Hasselblad body, meter, 100-120mm lens choices
Martin Wouterlood , Mar 26, 2009; 12:42 a.m.
I shoot mainly flowers, nature closeups, textures etc, landscape and a little bit of other general interest subject matter. An amateur, but hoping to get enough high quality pictures to present/sell someday.
I have a 503cw, 60, 100 and 180 cfi lenses, and shortly will add 120mm because of its reports for close range performance...I used to like the softness that the 85 cz 1.4 produces in 35mm flower shots, in contrast to highly sharp detail shots, and wonder whether it would be a good idea to sell the 100 as I don't use it that much, and get a fe110/2 for the selective softness wide open. I realise I will then also need a focal plane body with included centre weighted metering.
Would the 110 lens lose much to the 100/3.5 at INFINITY and stopped down for landscape-quality sharpness?
Will I be limited to stop-down metering with the cfi lenses on focal plane bodies? If not, which bodies will allow full metering with the other cfi lenses, instead of stop down?
The other (and likely cheaper) route is to keep the 503 and get a good prism meter, but which leaf shutter lens would give me a similar soft and out of focus rendition (with tubes most likely)? One of my dreams would be to replace the 180 with a 250sa, someday. Would this lens do it?
Am grateful for any helpful comments. Thank you.
Answers
Edward Ingold 
, Mar 26, 2009; 01:23 a.m.
"Softness" is not a particularly valued attribute in the main subject. Perhaps you mean "depth of field" which helps delineate the object of your attention. Depth of field is much less in a medium format camera than for 35mm, given the same relative aperture and field of view. At the same absolute magnification, DOF is the same (at the same relative aperture) regardless of film size or focal length. For closeups, getting enough DOF is usually a challenge. The longer the lens, the less background is included in the FOV and the easier it is to make the subject "pop", which is what I think you're after.
A focal plane shutter is not the best choice for closeups in nature. I find that shake induced by the shutter is significant at slow speeds, while the lens shutter is virtually shake-free. If you want TTL metering, then a metering prism may be the best choice. My 205TCC does not meter unless the camera is in the "F" mode, but the newer (and $$$) FCC model does. It's not that difficult to use an hand-held meter and apply exposure compensation from charts. In fact, an hand-held incident reading is superior to a spot or center-weighted reading in most closeups.
The CF180 makes an excellent closeup lens combined with a set of extension tubes. The working distance is huge, and the FOV is comparable to using a 105 Macro lens with 35mm. I use it for that purpose more often than a CFI120 Makkro. The 120 comes into its own for copying artwork, where the flat field gives corner-to-corner sharpness. You can also focus closer before you need an extension tube. You usually don't care about field curvature in nature. If there's a difference in sharpness in the center of the field between a 120 and the 180 in closeups, I don't see it.
The F110/2 is fast, but not particularly sharp, especially in the corners. Its main value is in the speed and shallow depth of field. The CF100 sharp throughout the FOV at all apertures, and has very low distortion (which doesn't matter for closeups in nature). I consider the 100 a "normal" lens for film (the 60mm for digital). It is too short, IMO, for good perspective in closeups, but works well with extension tubes for flat work.
Stuart Richardson , Mar 26, 2009; 03:16 a.m.
I actually think the 110/2 is quite sharp when it is stopped down. Even wide open, it is rather sharp in the center. This is a 110/2 shot taken stopped down, and it is quite sharp:
I doubt it is as sharp as the 100/3.5, but frankly, it's sharp enough for all normal purposes. Unless you are planning on a lunar landing, you'll be fine with the 110/2. I use it with the 203FE, which is one of the best cameras I have ever used. It does meter in all modes, which is nice, and I have never noticed any problems with shutter vibration (which is not to say there aren't any).
And yes, you will need stop down metering with CFi lenses. Only CFE and FE lenses meter with TCC/FCC/FE bodies. It is easy to tell though. If the lens has the gold contacts on it, it will meter. In practice, it is not that difficult though -- the stop down levers on the hasselblad lenses is quite convenient to use.
Martin Wouterlood , Mar 29, 2009; 06:22 a.m.
Thank you so far for your very considered answers...Edward, I think you are suggesting I already have what I really need, and won't necessarily gain from acquiring the 120mm, unless I swap the 180 for a 250 which I may do in the future sometime as I like the length, but can't really see myself toting both around.
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