Any Leica-philes Dabbling in the Medium Format?

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Retired six months ago, now getting plenty darkroom time printing older negs.  I am finding that the 6x7 negs out of my (long gone) Mamiya 7 and my current Bronica GS-1 (6x7) as so easy to work with and make lovely prints.  Thinking about dipping my toe into the Hasselblad pool ...  

Anybody else in MF?  I'd be curious of what you like.  Some Hasselblad wisdom would be nice, I know next to nothing.

Cheers.

[hepcat]

I have a Rolleiflex, but after thirty years of working with Hasselblad, my 6x6 kit is now two Arax CM bodies and a phalanx of CZJ and Hartblei glass.  None of the Hasselblad maintenance issues, and less than a quarter of the cost while still using Zeiss glass.

https://flic.kr/p/2kSbSwJ

 

 

[erl]

I earned my living for more than 50+ years shooting Hasselblads. Personally I love them, but I know some shooters do not. If one follows the basic design principle of the Blads, they make perfect sense. Designed to rest on the palm of the left hand, such that the release button falls under the 'pointer' finger of that hand. Support is not by gripping, as with all other cameras, hence reduced fatigue. Now the right handed people can use their favoured hand to perform tasks such as focus, winding and any other mechanical requirements.

I strongly recommend the use of a 45Deg prism finder because that also gives a comfortable ergonomic stance and viewing posture.

I don't recommend the motor drive models, eg. ELM, ELX, etc because they tend to be heavy and unwieldly, but are fine on a tripod. My personal favourite is the 203FE because it has a very good built in meter that works like a 'fat spot' Very similar to the meter in Leica M6/7 meter. It has a focal plane shutter and shoots up to 1/2000th sec. Depending on your shooting style, wrt speed, adding a winder works wonders for fast sequences. It is not in the class of motor drives, but helps maintaining framing for faster shooting without removing ones eye from the finder.

The 500c's and Cx's are also very good but have Compur shutters  and are speed limited to 1/500th sec., but have totally flash compatability.

Lenses come in quite a variety, designated C, F, CF, which indicated which bodies they are compatibly with.

THere is probably a lot more to know, this is a start.

[AndreasG]

For more than 30 years I own a 500CM with three lenses - 50, 80 and 120mm - plus a Gossen meter. I am not a frequent user any more, but fortunately my younger daughter uses the camera, in most cases with the 50mm Distagon. Probably I buy a prism finder as recommended by @erl above, it saves time in focussing.

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[Topsy]

I still frequently use Bronica 6x6 (SQ-Ai and SQ-B) (never could get on with the Hasselblads) for my landscape photography with either Kodak Portra or Fuji Provia, as @erl says a 45 degree finder is a great addition.

[01af]

vor 11 Stunden schrieb Danner:

I am finding that the 6 × 7 negs out of my (long gone) Mamiya 7 ...

Uh oh ... long gone? Too bad ...!

A few years ago, after long agonising due to high cost, I gave in and bought a Mamiya 7 II with three lenses. Best 120/220 medium-format camera ever, despite a few idiosyncrasies. No square format (don't like the square; that's why I don't want a Hasselblad), no mirror slap, no tedious squinting for focus on a dim matte screen. The 7 is almost as quick and easy to focus and shoot as a Leica M, just with 4.5× the negative area. I like it so much I bought more lenses and some accessories shortly after.

Currently I am contemplating the acquisition of a Mamiya RZ67, to complement the 7 and to cover the areas the 7 doesn't ... i. e. fish-eye lens, close-up photography, tilt/shift, and long telephoto. But then, I wonder how often I'd actually use that stuff so I haven't made any decisions yet. After all, even the 7 takes a back seat behind my digital cameras.

Anyway, I feel when shooting 120 roll film in our digital age then it should be big medium format. The 4.5 × 6 format is too small to make a worthwhile difference to 35-mm format, and 6 × 6, cropped to anything non-square, is hardly any bigger. So it's 6 × 7, 6 × 8, or 6 × 9 for me. And I really appreciate the 5:4 aspect ratio of the 6 × 7 format (which actually is 56 × 70 mm).

[erl]

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To address a few criticisms, let me comment. Where dim accute matt screens have been problematic, ie dim for focussing; replacement better screens have been available for many years. The latest ones surpass some current screens on modern cameras.

Regarding maintenance problems; I won't say a poor workman blames his tools, but when properly used and handled, they are the equal of any other brand I have used for reliability. In my case local mechanics are available who are very conversant with Blad repairs. Currently, I own four different Blad bodies, and they are extremely reliable. They do not like rough handling, and nor should they be subjected to it.

Regarding the square format. Well it is my preferred shape. It is surprising how many motifs fit naturally into it. For cropping when shooting, it is purely a 'mental' process, with no clumsy camera rotation as required by rectangular format cameras.

I don't expect everyone to agree with my premises, but I do know that if you adjust your expectation to what is possible, you can be pleasantly surprised.

[Danner]

15 hours ago, Al Brown said:

I still have my Rolleiflex and Mamiya RZ67. Used to work on 503CW and 553ELX analog Hasselblads for a long time.
Are you looking for film photography related Hasselblad info only or is digital MF also an option?

Just film, I use Nikon for digital, occasionally.

[Danner]

3 hours ago, 01af said:

Uh oh ... long gone? Too bad ...!

A few years ago, after long agonising due to high cost, I gave in and bought a Mamiya 7 II with three lenses. Best 120/220 medium-format camera ever, despite a few idiosyncrasies. No square format (don't like the square; that's why I don't want a Hasselblad), no mirror slap, no tedious squinting for focus on a dim matte screen. The 7 is almost as quick and easy to focus and shoot as a Leica M, just with 4.5× the negative area. I like it so much I bought more lenses and some accessories shortly after.

Currently I am contemplating the acquisition of a Mamiya RZ67, to complement the 7 and to cover the areas the 7 doesn't ... i. e. fish-eye lens, close-up photography, tilt/shift, and long telephoto. But then, I wonder how often I'd actually use that stuff so I haven't made any decisions yet. After all, even the 7 takes a back seat behind my digital cameras.

Anyway, I feel when shooting 120 roll film in our digital age then it should be big medium format. The 4.5 × 6 format is too small to make a worthwhile difference to 35-mm format, and 6 × 6, cropped to anything non-square, is hardly any bigger. So it's 6 × 7, 6 × 8, or 6 × 9 for me. And I really appreciate the 5:4 aspect ratio of the 6 × 7 format (which actually is 56 × 70 mm).

That's a sale I regret.  I had the 50mm, 80mm and 150mm lenses.  Sold the kit about the time I got a Nikon D700, thinking digital was the way to go.

[hepcat]

4 hours ago, erl said:

To address a few criticisms, let me comment. 

Regarding maintenance problems; I won't say a poor workman blames his tools, but when properly used and handled, they are the equal of any other brand I have used for reliability. In my case local mechanics are available who are very conversant with Blad repairs. Currently, I own four different Blad bodies, and they are extremely reliable. They do not like rough handling, and nor should they be subjected to it.

I don't expect everyone to agree with my premises, but I do know that if you adjust your expectation to what is possible, you can be pleasantly surprised.

I shot Hassy for over thirty years and loved them.  I never had a body fail or even need repairs during that time.    What I DIDN'T love was how often I had to send lenses in for shutter work; about every other or every third year for each lens for shutter issues.  I'll grant you it was primarily the "C" version shutters, but spending a couple hundred bucks every couple of years for every lens got tiresome, hence my move in retirement to the ARAX CM bodies and Pentacon 6 mount Zeiss lenses.  I don't use them often any more, and that of course is the bane of the leaf shutters... disuse.

Other than that I had no complaints at all with my Hassy gear.  It's top notch, and I love square format.  

[TheGodParticle/Hari]

Film:

Plaubel Makina 67, 80/2.8

Pentax 67ii 

Contax 645 

Hasselblad 503 CW

Digital:

Hasselblad 907X & CFV 100c

Hasselblad X1D2 

[250swb]

After three Hasselblad's I've vowed never to buy another, so among a large collection of medium format cameras my most used at the moment are a Fuji GW670 rangefinder and a Minolta Autocord TLR. The lenses on both are superb.

[erl]

Buying a Hasselblad is like buying a car. Deciding which model, which accessories, is it fit for my purpose, how does it look, will I gain cudos by having it. Seriously. Consciously and sub-consciously, all these things can work on your mind and your mindset and is a big influencer on your decision making and performance.

I own and operate four different Blad body types, seven lenses and I've lost count of how many film magazines. The beauty of Hasselblad system is that it is a system. You really build your own kit for each shoot, basically comprised of five components that make a completer camera. Body; lens; viewfinder; film magazine; winder. All with alternatives to choose from. So versatile. A superb balance between compactness, versatility, quality and reliability.

It works. You just have to learn to drive it, same as a Leica.

[TheGodParticle/Hari]

A sunny day here today, took the beasts out to feed them light and film 

 

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Edited June 15, 2024 by TheGodParticle/Hari

[Danner]

23 hours ago, 250swb said:

After three Hasselblad's I've vowed never to buy another, so among a large collection of medium format cameras my most used at the moment are a Fuji GW670 rangefinder and a Minolta Autocord TLR. The lenses on both are superb.

Any experience with Bronica?

[Danner]

4 hours ago, TheGodParticle/Hari said:

A sunny day here today, took the beasts out to feed them light and film 

 

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Nice.

[erl]

3 hours ago, Danner said:

Any experience with Bronica?

My mechanic reported finding bamboo used internally as springs inside  Bronicas. 

[250swb]

9 hours ago, Danner said:

Any experience with Bronica?

I have a Bronica SQa outfit although it hasn't been used in a while. But it does everything a Hasselblad can do, the lenses are excellent, the bits aren't as pricey. 

[Topsy]

I have Bronica SQ-Ai and SQ-B, the SQ-Ai is tempremenatal, the battery arrangement is 4 button batteries in a holder and sometimes the pins that make contact don't so I have to remove the batteries and replace them that normally works. The SQ-B has a single larger battery and has no issues. I used SQ-Ai back in the old film only days but soold it when I went digital, I have since bought 2  on the used market, both have the battery contact issue but are useable (I always carry extra batteriea) but since I found the SQ-B (I bought 2 of these too) I use them in preference to the Ais and have no issues.

From my recent Dartmoor Photowalk this Tuesday, SQ-B 65mm Portra 160.

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Danner]

I'm thinking the Bronica is plenty good for my needs, and I don't need to 'invest' in a Hasselblad system.

Thanks everybody.