Bronica SQ-B versus the Hasselblad 503CW, Part One
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- Опубліковано 9 бер 2021
- In today's video, we take another look at two medium format film powerhouses; the Bronica SQ-B and Hasselblad 503CW. We also get to explore the trials and tribulations of using "vintage" photo gear, with an outing at the historic Magnolia Cemetery, shooting Ilford FP4+ and the cameras respective 80mm lenses.
Where is the second part of this?
Magnolia Cemetery is such a beautiful place!
Stan your blogs about shooting with analog cameras are great. It's a pity that so little. You should go back to the source. This photography is and will always be above digital photography👍
Part 2 anytime soon? :)
Unfortunately I haven't had time to even create any new content for our UA-cam channel. I'm hoping at some point to get back on these but need to take care of our clients commercial photography needs (especially when they have budgets and need the work done!). Cheers!
I always love B&W film or digital. You learn a way of seeing tones and contrast. Even with digital I will go out and shoot it set so that it makes B&W jpegs. I believe that is a better way to shoot for a final B&W image than shooting then converting.
I think if your intention is film only, either the Bronica or the Hassy is fine. Of course if you also want to shoot digitally, the Hassy is the better choice.
I had always wished that I could find a digital back for the Bronicas, and had even requested a demo unit for the 500cm (which never came). I finally sold them all off and now have the Fujifilm GFX 50s & 100 II, which I am thrilled with especially for traveling. I did request a Hassy X1D II or X2D for demo (from my friend who is head of marketing for Hasselblad no less) but since I never received any word back, went the Fuji route.
@ 6:52 I'm proposing to change your Hasselblad sobriquet from a "test fire" to a "waste fire" :)
What was the outcome? Bronica SQ-B or Hasselblad?? Sounds like Bronica won the shoot-out as far as gear stability. I'm curious about your opinion. I have both of these camera's (and the Hasselblad 1000).. I prefer my Bronica SQ-B.
Liz, the Bronica was more well mannered out and about, but when we went into the studio I found I was having focus issues with it (my issue, not the camera). At the end of the day, I still wish I had a mint 501CM with an 80mm 2.8, but even after all that I am hooked on the digital workflow. If they would make a 6x6cm digital back I would be all over it!
It could be fun to see how they perform against the digital camera - sharpness, resolution and dynamic range - that is, how good prints you can get out of it, compared to an Olympus. It is said that the modern lenses are much better than the old ones.
We've done that and the fact is, the modern lenses and resolving power of the Olympus M Zuiko optics are substantially better, to the point where I will add a Tiffen 1/8 Black Pro Mist filter to soften them when doing portraits of people of a certain age (which includes me!). Yes, one can get a certain look from medium format lenses, with their angle of view on longer focal length lenses, but they are certainly not sharp wide open, only settling in to an optimum acuity two to three stops down. I can get a sharper image from my M Zuiko 25mm f/1.2 Pro on the E-M1 MkIII shot at f/1.2 then the 80mm PS lens (or Hassy 80mm 2.8) at f/8. It is fun to play with the older gear (I presently own six SQ iterations with all but the fisheye and 500mm), but at the end of the day, I personally prefer my Olympus gear. As an aside, we also added the GFX 50s with the 110mm f/2 to our later comparison in studio, along with the E-M1 MkII / 45mm f/1.2 Pro, to the Bronica SQ / Hasselblad 503CW with their respective 150mm f/4 lenses. The results were interesting to say the least!
@@MrSpiff9 Looking forward to see part two of the comparison ;-)
@@MrSpiff9 Stan, you’re a man after my own. The way modern lenses are, you just _have to_ use a black pro mist. Every time I say this, I get flamed. In the words of Peter Coulson, modern lenses are too sharp. IMHO, they don’t look natural. My understanding is that clients won’t thank you for ultra sharp portraits either and I totally understand why.
Also, as a former Bronica shooter in my brief career as a working photographer, I am about to go back to the SQ-A (it would be a B but they’re harder to find). I’ve had a Mamiya RB67 for a while and it’s just too complicated. I love the images it makes but I’m not the biggest fan of the camera.
Bring out those old red filters!
Those two head stones at zone 8&9 will give him trouble in darkroom.
Concerning Hassy blaming it for advancing film automatically. There is the white dot and red indicator telling you body is cocked film is or is not shooter have full control. I worked with both for over 20 years. Just be mindful of your procedures that's all
This got to be to least informative video I have watched on the internet.
Hey, come on - Andy Warhol told him he'd have his 15 minutes of fame...
Not sure what I dislike more about this video.
1-A year after posting it as a Part 1, there is no part 2
2-Even at 2x speed this doesn’t move along quickly enough
3-Stan was miked, but not his cameraman, and they are having conversations but you can only get one side (all of that should have been edited out)
4-Stan is using the gear in very humid conditions, and everything is fogging. I would have either waited that out, or picked another day. The results were likely affected.
5-By his own admission there were technical problems with the Hasselblad. Doesn’t that unfairly affect this comparison?
Overall this was poorly planned and executed. As of this writing in August 2022, we still do not know how these compare.
Unfortunately, life sometimes gets in the way of our side projects (which this is one of). Having borrowed the Hassy 503 and found it having more issues, and not finding another one to borrow, I finally found a mint condition 500CM in Japan that we will do part two with, and having Larry run the Bronica SQ-B kit. And yes, he will be mic'd as well this time. As the weather cools and time permits, we will be both in-studio and on location with both kits and should have a part-2 by September. Maybe part-2 will be a little better for your viewing pleasure, and if not, I'm sure there are a whole lot of other channels out there to watch...
I don't think this guy knows what he is doing. Go back to your digital camera and leave the film for real photographers.
Heck, half the time, I'm sure I don't know what I'm doing! Yep, I've been shooting as a professional photographer since 1976, and the longer I do this, the more I feel that I can learn. Thankfully, I also learned a little humility along the way...