help finding out what camera this is

[nrois02]

V System

i see these cameras but dont know what they are good for. they kept mentioning medium camera? what are these good for?

[KmH]

Medium format (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You could do a Google search too!

[Big Mike]

Quote:

i see these cameras but dont know what they are good for.

They are good for taking photos...what's not to know?

Quote:

they kept mentioning medium camera?

This type of camera is often refered to as 'Medium Format' because they use film that is larger than 35mm film (but not as large as 'Large Format' cameras).

Hasselblad is a top quality camera/lens maker. This type of camera might be best suited for studio or fine art photography.

[nrois02]

ok thanks very much! is this tyoe of film easy to develope or get developed?

[Sachphotography]

Quote: Originally Posted by nrois02

ok thanks very much! is this tyoe of film easy to develope or get developed?

NO!. lol well brain surgery is easy to a brain surgeon. j/k You can send it off to be developed. It is not a one hour photo lab kind of film.

[rom4n301]

damn.... i wish i had 44 grand to blow on a camera =/ hasselblads are so nice... i mite get one of the film ones of keh for cheap... digital will go on my to get list

[c.cloudwalker]

Quote: Originally Posted by Big Mike

This type of camera might be best suited for studio or fine art photography.

Why? I got mine for weddings because in my area, back then, nobody would take you seriously if you showed up for a wedding with 35mm equipment. Everyone there had a lens at least as big as yours

I ended up doing a lot more with it because you can do any type of photography with it. Even knew a guy who had one for his family snapshots. Whatever.

No harder to process than any other film. Did all my B&W work myself (35mm, medium and large format) but sent out all the color work. For Kodachrome you had to and, the only color negative work I did was weddings which, honestly, was much easier to send to a lab.

Color darkrooms were a lot more expensive to set up than B&W ones and you had to have serious temperature control. Not worth it to me for wedding pictures.

Seriously thinking about getting a 500 C/M again. I absolutely loved the square format.

[Big Mike]

Quote:

Why? I got mine for weddings because in my area, back then,

Back then...sure, this could be a pro's work horse camera....could be even today. And of course you can use just about any camera for just about any type of shooting. But these days, the people most likely to buy (not already have) a medium format camera, are photographers who probably have the luxury of taking their time and maximizing quality over quantity....or something like that.

[c.cloudwalker]

Quote: Originally Posted by Big Mike

Quote:

Why? I got mine for weddings because in my area, back then,

Back then...sure, this could be a pro's work horse camera....could be even today. And of course you can use just about any camera for just about any type of shooting. But these days, the people most likely to buy (not already have) a medium format camera, are photographers who probably have the luxury of taking their time and maximizing quality over quantity....or something like that.

Sorry about the back then... I'm an older guy

To be honest, with digital, I don't quite see the point of medium format. Now, I am fairly new to digital and I've been out of commercial work for some time so that I may be totally wrong.

When I think about getting another Hasselblad, I'm thinking film. However, there is one big problem with that. I went to buy a couple rolls of film yesterday to test my 35mm equipment before I try and sell it. Decided on 100 speed slide. They only had one roll so I asked what they had in negative. They still had only one roll of two (I think) different speeds. Why?

"Well, we don't sell any so we only order one roll at a time..."

How long before it becomes a major hassle to get film if you don't live in some big (and I mean NYC big) city? And, how long before everybody stops making film altogether?

[Big Mike]

That's the sad truth. Did you know that Kodachrome just bit the bullet?

In my city (close to 1,000,000 people in the general area) there isn't a single lab doing commercial B&W development anymore.

There are still several pros (or rich hobbiests) shooting MF...but many of them are shooting MF digital...30, 40, 50 megapixels. Those cameras cost more than a well equipped family sedan.

[HeY iTs ScOTtY]

yeah i use to work for kodak and they cut a lot of people a few years ago. an i mean A LOT!

[usayit]

No reason why you (or anyone) with a bit of saved up cash can't own a hassy. The system linked is an evolution on a system that has been around for decades. Older bodies are obtainable with excellent lenses.

[c.cloudwalker]

Quote: Originally Posted by usayit

No reason why you (or anyone) with a bit of saved up cash can't own a hassy. The system linked is an evolution on a system that has been around for decades. Older bodies are obtainable with excellent lenses.

You are right but the problem is not to own it. Especially for someone like me who sells what he doesn't use or I would have one. Plus some nice Broncolor stobes for my studio...

My problem is more: how long do I get to use it before there is nothing but digital? And then, shouldn't I better spend my time learning digital stuff?

[Big Mike]

I'm sure film will still be around for decades to come...it won't die out completely...but it will likely become harder to find processing or the supplies/tools to do it yourself.

You could always get a digital back to take the place of the film back...and continue using the body & lenses. But unless you are already invested in the system, the more economical choice would probably be a high end DSLR from Canon/Nikon.

[tsaraleksi]

Quote: Originally Posted by nrois02

ok thanks very much! is this tyoe of film easy to develope or get developed?

It's worth noting that these are not strictly film cameras-- you can switch out the capture back on the body, so you can have a film back or a digital back. The digital backs for these cameras are capable of providing excessively high resolution, up to and beyond 40 megapixels.