New Hasselblad Owner - California

[Extiger]

You may not know this, but California is more than 1200 km long. I live in a forest near the Oregon border, 200km north of San Francisco.

I bought my first Hasselblad last week. A retirement present. While working as a foreign correspondent and at two cargo airlines, I did a lot of photography and always wanted a Hasselblad. 35 mm was a lot more practical for my work, however, and because I was employed by a Japanese news agency, most of my equipment was Nikon.

In the late 1960s, we could purchase a black body Nikon for $100 US. I used a 6x6 Hasselblad sometimes, and also a Linhof Technica. I love doing product photography, so the Hasselblad is perfect for me. And possibly some architectural photography.

Now in this age of digital photography, the camera stores in San Francisco and Los Angeles (Hollywood) are flooded with film cameras at very reasonable prices. I have only one A-12 back and one Zeiss 150 mm lens, so I need to acquire more equipment.

What is the opinion here on this forum about Zeiss T* coated lenses. Are they important for the average user?

Gary Curtis
Trinity County California

 

[Extiger]

New Hasselblad owner in California

Most of the photography I did was news. People doing 'this'. People doing 'that'. Boring

But an interesting assignment at the airlines was photographing the approach path to airports. We flew 747s, DC-8s, MD-lls and 727s. Some airports in the world have a strange or dangerous terrain nearby that can confuse a pilot. There are about 12 problem airports. The most famous of these was the old Kai-Tak airport of Hong Kong. In aviation terms, it was referred to as "The Checkerboard Approach".

Hong Kong constructed two large billboards featuring red and white checkerboard patterns. That's the source of the name : Checkerboard Approach. These were on a hillside overlooking the city. A pilot would begin his descent, aiming directly for the mountains behind the town, and then, barely 800 meters directly over the business district, he turn to the right by 90 degrees and glide down to the runway.

I photographed the approach path from a small plane at distances of 4 miles, then 2 miles, then 1 mile, finally 1/2 mile. These photos were placed in a book and then kept in the cockpits of the jets. There were about 12 troublesome airports around the world that required this kind of documentation. The small plane enabled me to fly slowly.

I shot in 35 mm. And I would recommend to anyone doing aerial work, to buy or rent a gyroscope stabilizer for your camera. Fast shutter speeds are not adequate.

Gary

 

[terrydent]

Welcome to the forum and to the world of Hasselblad. You will find many dedicated users here!

All but the oldest Hasselblad lenses are T* coated so I would recommend getting them. All lenses got this coating by the end of the 1970's. So you can see uncoated lenses are quite old. If in good operating condition there is nothing wrong with them. I would recommend using lens hoods on the non T* models.

I think the best deal on Hasselblad lenses right now are the CF models. There run was from the early 80's to the mid 90's so there are many out there. They are the next to last version and all are T* coated.

Regards, Terry

 

[Victorh]

All but the oldest Hasselblad lenses are T* coated so I would recommend getting them. All lenses got this coating by the end of the 1970's.

Hello Terry,

Not all lenses got T* at the end of the seventies.
Super Achromats and the rare 105 UV lens are exceptions to the rule.
You have at least one SA lens if I remember correctly!


Vic.

 

[Extiger]

My only lens is a 150mm Sonnar. I don't know anything else about it. I bought it from a camera shop that closed in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. I have dealt with these folks for all my photo needs (except when overseas) since 1966, and when I heard they were closing for good, I asked if they had any Hasselblad and Zeiss gear.

They wanted extra time to clean up the equipment, so I won't pick it up for another 10 days. He had 2 Sonnar 150mm/s , and I chose the one with the newer serial number and cleaner looks. The shutter was serviced recently.

I'll post a note here when I take delivery and know more. they have a gorgeous new, black-body Leica M6 from Germany if anyone is interested. I may buy the new A-24 back they have. Later series, with the holder for the slide.

Gary