Hasselblad Flexbody

[Deon]

My all time favorite camera, is the Hasselblad FlexbBody. Having spent much of my early years in commercial photography assisting photographers using view cameras (4x5, 4x10, 5x7 and 8x10) in studio and on location. While the Flexbody has nowhere near the function of a view camera it has just enough movements to satisfy most needs with the convenience of medium format (film/digital). The downside to the camera is that especially the wide angle Zeiss lenses, the image circle is small, meaning adding even a small amount of rise or fall to the film plane, you run out of lens real fast. And, it's slow to use. I like slow, as I tend to have a much higher success rate while shooting in slow mode...

Keep everything in focus. Black Rock Desert, Nevada. Hasselblad Flexbody w/ 350mm f=5.6 CF lens (Fuji Velvia).

Or, selective focus. Old Dodge on Christmas Tree Pass, Nevada. Hasselblad Flexbody w/ 180mm f=4.0 CFi lens (Fiji Velvia).

Years ago I owned a Hasselblad Arcbody for this very reason. The Rodenstock glass had plenty of image circle, but also had a lot more contrast and color saturation than the Zeiss lenses, making them stand out from the rest of the system. Also slow to use.

Pogonip near Fallon, Nevada. Hasselblad Arcbody w/45mm f=4.5 lens (Fuji Provia).

Best,

Deon

 

[jotloob]

@Deon
I like all three images . Very well done .
I own almost all HASSELBLAD Type of cameras as a collection , except the FLEX BODY and ARC BODY .
One reason was the small image circle of the HB lenses and therefore I somehow landed with ALPA cameras and Rodenstock lenses .
And I have completely given up using film and work with CFV39 CFV50 and CFV50c .

Please tell me , what is the w/45mm lens you used for your last image ?

 

[Deon]

@Deon
I like all three images . Very well done .
I own almost all HASSELBLAD Type of cameras as a collection , except the FLEX BODY and ARC BODY .
One reason was the small image circle of the HB lenses and therefore I somehow landed with ALPA cameras and Rodenstock lenses .
And I have completely given up using film and work with CFV39 CFV50 and CFV50c .

Please tell me , what is the w/45mm lens you used for your last image ?

That image was the Rodenstock 45mm f=4.5. I also owned the 35mm f=4.5 Rodenstock lens. The 45mm lens was rock and roll, 35mm not so much...

 

[jotloob]

@Deon
Sorry , there was a misunderstanding from my side . I thought the images were all taken with the FLEXBODY .
But it looks as if you own and work with FLEX and ARC - BODY .
From the ARC BODY only about 700 were produced and it is very hard to get a good one with all three available lenses .
Thats what is still missing in my collection .

Please go ahead and show more images . Thank you .

 

[Deon]

For anyone interested in purchasing a Hasselblad Arc or flex body camera, you should bone up on what came with the camera when new. Most dealers on line have parted out the camera so far it will not function as it should. My first FlexBody was purchased new back when they first came out (1996), so I know what they came with out of the box. My current FlexBody was purchased used on eBay five years ago. The cute red cabe release is the first thing to disappear (no big deal), but the correction slides are absolutely necessary and RMfx viewfinder makes life so much easier and that is never with the cameras anymore (they came with it folks!). The camera I found had everything except the cable release and RMfx viewfinder. I later figured out the ground glass adapter was not for the flex, but it works fine. So do your homework before you purchase!

Fandango Pass, California (Modoc National Forest). Hasselblad Flexbody w/ 100mm f=3.5 CF lens (Fuji Velvia)

 

[photoeil]

I have the Flexbody for years now (1996), used it (professionally) mostly for close-up with the S-Planar 120mm which allowed enough movements, particularly that at close-up the image circle is wider than at infinity.
But I was never happy with the Flexbody system when used with wide angles as then the image circle was too small (by far).
So I got a (used-) Silvestri SLV with a Schneider Super-Angulon 47mm and a few Wista roll film backs (6x9 & 6x7). This camera system really good for architecture and landscapes.
I am retired now and don't really need digital anymore, just for a little fun...

PS: when I was still professionally active I had digital Nikons (D850) and PC lenses, of which I happily got rid when retiring a few years ago, now the darkroom is my kingdom (luckily I kept my darkroom in working shape)...

• FUJIFILM - X-Pro3
• 50.0 mm f/2.0
• 50.0 mm
• ƒ/16
• 1/250 sec
• Center-Weighted Average
• Manual exposure
• ISO 100

 

[Deon]

Very nice! I've lusted after those Silvetri cameras, so nice to have glass that can cover what the camera can do. Back in the day I owned a Hasselblad ArcBody with the 35mm, 45mm and 75mm lenses, I liked the camera but the lenses where Rodenstock (much higher contrast) and didn't match the Zeiss glass of the rest of the Hasselblad line, making it more difficult to put together a cohesive body of work.

 

[photoeil]

I think that the Schneider lenses are much closer to the Zeiss's image presentation, but that's a more personal impression.

Here you see about the same setting, Saint Bavo's Abby in Ghent, although taken with a few years difference but it gives you an idea...

First photo taken with the Biogon 38mm, second with the Super-Angulon 47mm, both negatives scanned on an EPSON V750.

• EPSON - Perfection V700/V750

• EPSON - Perfection V700/V750

 

[bladdered]

Deon, is it still your all-time favourite camera ? I'm almost ready to purchase one without the cable and RMfx, but I have one of those in waiting. I've had more than several 4x5 cameras and always ending up not taking them with me on trips, which resulted in me selling them. I prefer to take landscapes - piers, bridges, stone circles etc and have little need for speed, but weight and bulk are a hindrence.

Is the Flexbody more useful the the HTS x1.5, ignoring the difference in lens mounts. I've a 503Cx and an X2D.

 

[bladdered]

My all time favorite camera, is the Hasselblad FlexbBody. Having spent much of my early years in commercial photography assisting photographers using view cameras (4x5, 4x10, 5x7 and 8x10) in studio and on location. While the Flexbody has nowhere near the function of a view camera it has just enough movements to satisfy most needs with the convenience of medium format (film/digital). The downside to the camera is that especially the wide angle Zeiss lenses, the image circle is small, meaning adding even a small amount of rise or fall to the film plane, you run out of lens real fast. And, it's slow to use. I like slow, as I tend to have a much higher success rate while shooting in slow mode...

Keep everything in focus. Black Rock Desert, Nevada. Hasselblad Flexbody w/ 350mm f=5.6 CF lens (Fuji Velvia).


Or, selective focus. Old Dodge on Christmas Tree Pass, Nevada. Hasselblad Flexbody w/ 180mm f=4.0 CFi lens (Fiji Velvia).

Years ago I owned a Hasselblad Arcbody for this very reason. The Rodenstock glass had plenty of image circle, but also had a lot more contrast and color saturation than the Zeiss lenses, making them stand out from the rest of the system. Also slow to u
Pogonip near Fallon, Nevada. Hasselblad Arcbody w/45mm f=4.5 lens (Fuji Provia).

Best,

Deon

Further, Is the rise and fall movement very limited because of the image circle. Can the movements be rotated to enable shift and swing ?

 

[Deon]

Further, Is the rise and fall movement very limited because of the image circle. Can the movements be rotated to enable shift and swing ?

The image circle is the limiting factor. With a 40mm lens you have less than 3mm before you start to see the corners getting dark. 6mm with a 60mm, 9mm with the 100 and 13 with the 120 (the lenses I own right now). I have found this website, however clunky and old feeling is a wealth of information concerning historic Hasselblad everything, including image circle size. http://www.hasselbladhistorical.eu/HW/HWLds.aspx

And, unfortunately if you want to shift or swing the other way, you need to rotate the camera. Not exactly convenient.

 

[Deon]

Deon, is it still your all-time favourite camera ? I'm almost ready to purchase one without the cable and RMfx, but I have one of those in waiting. I've had more than several 4x5 cameras and always ending up not taking them with me on trips, which resulted in me selling them. I prefer to take landscapes - piers, bridges, stone circles etc and have little need for speed, but weight and bulk are a hindrence.

Is the Flexbody more useful the the HTS x1.5, ignoring the difference in lens mounts. I've a 503Cx and an X2D.

I'm not familiar with the HTS x1.5, so I'm not too helpful there...

 

[bladdered]

Deon, is it still your all-time favourite camera ? I'm almost ready to purchase one without the cable and RMfx, but I have one of those in waiting. I've had more than several 4x5 cameras and always ending up not taking them with me on trips, which resulted in me selling them. I prefer to take landscapes - piers, bridges, stone circles etc and have little need for speed, but weight and bulk are a hindrence.

Is the Flexbody more useful the the HTS x1.5, ignoring the difference in lens mounts. I've a 503Cx and an X2D.

Deon, and others. I’ve found a mint Flexbody and bought it and it arrived this week. Set it up with my RMFX and 100mm V lens and learning to play with it in my home studio. I’ve got 50/80/100/180mm V lenses and it looks like a 60mm will be worth adding, maybe at the expense of the 80mm Cfe. Presumably, the 60mm would be necessary for shifting iwhen shooting interiors?

Excluding the 50mm, do you get vignetting when shifting the lens, or is that present mainly when tilting ?

Tilting throws the back rearways and presumably it needs to be returned to 90deg and recomposing. Do you initially place on the tripod and tilt forward ready for the return to the vertical to save time and effort ?

Any more tips would help

 

[photoeil]

Bladdered,

The vignetting appears mainly when shifting but when tilting it can happen when this is done rather extremely, this with all lenses.
PS: in the coming days my Distagon C 60mm T* will be on sale at CATAWIKI.COM, if you are interested have a look...

 

[Deon]

Deon, and others. I’ve found a mint Flexbody and bought it and it arrived this week. Set it up with my RMFX and 100mm V lens and learning to play with it in my home studio. I’ve got 50/80/100/180mm V lenses and it looks like a 60mm will be worth adding, maybe at the expense of the 80mm Cfe. Presumably, the 60mm would be necessary for shifting iwhen shooting interiors?

Excluding the 50mm, do you get vignetting when shifting the lens, or is that present mainly when tilting ?

Tilting throws the back rearways and presumably it needs to be returned to 90deg and recomposing. Do you initially place on the tripod and tilt forward ready for the return to the vertical to save time and effort ?

Any more tips would help

It's all about the image circle, so it's shift that creates the cut off. But, photoeil is correct, you will find the more you tip you will see a change in exposure (top/bottom), that is due to lens draw and not the image circle. Another way to create fall off is buy using any hasselbald lens shade, they get in the way. I don't use a shade in favor of a flag to shade the lens.

 

[Deon]

This is an image from a test roll I did last year when I purchased a 120mm CF Makro. For this image I had the film plane tipped as far as it would go (to the max), just to see what it looked like… I was blown away by the fact there are ZERO chromatic aberrations and where it’s sharp it’s sharp! Really impressed with what this lens can do combined with the FlexBody. I have owned a lot of Hasselblad equipment over the years, but at this point in my photographic life I find simper is better, so today I own a 501 c/m, FlexBody w/ 60mm CF, 100mm CF and 120mm CF Makro. I find I can tip the 60mm the least without a chromatic aberration showing up and when tipped a lot is not very sharp where it should be sharp. The 100mm starts to get a chromatic aberration when tipped close to the max, but maintains sharpness even when close to wide open. The 120mm f=4.0 CF Makro Plannar can be shifted without any cut off or tilted to the maximum without any aberrations and no lose of sharpness anywhere at almost any aperture (it didn’t like f 32).

This is a birds nest I found in the yard, I was attempting to lay the focus across the top plane of the nest, not a great shot...
Hasselblad FlexBody w/ 120mm CF Makro 125/sec @ f 11 - Ilford FP-4-120 iso 125 process normal in Dektol 1:1

 

[bladdered]

This is an image from a test roll I did last year when I purchased a 120mm CF Makro. For this image I had the film plane tipped as far as it would go (to the max), just to see what it looked like… I was blown away by the fact there are ZERO chromatic aberrations and where it’s sharp it’s sharp! Really impressed with what this lens can do combined with the FlexBody. I have owned a lot of Hasselblad equipment over the years, but at this point in my photographic life I find simper is better, so today I own a 501 c/m, FlexBody w/ 60mm CF, 100mm CF and 120mm CF Makro. I find I can tip the 60mm the least without a chromatic aberration showing up and when tipped a lot is not very sharp where it should be sharp. The 100mm starts to get a chromatic aberration when tipped close to the max, but maintains sharpness even when close to wide open. The 120mm f=4.0 CF Makro Plannar can be shifted without any cut off or tilted to the maximum without any aberrations and no lose of sharpness anywhere at almost any aperture (it didn’t like f 32).


This is a birds nest I found in the yard, I was attempting to lay the focus across the top plane of the nest, not a great shot...
Hasselblad FlexBody w/ 120mm CF Makro 125/sec @ f 11 - Ilford FP-4-120 iso 125 process normal in Dektol 1:1

All very interesting, Deon. Thanks for posting.
No digital Hasselblad in your bag ?
Gary

 

[Deon]

All very interesting, Deon. Thanks for posting.
No digital Hasselblad in your bag ?
Gary

Nope, I don't have a digital Hasselblad. If someone made a full frame 6x6 (or close to it) sensor I would be all over it. I love designing within a square, that's why I love this camera so much. When I was working professionally I had a 4x5 scan back for the view camera (all gone) and I'm still in the process of selling my Canon 5Dsr system. I had four bodies and eight "L" prime and four "ts-e" lenses. Two bodies and three lenses left to sell. Once those are gone I'm purchasing a used Leica M11 w/ 21mm Super Elmar and a 90mm Macro Elmar as my new digital kit. Otherwise I'm all film.

 

[bladdered]

Nope, I don't have a digital Hasselblad. If someone made a full frame 6x6 (or close to it) sensor I would be all over it. I love designing within a square, that's why I love this camera so much. When I was working professionally I had a 4x5 scan back for the view camera (all gone) and I'm still in the process of selling my Canon 5Dsr system. I had four bodies and eight "L" prime and four "ts-e" lenses. Two bodies and three lenses left to sell. Once those are gone I'm purchasing a used Leica M11 w/ 21mm Super Elmar and a 90mm Macro Elmar as my new digital kit. Otherwise I'm all film.

I've just sold an M11 Monochrom and kept an X2D.

I compared the M11M files to X2D B&W converted files and whilst the M11M files were very good, the X2D files were noticeably better. I decide to sell one of them because of the inevitable depreciation. The X2D could accommodate a variety of lenses including Hasselblad CFe/CFi, HC and Leica M and even Canon EF, +++. I'm not fond of the 3:2 format and have been cropping the Leica files to 5x4 and square. So the M11M was sold.