The Hasselblad 500CM is to photography what the Underwood is to the novelist hacking out the next paperback. This reliable light tight box with moving parts works great with any A magazine attached and a Zeiss lens twisted into position up front to bend those light rays into the smallest circles of confusion possible at the film plane. There is nothing quite like the sound of the camera as you squeeze off a shot. There's a reassuring "flump" sound heard inside as the mirror and curtain get out of the way of the beams. If you engage the mirror lockup lever below the knurled film advance knob before making the exposure, which has always been my wont, then you'll hear only the click of the leaf shutter in the lens or maybe the extended sizzle of the same on a one second exposure; the choice is yours. Great box with years of tradition to fall back on. Get one and make some great negatives or slides!Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I think it's items like this that will forever prove why the negative has not dissapeared in a world of digital photography. These cameras teach us both patience and grace within photography. That we cannot afford to just click over and over and then choose which image got it. We wait and when that moment to open the shutter comes we click. To use these cameras and others with high quality we can become better at seeing the true brilliance of a moment. People will say this way in photography is expensive. Not so!! With this you never waste a single click of the camera because you know you cannot. This way you will become a better photographer and a more attentive person. This particular one i myself purchased came with signs of use. And why not!! This is how it will continue and be put to good use and those signs of use are very minimal in fact. And it's probably those small signs of use that helped put this camera within my price range.Read full review
When you buy a vintage "Hassie," qualifiers like ease of use, weight, features, are irrelevant. It's one of those purchases that you need to educate yourself into before you do it. It's all about fantastic medium format film photography. When you buy them in the $700 to $800 range like I did, it normally means they'll need a little TLC and time in the shop (preferably your local Hasselblad-authorized service shop). This one was no exception, sometimes the seller pitches in, like in this case, and $200 less it's pretty much ready to go. If they're in the $1,000+ range, I would make sure they're functions work impeccably. In this case I bought two to make the best one out of them and sell the rest. This is an 1983 model as you can tell by the serial no. (http://www.hasselbladhistorical.eu/HT/HTDating.aspx) and the other one was a 1969 500 model. By recommendation of the service shop (parts availability) I ended up reluctantly selling the oldest one (I only needed one Hassie) to a fellow grad school student and he loves it. I'm pretty sure the old one would give me as little problems as the new one. The camera was in shape mechanically, the leatherette like new, serial numbers in magazine and insert matched, etc. Don't settle for beat up ones, unless you pay less than $700, IMHO. Normal issues: a little dirty, backs needed light seals, focus ring and aperture control needed replacements. I'm a happy camper with it. This one came with a bunch of fancy accessories I don't really get used to (plus some others I bought separately to experiment), like prism viewfinder (makes it super heavy), pistol handle, 220 film back (they don't even produce that film anymore I think...). The light leaks and the focus still need a little work. But after simplifying it and getting it to the basics, the images are just beautiful. The focus is still a little tight, but I can live with it. It's a 20yo camera. But I love the way it feels, handles, photographs and (bonus) get a lot of compliments on it. Sometimes I just like looking at it. It's beautifulRead full review
Medium format market is shrinking these days. 500C/M is becoming the ultimate Hasselblad entry system. Most of the professionals out there are using digital backs on their V system or lean towards H system instead. So there are plenty of professionally used and well-cared cameras and bodies. I mean, Kiev 88 might be attractive several years ago since they are much cheaper. But now, hassy is only a few hundred bucks higher but with more reliable and durable construction. This 500C/M camera features interchangeable focus screen so that you can put the ones you need. Hasselblad lenses are top notch Zeiss construction and design. It is the best out there. Pick up one today and start shooting, you will be amazed. 35mm is easy but 6x6 MF is way too cool.
To all those photographers who have not tried film, how can you call yourselves photographers? Learning how to use film is the foundations of photography. The ultra sharp, clear and beautiful 6x6 negative overshadows any top D-SLR camera to date. This is one of the many reasons, I choose to buy the wonderful Hassleblad 500 C/M camera. The camera is manual and teaches you to look, instead of just snapping hundreds upon hundreds of digital files and getting sloopy results. This camera is truly beautiful and that's why I sold my Canon 40D to pay for it.
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