Well spotted if you noticed that the header picture is not a 503CX, why will become clear shortly.
For almost 50 years I yearned for a V series Hasselblad but they were always way out of my price range. Having retired in 2014 and cleared the mortgage my outgoing were not as great as they used to be so perhaps I could at last splash out for one. After all you only live once.
In January 2017 I eventually decided to go for it and get one. I wasn’t too fussed as the the exact model I wanted, but the improved Acute Matte focusing screen was seen as a must. This screen is standard on the 503CX but it is surprising how many used Hasselblads have had the screen swopped out for the earlier basic mode. The improved screen then being sold separately at a premium.
After trawling eBay I found a nice looking serviced 503CX in black finish with a Carl Zeiss 80mm f2.8 Planar CF T* lens, A12 back, WLF and Acute Matte screen for which I paid £999.
Unfortunately the camera did not get used enough to warrant keeping it so some three years later I sold it. I recycled the monies into a Nikon F6. Fantastic machine the F6, but poles apart from the Hasselblad in terms of user experience.
However, missing the Hasselblad became a recurring niggle and in June this year I succumb and became a Hasselblad owner again. This time a chrome finish 500C/M with the earlier 80mm C lens, I had to source separately an Acute Matte D screen.
As I don’t have a picture of my old 503CX it’s the 500C/M that features above.
The whole roll I selected for this article is the first roll I shot on the Hasselblad 503CX.
The 12 shots were taken on the same day around Birkenhead’s East Float dock and Woodside ferry terminal. The film is Ilford XP2 Super which was lab processed then home scanned on an Epson V850 flatbed scanner.
In 2020 I bought into Negative Lab Pro conversion software so at some point I’ve rescanned the negatives as Raw DNGs using SilverFast 9 then used NLP to convert in Lightroom. It is the rescans that I’ve used here.
Share this post:
Comments
Erik Brammer on The Whole Test Roll – Hasselblad 503CX and Ilford XP2 Super
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Did you use a yellow filter? Or did you get those Acros-like sky tones without filter?
I use a 500 C/M myself and love the experience. I remember my respect and anxiety when I prepared for the very first shot with it, working down that checklist I had created to avoid ruining it from the get-go.
Thanks,
Erik
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Jeffery Luhn on The Whole Test Roll – Hasselblad 503CX and Ilford XP2 Super
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Nice tonality throughout. The Duke St Bridge is my favorite, with its massive form and bold dark tones. I used Hasselblads, mostly EL models, through my 55+ years as a working pro and other than routine maintenance never had a mechanical problem. Once I removed a lens with an extension tube attached and the shutter fired, locking the two together!!! Warning: ALWAYS REMOVE THE LENS FIRST AND THEN THE TUBE!!! Ugh!
I think Hasselblad cameras, including the petite Super Wide, represent a pinnacle of engineering!
Keep shooting and posting!
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Gary Smith on The Whole Test Roll – Hasselblad 503CX and Ilford XP2 Super
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
I too have always lusted for a Hasselblad however after acquiring a Mamiya 645, I've decided that such a rig is just too heavy. When I can get 6 x6 out of a Voigtländer Perkeo II, I'm a happy camper.
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Geoff Chaplin on The Whole Test Roll – Hasselblad 503CX and Ilford XP2 Super
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Comment posted: 25/08/2024
Steviemac on The Whole Test Roll – Hasselblad 503CX and Ilford XP2 Super
Comment posted: 26/08/2024
Comment posted: 26/08/2024