dzeanah

<p><i><font color="#0000FF">I am about to start a new business, doing wedding

photography, in a studio and outside, I would like to know, how many lenses

I need... </font></i></p>

<p>Are you sure you're ready to start your own business? This is about as basic

a question as you can ask, and it suggests you don't understand your own style...</p>

<p>You can do everything you need to with just an 80mm, so that would be a good

place to start. The 150mm is probably a better "portrait" lens, especially

when mixed with a Softar 1. The 180mm is known as one of the stellar performers

in the Hasselblad line-up, but many consider it too sharp for portrait work.</p>

<p>If shooting weddings, you can do the whole event with just an 80mm -- I've

known photographers who have no need for anything but an 80mm in a 6x6 wedding

rig. If you're going to be shooting formals at the altar, you'll find a wider

lens will make it a little easier and give you more options.</p>

<p>If it were me starting over, I'd seriously consider a 60mm and a 120mm/150mm

as a basic kit. Well, that and 35mm...</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p> </p>

I sold a 30x40 to a client from 35mm once -- we had no idea she was going to want a large image so we were shooting 35mm handheld. Negs were Delta 100 EI 125, developed in XTOL 1:3.

 

The print was beautiful. Some camera shake was visible if you looked closely, but the print was incredible with barely noticable grain. Note that this was printed by Ivey Seright, not by me.

 

Try it. You might be really impressed, or you might prefer the look of ID-11.

 

<p>We've all struggled with this question.</p>

<p>The above poster was right -- you should be sure to consider the Rollei offerings

as well. They didn't feel right for me, but if you want the best optics and

technology (at a <i>painful</i> price!) then Rollei is it.</p>

<p>If you're going to be making money with your camera, then Hasselblad is the

only choice in my mind. You can rent anything, anywhere. You'll need to have

any professionally used camera serviced, but you can still buy new parts for

500C's manufactured in the 50's (like mine!) and have it serviced locally. You

won't obsolete this camera. As for lenses, the lens designs haven't changed

on most models, so you're welcome to buy the older C lenses -- I <i>only</i>

own C lenses because I like the design (the moving DOF indicators are way cool,

and they're the only lenses with self-timers) and cost. </p>

<p>Bronica makes a good product -- the only complaints I've heard (and experienced)

have to do with film insert failures, but then again, how many inserts can you

buy for the cost of a Hasselblad back? Note that Bronica lenses are sold on

their <i>bokeh</i> performance in Japan, so one would assume good sharpness,

contrast, and nice out of focus highlights (the 150MC for my ETR was incredible

bokeh-wise, even if there was a lot of light fall-off). Rental for 6x6 Bronica

gear is nonexistent in every place I've looked, and <i>if</i> your camera fails

on a shoot I'd think clients would be more understanding if you were shooting

Hasselblad, because "it's the best." Arguable, but no-one's going

to say you were shooting with crap equipment and that the failure could have

been avoided with a better camera choice.</p>

<p>Now, you asked for advice: find a way to try them all out, and choose the one

that feels the best in your hand. You'll shoot best with the camera you like

the best, so go with what you like. For me, I didn't like the feel of the Rollei,

I didn't trust Bronica (bad experiences with two of the 645 models), and I <i>loved</i>

the quirks of the Hasselblad like the sound of the rear curtain. There's no

right answer here, and they're all excellent cameras.</p>

<p>One thought that might help you some: each camera has its own personality.

The Hasselblad 50x series are <i>manual</i> cameras. You may use a metered finder,

but it's still a mechanical camera and that will affect the way you shoot. There's

nothing you can do with medium format that you can't do with one of these, but

if you're not comfortable with the "guts" of photography you won't

be comfortable with one. If you are, then these are the simplest, easiest-to-use

cameras there are. This isn't a camera that will surprise you (except with its

optics and build quality). Small and light in the hand also.</p>

<p>The Rollei has all the good features and all the good optics (more than Hasselblad

-- they use the same Zeiss designs, but the Rollei has some really nice Schneiders

available too). Selection of accessories is nice, and from what I've heard the

system seems to be well built and reliable. The camera is probably more complete

-- shutter speeds up to 1/1000s, built-in spot meters with exposure compensation,

built in autowinder, inserts are cheap and quick loading, etc. Not much to complain

about if you like the feel of it.</p>

<p>I don't know -- it's late. You can't make a wrong decision here, so go with

what you like the best. Note that if you <i>really</i> want a Hasselblad (or

Rollei) and you settle now, you're probably making a mistake. You'll spend more

money overall, and you'll doubt your camera in the short term. Better to buy

the camera you like the best even if you can only afford one lens, than to settle

on a more complete system you don't like.</p>

<p>That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.</p>

<p> </p>

<p> </p>

 

Proxars aren't bad and are reasonably priced, but they aren't numbered in an intuitive manner. They're numbered such that then the lens is set for infinity focus, the actual focal plane will be that many meters in front of the lens. The 2m proxar is "weaker" than the 1m, which is weaker than the .5m

 

My experience with Bronica was with an old ETR. The optics were fine, except for some light fall-off at the edges of the frame (not a big deal when you're printing your own enlargements). My experience was that while the bodies themselves were reliable enough, the backs failed at an incredibly high rate -- I once had 4 inserts (3 120, 1 220) fail on the same shoot! Granted, it was a cold morning, but that can really ruin your day. I was always having them repaired.

<p> I went to the rental shop and looked at every 6x6 they had in stock. I was

comparing the M6, 6008i, and 500CM. I preferred the Hasselblad. Your preference

may differ, but for <i>me</i> it's the most intuitive camera I picked up. I

would feel differently if I was married to the use of an in-camera light meter,

but I find I do better work when I'm more immersed in the process of photography.

Automation insulates me too much from the process.

<p> Anyway, I've had my share of camera failures with the Hasselblad, primarily

because I've been willing to buy used cameras that have seen extensive professional

use, and I haven't really been willing to pay for having the cameras serviced.

I've learned from that though, and I've found a good repairman...

<p>There's a reason that camera systems like mine are still in service (body built

in 1958, lenses from the early seventies, images as good as I've seen from any

camera). Hasselblad cameras are well-built (over-built?) and parts are still

available. Having said that, if you go out and buy a Bronica SQ brand new (like

my former business partner did) you'll likely have few difficulties.

<p>You work differently with both of these cameras.

<ul>

<li>Both have leaf-shutter lenses, but the Bronica's lenses are timed by the

body so you should see identical exposures with each lens on the same body.

On the Hasselblad each lens has its own shutter, so you may see slightly different

exposure times depending on which lens you've picked up (not in my experience

however). </li>

<li>The Bronica is battery-dependent -- if the battery dies, you're shooting

at 1/500s. The Hasselblad (500 series, for this discussion) isn't.</li>

<li>The Bronica has the shutter speed knob on the left-hand side of the body

and the aperture control on the lens. This is more intuitive if you're coming

from the 35mm world. The Hasselblad has both controls on the lens, and the

lenses are set up so that you can set a particular EV and easily select from

the available shutter speed/aperture combinations. This is more intuitive

if you think in terms of EV's, or it you're a zone system sort of person.</li>

<li>The Hasselblad shutter speeds bottom out at 1 second, for lower speeds you'll

use bulb. The Bronica has a much wider range of speeds.</li>

<li>You can afford a larger Bronica system for the same outlay. You will get

more out of a Hasselblad system when you sell. What is it -- Harley Davidson

and Hasselblad are the only products that go <i>up</i> in value as they age?</li>

<li>If you buy a metered finder for both of these cameras, on the Hasselbad

it will tell you how much light there is in the scene, while the Bronica will

conveniently set the camera for you.</li>

<li>The Hasselblad lenses are second to none. Durability (provided you <i>get

it serviced</i>) is also. Bronica is "good enough." Sometimes clients

see it this way, too.</li>

<li>The Hasselblad system is more complete (by a long shot). 45-degree prisms,

bellows, close-up accessories, long lenses, really short lenses (and the SWC),

focusing knobs for lenses, etc. are all available on one system, but not at

all on the other.</li>

<li>Hasselblad gear can be rented anywhere. I've never seen SQ gear for rent

(though I <i>have</i> seen GS-1 and ETRS gear available).</li>

</ul>

<p>It's a choice. There are a number of people here that are down on Hasselblad

because they've had failures. Some of these were their fault for not understanding

the system, others were problems with the design of the camera. You <i>will</i>

want an unjamming key -- if the mainspring on your 30-year-old never-serviced

80mm Planar breaks, you'll need it to dismount from the camera. If you're not

willing to get your gear serviced and CLA'd every few years, you may want to

choose the Bronica. At least you'll know when something breaks, and it won't

hobble along for a while allowing you to believe everything is fine.</p>

I should be clear here: you can get excellent images with either system. The Hasselblad <i>will</i> cost you more if you ever buy more than the basic kit, but in my opinion the advantages the system offers are worth the expense. Note that I use C lenses and older equipment to keep the costs down, and my opinion may not be that of the majority.<p>

Good luck with your decision.

It's <i>coated</i>, but not T* <i>multicoated.</i> I think the difference is

between 95% of internal reflections being blocked by the lens coating and 99% being blocked. This is from memory though -- don't quote me.</p>

<p>It'll work fine for most uses with a hood -- I have a 150 C that I'm very happy

with. Doesn't mean I wouldn't like to upgrade some day though...

I purchased a used A-24 the other day, and ran some expired Velvia

through it as a test. The film was 3-4 years out of date. It was

something like 30-35^ F outside when I loaded the film.

 

When I delevloped the film I found that the first frames showing up

on the roll were overlapping hugely, then frames were spaced better,

then frames were maybe 1mm apart. The final 1/2 of the roll was

unexposed.

 

I notified the seller that the back seemed to need some work, then I

ran a new roll of Plus-X through it, taking it off of the camera and

marking lines at the top and bottom of the frame on frames

1,2,3,4,5,10,15,20,24....

 

The framelines were spaced perfectly (and I notified the seller that

my last e-mail to him was probably in error). This leads me to

believe that I probably loaded the back improperly. I'm used to the

old "manual" 12 backs, but I've loaded A-12 and A-24 backs without

difficulty before.

 

Does this sound like my error, or was it something to do with old

film? If my error -- any idea what I may have done incorrectly?

Could it be something wrong with the back (doubtful)?

 

Thanks. Sorry if this sounds stupid, but I'd like to keep this from

happening again.

I started with a Rolleiflex Automat 3.5 (A?) Tessar. Bought mine cheap from Midwest Photo Exchange, and I knew that the slow shutter speeds were off by about 1 stop.

 

Had excellent results. Cost something like $125 (it was really ugly, and I was there to inspect it in person) and produced stunning results. Something like this would be easy to re-sell once you realized that a) 120/220 isn't for you or b) you want a camera with interchangeable lenses/backs/finders/whatever.

Proxars were only mentioned in passing, but they're working well for me so far.

 

Proxar filters cause your lenses to focus closer than they normally would. They come in 3 strengths -- 2m, 1m, and 0.5m (set your lens to its infinity setting and subjects at this range will be in focus.) Quality seems very good, and you don't need to mess with light loss due to extension (if, like me, you don't have a metered finder.)

 

They're cheap enough to play with -- I found 2 B57 Proxars on Ebay for $20 each in EX+ condition. Certainly cheaper than a bellows or 120 Makro.

 

<p><i>every one is telling me to go for a hassie, how ever the 6008i sond like

a better deal than the 501cm. </i></p>

<p>I've never shot a wedding with a Rollei, but I went through the same thought

process you are going through and chose the Hasselblad. Would recommend you

use square format regardless of which system you choose.</p>

<p>As far as the specifications are concerned, the Rollei <i>is</i> a better camera

than the 501cm. Faster leaf-shutter lenses with (some) 1/1000 shutter speeds,

automation built into the camera including metering, better back design, nifty

features (like the revolving 45^ prism), etc. But it still wasn't for me. </p>

<p>Issues that weigh in on the Hasselblad side that <i>might</i> mean something

to you include:</p>

<ul>

<li>Handling. I would have gone with the 6008i if it wasn't for this point.

The Rollei just didn't feel "right," even after 20 minutes of playing

with it. I could have made do with it, but the 503CW just felt "right"

from the start. It fit my hand better, and all of the controls fell where

I thought they should be. It was <i>comfortable</i>. I think I may be in the

minority though -- Rollei users really love their cameras. <g></li>

<li>Availability of rental equipment is excellent for H'blad.</li>

<li>Availability or repair service is excellent for H'blad.</li>

<li>Availability of used equipment is excellent. Price a new set of Softars

in B50 mount new vs the ebay price and you'll see why this is important. <g></li>

<li>It looks as if Hasselblad is never going to obsolete this design. I've got

a body from '58, 2 lenses from the early 70's, backs from the 80's, a finder

from the 70's, etc. <i>All</i> of the parts can still be serviced. Almost

all of the newest accessories that you can buy at B&H or Wolf will work

on my camera, even though it's 40 years old.</li>

<li>Durability. Everyone has horror stories with their equipment (mine are with

Bronica). There are those here who will curse the Hasselblad design for being

quirky and prone to failure, but there are many more who will call it a workhorse

that takes all kinds of abuse. There is a reason for Hasselblad's reputation

for reliability. As far as the "quirks" that people mention so much,

IMHO they're minor. You need to wind the camera before removing the lens,

which is hard to forget if you wind after every shot automatically. Everything

else is intuitive -- winding the back advances the film rather than resetting

the mirror & shutter. Removing the back, winding the camera, and replacing

the back gets you a double-exposure. Simple.</li>

<li>Status. This one is really stupid, but it exists -- the expectation is that

"professional" wedding photographers use Hasselblad equipment. I've

got examples I've run into in my dealings with brides, but you don't need

them: pretend you're a bride surfing the web for advice on hiring a photographer

for your wedding. There are a number of sites that say "professionals

use Hasselblads," and there are brides that believe them. This is probably

the same reason that people are recommending the 501CM to you -- all of the

wedding photographers I've talked to started using Hasselblads because the

photographers they learned from used Hasselblads. I guess this is the "if

it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality.</li>

</ul>

<p><i>HAS ANY ONE USED A ROLLEI FOE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY HOW DOES IT HANDEL PLEASE

HELP IM CONFUSED THANKS </i></p>

<p>You've really got to decide this one on your own. The Hasselblad fits my hand

better and is lighter. Others have other preferences. Any chance you could rent

one or the other? If I hadn't had a local rental shop, I would have bought a

Rollei or Mamiya RF. I'm glad I didn't.</p>

<p>In case you haven't seen it, check out <a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/rollei-6008.html">Phil's

Rollei Review</a>. </p>

 

Follow-up:

 

Spoke with the seller and it turns out the front of the prism has been re-painted. Still has the logo above the eyepiece, and the plate saying "Made In Germany West for Hasselblad by Novoflex.

D.B.pat.ang. U.S.Pat.Pend."

 

I feel better now. Guess I should have spoken with the seller before posting here.

 

Thanks.

I'm the owner of a 500C system, which originally came with a 45^

unmetered Kiev Prism. The Kiev prism would be fine, except that it

provides an unsharp image. I would like to buy a Hasselblad prism to

replace it.

 

<p>I won an auction on ebay for an NC-2 <A

HREF="http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?

ViewItem&item=153535585">prism</A>, but noticed that another bidder

retracted his bid, because "HASSELBLAD" wasn't written on the front

of the finder. I've done some looking this morning, and another <A

HREF="http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?

ViewItem&item=156758889">auction</A> shows a picture of a very

similar-looking prism with the logo as it should be.

 

<p>I don't want to buy another Kiev.

 

<p>Am I about to get ripped of here, or were NC-2 prisms produced

with different markings?

 

<p>Thanks.

 

<p>(I know this question is of limited appeal and will likely be

deleted, but y'all seemed like the best people to ask.)