questions about MF

[V.Alonso]

ok so i mainly shoot digital, but i also love to shoot film and have 2 35mm SLRs and frequently shoot with those, however i would like to get a used medium format camera, i placed a bid on ebay for a hasselblad 500c, but i doubt ill win the bid, however, i still want to get one at a later time

no my questions:

the camera that i am bidding on comes w/ 3 backs- id assume these are to hold film, if not, what exactly are they for? and what kind of film should i buy( i prefer to shoot B&W) ?

is it common to find a local shop that will develop the film? do you normaly send the film out? and if so to whom?

is this a good camera to start with? if not are there any other reccomendations?i dont know why but ive always wanted to own a 'hasselblad' am i makeing a bad decition?

thaks for all the help and for reading

any imput/ comments are appreciated

 

[ksmattfish]

A Hasselblad 500c or 500c/m is a wonderful camera. If you are used to operating a mechanical 35mm SLR it's not all that different. Read the instructions on how to load the film backs. It is possible to load the film backwards.

You'll probably need to find a full service photo lab, if you aren't going to develop it yourself. Most econo-labs don't touch 120/220 film.

From my 500 c/m

 

[V.Alonso]

thanks!

 

[terri]

Like Leica is with 35mm, Hassys are in the "legendary camera" realm for MF, and they come with the associated price tag. You might get a good deal on the 500 body and one lens, but adding lenses you want to your system will be pretty challenging, even with the digital revolution driving prices down.

Do some more research on MF systems. You should check out Mamiya, Pentax, Bronica, and Rolleiflex. You will get excellent quality and more than likely be able to get a body and 2-3 lenses for much less than a comparable Hassy system.

It's pretty hard to find major fault with any of the above brands, so google these names, learn about various models and what they offer. Something else might tickle your fancy that you don't have to wait to afford.

And remember, developing B&W film at home is easy as pie, and you don't need a darkroom to do it. A changing bag in a closet is all you'll need to load your film from the roll to the developing reel, then you can stand at the kitchen sink to do the rest. Very cheap, fast and easy. If you already have a scanner you can still view your negatives on your PC and then decide what you want to have printed.

More and more folks are doing this kind of "hybrid" film photography these days. Not everyone can or wants to make their own prints, and that's what darkrooms are for. However, they do require space and and initial outlay of cash, so for the occasional film user, the develop film/scan the negs option seems to work great.

 

[mysteryscribe]

Terry hit it on the head. You can do the wet film thing very easily and economically. I personally have digital prints made from my scans.

Also if you want to go with color prints you can get most one hour labs to do the negs they just cant do the prints, but you can scan your negs and then have prints made from the very large and detailed scans. Even home made scans of 120 are beautiful.

You might have to explain to the one hour lab that the 120 film will fit inside their film canister that they use for broken film cartridges or test strips. My local Eckerds told me about it.

 

[fmw]

I've mentioned it before, but I'll throw it out again. I bought this Mamiya 645 system on Ebay for $655. I bought it piece by piece. The camera body, normal and wide angle lenses were all brand new, the telephoto was simply in mint condition. That's a lot of image quality and flexibility for the price of an upscale digital point and shoot.

 

[fmw]

And, since Mystery Scribe gave you the pitch on scanning MF film, here's an image made by scanning a 120 Provia transparency on my home flatbed scanner. The image was made with the Mamiya 645E pictured above with the 45mm wide angle lens. You're looking at a 72 ppi screen image taken from what was originally a 1600dpi scan of the film.

 

[V.Alonso]

thanks so much! you have no idea how much this helps

ill let you guys know what i fially get

 

[Jeff Canes]

MF labs are getting less common everyday. The only lab I knew of in Miami was Thomson Imaging, but I just check their site today, they closed in December after 50 years in business. You may need to thing about doing your own B&W development it easy.

 

[V.Alonso]

thanks jeff
yea i might as well, too bad that my school shut down the photolab/darkroom after last year it closed... that would of helped, any who ive always wanted to learn to develop my own film, my dad knows how, so i should be good

thanks again guys

 

[burtharrris]

I'm in the same boat. I love my Yashica TLR MF camera. After I saw the results I barely use my 35mm Canons anymore.

My situation is that I wanted to be independent, but I can't afford the price to start shooting digital. I realized that if I got 50 rolls of B&W film developed, I could buy a digital body, but I can't save up that kind of money in one shot, unless I give up photography for a few months (not happening).

So I bought a $80 Yashica 124 TLR, and a Mamiya RB67 set on ebay for $250 (www.keh.com and www.ebay.com). I shoot B&W and develop it myself. Everything I needed to develop film was $75. Now I process my own film, scan my negatives or slides, and make injet prints that rival photo labs (plus on my own time).

 

[mysteryscribe]

I have been pulling old negs out of my file cabinets and cardboard boxes. I have been scanning one from each of my old weddings at random. I will never finish but I am learning some things.

My negs got just a hair softer over the years. Funny but it's true. The older ones are sharper than the newer onces. I went through several cameras and twice as many lenses but I have no idea what it was that made the difference or when it happened.

The strange thing is I never noticed it in the prints just now in the scans. Hows that for odd.

 

[ksmattfish]

Take a look at www.keh.com They have so much Hassy gear in stock that they are hardly interested in purchasing it anymore. I agree that there are lots of other fine brands, and they are all just about the same as far as image quality goes, but if you have your heart set on a Hassy it's a buyer's market right now. Pentax 67 systems are holding their value much better than Hassleblads. Too many pros and studios have dumped their Hassy and Mamiya gear on the used market.

 

[V.Alonso]

thanks for the site

its not that i had my heart set on a hassy, its just that ive always heard of them, and figured that it would be a good choice. BTW i lost the bid as expected on ebay

my grandfather had a hassy, but it broke and at the time my aunt was dating a photographer and gave it to him. he later fixed it...i envy him...lol

due to price issues im looking at bronica's now, they look good, any opinions on them?

thanks again

 

[fmw]

Hassys weren't always good. The 500C was really first reliable one in my opinion. I had an old 1000F (1950's vintage) that seemed to break every time I fired the shutter. It was easily the least reliable camera I've ever owned. Other photographers experienced the same thing with Hasselblads in those days. The MF camera to have in those days was the TLR Rolleiflex, not the Hasselblad. The Hasselblad was really mostly a novelty because it was an SLR with interchangeable lenses. Rollei owners had to change bodies when they changed focal lengths. But a battery of three Rolleis was a pretty good setup for a pro in those days. With the 500C the Hasselblad system came of age. Just stay away from the really old ones.

I had a 500C system for a short while but replaced it with the Mamiya RZ67 when I saw what those lenses and the larger 6X7 format could do. You can't beat lenses that have no moving parts aside from the diaphragm and aperture ring. The 500C was a very good camera.

The Bronicas are fine. A little heavy. Very rugged with good lenses. Personally, I've never owned or used one but plenty of pros have. They are cheaper than the other brands because Bronica is gone as a company (or at least as a brand.) The advantage of Hasselblad or Mamiya or Pentax is that the companies are still in business. They may not support every camera forever, but there's at least a chance.