Life in Squares - The Hasselblad 500c/m
This is the sixth post in the series. The idea behind “Life in Squares” is to give people interested in Medium Format Photography, especially in the classic 6x6 format, some info regarding some of the popular, and maybe not-so-popular, options out there. All of the cameras that feature in this series are personally owned and shot by me – my hope is that I can give some added perspective over and above the standard “gear reviews”. I’ll be honest about the good, and the bad………………and maybe along the way add some insights in regards to shooting in the beloved 6x6 square format.
My Hasselblad 500C - shown in my normal “walk-about” configuration with WLF, A12 back with holder, and 80mm f/2.8 Zeiss lens with hood.
Hasselblad.
In this world of “building your brand”, and people/companies trying to become household names, the name “Hasselblad” is almost universally known by photographers and non-photographers alike. For non-photographers they may know the name due to the company being the “official” camera of NASA for the Apollo 8, 9, 10, and 11 moon missions, while photographers know it as being an aspirational camera that many want to shoot with one day, if not own.
In prior “Life in Squares” posts I often talked about nearly all other 6x6 cameras being compared to a Hasselblad, in particular the “V-Series” as the 500 series of cameras eventually became known after Hasselblad updated their design to the much later “H-Series”. Whether this comparison is fair or not is almost irrelevant - it’s going to happen regardless.
Many greats have made some amazing images with Hasselblads over the years. The square format has allowed many artists to compose and shoot for the square format, or because of such a large, high quality negative crop to 4x5 or 2x3 depending on the scene and/or final print size constraints.
For this discussion, I am mainly focusing on the 2 most common, and iconic, members of the V-Series - the 500C and its successor, the 500CM. The 500C was made from 1957 to 1970, with somewhere around 77,000 cameras made. Over that span of 14 years, not much changed. Near the very end of the production run, the last serial#’s in the bunch had a new feature - a replaceable viewing screen that could be changed out for other styles.
This new feature was enough that Hasselblad decided to give later cameras equipped with it their own new name, the 500CM - the M standing for “modified”. The 500CM was made from 1970 thru 1988 with little to no changes during that timeframe. Such long runs of a camera production with no huge upgrades is unheard of today - most modern cameras are nearly obsolete only a few years after they are introduced.
BREAKDOWN OF THE 500C, TAKEN FROM THE ORIGINAL 500C BROCHURE
The 500 series utilized iconic and sharp Zeiss lenses. There were several different versions of these lenses over the years, with different nomenclature depending on coatings and other features. The most iconic, and often considered the “kit” lens, was the Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8C. A legendary lens, it created sharp images, even on the moon and in space.
There are plenty of tech articles out there about the 500 series, so I will spare you all of that data. I’m not really certain I could bring anything new to the table, over and above what you would find with a Google search - there are hundreds of pages and articles dedicated to that.
If you are shopping for a 6x6 medium format film camera and are struggling with the decision to purchase something else instead of a Hasselblad 500 series, maybe the few reasons below on why to consider this over many other options may help you make that decision.
Interchangeable backs - yes, there are other 6x6 cameras with interchangeable backs, like the Bronica S2 series, but there aren’t many. This is a feature that is easy to not understand how nice it is to have until you have used a camera with one and needed to change rolls mid-shoot for one reason or another.
Image quality - The Zeiss lenses are amazing. Seriously, I’m not kidding.
Design - everything feels like its where it should be, and its one of the few cameras that I believe that function didn’t beat out form, or visa versa. It looks as equally good as it is to work with.
Portability - there may be someone here or there that complains about how big and heavy the 500 series are, but honestly, if they had ever carried around just about any other 6x6 medium format camera they would quickly realize how small and light the Hasselblad is, especially for how modular it is. (I’m not talking about any of the smaller Zeiss folders out there, which are super small and light, but lack a lot of other features the Hasselblad has).
Sound - There’s something about the sound a 500 series makes when you fire it. I can’t quite put it into words. In fact, every action on it has a sound like no other camera.
Repairs - The 500 series is built like a tank, but, in the off-chance you need a service, there are plenty of shops and repair guys that work on them. Some are Hasselblad certified. And Hasselblad even has its own repair center on the east coast. Also not that unlike most other medium format cameras, there are no seals on the body and back to go bad, with the exception of the small seal/trap for the darkslide slot. If you are a handy person, it takes a $20 part and 15 minutes to re-seal.
Investment - Yes, I said “investment”. In general the medium format camera market is seeing a surge in prices, and the 500 series is no stranger to that. The difference is that it is a camera series that is in high demand, serviceable, and holds its value well over time. Meaning, that if you bought one at market value today, then decided in a year or two you didn’t like it, you would AT LEAST get all of your money back, or, if things continue as they are, more-than-likely make a nice profit.
And while I’m talking about money, let me talk a little about the false economy of buying something else to “make do” until you can afford a Hasselblad. I touched on this before in a prior blog but its worth bringing up again. Let’s say you spend $500 on a nice Kowa 6 kit with lens and finder, that’s been CLA’d (Clean Lube Adjust) and had new seals installed. Your thought being you’d eventually sell it and buy the Hasselblad 500C, which is currently around $1700-$2000 for a complete, nice kit from a reputable seller. In a year or two, that Kowa 6 might be worth the same you paid for it, maybe a little less after some wear and tear and not another CLA since that’s expensive. That same 500C will be worth several hundred dollars more than now, regardless if it had another thousand rolls of film shot thru it, and no CLA. Had you bought the Hasselblad in the beginning you would be further ahead.
Now, don’t get me wrong - there are a LOT of nice medium format cameras out there other than Hasselblad 500C’s and CM’s. My point is that if the Hasselblad is what you truly want, and have your heart set on it as being the ultimate - just get it. They aren’t getting any cheaper.
Which one should you get? The original 500C, or the 500CM with the replaceable focus screen? I own both (along with a 501C, but that’s another story), and in my opinion, I’d recommend a late 500C with the replaceable screen, or a 500CM. Why? The replaceable screen is desirable, and people will pay more for it. And if you have it, then you have the option of changing out the screens for a grid, split prism, or whatever you want. And now that I’m over 50, I can tell you that if you don’t have the best eyes, the 500C non-replaceable screen is dim and harder to focus with as compared to the stock 500CM screen. That alone to me is worth the slight purchase price difference. And that’s what caused me to buy a 500CM after using my 500C for a long time - I started missing critical focus.
So, is the Hasselblad 500C/CM series the ultimate medium format camera? Maybe not, but its damn good. Is it good enough that its the only medium format camera that I own? No, because I like variety. But it is one of those cameras that if you asked me the “What camera would you keep if you could have only one” - would definitely make my short-list for the one I’d have to consider.
Thanks for reading,
Jeremy
Below are a few images I’ve made over the last few years with my Hasselblad 500 series cameras.
