Done buying digital lenses. Well at a minimum I have everything I need covered. Never done. Thought I was done buying Hasselblad lenses. Those I did not have that I wanted were out of my budget range. Had a normal and a tele. Wide Hasselblad lenses are usually eye-watering-ly expensive. Made my peace with this. Minding my own business. Then Professor Lonnie Graham…
…(check out his book here), who I interviewed for my first KEH blog post, sends me this:
And yes. Yes, I was. So the lens found me. I am powerless to fend off such an offer so the deal was made.
Ok. So how is it? In a word wonderful.
I’ll get the minus out of the way first:
- Was not in the plan to buy a lens at this point, but opportunity does not always come at a convenient time.
Pluses:
- Superficial yes, but it looks the business on the all black 501c. And this sample was in a fine state.
- Surprisingly close focus. Well surprising to me anyway. The 80mm and 150mm are wonderful, but close focusers they are not. At least when compared to the bellow fantastic Mamiya RZ67. This one offers a wonderful close quarters performance.
- As should be no surprise for anything with the names Hasselblad and Zeiss etched into it this is a sharp lens.
- Easy to focus whether using the eye level or waist level viewfinders.
- Wonderful subject isolation, fall off, and colors.
- Inspiring. Have put more rolls through the 501c since receiving this lens than I have in some time. A much more workable focal length than I expected.
Well that is about it. An excellent vintage Hasselblad anything comes as no surprise to anyone and this is no exception. Fairly certain I am done now with Hasselblad lenses. Unless any other photography legends inbox me with excellent Hasselblad deals that is.
Below are samples and here is a link to an ongoing gallery.
Happy shooting.
ELW
Eric L. Woods 
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