exactly the same so I guess my evaluation is unscientific to say the least. Since, I no longer have access to the Mamiya I cannot do further testing. I have to say that I have never found any of my Zeiss lenses too high contrast. I really like the tonal range and colour they produce. But we have different eyes and different brains so that has to be taken into account! Is that shirt acqua-green or is it teal

KJF is right! The 50mm FLE is a lot better than the old 50mm C CF non-FLE versions. Better corner to corner sharpness specially at short distances with the FLE. I would only get the T* versions. IMHO this is important specially if you shoot interiors. If there are point light sources in the picture, they can create bad flare if your not careful. The T* MC and or new CFi baffling and a proshade can help a lot in these situations.

I personally would keep the Hassy system. You already have it and will do almost everything you want to do in MF photography. I find the ability to shoot different types of film important. If you travel it will be easier to find someone who can repair your Hasselblad than the Mamiya. But if you really do not like to carry all the weight of our Hasselblad system then I guess you should get a rangefinder MF. Have you considered getting a Hasselblad SWC?

High trigger voltage damage is not often easily detectable in mechanical cameras. It can take a long time before the damage can accumulate enough so the x-sync stops working. What can happen is the high voltage can create excessive black carbon build-up or pitting in the sync contact over time resulting in an expensive repair. IMHO it is better to invest in a $30 Wein safe-sync or similar product to avoid potential damage.

I only own a Hasselblad system but I used the Mamiya 6 for a project once using b&w film. Overall, I found the lenses are very sharp and contrasty. In printing the negatives I found that the tonal range was not the same as the Zeiss lenses. The Mamiya lenses were too harsh for me. The Zeiss is a little more gradual with great mid-tones and shadow detail. The Mamiya bodies are a little fragile. They got dropped and exploded into many pieces. oops! That's another topic.