[akptc]

A camera with a clean, minimalist look.

Seriously? The 1000 little shiny plastic "diamonds" staring out from the lens are way too loud for me. With that thing hanging off your chest all you need a fur coat and a golden tooth to complete that pimp look ..

[monochrome]

Seriously? The 1000 little shiny plastic "diamonds" staring out from the lens are way too loud for me. With that thing hanging off your chest all you need a fur coat and a golden tooth to complete that pimp look ..

Hmm. All those timy bumps on the leatherette. Seriously tacky.

[Wasp]

[tonyzoc]

Very nice. I used to own a 500C with an 80 T* Planar. I wasn't using it much so ended up selling it. I wish I kept it.

[Lord Lucan]

Re The Hasselblad 500 : What is in the box on the bottom? A motor drive?

[WPRESTO]

Re The Hasselblad 500 : What is in the box on the bottom? A motor drive?

FYI, in case you did not know. Hasselblad never made an accessory motor drive. Instead, they offered a motorized version of the 500c with the motor permanently attached to a modified camera body. The drive therefore looks like an add-on, but it is not. That is the model that WASP has illustrated.

I just did some searching and FYI: A Hasselblad ELM with waste-level finder, 120 film back and 80mm f2.8 has a mass/weight of about 2100g (roughly 4.5lb) which is just about double the mass/weight of a Pentax K1 II with battery but no lens. One of the reasons I gave up on 21/4 square (I had a Bronica S2) was the size & weight which was a discouragement to taking the camera along. Also, I found focusing much more difficult than with even my original Asahi Pentax S.

[TwoUptons]

FYI, in case you did not know. Hasselblad never made an accessory motor drive. Instead, they offered a motorized version of the 500c with the motor permanently attached to a modified camera body. The drive therefore looks like an add-on, but it is not. That is the model that WASP has illustrated.

I just did some searching and FYI: A Hasselblad ELM with waste-level finder, 120 film back and 80mm f2.8 has a mass/weight of about 2100g (roughly 4.5lb) which is just about double the mass/weight of a Pentax K1 II with battery but no lens. One of the reasons I gave up on 21/4 square (I had a Bronica S2) was the size & weight which was a discouragement to taking the camera along. Also, I found focusing much more difficult than with even my original Asahi Pentax S.

I seem to remember the batteries for the motor drive being eye-wateringly dear even 25 years ago...

I loved my old 500, but it isn’t light unless you’re comparing it to a 67 (especially the Mamiya RB...), and it certainly wasn’t light compared to the Super Program I was toting at the time...

I prefer a TLR as a travel companion, and except for the slight loss in speed (f3.5 on mine vs the f2.8 of the Hasselblad), I’ve no complaints in terms of image quality. But if you want a system, Hasselblad made all kinds of cool stuff to stick on their cameras...

That said, I have a Mine Six on the way from Japan to see if I can find a folder that can do as well...

-Eric

[WPRESTO]

I seem to remember the batteries for the motor drive being eye-wateringly dear even 25 years ago...

I loved my old 500, but it isn’t light unless you’re comparing it to a 67 (especially the Mamiya RB...), and it certainly wasn’t light compared to the Super Program I was toting at the time...

I prefer a TLR as a travel companion, and except for the slight loss in speed (f3.5 on mine vs the f2.8 of the Hasselblad), I’ve no complaints in terms of image quality. But if you want a system, Hasselblad made all kinds of cool stuff to stick on their cameras...

That said, I have a Mine Six on the way from Japan to see if I can find a folder that can do as well...

-Eric

FYI: A Rollei with f2.8 Planar or Xenotar is about 12625g, a bit more than half the weight of a 'blad and in the ballpark of a K1 with normal zoom lens. In that parameter it's a more manageable handful than a 'blad. On the other hand, if you want interchangeable lenses in TLR, the only choice is Mamiya, and it is a beast not at all suitable in size, weight and ergonomics to hand-holding.

IMHO the crown jewel of classic folders is the Supper Ikonta C. My dad had one complete with insert for doubling shots on a roll, a lens hood, a yellow filter and a close up lens. I used it for a short time after father had long since given up taking pictures. The real downside, it takes long-discontinued 620 film, making it unusable unless you respool 120 film or have the camera modified (I think that is possible, I doubt that it's easy to find someone competent to do it or that it will an inexpensive conversion). Plaubel and especially Fuji made some very nice semi-folders = a swing-open door that pulls the lens forward into taking position, but I don't think they used leather bellows. They are probably more realistic as users.

[TwoUptons]

I shot a wedding years ago with the Fuji 645 that has a zoom lens. It was superb and modern.

They’re pricey for what I’ll use as a toy, and the Plaubels even more so. But the Fuji would be a terrific travel camera if you wanted a big negative.

I have an Isis zone-focuser with a slide-out metal lens tube, but it leaks light and the lens is terrible.
Even when it’s in focus, it’s just never sharp, even at apertures where it should be very good.

-Eric

[WPRESTO]

I have an Isis zone-focuser with a slide-out metal lens tube, but it leaks light and the lens is terrible.
Even when it’s in focus, it’s just never sharp, even at apertures where it should be very good.-Eric

It's probably from the era when lenses were made from the bottom of green Coca Cola bottles, or so they said.

[WPRESTO]

Sometimes I browse EBAY to see if there's anything interesting, and to check what prices are being asked for equipment I own but am contemplating selling. In any case, I came across this surprise:

Carl Zeiss Jena 500mm f8 Fernobjentiv M-42


This is NOT the Mirotar reflex lens, and it is not a modified APO Tessar for Hasselblad. It is a very long, slender lens, manual or preset diaphragm (no aperture pin at the M42 mount). It appears to be in excellent to near mint condition. The cylindrical brown leather case, with neck strap, looks well used. I have not been able to GOGGLE any information on the lens (when made, in what mounts, specifications on length, weight, minimum focus distance, reviews, etc.). My guess would be it's a 1950's era lens, perhaps made for the original Contax S?. If you have an interest in unusual/rare lenses, take a look.

CONFIRMED. This lens was built for the Dresden-built Contax S. That the one offered on EBAY has survived in such outstanding condition is amazing. It belongs in a museum.

[DamienW]

It belongs in a museum

...or on a pirate.

Ahoy thar me hearties!

[goatsNdonkey]

It's probably from the era when lenses were made from the bottom of green Coca Cola bottles, or so they said.

That green glass gave natural skin tones on black-and-white film, no doubt. And if you could roll those left-over droplets of Coke into the correct position, you could temper overly bright highlights!

[g026r]

My guess would be it's a 1950's era lens, perhaps made for the original Contax S?. If you have an interest in unusual/rare lenses, take a look.

Serial for this one falls into the 1955 to 1958 block, according to online tables.

I spotted a thread someone posted about their copy over on DPReview which confirms it was also make in Exakta mount. Image quality is pretty nice, though it looks ridiculous mounted on a modern camera.

CK's Lens Post: Carl Zeiss Jena Fernobjektiv 500mm f/8 (1950's): Adapted Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

That said, I have a Mine Six on the way from Japan to see if I can find a folder that can do as well...

Nitto, Asahi, Zunow, or Deep-C lens?

[WPRESTO]

Serial for this one falls into the 1955 to 1958 block, according to online tables.

I spotted a thread someone posted about their copy over on DPReview which confirms it was also make in Exakta mount. Image quality is pretty nice, though it looks ridiculous mounted on a modern camera.

CK's Lens Post: Carl Zeiss Jena Fernobjektiv 500mm f/8 (1950's): Adapted Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Thanks for that link. It's a little difficult to evaluate IQ using the images the reviewer posted. BTW: The ad I saw on EBAY is now gone. It was posted from Korea (CORRECTION MADE). Interestingly, there is a second copy of this lens being offered on EBAY, from Germany, but the front element of the lens looks rather messy. The one offered from Hong Kong seemed to have a totally spotless front element. I suspect this lens is a simple achromatic doublet, similar to the long Leica lenses made by Novoflex (I believe), especially because the focusing ring of the Zeiss lens is way out at the front of the lens tube. Apochromatic triplet lenses made primarily for astronomy can have outstanding resolution and little or no chromatic aberrations, but may suffer from curvature of field.