Hasselblad 500 C/M

Spiritflier

Spiritflier

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Hi folks,

After a break of a few years, I've decided to get back into film photography again... I was handed a box of 'old' cameras a few weeks ago and whilst a couple of them aren't really up to much, the inclusion of a Canon A-1 and the Hasselblad 500 C/M meant that I was inclined to buy the whole lot. :)

The Canon A-1 I'm already familiar with but the Hasselblad is a completely new animal to me. It's come with the Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8 t* and three A12 film backs. It's also got what I believe is the bog-standard waist level finder with no split-focussing screen (I'd rather find one of those if I can).

So I'd like to ask you good people if there's anything I need to be aware of with this camera... Any particular quirks or peculiarities I need to consider.

I'm considering loading it up with a roll of Kodak Portra 160 and another back with a roll of good old FP4+ in it.

I've shot 35mm film for the best part of 30 years and I'm quite capable of developing my own black and white negs but medium format is a whole new can of worms for me. :)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Si
 
I would try and find a manual for the Hasselblad do a Google for Butkus manuals. Loading the film and the way the film backs, in conjunction with winding the camera on link to the body are important. I am no expert but again there are many places that give you an insite on the way they work.

Hope you enjoy it, I keep thinking about getting one.
 
Spiritflier said:
Any particular quirks or peculiarities I need to consider.
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Unfortunately, while the Hasselblad cameras certainly have many strengths, the Hasselblad V-series also has many quirks. Certainly, far more than I'd expect given their reputation. I'd recommend a thorough review of the manual coupled with a bit of practice.

Medium format is where it's at though, so I hope you enjoy the experience.
 
Hello Si - Give the manual a good read before doing things like adding and removing backs and lenses and you should be okay. Be careful with extension tubes too. Basically: always wind on after taking a photo so the camera and lens are both cocked. Be very careful not to accidentally trip the shutter when removing the lens. It's easier than you think when you're gripping the lens and pressing the release button. I did this with an extension tube and ended up locking up the whole thing. I managed to free it by cocking the tube with a screwdriver. Lesson learned.

Check the light seals on the backs. The foam can become gunky and/or flat and cause leaks. You can buy kits on eBay for next to nothing and it's a simple repair. It may be worth changing them regardless, if you don't know when they were last changed. Better that than losing a roll of great photos. Takes about 20 minutes the first time you do it and less when you have overcome the fear of taking a screwdriver to a Hasselblad.

Don't keep the dark slide in the camera for any length of time as this squashes the foam even more than normal, leading to more chance of a light leak.

Get a good strap - they get heavy after a day's lugging. I was advised on here to use the Optech Pro strap, and it's perfect.

I started with an Acute Matte (non D) plain ground screen. It was just okay. I've now switched to an older screen with a circle of prisms in the middle (42250) and it's much easier to focus. I haven't noticed any difference in brightness.

Have fun with that lovely camera :-)
 
Check out Rick Oleson for replacement screens. Good quality and great value.
 
Thanks for the help everyone. I popped into Cambrian Photography in Colwyn Bay this lunchtime and spent a good hour being educated on the finer points of the 500C/M by Mark... He really knows his stuff when it comes to medium format cameras! I probably learnt more in that hour than I have done by poring over pages and pages of information on the internet. :D

I've had a look at that Rick Oleson site and to be honest Trevor, I can't make head nor tail of it (and my eyes are burning from that neon font).
 
Spiritflier said:
I've had a look at that Rick Oleson site and to be honest Trevor, I can't make head nor tail of it (and my eyes are burning from that neon font).
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While some folks seem to like Rick Oleson's screens, I think that they're poor quality and very difficult to use. I myself might consider putting one in a Lubitel 166, which has an even poorer screen, but not in a Hasselblad.

To be clear though, I'm not saying do or do not get one, I'm just offering an alternative view. His screens may or may not work for you. At least there's not much to lose at $30.
 
skysh4rk said:
While some folks seem to like Rick Oleson's screens, I think that they're poor quality and very difficult to use. I myself might consider putting one in a Lubitel 166, which has an even poorer screen, but not in a Hasselblad.

To be clear though, I'm not saying do or do not get one, I'm just offering an alternative view. His screens may or may not work for you. At least there's not much to lose at $30.
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I was also a bit disappointed with the Oleson screen I got for my Minolta Autocord. Got stung for VAT and import duty and Parcelfraud fee too, ended up quite a bit more expensive than I bargained for.
 
ChrisR said:
I was also a bit disappointed with the Oleson screen I got for my Minolta Autocord. Got stung for VAT and import duty and Parcelfraud fee too, ended up quite a bit more expensive than I bargained for.
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Yeah, I think anything over £15 is technically subject to VAT and that crazy Parcelforce handling fee, unfortunately.

In my experience, I would say that a clean stock screen from an Autocord, although still not perfect, is better than a Rick Oleson screen. My favourite screens are those for the Bronica cameras, which offer a great balance between brightness and contrast, but I'm not sure if you could cut one to fit a Hasselblad or not. I use an Acute Matte D in my Hasselblad.
 
I think I'll stick with the original screen for now... My eyes aren't that bad and I can't really justify spending much more on it (despite the ludicrously cheap price I picked it up for). :D

I'm going to grab a Bayonet 60 to 67mm adapter ring so that I can use my Lee filters on it and I've got a spare plate on my tripod head that I can stick underneath. It was missing the square lens hood as well but I think I've managed to find a non-OEM replacement on Amazon.

There's a roll of Ilford FP4+ sitting in one of the backs and a roll of Fuji Pro 160NS sitting in the other so I'm good to go for now.

Thanks again for all of the help. :)
 
Si, welcome back to the world of film. The 500C/M is a great camera that although quirky and not everyones cup of tea is an engaging instrument to use in my view. Others have mentioned light seals going in the backs. I have now replaced seals in a number of backs using the video in this thread. Hopefully of use if you need to redo the seals.

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/hasselblad-back-light-seals.614644/
 
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