Some Random Dude

So not too long ago, I wrote about my purchase of an ultra wide-angle lens (I am really digging the photos it is putting out). The original notion was to pick up a 20mm (because I had heard so many great things about it) as well as a 28mm (because it is a little more suited for normal scenes). Well, the plan did not quite end up that way because, through one way or another, I ended up with a Hasselblad 501cm.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know this is not the first medium format camera (wiki) we have picked up. A while back, I found a Rolleicord Type 2 made in 1936. The camera is quite beautiful, however it ended up being a bad fit - no lightmeter, advancing the film meant almost certainly exposing the bottom right corner of the film, a very dim focus screen made focusing extremely difficult and subpar optics (but top-notch for its time, the camera is 72 years old) meant fuzzy final products. I still consider the camera to be one of my favorites and am still happy to this day that we picked it up. That being said, for all the film I put in the camera, I only have ended up with four photos that I am even moderately happy with (considering the camera I was using).

So out with the (very) old and in with the (slightly) old. The only thing the Rollei and our Hasselblad have in common is that they are both fully manual medium format cameras. The Rollei is a Twin Lens Reflex, there are no interchangeable parts - what you see is what you get. This Hasselblad is quite the opposite. When you purchase a Hasselblad, you are essentially buying a system. The heart of the system is (obviously) the body - all other parts can be detached and replaced. For instance, I purchased the body, the back (where the film resides) and the lens all separately. The camera came the with default waist level viewfinder and the camera does not have a lightmeter built in. That would normally be a problem, but thanks to this system, I can (and will) purchase new model light-metering prisms that will fit this camera. Since Hasselblads are pro-level cameras, they take their customers quite seriously. Because of this, you can basically rely on all new parts being compatible with your system until the end of time. That. Rocks.

The great thing about medium format is that the negative is literally gigantic. Additionally, the Hasselblad uses Carl Zeiss lenses - some of the best in the world. So the potential in image quality and resolution goes way up. The caveat of shooting medium format, especially with my model, is that the camera is large and heavy and the lenses need a lot more light than good 35mm lenses. In a studio, this is not a problem due to strobes and flashes, but with basic street photography, it will be a significant challenge. There are no doubt a thousand other issues that I will eventually confront since I am basically new to medium format - one of the large contributors to why I actually decided to get the camera in the first place. That being said, I cannot wait to get at it.

My buddy Dennis and I have spent many, many hours talking about our desire to eventually shoot with a Leica. For myself at least, this desire stems from the want to shoot with the best (or close to it). I want to know that the greatest limitation to my work is me and not my tools, because (at least hopefully) I can improve, but tools do not. I definitely feel that way now. If you are strolling around San Francisco and just happen to see someone with a ridiculously large hunk of metal in their hands, it may just be me.

On another note, I know I have been way off on writing for the past month - I will refrain from stating a date when normalcy will resume as past promises have been thoroughly broken. If you are interested in seeing what I have been doing in my precious time away from work, I have had a chance to get a few photos up on my Flickr page.