mark_tucker2

<p>Wow, tough crowd here. Full of experts who'd rather tell you how they'd shoot it, rather than directly answer the question that I asked. I re-read my original question, and nowhere in there could I find any mention of me asking about the 150. Sorry to barge in.</p>

<p>I used to own a Mamiya 6, and I remember the frustration of the very long minimum-focusing distance, for shooting portraits. No way could you shoot even close to a head and shoulders portrait. I ended up buying that goofy and expensive close-up adaptor with the wacky magnifier thing on it, but that just turned the camera into a not-portable travel camera. So I sold it all.<br>

<br /> Reconsidering maybe the Mamiya 7 or 7II. Does anyone know if there is a difference in the minimum-focus distance between the 75mm lens from the Mamiya 6 days, or the 80mm from the Mamiya 7? Which one focuses closer?<br>

<br /> Does anyone see a difference in the viewfinder quality between the Mamiya 7 and the Mamiya 7II? I had heard there was an alteration in the 7II to make it better?<br>

<br /> Is the "spot meter" in the camera just totally untrustable? Are you forced to carry around a handheld meter for available light? What would happen if you sprayed some diffusion spray over the meter window? Or taped some very thin diffusion paper over it? Would it help disperse it, and take the spot-ness out of it?<br>

<br /> Heard concerns about film transport mechanism: was this improved when they brought out the 7?<br>

<br /> Thank you. Mark Tucker, http://www.marktucker.com</p>

<p>What if you wanted an 8x10 field camera, but you did not want ANY movements at all? I have two priorities:<br>

1. To minimize the amount of time from when I take it out of the car, until it's on the tripod and ready for shoot a frame. I want everything square, all the time, no movements at all. Just throw it on a tripod, and shoot a picture. Quick and easy.<br>

2. I want the spring mechanism in the back, where the film holder drops into, to be super easy to pull back and insert the holder. Not stiff. Many times, the older beat up Deardorffs are better than the newer one, because they're kinda worn out in that way. Like butter.<br>

Any thoughts? Thank you.</p>

Mr de Bakker,

 

Yes, I remember that now -- that cut-out that allows for seeing the readout!

 

I've been searching on ebay, wondering how you'd know if a WL Finder was blue line or not, since they're rarely shot with the finder open.

 

Thanks for the other info. Will find the Wildi manual; great reference.

I notice that, on one of my WL Finders for the 203, there is a notation on it that says "-1". Does this mean that the pop-up loupe encased in the Finder has some degree of magnification to it?

 

Is there a chart somewhere that equates your eyeglass prescription to what number of Hasselblad Diopter?

 

Is there any difference in WL Finders, between a 200-series and a 500-series? I located a very clean demo body 203FE, but it shipped without a WL Finder.

 

Thanks.

How can you tell what kind of focusing screen that you have installed in your 200 body? I'd like to have the best, brightest one available. For the 203FE, what type am I looking for? AccuMatte? Does Bill Maxwell make a screen for the 203FE?

 

Thanks.

Kelly,

 

Yes, if I was shooting people, I'd probably want the motor. I'm going to break into NASA and steal one of those 503 motors though.

 

In terms of "optically inferior glass", here was my experiment that started years ago:

 

http://199.237.236.200/plungercam/

 

-MT

Faster? The motor drive. Easier? The crank.

 

If I was shooting a job, shooting people, I'd probably want to install the motor.

Mr de Bakker,

 

Neither of the two drives has the "FE" blue stripes on them. I guess they're older "F" models? I don't think I've ever seen a motor with the double blue lines. I make a point of trying to buy only the double-blue-stripe models of anything; I'm just superstitious against the older F models. Actually, I'm considering my first tatoo -- a small tasteful double blue stripe on my forearm, just for good luck.

 

I don't mind the noise of the motor. But I really don't care how the camera feels in my hand with the motor. Out of balance; off kilter. I'm going to do everything I can to shoot with the manual winder. I shot the 203 today, and whatever was broken is now miraculously fixed, but I shot without the motor today.

The winder does its job, but since the day I first saw it, it seemed like a design afterthought. Almost like

Hasselblad didn't design it, because it's so clunky. Like it was farmed out to Bill's Boxy Design Studio.

 

Maybe it's my hands; I just can't find a sweet spot to get my hand in there just right. When I hold it, it's as

though my middle finger lines up with the shutter release, instead of my index finger -- I've even tried shooting

it that way, but it never works for more than a frame or two.

 

To that other fellow: I have zero interest in a cropped-back to go on this camera. I got sick enough of using the

Contax and the PhaseOne, and not having the full frame. Enough with that. It's neg film all the way for me now.

Here is even further proof that Jesus lives -- I took the manual crank off the 202 and stuck it on the 203, and again, i pushed that middle button, and then I threw some salt over my shoulder, and I cranked it, and the angels began to sing. The 203 is now fixed too. My suspicion is that the issue is that motor drive, which is the weak link in that whole 200 line. It's like a goiter sticking out from the side of that body. And for some reason, I can never find a position for my fingers to fit in there, to keep my finger on the shutter release, but also for my hand to be physically comfortable. As much as I love the motor for shooting people, I think it's best to simply use the manual crank. I have two of those motors, and three by next week. No one seems to want them, and I'm starting to know why.

 

I wish you could take that 503 motor drive, with that hand grip thing, and get it to work with the 200's.

 

But I don't want to complain -- I'm back in business, and without sending anything to New Jersey. Lesson learned -- that little center button is the cure for all ills.

 

I agree with someone else -- it would nice to have a battery meter for that 200 motor -- maybe that was the issue. Maybe the AA's were dying. But best it seems to avoid the motor altogether.

 

Thanks to all that responded. You scored some good karma today.

A little note: Yes, the button in the middle of the manual crank fixed the 202FA. I'm back in business. You gotta love the internet. After all these years of using these cameras, I never knew about that little trick. (I had a full 202 system, pre-digital, and sold it all when Canon waltzed into the scene, thinking digital was the end-all-be-all future. boy was I wrong).

 

One last question: From another thread it appears there is a PX28L and PX28 something else, (not lithium)? And that either batteries are OK to use?

 

And something about holding a button down for 15 seconds to turn off the meter, and thus, battery drain?

 

I just love these cameras: such a joy, after using the digital cameras for years. This 203FE and 202 are truly engineering marvels. And the most accurate meters I've ever seen.

 

Again, to all of you, thank you.

Thank you all for the responses. That 203 really goes thru the batteries, i've suspected a problem with it since I bought it. it's almost as if it's had a "dead short" in it; it'll be in the case unused, and only after maybe two weeks of no use, the battery goes dead.

 

I am so paranoid about batteries that I keep those PX28L's everywhere; I have about a dozen of them!

 

Will try to reset the 202FA, and I supposed prepare to send off the 203FE to New Jersey? What is current repair facility for 203FE?

 

Thank you all. Even with these problems, I bought yet another one last week; I found a demo in California. 203FE is the best camera that Hasselblad ever made. Was gonna sell the 202, ever since I discovered that it only goes to 1000th, but now, I'll keep it as insurance policy.

First, before I highjack your thread, let me vote that I've owned several of these 200 series cameras, and they're my favorites ever, and I've been shooting for 27 years. They are amazing. The meter is so good that I just put it on "A" and set the lens to wide open, and i use it like a point and shoot camera. I shoot color neg, and damn near every frame is perfectly exposed. So I vote for this series by far, over the 500 series. Who wants to drag around a hand held meter? Plus, you get the 110F2 with the 200s.

 

Now, the bad news: I was shooting yesterday with the 203FE and it locked up on me. I'm looking for any thoughts from experienced people here.

 

Was shooting with the motor drive, and I'd shot about twenty frames and it locked up. I took the back off, and the shutter release seems to travel on half way now; you press the release and it comes in about half way and the resistance pushes it back out. With the back off, I can see that "pin" that trips the film back, and while that pin normally travels about 1/4 inch, it now only travels 1/8 of an inch.

 

I changed batteries, thinking it was the body battery. Kodak PX28L lithium. No luck. The electronics seem fine -- everything works, but the shutter seems slightly jammed.

 

Even weirder, I came home to get the 202FA, and I shot one frame with it, to test the internal battery, and then it locked up too. It locked up with the rear shutter open, and the mirror raised. It's still in that condition now. I changed batteries and no luck.

 

On both bodies, too, I removed the motor drive, thinking the batteries might be dead in the motor, and installed the manual advance.

 

Any thoughts? I'd love to get a quick answer so I can keep shooting today. How weird that both bodies go down? One body is '96 and the other body is '98, but both very clean. I bought them both used, this year, to get back into film after frustration with digital.

 

Mark Tucker, http://www.marktucker.com

I recently bought a really mint Ebony 4x5. I forgot the model number but it's one of the nicest folding models.

Here is my question:

 

Is there any way to lube, or stretch, or relax, or adjust, the tension of the Ebony back, when you go to load a

Fuji Quickload holder into it, or, even worse, the Fuji 4x5 polaroid holder?

 

I can just remember, in the old days, when I'd buy an old worn-out Deardorff, the back was so fried, and so

relaxed, that you could very easily slide the holder into the camera back. It's like the older cameras were

actually more usable than a brand new camera.

 

I just notice, most every time I slide the Quickload holder into place, it's really a chore to get the Ebony to

really "open up" and receive the holder. It's like I want squirt some WD40 onto those wood rails that receive the

holder, to get it to slide easier.

 

Anyone have a trick, or a workaround?

My original H1 had horrible "mirror slap". Many other people reported this issue. You could actually feel the body "lunge" when you were holding the grip. Many complained.

 

At some point, Hasselblad introduced this "delay" with firmware.

 

I agree with previous poster; it was only to reduce mirror slap issue.

 

the camera is badly designed in this area. it is a strobe-only camera, in my opinion. i would not shoot a job with it, handheld, at anything less than a 250th, with available light.

 

this is my opinion only. others may think differently.

You were correct the other day, I think I have the PM45. It has no meter. The rubber eyepiece turns left and right, and the diopter changes. It has two blue stripes on the finder. It must the 2.5x one.

 

My eyeglass script is I think +3.25, which means, I can't see squat right in front of me. Everyone looks like Doris Day or Barbara Walters on television when they're that close; shot with that Softar diffusion filter.

 

It just bugs me that I've got that diopter cranked all the way over to one extreme. I want to have it in the middle and then duct tape it down in place.

 

I see ebay ads for Plus and Minus diopters. No idea which one i need for someone who can't see things up close.

 

Thank you.

 

- Mr. Magoo

One last question: I have the diopter setting for this 45 Finder turned all the way in one direction. Wont' go any further. Still not tack tack sharp. Makes me curious about installing a diopter of some kind similar to this one on ebay:

 

http://tinyurl.com/5qurjp

 

Is there a chart somewhere that says, "OK, if your eyeglass prescription is ___, then you need to buy this Hasselblad diopter like ____".

You are a jewel. Thank you. You just saved me about three hundred dollars...

I searched Photo.net for my question, but this is the closest that I can find. I know it's an old thread.

 

I have 202FA and 203FE. I do not use the fancy-schmancy metering in the bodies; i just use Manual or A. If that is the case, is there any difference in an E24 and an A24? I know you can set the ASA on the back with the E, but that's not a big deal to me. Fine to set it with the internal buttons on the body.

 

Are there any other differences to justify the much higher price of the E backs?

 

Thank you.

 

Mark Tucker

@ Q.G.:

 

Thanks for the response. The 45 finder that I just bought came on this 203FE. I know it must be later model, because it has the two identifying blue stripes on the finder itself.

 

And yes, I usually wear glasses when I shoot, so maybe the 2.5x magnification is right on the money for me.

 

I wish I knew the exact model of this blue striped 45 finder. I'm a sucker for the giant viewfinder image with Hasselblad, and I'd even sacrifice the edges/corners, to get it as large as possible.

 

Again, thank you.

I apologize for this simple question. I am coming back to Hasselblad 202, after

years of digital, and I'm rusty.

 

In the old days, I had a 202 and 203, and there were two different 45 degree

prism finders for those bodies. One of the finders magnified 2x and the other

one magnified 3x. (Obviously, I'm looking for the 3x model).

 

One was called PM45; not sure the name of the other one.

 

Does anyone remember these model names, and their magnify number? Is there any

downside to the 3x model? Will be used on 202FA and 203FE.

 

Thanks.

 

Mark Tucker

http://www.marktucker.com

mark (at) mark tucker *dot* ^com^

Thank you all, very much. I'm so out of touch with 4x5, having (unforgivably) selling my Ebony and other great film cameras when the Digital Wave swept me under, and affected my judgement.

 

A further embarrassing question: What is the minimum coverage number for 4x5?

 

Weirdly, I have a photo of a Schneider 105 f2.8 for sale, but my hunch is that it's for 6x9, and that's why I can't find much reference for it under LF.

 

Again, thank you all.

Can anyone tell me if there is a chart somewhere for determining coverage for

old classic lenses? I'm about to buy a Schneider Xenotar 150 2.8, (which

everyone seems to agree covers 4x5), but I have also found a Xenotar 105 2.8 as

well. I can find nothing on the web about this lens. My question is: will it

cover 4x5?

 

Thank you.

 

Mark Tucker, http://www.marktucker.com

Just beginning to use the H1D camera, and I'm concerned that the camera is not

remembering the User Profiles, (ISO, focus modes, etc) that I've created. Sometimes, when

I turn on the camera, it's set to ASA 50 instead of ASA 100, that I've specified in the User

Profile that I created.

 

Is there anyone here with experience with setting up and loading these Profiles?

 

Thanks.

 

MT, http://www.marktucker.com