This year marks the point at which I have been using Hasselblad cameras for over a decade. My first was a 201F in 2007, before moving to a 203FE in 2011. 10 Things I’ve Learned from 10 Years.
Hasselblad 500CM ReviewHasselblad 500CM ReviewWhy Medium Format?Shot with Rollei TLR 3.5E Xenotar for 1.5 years, and loved the image quality of 120film, not to mention the convenience of using it in the darkroom(fewer dust problems, forgiving with respect to grain, sharpness etc.) This whetted myappetite for a more versatile 120 camera. Furthermore, I realized thatI was carrying a Nikon + 3 lenses for color slide/negative film, and the TLR for B+W film,and the combined weight of this outfit was not much less than thatof a Hassy 500CM with 3 lenses (50, 80, 150) and two film magazines (1 for color, 1 forB+W).Grain advantage: 11x14 enlargement from a 6x6 negative has the same apparent grain sizeas a 6x9 enlargement from 35mm.
Thus 400ASA films look quite good.Handholding Advantage: If you get decent 6x9 enlargements from 35mm at someshutter speed you get decent 11x14 enlargements from a Hasselblad with the sameshutter speed and an equivalent lens. For example, I can use 1/125s with my Nikon FE2 and50mm lens; and 1/125s with the Hasselblad and 80mm lens. (Actually, inpractice I get very sharp results with the Hasselblad 80mm lens at 1/60s. I attribute thisto the fact that your hands shake less if you are holding the camera at waist level,especially since you can hold the camera taut against the neckstrap.)Depth-of-field disadvantage: Assuming angle of view is the same, you have to stop down amedium format lens 2 stops to get the same DoF as with the 35mm lens.I find that the two advantages more than cancel the disadvantage.
Finally, the tonalityof medium format is much better, and the negatives are easier to handle in thedarkroom. Thus Medium format gets the nod.Weight disadvantage? If you shoot two types of film and carry 2 camera bodies, considermedium format.
Also, the tripod is a signifcant weight for most people.Comparision with other medium format systemsA medium format SLR such as Hasselblad differs from 35 mm SLRs in two respects. First,the film magazine can be switched in mid-roll.
Second, the bodies do nothave focal plane shutters (although the top of the line Hassy 205 series does), andinstead the lenses have a built-in leaf-shutter. This leaf shutter is both a strength(allowsflash sync at 1/500s; a plus for wedding photographers) and a weakness (shutters indifferent lenses may go out of calibration gradually, and need to be adjusted).The Hassy lenses are classic Zeiss designs and generally of very high quality. People withlots of spare time debate endlessly whether or not Hassy lenses are 'the best.' Nobody seems to doubt they are very good.Unlike 35mm SLR systems, most medium format systems usually incorporate designtradeoffs. The Pentax 67 is reputed to have first class optics but is very heavy and hasnointerchangeable back. The Rollei TLRs or Fuji 6x7s deliver world-class results at beerprices, but have no interchangeable lenses or backs. The Mamiya 6 or 7s havefabulous optics and are light weight, but they lack interchangeable backs and their lensesdo not focus very close.
Rollei 6003/6008 are supposed to be great but I do not likecameras with lots of electronics and motors. Also, the Rolleis' features come at theexpense of higher weight (about 1.5lb heavier than the all-mechanical Hassy 500CM).After looking at all the above cameras at camera shops, I realized that the Hasselblad500CM (and its close cousin the Bronica SQA) is probably the medium format systemwith the fewest compromises. Though not the lightest medium format camera around, aHasselblad is certainly very light and compact for its class. A 500CM (or the newer 501CM)body with 80/2.8 planar lens is not much heavier or larger than the famously lightweightRollei TLRs with the same lens. In fact, excellent 3rd party straps -such as theone byOptech-make the Hassy feel lighter on the neck than a Rollei TLR with Rollei straps.
Ifyou put a 50/4 distagon on the Hassy, you have a camera with the capabilities similar tothe wide-angle Fujis, and not much more weight. In short, the Hassy can be configured toclosely approximate most other medium-format lines, with minimum sacrifice inquality (at least up to 16x20 enlargement).But ultimately, it all boils down to a question of which camera appeals to youraesthetic sense. The first time I played with a Hassy in a camera store -eventhough I thought Iwould never want to buy one- I just fell in love with its build and the way it fits inmy hands.That brings us to the question of price.
![Lens Lens](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125526251/657196708.jpg)
Rollei and Hasselblad are frighteninglyexpensive when new; Mamiya and Bronica aren't cheap either. The serious amateur willprobably want to buy a used system. After following prices for a few months, I realizedthat thanks to the extensive market for used Hassy gear, putting together a Hassy systemdid not cost too much more than, say, a Bronica SQA system.