The Hasselblad 500c Medium Format Camera
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- Опубликовано: 20 дек 2020
- Todd gives an appreciation of the history, design, function, and use of Hasselblad's 1957 classic camera.
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The vintage manuals at Butkus.org always come in handy! Donate to this amazing film community resource--I did!: www.butkus.org/chinon/hasselb...
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airandspace.si.edu/collection...
www.hasselbladhistorical.eu/HT...
vocal.media/photography/famou... 
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Thank you for this video. I was gifted this camera for Christmas by a dear friend, along with 3 backs, the 80mm and 150mm lenses, bellows, viewers, etc. - 3 cases full! He even bought me a box of film to get started. He used it to shoot weddings in the 70s - this one was made in 72, but he hadn’t used it in years, and knew I’ve always wanted one. Now I have to get out and get shooting!
Congratulations and wow! What a gift! Yes, get shooting and let me know if you have any questions. It will likely need a CLA but don't be shy--it's worth it.
The 500 c/m is the only camera I truly miss shooting with. It was absolutely bulletproof. When I was working professionally, I tore up a Mamiya M645, three Bronica ETRS, and a Mamiya RZ-67. Thanks for your retrospective of this perfect camera.
Thanks, James. It is a sweet camera. I keep gravitating back to it.
I have both a 500C and a 503CX. The 500C and I have a long history. I got it from a family friend in 1977 but my mom used it to take my High School Graduation year book pictures in 1969. Our friend's had a small studio and they allowed my mom to use both it and the 500C. By 1977 they were out of the business but someone had broken into their home and took most of their equipment but left the 500C. So they made me a deal that I couldn't turn down. It has taken so many meaningful pictures for me that I'd really break down and cry if anything happened to it. So that's why I have the 503CX. The 500 stays close to home and the 503 goes on road trips and extended vacations. There is just something to about the feel and sounds of using a 500 series Hasselblad that is hard to rival.
When you buy additional magazines, later versions have a pocket for keeping the darkslide.
All magazines from the 1600F, all the way to the last 205, SWC and EL cameras are interchangeable. So it is not a 500C limitation. 😉
Thanks for your video.
Yes, when I upgraded to Hasselblad from other medium-format cameras, there was no turning back.
🤝
Here's a little story. A lady asked if she could take a photo of me. I agreed. She said, "Let me get my camera from the car." A few seconds later, she put the camera to her eye and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a Hasselblad. That was my first time seeing one in person. Needless to say, I was impressed, and I let her know I was. I said to myself, "One day..." I finally got one, the 500c/m, and I love it. Nice video!
Thank you for the story and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I still need to post a street shoot I had with a large format Graflex. Many people came up to me share their camera stories. I love it!
Also, Bruce Fleming used the 500c to photograph Jimi Hendrix first LP cover. Also to add, Bruce Fleming is also mentoring me in my photographic journey!🎉
Pure excitement learning about these amazing, classic cameras! thank you, Todd! :)
Excellent presentation! Your calm delivery with a touch of humor is engaging. Good information provided, too.
I, too, have a Hasselblad 500 C/M. It was given to me by a dear friend, along with the Zeiss 80mm Planar lens, two film backs, two extension tubes, a teleconverter, the 45° Prism finder (like you, I prefer the waist level finder) and a Pentax 1° spot meter. I recently had the camera, both film backs and the lens refurbished (CLA). I also bought an Acute-Matte D focusing screen and had the focus calibrated with the new screen. The camera should function smoothly for another 40 to 50 years. I also did a short video about my Hasselblad kit on RUclips. You can find it under my name.
Keep up the cool videos!
Thanks, Earl. I will check out your video right away! Such a fun camera. That is an awesome spot meter, by the way. My buddy just bought one.
You and I have great friends! I was just gifted this camera as well, with lenses, bellows, backs - 3 cases worth of things! I feel honored to be a steward of this beautiful equipment. I’m going to watch your video. I agree that this was an excellent presentation!
Remember cropping for the lab with cardboard to get the 8x10 out of the 6x6 frame? I wanted one but did weddings with a Pentax 645. Still have the Yashicamat 124G. Need to use it again.
A very informative and thoughtful presentation on a classic camera, I enjoyed the on point automotive and historical photo references - looking forward to next session.
Many thanks!
I used a 500 CM for years mostly in the studio. I loved it and used the Polaroid back with it rather than light meters for my exposures and lighting checks. It is great as is the Rollie however my first medium format camera was Yashica Mat and it also was great and much cheaper. I had portraits made that were 40X45 with my 500 CM. You can not beat it.
I love that camera! I also have a Rolleicord vb that is also fantastic but a different ballgame, really. Medium format is so much fun and that Zeiss lens has such a distinctive feel!
My first 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 was a Yashica Mat and the images up to 11X14 compared well with the Rollie.
The earth photo was taken with a modified Hassy 500 elm because it was motorised. Hasselblad pretty much turned them into point and shoot camera's to make using them easier for the astronauts.... They took a few up there.... I believe they left them up on the moon and just brought the backs home.
I really love your comparison with the Bronica and the Hummer.... That was funny 😆
Great vid....... New subscriber :-)
Thank you for the further info! It sounds like a retrieval mission is in order. And I've also compared the Bronica to a bulldog!
I'm shooting with a Mamiya 645 at the moment but I really wanna upgrade to a Hasselblad 500c in about a year
Do it! I also love my Mamiya RB67. Video on that coming soon.
Got mine today!
Congratulations! You have lots of shooting to do. Send us some results.
I shoot with a Nikon film and digital camera but I’ve always wanted a Hasselblad, one day I’ll get one🤞
Go for it! Do a search for camera auctions. There is much more out there than Ebay and you will save a few hundred bucks.
Love your video very much. Great work.
Thank you so very much! It's still the early days with much to share.
I bought my first MF four decades ago and it was a 500 C/M. BTW, Nikon F was another ironic camera, the 'bulletproof' SLR. 🙂 Happy Holiday.
Yes! I have an F2 that I really enjoy (at least as far as 35mm goes). I will do a show on SLR's soon!
Great video
I need to pull out my 501c and shoot with it more! It’s light and love the end results it is capable of producing amazing images!
It has a feel to it for sure. I keep coming back to it.
And get that camera out. They get sad in closets!
Yes, sexy is the perfect word for them. To my way of thinking they are not so much a Porsche 356 as a Citroen DS 21.
BTW, you can get newer film backs what both a DS holder and a nifty little place to put your film type, label, thingie, box top, ISO reminder, thing. 😂
Fun video Todd, thanks!
Sexy indeed, though a Citroen? I'll have to look that one up. And the romantic in me has to stick with the original backs. Silly, I know!
I love the way you compare cameras with cars.
Great review. Thank you
Thank you. It truly is a remarkable camera.
@@FilmCameraObsession :) i have 500c. I love it and shoot a lot with it
I love my Hasselblad camera.
It has a special something, doesn't it.
@@FilmCameraObsession Yes, I agree that the system has something special about it.
You can buy a darkslide holder which sticks onto the back of the magazine.
Excellent and calm presentation. I have 500 C/M and 503SW and adore them both. Recently I bought 907x and the digital back I can use it on my film Hassy Cameras. You got a new fan to your channel buddy.
Thank you for your encouragement, Abdul. I truly just want to share the fun. I don't know much at all about the 503SW, but I can tell you that I am extremely jealous about your 907x acquisition. I would love to do the same thing, but at the moment I cannot afford it. Are you using vintage lenses with it? I would love to see the results!
@@FilmCameraObsession Tks a lot for your response. I gott 907x specifically to use it on my old film cameras and hopefuly on a technical camera . I do have Sinar that I got from Ebay and 4x5 Chamonix body. You caan check some of results by visiting www.500px.com/amaimani. Glad to see someone who has the same passion in LF and MF as I do.. cheers
Check out the phase one backs for the v body Hasselblad. Not as good or nice as the new one on the 907x, but for under a grand you can play with digital.
@@stephenbrockway5899 Phase1 DB are damn expensive.I am even thinking to get me a Cambo Tech camera to use it with Hasselblad CFV 50 II C
@@amaimani eBay used around $400 to $600. The p25+ is a 25 megapixel and the p30 is a 30 megapixel. Not the best, but it gets you into the game. They have their limitations. They are also twelve to twenty year old tech, but they have big sensors and still perform well.
Two thumbs up!
Thank you. New video on a rangefinder coming up soon.
Diane Arbus never used Hasselblad, so her picture in this video was taken with another camera,
Definitely correct. I had a bad source and did some chasing down. She shot a Rollei and a Mamiya.
Really cool video man …
I’ve recently purchased a mamiya 645 1000s which I’m in love with … no really I am that shutter sound kills me … !
I’ve only just sent my first test roll to the lab I’m so extra see what it has produced … hopefully one decent shot …
I have a boring question I see you can set ISO on the Hassy.
I can’t on my mamiya which kind of throws me a little as I’m used to setting film speed and somehow it makes me feel safe ..
do you set iso or just shoot with sunny 16 or meter your shots ?
Keep on shooting on .
Coolest regards
Tom.
Ps. Deep down I’m pining for a Hasselblad which I will get for sure this Christmas 🎄.
Rolleiflex and Nikons were more popular amongst press photographers in the late 1960s.
I should know, I was one of those photographers.
Very few used Hasslblad.
Yes and ? Of course a Ferrari is wrong for a NASCAR race. Not news.
Love everything about this video (long time Hassey user) except the hipster hat 😉👍
Edit: your not so famous shots are wonderful.
Thank you, Bob! And the hat was gift from Tom Waits (just kidding). And I'm way too old to be a hipster.
Disagree! ;-) I think the hat works. Thanks for the video.
This is a nice camera I can’t even afford a Kiev 88 so I am stuck with a holga lol
Always wanted one of these gorgeous cameras looking at ads as a kid in the late 70s. Getting motivated to put one together with a digital back. Thank you for your video. It really helped the process. EDIT: Isn't the dark slide magnetic? Couldn't you affix a small magnet to the camera to hold it when the camera is in use?
nice.
Hello!
Talking about history, you have some very old film magazines.
The practically useless A16S superslide (4x4) film magazines were discountinued a very long ime ago, but you can still insert a mask at the rear of the camera body ot obtain different slides formats without having to cut the film.
I have one A12 film magazine from 1970 with the film tab holder but all newer film magazines have both the film tab holder and a slide holder at the back (for those without a pocket on their shirts).
E film magazines additionally have on one side the ISO dial on the top.
ECC film magazines have both the ISO dial and a contrast dial at the bottom.
Your C lens with automatical depth of field scale was replaced at the end of 1982 by the CF (and later CFi, CFe) series, which has an improved shutter and is more easy to repair.
Merry Christmas.
Thank you for the info! There is no doubt that this was all the original 1966 kit. I really enjoy loading the backs; it's like a magic window. And I do appreciate the A1 16, despite the smaller negative, for street photography. Still larger than 35mm. I have seen those CF series lenses and the difference. I pretty much ignore the EV scale, though my Kodak Retina IIIc uses the same system and I have grown not resent it as much.
Superslides gave some 4x4 TLRs a new purpose, but as you say it all seems a bit pointless now.
@@FilmCameraObsession You can find the date on your film magazines as well, using the same key to decrypt the camera body marking. I read that for some film magazines the last three digits of the film magazine's serial number were replicated on the film tab to guarantee perfect matching.
@@jmtubbs1639 On one hand you could enjoy 4 more shots with the superslide format, while on the other it was almost impossible to find a 35mm slide projector (where you could easily fit these slides - the only "advantage" of this format) without producing a strong vignetting in the projected image.
An easier alternative to obtain the same slides is to use the 6x4,5 A16 or A32 film magazines (keeping in mind that scissors seem to be a quite common tool...), so the A16S film magazine was "overkill" (pricewise as well) and quickly removed from the market.
For negatives, why shoot in a format which is practically equivalent to a 35mm format when you can shoot the larger negative and crop how you want?
@@patriziodalessandro1693 With correct mounts they should fit into a standard 35 mm projector. Can't say I have ever tried myself though.
Just subscribed bro
Gracias, amigo!
If the Square Bronica is a Hummer, what's a 645? Something a bit lighter that doesn't quite cover all terrain, but at least you can get it up my driveway!
Jeep CJ7? I'm going to start digging for other camera analogies. Kind of fun....
Got mine with 3 lenses for $1600 from a friend
Fantastic deal! Which lenses did you get?
I thought Diane Arbus was mostly using a Mamiya C330.
Indeed, as well as a Rolleiflex. I have found varying attributions for the Twins photo--both Rolleiflex and the Hasselblad.
I've been doing some much deeper research. The Twins photo was likely shot with a Rolleiflex which, along with a Mamiya TLR, were her go-to cameras. I found a reference to her in a Hasselblad book, but indirectly and I don't have the book. So...an inaccurate attribution on my part based on a website. My apologies to Rolleiflex and Mamiya fans!
@@FilmCameraObsession Keep going on. Very informative and enjoyable!
I just purchased a500c with prism ,new back and left hand grip for $2000
Ok, my mechanic has one of those ... never used, in a box. NOS. But, I read that 500C/M is a much better investment.
Man, buy that 500c!
@@FilmCameraObsession Soon. As soon as I get the funds.
I have a 503cx that someone gave to me, and I bought a 500c from eBay. Honestly, the 500C is just fine for city shots and shots in which you take your time. Medium format cameras are intended to be shot differently. One wouldn’t use a large format for street photography.
Get the 500C. Unless you’re a hardcore studio photographer, you won’t miss the differences.
@@jt4369 Thanks for the advice. I will get it.
@@FilmCameraObsession I bought it :)
I own the Bronica SQ system. I can say it does not appear to come close in quality of a Hasselblad. In my opinion, Bronica’s are more plasticky.
I agree. My Bronica ECTL is pretty beefy, but it also feels clunky. Not bad photos really, but the glass doesn't have as much personality as the Hasselblad and not as sharp as my Mamiya. Stay tuned.
@@FilmCameraObsession Yep! You said it best, clunky is what I think about Bronica.
hello
The 500c is a Facel Vega.
What is a Facel Vega?
Ahh, just looked it up. I like it!
sync
Rolleiflex sl66 superior to every hasselblad
I would love to get my hands on a Rolleiflex with the 2.8. I have a Rolleicord with the 3.5 which I thoroughly enjoy.
@@FilmCameraObsession He’s taking about the single lens reflex, not the TLR.
And besides the fact that you can add tilt, it’s probably better just to stick with Mamiya and Bronica to be honest. Even Fujifilm’s medium format cameras were absolutely amazing. I have Hasselblad, but we have to admit that a fair bit of this is marketing.
I have a Rolleiflex TLR as well. Also marketing.
Rubbish !