hasselblad 500-series prism finders

[evtoor]

Hello everyone,

First of all, I'm new at this forum.
I 'd like to buy a Hasselblad camera; I don't know which one, maybe the 503 CW.
I have seen that there are a lot of Prism finders for the Hasselblad, the Kiev 45 Prism, the Hasselblad 45, the Hasselblad PME / PME-3 / PME-5 / PME-51.

And for the exposere metering; it is of course also possible to use a seperate metering system (Gossen)

Can anyone help with with the choise of a prism finder ?

thanks
Edward

 

[Victorh]

First of all make up your mind whether you want a metering prism or not.

If you can do without the metering facility you could go for the NC2 prism.
The NC2 is the oldest 45° prism and gives the advantage of the highest magnification factor 3X.

Later prisms from the PM series have 2.5 times enlargement.

The PME series all offer accurate metering.

Top of the bill is the PME 45.
That prism offers integral measurement and selective metering.
The PME 45 is sought after and will set you back 600-1000 euro.


Vic.

ps
Forget the Kiev prisms.

 

[visionaryelitist]

Vic, will the NC2 work with my 503CW?? I cant find much info about it online. How much should i expect to pay for a well used one?

Andi

 

[Victorh]

Compatibility

Compatibility is one of the strong points of the V system.
Prisms and viewers will fit most bodies no matter how old they are.
The NC 2 fits all 500 series bodies including the 503 CW.



I have uploaded a couple of images of the NC 2 prism.

Prices vary because the cosmetic condition of these prisms can be quite poor due to paint loss.
Expect to pay between 75 and 100 euro or 100 to 140 USD for a decent one.




NC2




My black companion:
500CM with NC 2 and 150 Sonnar lens.


Vic.

 

[wbulte]

Forget the Kiev prisms.

I'd make that: forget the metering prisms from K. They make a very decent clone of the Hasselblad NC-2. New cheaper than a beaten HB NC-2. Basically the only K. product I would consider by the way

Wilko

 

[Victorh]

Wilko,

You are quite right about the metering prisms from Russia.

On the other hand I do not see the need to fit Russian made gear to Hasselblad cameras now that prices for Hasselblad seem to hit the bottom.

The NC2 prism is not a Swedisch product either.
These prisms were made by Novoflex in Germany.
Optically excellent but the paint finish is not up to standard.


Vic.

 

[wbulte]

Wilko,

You are quite right about the metering prisms from Russia.

On the other hand I do not see the need to fit Russian made gear to Hasselblad cameras now that prices for Hasselblad seem to hit the bottom.

The NC2 prism is not a Swedisch product either.
These prisms were made by Novoflex in Germany.
Optically excellent but the paint finish is not up to standard.


Vic.

I know. It is just the tradeoff between spending $$$ on a chipped & battered HB/Novoflex prism and a new K prism for $. Given that the prism is not part of the optical path for the actual image I could live with a K on a HB The metered K prisms are basically junk and I would not want them on a HB. Ah well, whatever people prefer right? I, for example, do not want an unmetered prism regardless of origin.

Wilko

 

[visionaryelitist]

Well I managed to pick up a used NC2 on ebay for £29!!! From the photos it doesn't look in as good a condition as yours Vic but for that kind of money i cant complain too much. Thanks for all your input folks

 

[Victorh]

Well done, you got yourself a bargain.

Well I managed to pick up a used NC2 on ebay for £29!!! From the photos it doesn't look in as good a condition as yours Vic but for that kind of money i cant complain

I would say 30 GBP is a good budget to bring your NC2 back to its former glory.

A good camera tech can also clean the prism part that will make the NC2 notacibly brighter.


Vic.

 

[visionaryelitist]

Well its arrived and not too bad. A bit of wear and tear to the paint work but looks ok optically-result!

How do you mean Vic? I live on a small island so bit short of decent technicians unfortunately.

 

[Victorh]

Paint

If it bothers you you cousd even ask the local car body shop to give the prism a new coat of black paint.
These guys know to use a decent primer to give the final coat a better chance to stay on the prism body.

A good camera tech could clean the glass surfaces to give a brighter image.


Vic.