Tag: camera

Hasselblad announce 503CWD DSLR

Nicolai Grossman 2 Comments

Hasselblad will launch a new 12 megapixel 503CWD DSLR, which is essentially a 503CW with a the CFV digital back, which replaces the V96C. Wanky limited edition of 500 pieces.

Consider the following facts:

  • The list price of for the back alone is US $9,995.
  • You can buy a CanoScan LiDE 60 for about $80.
  • Add in $60 in other materials.

This means that you can make 71.3929 scanner cams for the price of the back. I’ll admit that I own and operate two Hasselblad film cameras, but does a Hassy back produce results 71.3929 better than a hacked-up scanner back? Completely different tools for completely different jobs, of course—and I wouldn’t kick one out of bed if it landed in my lap (or would I, and buy an SWC with the proceeds? yeah, probably…)—but still fun to think about.

Lex 35/Vivitar T100 crapcam disassembly instructions

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Eben Ostby posted step-by-step disassembly instructions, with photos, for the Lex 35/Vivitar T100 toy camera. Check it out in this thread in the Trashcams group on Flickr.

Lest you be tempted to splurge for the Vivitar T100 for US $7.50, be aware that it’s the same camera as the Lex 35 except that it has a tripod mount and says Vivitar on the front. While I don’t think that’s worth the extra 6 bucks, it does mean that Eben’s instructions apply to it as well.

The Lex 35 is available for a whopping US $1.50 from American Science & Surplus in the Optics -> Optical Devices section. (Sorry, can’t link directly.)

Unconfirmed rumor: Hasselblad discontinue XPan II panoramic rangefinder

Nicolai Grossman 1 Comment

According to this post on photo.net, Hasselblad have discontinued the XPan II and have limited stock on hand. I will call Hasselblad on Monday, 16 January 2006 and attempt to confirm with them directly.

While I think it’s a damn shame, I’m not surprised, either. While I haven’t used the XPan II, I have and love the original. It’s built like a brick shithouse, the controls are perfectly laid out for me (except the panoramic/normal 24×36 selecter, which is a pain, but it should be considering what it does), has modern film loading, winds the entire roll out when it loads and rewinds exposed film into the cartridge (why the hell doesn’t every camera do this? If the back opens, I’d much rather lose blank film rather than frames I’ve already shot!), and has the best in-camera meter I’ve ever used.

But! The lenses, the lenses! Only three, slow, expensive lenses (the 30mm weighs in at a hefty US $3000). (30mm f/5.6 (slower with the required center filter), 45mm f/4, and 90mm f/4.) By Leica (yes, I’m going there) standards, the 45 and 90 are reasonably priced at $594 and $730, respectively (pricing from B&H). It seems that Hasselblad missed an opportunity to take a bite out of Leica’s ass with this system. I’m its perfect target market: I shoot film, dig manual focus rangefinders, want aperture priority AE, and belive that if I’m going to spend that kind of money, I should get post stone-age film loading and a shutter with accuracy of greater than 1/3 stop and would have happily bought faster lenses were they available. I think there are more of us out there.

And while I’m perfectly willing to push film to 128000, f/4 is still slow. Even putting aside the obscene price of the 30mm, the required center filter brings it down to almost f/11. I don’t think Hasselblad considered the possibility that anyone would want to use the camera indoors, which is a shame. Until I got into the Contax G2 system (which I love but wouldn’t have done had I had faster lenses to choose from!), it was my take-everywhere, joined-at-the-hip, disappeared-in-my-hands camera, and I loved it. Except the low light thing. (Well then why the hell did I get into the system in the first place? I inherited it.)

Anyway, I’m sad to see it go. It’s a great camera. Almost everyone I know who’s actually spent some time with one loves it. Bye bye, XPan!