Considering..

[HannekeTT]

Hi all,

After 21 years of serious photography (with affordable equipment, being a 'poor' artist ;-)) I'm now considering a 501CM. But.. I have zero experience with 6x6.
After five years of digital photography I'm really starting to miss the whole process of making prints in the darkroom. Of course, I could easily pick up my good old Canon AT-1 again but that would leave me with the same sizes I have now with my Nikon. I want to start investigating a whole new area: the compositions in squares. That's the main reason for wanting 6x6. Besides that: I really want something completely different in my artwork.
Actually.. I guess I'm a little tired of the usual picture sizes ;-)

Anyway, I'm hoping to find some tips, trics and advise here, before I really buy the Hasselblad 501CM (which I held for a moment yesterday, trembling ;-)), it would be the oldest and at the same time most expensive camera I even bought ;-)

 

[wbulte]

I guess I'm a little tired of the usual picture sizes ;-)

Anyway, I'm hoping to find some tips, trics and advise here, before I really buy the Hasselblad 501CM (which I held for a moment yesterday, trembling ;-)), it would be the oldest and at the same time most expensive camera I even bought ;-)

It does not have to be the most expensive one

Kidding aside: what do plan to use it for? The lenses are the most expensive part of the system. Older lenses being cheaper obviously. And wide angles most often more expensive than tele lenses.

A 501CM is a nice start, I have one myself. I assume it is in good shape?


Wilko

 

[Professional]

I started photography at 2005[late], and i was shooting only digital completely, then in 2009 i started to buy film gear, then i started to shoot with film in 2010[maybe by March or April], i started film with Mamiya RZ67II and Hasselblad 501CM, never faces any problem with both, and very happy with both and i will keep shooting with film even i am a bit late and i have many digital bodies.
Note: i don't have any 35mm film body yet, even i have 1 film camera that can be modified to take 35mm film but i prefer to keep with medium format, for 35mm i have Canon full frames cameras can do the job, and i do develop B&W films of MF by myself at home, for colors i prefer digital cameras and i send color films to the lab which is doing great.

 

[HannekeTT]

What I intend to use it for?

Thanks for your info. My intention with the 501CMis to pick up two of my contemporary art subjects. One being human bodies (alive, mind you, but not nudes in the 'classic' sense), the other being ordinary subjects, shot in a way that makes them abstract, with layers like in a painting, but in one single shot. Kind of painting with my camera, I guess. My paintings at the moment are squares too, I want to combine them. Which brings me to a technical question: the 501cm I am considering, comes with a 80mm / 2.8 lense. That would do just fine for the human pictures, but not for the abstracts, I suppose. Is there a possibility to use ( I don't know the specific English word..) rings to get a little closer to your subject without actually having to buy a macro-lense? I did find one (Hasselblad 135mm 5-6 Makro) but that would set me back another €900,-- and that is really not an option.
And yes, wbulte: the camera I held seemed to be in good shape but I don't know it's history. I didn't ask yet, either. The shop gives a 6 months warranty and my experiences so far with them have been very good so I'm not really worried about that. But if there is anything I can check to be more certain: shoot!

 

[wbulte]

Which brings me to a technical question: the 501cm I am considering, comes with a 80mm / 2.8 lense. That would do just fine for the human pictures, but not for the abstracts, I suppose. Is there a possibility to use ( I don't know the specific English word..) rings to get a little closer to your subject without actually having to buy a macro-lense? I did find one (Hasselblad 135mm 5-6 Makro) but that would set me back another €900,-- and that is really not an option.
And yes, wbulte: the camera I held seemed to be in good shape but I don't know it's history. I didn't ask yet, either. The shop gives a 6 months warranty and my experiences so far with them have been very good so I'm not really worried about that. But if there is anything I can check to be more certain: shoot!

Extension tubes (tussenringen in Dutch) also exist for the Hasselblad. A lot of people who do 'tight' portraits use a thin ring (8mm or so, I have a 21mm myself) in combination with a Sonnar 4/150mm short-tele. Obviously you can also use these tubes with the 80mm. What model is the 80mm lens?
The 80mm Planar lens comes in a considerable number of variations.

It might be advisable to check the serial number of the 501cm body, the leading 2 letters can directly be translated to the year of manufacture. That gives you at least some idea when it was born

In general Hasselblads and their lenses need some regular maintenance. Cleaning, Lubrication and Adjustment (CLA, you will see that abbreviation regularly in this forum). It might be good to ask the seller when it last got services (assuming they know..).

Wilko

 

[HannekeTT]

lens etc.

Thanks Wilko, for the info. This is very helpful (and thanks for the translation too, extention tubes, those were what I meant ;-)). I'll be bothering the store next week for answers.
I looked at the online picture of this specific camera and on the lens it says: Planar 2,8/80 T* 6672130 and of course Carl Zeiss. I'm not sure if that's the information you need?
Tried to post the picture but that won't work (that is: I can't get it to work).

And in slow reply to your very first post: my husband is afraid this will indeed not be the most expensive camera I'll ever buy ;-)

 

[wbulte]

Thanks Wilko, for the info. This is very helpful (and thanks for the translation too, extention tubes, those were what I meant ;-)). I'll be bothering the store next week for answers.
I looked at the online picture of this specific camera and on the lens it says: Planar 2,8/80 T* 6672130 and of course Carl Zeiss. I'm not sure if that's the information you need?
Tried to post the picture but that won't work (that is: I can't get it to work).

And in slow reply to your very first post: my husband is afraid this will indeed not be the most expensive camera I'll ever buy ;-)

The Planar 80 is indeed a standard lens for the V-series Hasselblad.

501CM camera kits were sold with a CB-version of the Planar 80. Which is a slightly-cheaper version (and presumably a slightly lower quality) of the CF-versions of the Planar 80. Not that would have anything to complain about with regards to quality, mind you. Of course it is always possible that it now has a lens that was not part of the initial purchase.

My 501CM also came with the CB80. The serial number indicates that the lens is from the early 1980-s.

Posting pictures is quite easy: right of the smiley face is an image of a paperclip. You can use that one to upload images.

Something else to note: the back of the camera, so the plate that the film cassette has the serial number. The leadint 2 letters give you the year of manufacture.

The decoder is:

V H P I C T U R E S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

So a body marked with RV was built in 1981

Wilko

 

[HannekeTT]

pic

There she is.. I did use the paperclip before but missed out on the extra tab that opened to upload the file.

In the online advertisement, there is no mention of CB of CF lense. It is mentioned though, with the other camera they have at the moment: 500CM + 150mm 4.0 T* CF But: when uploading the file I saw the filename and that did say CF, which I would really prefer given the very large prints I'm looking forward to make.. Another question for tomorrow.
The biggest difference (for me at first glance) was the (again: I don't know the English word, fortunately, you're Dutch too?) lichtgevoeligheid. The viewer of the 501 gave a much, much brighter sight. According tot the seller, that also was the case if the lenses were switched. Is that one of the differences between the 500 and 501?

And just a feeling: to me the camera looks used but not totally worn, that seems like a good sign?
Thanks for the decoder and is there anything to say about age/quality? Guessing not, because so much depends on the past usage/maintenance but why would it be important to know the age then?
Maybe like good wine, Hasselblad has good and less good years, too? ;-)

Hanneke.

 

[wbulte]

The biggest difference (for me at first glance) was the (again: I don't know the English word, fortunately, you're Dutch too?) lichtgevoeligheid. The viewer of the 501 gave a much, much brighter sight. According tot the seller, that also was the case if the lenses were switched. Is that one of the differences between the 500 and 501?

And just a feeling: to me the camera looks used but not totally worn, that seems like a good sign?
Thanks for the decoder and is there anything to say about age/quality? Guessing not, because so much depends on the past usage/maintenance but why would it be important to know the age then?
Maybe like good wine, Hasselblad has good and less good years, too? ;-)

Hanneke.

This is a CF80 lens ;-)

The 500cm and 501cm have interchangeable focusing screens (matglazen in Dutch). The 500cm originally came with a much dimmer screen. The 501CM should have the AcuteMatte screen (there are people who put an old, much and much cheaper! old screen in a 501 before selling it....).

So, yes, the 501cm should have a much brighter screen compared to a 500cm with its original screen mounted. A lot of 500cm have been later upgraded with a new screen (note that these AcuteMatte aka AM) screens are not cheap, so make sure you get it with the camera.

A black Hasselblad tends to look worn earlier than the one with the chrome body rims. The paintwork is just more vulnerable to wear. I happen to prefer black cameras so I know from experience.

You are right, the age does not tell you much if it either lived on a shelf for 10 years or alternatively was used everyday and shot 1000s and 1000s of frames. But at least it gives you an idea to start from.

Wilko
(indeed Dutch, from Arnhem)

 

[wbulte]

Oh, I forgot: try to get the seller to include a hood (zonnekap) with it if possible. And of course the lens caps (lensdoppen).

All these bits and pieces when you have to buy them seperately add up in EUROs...

Wilko