Buying a Hasselblad prism? 90 degree, 45 degree, metered or non-metered? We help explain the choices
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- Опубликовано: 3 авг 2024
- We run through the numerous prisms available, focusing on those you're most likely to encounter. We explain the differences between the 45 degree and 90 degree prisms and the metered and non-metered variants available.
0:00 Introduction
0:50 45 degree prisms
4:37 90 degree prisms
I hope you find it useful.
Jonathan Harris
These videos you have been uploading are absolute gems! So nice to hear this type of information from someone who has extensive knowledge. Much appreciated.
Thank you. You’re very kind!
Excellent. Your presentation cleared up a lot of confusion in very short time. Succinct. Thank you very much!
Glad it was useful.
Great info. Thanks a lot Jonathan 🙏🏻
Thanks. Glad it was useful.
Excellent explanaitions, tx very much Jonathan!
Glad it was useful!
Extremely helpful, thanks
Glad it helped!
Thank you very much for making this.
Hope it was useful
good stuff .. thank you for a simple breakdown
Thanks - glad it was useful.
Thanks for this!!
Our pleasure!
Thank you so much
You're most welcome
On my 503 I use the 45 non metered finder. I trust my Sekonic spot meter and as I am always on a tripod the 45 just works best for viewing.
Yes, the 45 degree is best for a tripod in most cases (but not with the 645 backs!). Personally I’d use a handheld meter but some prefer the convenience of having metering built in. Thanks for commenting - it’s always appreciated
Although I rarely shoot rectangular 6x45 film, I don't find the 45 too difficult to adapt to in horizontal mode. Splendid video! Andy
Some prefer working with the rectangular format - it’s a very personal thing. So a 645 or 645 vertical back and appropriate prism will be a god-send, but, for most, as you say, the standard equipment is still useable.
According 90 degree prism - it is Very important (for some People, like me), that the metered pme90 version is on higher level, not only becouse of built in metering, but also have built in diopter correction, which "plain", non metered PM90 doesn't have. For People wearing glasses (in correction range of course) is the metered version definitively better version to go.
Thank you for your comment - always appreciated. The older Hasselblad prisms can be fitted with correction lenses but, as you say, the built-in correction is far more convenient. One advantage with using the metered prism is that you won't need to take glasses on or off to read the settings on a hand-held Minolta or Sekonic etc
Hello. Great content. I was just wondering what kind of metres these actually have in them or if you can change between spot and centre-weighted etc. I'm finding info on the net conflicting. Thanks for your content!
The latest PME90 and PME45 prisms are more advanced and have spot and average metering. The early prisms only offer average. Personally I think if you want spot and/or more complex metering your best option is to use a decent hand-held meter.
Thanks! Brief and informative… do they use battery for the metering models?
Happy to help! And yes, all the metered prisms need batteries.
Nice video. In the case that using waist level viewfinder what type of light meter would you recommend? And would such separate light meter slow down the shooting process?
The Sekonic meters are probably the best for general ambient measurement. If you're using the Zone System and need spot then the Pentax Digital Spotmeter is simple and clear to use. It may slow things a little but less-so once your workflow becomes second-nature.
What 45 deg. prism would you use for a 203fe, a PM5 or a PM45? Also, If getting one of these non metered prisms, can the in built meter in the 203fe still be seen/used when looking in one of these?
Keep the content rolling man you killin it!
I had the more common 500 series equipment in mind when making the video. You’ll need one of the later prisms with the cut out so the LCD screen is still visible on 200 series cameras (PM45 is best if you can find one).
@@WorldwideCameraExchange cheers mate will check it out!
Hello Johathan and thank you so much for your super informative videos. They have helped me greatly with buying my first 500 series. I use it mainly for street portraits, and I find that the waist level finder isn't great for those, as the angle of view it provides is oftentimes too low. I'm looking for a PM90, and I'm wondering how it compares to the PM45 in terms of brightness and magnification. Of course with street portraiture, one needs to acquire focus very quickly, so that is my main concern here. Thank you!
Impossible question to answer. What works for one person might be a disaster for another. Find a decent Hasselblad stockist, try them out, and make a decision. For what it’s worth most will opt for the 45 degree prism, but this doesn’t mean it’ll be best for you.
Thanks. I've never seen a 90 around here, except for the very old model. But I found that the PME45 has 2.5x magnification, and the PME90 has 2x. I suppose this would be the same for the non metered models, and that the brightness of the 90 vs the 45 is similar? Thanks for your help!
Yes, non-metered very similar.
As an update, I bought a PM90 (from Japan) and I'm super happy with it. I rarely miss focus (using a standard Acute Matte screen). Eye-level framing and quick focusing are super important to me, mainly for portraits :-)
Good to hear!
Perfect information - thanks. I have a pre-80s 45 metered (non-working) prism. I don't care about metering, but wanted to know if you think the newer PM 45 prism is better in quality, function etc. to be worth buying. Thanks!
The newer prism is better but I’d recommend trying one yourself. You might find the improvement not worth the extra cost.
@@WorldwideCameraExchange Thank you - that's likely the case given the current prices I have seen. Cheers!
Again, a VERY useful video, as I just now purchased a 501CM camera (with Acute Matte D) from Ebay, and am now searching for a 45 degree prism. I do want a more modern version, so as I am looking at metered vs non-metered versions I see that price wise they are not far off from each other. So, for about the same amount of money, it seems better advised to purchase the metered version, even though I don't need the meter. FWIW - I have a beautiful Pentax digital spot meter which reads in EV's, which seems ideal with Hasselblad's lenses, as they all have an EV scale engraved on the shutter dial.
Also, I see there is a PME-51 which you did not mention. I presume it is an updated version of the PME5. Is it worth looking into?
Thank you.
Yes, correct
How well do they work on the SWCs? As I am considering an RM2. Thanks for your advice!
Most would go for the Hasselblad RMFX but it’s worth trying the 45 and 90 degree prisms. Also don’t forget to look at the magnifying chimneys. It’s all down to personal preference and the type of work that you do.
I'm looking for a non-metered 45 degree finder. I believe some of these had adjustable diopters and some had ones where you needed to buy a specific diopter for the finder. I would prefer the former adjustable one, but I'm not sure how to tell which finder is adjustable and which is fixed. Can you provide some guidance on this? Also, I've seen meters described with numbers such as 42308 and 42309. If you know about this, could you post a chart that relates these numbers to the various prisms?
You need the PM45. The easier prisms didn't have built-in adjustment. I wouldn't worry about the Hasselblad product codes - a PM45 is what you need to keep an eye open for.
@@WorldwideCameraExchange Thanks very much for the help.
hi johathan, is the first generation pm finder 42307 able to use the 42459 finder magnifier? thanks
Yes, should be fine but it’s a good idea to check with the seller.
hello, can you explain why on the replacement diopters for the prisms are two different marks of the correction? For example -5D/45 and -3/90? I have a real problem with seeing in focus my accu mate its so frustrating, don't know how to correct it.
Different correction for different prisms (45 or 90). You should talk to your optician to ascertain the correction you need.
@@WorldwideCameraExchange thanks so it works differently on prisms. I will try to find out how to manage this problem.
Does anyone know if the eye piece that screws into the NC2 prism, is compatible with the PM or PM5?
From memory the NC2 eyepiece is smaller.
Hi Jonathan. I bought a Kiev prism for my 500cm which suits my needs and is of course substantially cheaper that the Hasselblad versions. Unfortunately it does not have diopter adjustment which means the eyeglass does not suit my eyes unless I wear my distance specs. Is it possible to have the optics converted to my prescription? Thank you once again for your tutorials.
Your optician may be able to make up a correction lens.
Quality control was a real issue with Kiev. For every one decent item there were ten bad.
@holyjesus8603 None were very good. Many years ago I sold Soviet era equipment brand-new. Probably one in three cameras and lenses were faulty out of the factory. And the failure rates for working equipment were significantly higher than Japanese or Western European alternatives.
I have a PME 51. How do you use it?
You can download Hasselblad manuals from here: www.camera-manual.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA3JCvBhA8EiwA4kujZnBlWEwk5roSRwEulWkr2kIX7EhOCH7tFSPGPiCxJEAAG9QtzYyeixoCXxEQAvD_BwE
It’s worth investing in the manual to get the most out of the prism.
Why no mention of the PME51
Sold in very small numbers and quite rare these days.
Im sorry, I've already watched this video several times and I still can't figure out the difference between the pm3 and pm5.
Nothing significant.
Had the nonnetered 90 one. Diopter was totally off. Very anoying. Could not see if anyrhing was in focus and i returned it
Thanks for commenting. Sadly, not even Hasselblad is perfect.
it is my main working camera. they are almost perfect, almost. just sometimes i feel the need for 6x7 ode 4x5. only rarley tho. thanks for your videos on the system, i actually learned something, that i did not need thus far (unjam). byebye
@@WorldwideCameraExchange