Am I nuts?

A fair question I think considering what I've gone and purchased.  Just a few months short of 40 years ago I was walking past a photographic shop in Pusan, Korea. They had a used Hasselblad in the window which I think was in the order of $750 USD from memory. I came very close to buying it. At the time I was shooting a Nikkormat FTn on a 50mm lens. Even back then I was aware of the superior quality of the Hasselblad camera's. I've looked at buying a used Hassy several times over the years. Well I finally did it, I bought a newly reconditioned 500C/M with a Zeiss 150mm lens. It arrives next week. I bought an Ilford 100 ISO B&W film and Fujichrome Velvia Slide film ready to try it out.

I'm going to try using my iPhone as a lightmeter for now, see how it goes.

Anybody still shooting film these days? Any tips will be welcome.

The iPhone works pretty well as a light meter - there are several good apps.  And no, you aren't nuts...  Now if you were to attempt to attach a $50K digital back to it then maybe...

Not too many years back, I owned 2 Pentax 645’s (one auto focus) and a Contax 645 (also AF). They were a blast to use and the transparencies were a joy to view on a lightbox. I think you’ll really like the 150mm lens. I liked the Velvia for fall landscapes, but many feel the saturation is a bit much. Since I shoot mostly wildlife, I sold all of them, but still miss the Contax. They force you to be much more deliberate in your setup and composition. Digital makes it too easy to snap shoot with no cost per shot. That makes for sloppy shooting habits. Have fun.

Joe

Enjoy the journey. Mike, I had a Pentax 645 and dribbled about a Hassleblad probably since I was 20 and have ever since. You go and enjoy. pleasure to hear.

Thanks Guys. Once I figure out where to get the film processed and scanned I’ll be sure to post a few of my efforts.

Looking forward to having to think about exposure and how to load a film again.

Now you got me thinking if I should take my Mamiya 67 out again.

I still have a roll of Kodachrome 25 in my freezer. I think nobody can process it anymore though.

Duplicate Post

My 500C/M arrived today. darn! It’s heavy. It’s in marvelous condition. The focusing on the 150mm lens seems a lot tighter that I’m used to. I hope my film arrives tomorrow so I can try it out.

It’s a “stealth” purchase at the moment. I’ll keep it out of sight for a while then I can honestly claim to have had it for ages.

"Am I nuts?" you asked ?

Not as much as this guy:

A photographer has designed and built the first E-Mount film camera

MND wrote: It’s a “stealth” purchase at the moment. I’ll keep it out of sight for a while then I can honestly claim to have had it for ages.

them's the rules.   LOL.  Universal rule...One suspects that those with beady eyes do not miss a trick.... 

Hi,

Film photography has never gone away, and is growing in popularity. A friend of mine from Australia told me a couple years ago that professional photographers there have been selling their digital cameras and buying film cameras in droves.

Check out two of my articles on film photography here http://www.jeffcolburn.com/articles/fil ... it-a-shot/ and here http://www.jeffcolburn.com/articles/fil ... he-f-word/

I'm sure you'll enjoy shooting with film.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Thanks Jeff. Maybe I’m not so nuts after all.

Well my film arrived. I was expecting plastic canisters like the 35mm used to have. I watched a YouTube video on how to load a Hasselblad so that was pretty easy. The first film I’m trying is a Fuji transparency film. I went out in the back yard and tried photographing the flowers. Can’t tell you how they came out yet

The camera came with a 150mm f/4 lens which is probably a portrait type focal length. I just bought a 50mm f/4 off eBay this evening so that’s probably more to my liking. 

So where do I get the film developed? Any suggestions as to a reliable company?

I’ve read that you can scan 6x6 to the equivalent of 200MP, is that true? How much would that cost I wonder?

I would look for a reliable, well rated, local company if you can locate one. I used this one for years, even in the ‘90’s under a previous owner. I liked the turnaround time and often paid a rush fee to get the film back sooner. You are probably better off getting a high quality flatbed scanner (cost wise), unless you require a really high quality scan. Scans are costly per their price list.
Here’s a comparison between two Epson scanners:

https://www.scanyourentirelife.com/epson-v800-vs-v850-photo-scanner-differences/


Joe

I've been shooting the Pentax digital 645 system since 2010, and in those years I've accumulated a great collection of 645 and 67 glass. Recently, I found a mint condition 645NII body and figured what the heck, and I bought it for a song. Looking it over carefully, it's hard to tell whether it was ever really used. Anyway, I bought some Fuji and Ilford B&W film to put through it but so far haven't shot any rolls. (The press of everything else in my life is such that I haven't been in the field much over the past 2 years. Hopefully that's going to change this year, if some things I'm trying to re-balance are successful. Touch wood.)

My intention is to develop my own film. I'll probably scan it myself as well, though I'm still looking into scanner options. I can't afford the scanner I really want...

Royce Howland wrote:I've been shooting the Pentax digital 645 system since 2010, and in those years I've accumulated a great collection of 645 and 67 glass. Recently, I found a mint condition 645NII body and figured what the heck, and I bought it for a song. Looking it over carefully, it's hard to tell whether it was ever really used. Anyway, I bought some Fuji and Ilford B&W film to put through it but so far haven't shot any rolls. (The press of everything else in my life is such that I haven't been in the field much over the past 2 years. Hopefully that's going to change this year, if some things I'm trying to re-balance are successful. Touch wood.)

My intention is to develop my own film. I'll probably scan it myself as well, though I'm still looking into scanner options. I can't afford the scanner I really want...

Great. At this rate we’ll soon warrant a film only category on NSN

Back in the dim and distant past (very dim and distant), I used to do a few Cibachrome prints from slides. I never took the plunge and did any of my own developing and I’m not about to start now. 

Good luck with your 645NII and the rebalancing. 

MND wrote:I'm going to try using my iPhone as a lightmeter for now, see how it goes.

There are a couple of light meter devices that can be used with a phone. I don’t know much about them, but they may be of interest to you.

Luxi

Lumu Color and Light Meter

Joe

Thanks Joe. The Lumu one at $250 is a tad on the expensive side. I think If I were going to spend that amount of money I'd look for a used Gossen or Sekonic. 

As it is I'm using an iPhone App called My Lightmeter Pro. It wasn't much and is simple to use and I'm not carrying another device. I'm going to take my first film in for developing soon to see how I'm doing with film. 

I just ordered a cable to connect the Zeiss lens to my Nikon SB-910 Speedlight. The company is called Paramount Cords they have been very helpful in helping me to determine what cable ends I need.

Once I get that I'll have to try and remember how to use flash without TTL to help. As I typically use bounce flash that might be a bit tricky.

Started a new topic so deleted my question.

Here’s a video you might find interesting about medium format films. I haven’t watched it yet, but you may find it useful:

https://apple.news/AGxhBYnSRPOG3qh5lnRM9RQ

Joe