Hasselblad 500C/M

Overview

Hasselblad 500C/M

Gothenburg, Sweden

The Hasselblad 500C/M is the camera that changed how I think about photography. With the Leica, I shoot fast and react. With the Hasselblad, I set up, compose, and wait. The square format forces different decisions. The 6x6 negative is enormous compared to 35mm.

I've had this one for eight years. It came with the Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8 -- the standard lens, the one that most people use most of the time. The lens is optically excellent. At f/2.8 the depth of field is shallow enough to be useful. At f/8 it's sharp across the entire frame.

In Florida, I use this camera for landscapes and for situations where I have time to work slowly. The Everglades at dawn. The beach at Canaveral in the late afternoon. Situations where the light is good and there's no reason to rush.

History

The 500C/M is an evolution of the original 500C, introduced in 1957. The main change was the interchangeable focusing screen -- the C/M allows you to swap screens without tools. A small improvement, but useful.

The 500-series Hasselblad uses a leaf shutter in the lens rather than a focal plane shutter in the body. This means every lens has its own shutter. It also means flash sync at all speeds, which is useful for outdoor portraits with fill flash.

The modular system is the Hasselblad's greatest strength. Bodies, lenses, film backs, and finders are all interchangeable. You can swap film backs mid-roll. You can use a prism finder for eye-level shooting or a waist-level finder for low-angle work.

The 500C/M was replaced by the 503CX in 1988, which added TTL flash metering. The 500C/M has no electronics at all. It's fully mechanical. In Florida heat and humidity, that's a significant advantage.

Worth owning?

The Hasselblad 500C/M is worth owning if you want to shoot medium format and you're willing to work slowly. The 6x6 negative is three times the area of a 35mm negative. The image quality is in a different category.

The system is modular and expandable. You can start with a body and one lens and add more over time. The lenses hold their value well.

The main drawback is size and weight. This is not a camera you carry casually. It's a camera you bring when you intend to use it. In Florida, that usually means early morning or late afternoon when the light is worth the effort.

Prices have risen. A clean 500C/M with 80mm Planar and A12 back runs $800 to $1,500. The lenses are the expensive part -- a clean 80mm Planar costs $300 to $600 on its own.

CLA notes

The Hasselblad 500C/M CLA involves both the body and the lens. The body is relatively simple -- the main mechanical systems are the mirror mechanism and the film advance. The lens is more complex.

The Compur shutter in the 80mm Planar is serviced by removing the rear element group and accessing the shutter blades from behind. The blades are cleaned with naphtha. The shutter is re-lubricated with a very small amount of the correct grease.

In Florida, I pay particular attention to the film back seals. The humidity here accelerates foam deterioration. I replace the seals in every back I work on, regardless of apparent condition.

After a CLA, I run a test roll and check for light leaks, correct exposure, and sharp focus. The Hasselblad is a precise instrument and needs to be verified after any service work.