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How many Leica owners also have a Hasselblad ?


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Honcho, let's just set the record straight on a few points.

 

I have had a cup of tea, but don't need to calm down.

 

Never thought of myself as an enthusiast, but I suppose i certainly am. No problem with that.

 

I am a working professional. Many thousands of weddings under my belt, using exclusively Hasselblad. Moved on to commercial and theatrical, and advertising, all using Hasselblad. Leica is currently my weapon of choice for the work I currently accept, but the Hasselblad put me where I am today, still in front of the competition in my region.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention, Hasselblad is anything but slow and outmoded. Like all good gear, it still depends primarily on the hands that hold it. It is just an alternative for those that can think outside Canon and Nikon, when appropriate.

 

In a crowded event, outdoors, I can finish a roll in ten minutes, and end up with 7 good shots I can use. Does that make me slow?

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In a crowded event, outdoors, I can finish a roll in ten minutes, and end up with 7 good shots I can use. Does that make me slow?

 

I don't quite understand the context of your question. Only you can decide if you are slow. I have no idea what your brief is or what gear you would be shooting. However, the only test is, Can you consistently get the shots you or your client needs? If the answer is yes, then you are not slow.

 

Perhaps I am a bit slow to understand your post. Sorry. :confused:

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Honcho, let's just set the record straight on a few points.

 

..... Many thousands of weddings under my belt, using exclusively Hasselblad.......the Hasselblad put me where I am today, still in front of the competition in my region.

.

 

 

Now that could be quite a bold claim depending on your region, so please do set your 'record straight'.

 

Your contention now seems to be that you are excelling in a different direction to your local competition because you once used a Hasselblad but now use a Leica!.

 

Why? I would be happy to be proven wrong.

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I don't quite understand the context of your question. Only you can decide if you are slow. I have no idea what your brief is or what gear you would be shooting. However, the only test is, Can you consistently get the shots you or your client needs? If the answer is yes, then you are not slow.

 

Perhaps I am a bit slow to understand your post. Sorry. :confused:

 

Sorry, I need a sarcasm smiley.

 

Never mind. It's lost now. I actually like the fact that the Hasseblad slows me down. Shooting street with a rangefinder/SLR is fun, but sometimes I like to take my time to compose. Not to mention there is a sort of magical appeal to the square format.

 

I admit though, the only slow part of the process is the film advance knob, and that can be fixed by getting a rapid film advance knob.

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I have one only because I always wanted to try medium format. The camera mostly sits aound on a shelf. It is not conducive for "carrying about." It also does not have a meter which means I need to carry a meter also.

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I basically "switched" over from Hasselblads to Leicas.

 

They are wonderful, well-built cameras, and I NEVER had any issues with any of them (I suppose a dozen bodies plus assorted lenses, backs, etc...).

 

I still love them very much and still own a pair of ELM's, a 150CF, and a Leaf digital back. As this particular Leaf is a tethered back, I basically retained what would be classified as a studio kit.

 

With that said, and based on some of the previous posts... there is nothing wrong with walk-about shooting with them -as that was and is the vast majority of my use. Keep in mind that, yes, they are bigger, heavier, and more user intensive than a modern M, but no moreso than say a Barnack. Fast use (like any classic system) comes with familiarity. Once you have the feel and the camera is dialed in to the scenes for the roll -they are not slow and you will quickly run through rolls.

 

I recommend them as they are "different" and I think rather complimentary to Leicas.

 

Enjoy!

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I do believe Rollei made some of the best cameras ever to grace this planet, and I mourn their passing.

 

Though many of the cameras themselves are still in business.

 

A TLR, or a 6008i with a couple of Schneiders - heaven.

 

But I'm a Leica man now. So fickle!

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I have and use a 503CW with 80mm, 50mm and 120 mm lenses, a few backs, a winder, 45deg prism finder etc etc. I have used it with Phase One backs, hired for the occasion (weddings) and coupled with the winder and ttl flash have no problems keeping up. But no, it is not discreet; heads turn when it goes off!

 

I love this gear and have travelled with a limited outfit (plus tripod) as my only camera. It is true I tend to use it with more considered photography, but that tends to be my style on such trips.

 

I find it a perfect foil for my Leica Ms - film and digital; it is horses for courses.

 

Now, for various reasons I may have to sell the Hassy gear, but am very reluctant to do so. It fits very well with the photography I do and is a blast for portraits and landscape. I have a long relationship with MF - my first format when starting out as a kid of 10 yrs and appreciate the quality of those big negs (or fabulous digital sensors.)

 

Tim

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In a crowded event, outdoors, I can finish a roll in ten minutes, and end up with 7 good shots I can use. Does that make me slow?

 

Not necessarily! Your clients' standardizes could be dropping like lead balloons.

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I have one only because I always wanted to try medium format. The camera mostly sits aound on a shelf. It is not conducive for "carrying about." It also does not have a meter which means I need to carry a meter also.

 

There are meters for the 'blad, but if you need one you probably don't deserve one.

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Two experiences with hasselblad.

 

H3D with a 60MP back when i did fashion work in the studio. Assortment of hassy lenses of course. The most beautiful digital pictures i have taken were with that camera. NOTHING else in the 35mm film/digital world (that i have seen) comes even close.

 

500CM i used on the street, sold it and regret it (it was a GOOD camera).

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I have been tempted but ended up not investing in another system camera. Instead, I got a Rolleiflex 3.5 Tessar and have been very happy with my choice. IMO optically or image-wise, I consider it as good as Hassy 500 or 503 and it is whisper quiet.

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Now that could be quite a bold claim depending on your region, so please do set your 'record straight'.

 

Already done. Read my assertion in previous posts. I am where I am in the market, and proud of it.

 

 

Your contention now seems to be that you are excelling in a different direction to your local competition because you once used a Hasselblad but now use a Leica!.[Why? I would be happy to be proven wrong.

 

I make no contentions about directions, only about selections of work that I will accept. Because I like using Leica, and because of it's form factor, I choose to use it. Last week, I shot a stage production using both Leica and Hasselblad. The client actually noticed I was using the Hasselblad again and reminisced about the days when that was all I used. My style has evolved over the years, a necessity for anyone to stay at the forefront, and it continues to change. That's my decision and I am comfortable with it. Meanwhile, I see my competition come and go. That's life. To be perfectly clear, I survive because of my experience and skills, not because of any gear I use. One of my skills is the choice of gear for the job.

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I have been tempted but ended up not investing in another system camera. Instead, I got a Rolleiflex 3.5 Tessar and have been very happy with my choice. IMO optically or image-wise, I consider it as good as Hassy 500 or 503 and it is whisper quiet.

 

Excellent choice and it's image quality is the equal of any film Hasselblad. The form factor being different, it's virtues will be best suited for some different applications, but that's true of all good tools. Enjoy your experience with it.

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I had a 503cx and loved it. When I was a kid, I recall the ads in National Geographic with astronauts holding those Hasselblad 500s, and it was something I had to own one day.

 

I shot street with mine in Hong Kong, Hanoi and Nepal, and was very happy with the results.

 

But one day (might have been in Kathmandu, I think), I was sitting with my bike in the gutter looking at my kit (loading a film magazine) - Tenba backpack, 503cx body, 2 A12 backs (one black & white, the other slide), 50 mm FLE, 80 mm and 150 mm lenses, polarizing, UV, yellow, orange and red filters, camel hair brush, 45 PME viewfinder, Gossen spot meter, cable release, grey cards, a mountain of film and tripod.

 

And I thought, what on earth are you doing ... Honestly, all that kit. Granted, those Zeiss lenses were spectacular, and the results stunning. I also liked the way it slowed me down, but what a colossal load of clobber.

 

With a smaller bag, I can carry two M bodies, 5 lenses and supporting stuff, and it's a great deal lighter.

 

Have fun with the Hasselblad. You can take fantastic street shots, but the Leica does if for me these days.

 

Cheers

John

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I repeat the quote:

 

......Many thousands of weddings under my belt, using exclusively Hasselblad.......the Hasselblad put me where I am today, still in front of the competition in my region.

 

Contributing to the discussion in favour of your chosen equipment is one thing I can easily live with. Taking advantage of the thread to spout your empty rhetoric is something else.

 

 

Jerry would probably not agree with your self-effacing opinion. Neither do I.

 

Lol!!!

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I also own a 500CM and find that it's a beautiful and really solid camera to use.

 

I'm finding it harder than I thought to adapt to the square format in composing, and I often find that images that appear dynamic in the standard 35mm format somehow don't 'work' within the square frame. What this means is that I simply haven't used the camera enough yet.

 

But having to explore and adapt means that I'm brimming with ideas for shoots - which is something that I rarely do with my 35mm equipment (I use those to record my life instead, if that makes sense).

 

As for the quality of the negatives - they are so amazing, even my mundane pictures have a breathtaking quality to the sheer look of them. I only wish the subject and composition did them justice - but that's where talent comes in. ;)

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