Affordable Hasselblads?

[Larry Shone]

Just a thought. Its my feeling that MF cameras like the Hasselblad and Bronicas are mainly used by pros in studios (or dedicated amateurs of course) and pros use digital now. So would that mean there would be lots of such cameras out there with low premiums,or are the blads still well out of reach?(always fancied one and never tried medium format)

[Malcolm_Stewart]

About 18 months ago (or it might have been 30, a year earlier) I was asked to check out a Hasselblad kit which had been delivered to a neighbour for her student daughter who was studying photography and temporarily out of the UK. It was an early model, and I think she'd got it off ebay for around £250 and it all worked fine. A trawl through the archives of this section would probably find my queries when I was assessing it.

[Larry Shone]

250 is still a lot of money to me, but for a blad thats incredible! surely that didnt include a lens!(I imagine you'd pay more than that just for a 80/2.8 planar!)

[Malcolm_Stewart]

The Hassy kit was complete, and included an 80 f2.8 CZ Planar, very early body, 12 on 120 back, film insert and grip. I can't remember whether the serial numbers of the film back and the dark slide(?) matched, but whatever, I suffered no problems. At least the kit worked and produced some decent negatives.

Bitten by handling an early 80 f2.8 Planar some time later I spent around £199 on a Rollei 6006 kit with a much more recent Planar, and whilst I had some fun trying to get this overly complicated design to work, I really have nothing much to show for my efforts! About two or three negatives from several films are all I got. Most of the time the film wouldn't advance or skipped etc. I did buy it some newer film inserts, but decided that shelling out >£100 for a newer film back was pouring good money after bad! Stick to the Hasselblad - hand power is best!

[Rhys]

Sounds like a 500c with the silver lens. You can pick up old Blads for not that much nowadays. I think it's the lenses that are the most expensive part of the system. You can start off with a 'cheap' camera then upgrade as and when you want, newer body, another film back etc. The college I went to had Hasselblads so you could book them out or just the lenses if you had your own (I dreamt of having one then).

I think everyone should use on at least once in their lifetime.

[Larry Shone]

I think everyone should use on at least once in their lifetime.

Exactly! I've never used anything bigger than 35mm!

[Wheelu]

If you do move over to medium format be prepared for a major change in your mode of operation. If you are used to a 35mm SLR, you will come to expect certain things that just aren't provided with these older 120 film cameras, while there are additional features to trip the unwary.

Advantages - excellent image quality, street cred

Disadvantages - heavy, bulky, no-autofocus, possibly no exposure metering, maybe limited to a waste level finder that provides a mirror image view of the scene, ergonomically challenging, probably limited to fixed focal length lenses, expensive in the lens shutter repairs, light leaks around the dark slide, and don't forget to remove the dark slide!

If you are the sort of person who would be happy to carry a heavy tripod and carefully consider the composition, before setting up and framing the shot, and can live with the disadvantages above, then fine.

I own and use a Bronica set up, and, on occasion, it's the bees knees, but be fully aware of what you are getting into.

[Larry Shone]

Oh i've never been worried about street cred,i'm too old for that lark but i've never been trendy or cool. But surely one would get more cred from toting a DSLR around,not that i can carry the 10D round me neck anyway! I love big heavy cameras and react badly against this smaller lighter better trend. Give me a heavy lump anyday! And if a camera forced me to use a tripod then great,i could use the discipline as I tend to be a lazy photographer! I just want to try medium or large format before film becomes extinct!

[Benchista]

Dunno Larry - I reckon more people talk to me about my camera if I'm using a Rollei TLR than anything else, if that counts as street cred (not something I've ever bothered about, but it's nice to see people of all ages wanting to talk about a camera).

[Larry Shone]

Well, when I'm out with the camera(s) I tend to keep them in the bag till I'm out of the street and in the sticks. Kids round here would just see a camera as money for drugs! Seriously though they do look at you a bit strange if you have a camera,and its because I'm realy self conscious that I hardly use a tripod. I'm only truly comfortable if I'm well out in the wilds.

[Benchista]

I can understand that - I used to feel pretty much like that myself. Over the years, I've got more confident, and also I feel there's less risk around here than some of the places I've lived.

[Larry Shone]

Having had a bad experience in the flat we used to live in I'm really people phobic now!

[Wheelu]

I reckon more people talk to me about my camera if I'm using a Rollei TLR than anything else

My experience also. People come up to say their father, grandfather, uncle, deceased husband etc used to have one of those, it took great pictures.

It still does!

I find a tandem bicyle has a similar effect "I remember the wife and I cycling to the coast on one of those with the kids in a side-car" or "Mind the dog doesn't throw a bucket of water over you!"

It's good to talk.....

[Larry Shone]

Now if I went to somewhere like York and took something like a Rollei or a TLR(oh please!) i'd get that kind of reaction,but round here,well there's too many chavs about.

[Larry Shone]

Oh while on the subject,and with jessops not being an option,what the availability of 120 film like these days?

[Wheelu]

Oh while on the subject,and with jessops not being an option,what the availability of 120 film like these days?

I buy all of my film from 7dayshop and have had no difficulty in getting B&W or colour.

I develop my own B&W and use 7dayshop's service for Fuji trannies, but colour negatives are more difficult in 120 size. I have tried the various high street chains and they won't touch them, despite the fact that often they will process 35mm. There are specialist labs that you can send off to, but they are pricey.

I have thought of setting up to develop them myself, but I just don't have the throughput of 120 size colour negatives to justify the purchase of the chemicals etc.

[Larry Shone]

Oh well thats that then! I'd want to use B/W but have no darkroom facilities and don't foresee it ever happening to be honest. Yes i know you can do it in the bathroom etc but well there's precious little room in this house as it is with nowhere to store the chemicals away from the kids etc. I'll just have to wait till matthew's in school and we have another house. But, well, our future is very uncertain!

[nimbus]

Jacobs carry 120 film. Or for a cheaper option use the usual sources such as Mailshots.

[Larry Shone]

Hmmm do Ilford do HP5 in 120? You know the deal you get with 35mm? Be nice if it was also available in 120/220

[Rhys]

I'm pretty sure I use to use HP5 and FP4 in 120 size. Dunno if they do the package deal (printing inc.) as I always devved my own and printed at home.