u may like to know that buy the best Hassy set that your budget can allow u.
The reasons being the following:
1. The older bodies have more or less have no part or parts are getting more difficult to find if anything goes wrong and need some fix up. I wouldn't advise u to buy the 500 bodies or the C series lenses. Even some of the CF lenses have ran out of parts at Hasselblad which I was made known by Hassy themselves some time back.
2. The 503 onwards bodies has lenses that have the gliding set up. So, the newer lenses whish has a longer protrusion can be mounted with ease.
3. The 501 series of camera bodies are the "budget"series that Hasselblad came up many years ago to try to stimulate more market acceptance by people who wants to try out Hassy. This is becos the 501 set came with the CB series of lenses instead of the CF or Cfi or CFe lenses. CB lenses are what they cinsidered the budget, entry level lenses. The lens systems and technology is the same but what I hear is more plastic is used for the body of the lens. If I am not wrong, 501 series does incorporate the gliding reflex mirror as well.
3. The only 2 bodies that can take a motor drive is 503CXi and 503CW. The other bodies cannot take the Hassey motor drive. However, Malaysia has ever produce a modified motor drive that could fit the other 500 series camera bodies. U may like to search the web for it. But I am not sure about its performance. The reason why I am not impressed with the Hassy motor drive was becos it is only advancing at 1fps. So, I think I can turn the crank as fast as the drive.
4. When u see a body model that ends w "C", it means that the viewing screen is not changeable ie. it's fixed in place, eg. 500C. When it's "CM", it means the veiwing screen is changeable, eg. 500CM. Hasselblad produce what they called the Acute Matt screen that comes with the body when u buy them. There are many other types of Acute Matt screen available from Hassy, eg, split ring, with gridlines, gridlines with split rings etc.
But in my opinion, if u can afford it, buy a separate "Beattie Intenscreen". Beattie produce this wonderful screen that allows viewing through the screen to be brighter than the Hasselblad Standard Acute Matt Screen by 2 stops. But the screen do cost much more than the Standard Acute Matt screen. But the screen is especially useful when u are shooting under low light or using slower lens....I find it best when I use it on my Hasselblad CZ 120mm f4 Makro Planar lens.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for the knowledge concerning the Hasselblad systems. 2 good ways to get these information fast would be :
1. Go buy the book called "The Hasselblad Manual"by Ernst Wildi, latest edition should be 6th edition. You can get a copy of this book from Riceball Photo bookstore at Basement of Adelphi. This is the encyclopedia of anything Hasselblad.
2. Visit the Malaysia photo resource website at :
www.mir.com.my/rb/photography
They have a very good write up on history of Hasselblad and its development in the past few decades.
Hope this helps u.....If u need any help, can PM me yr contact and I will see if I can find some answers for u. btw, I am also selling away some of my Hasselblad accesories. So, if you decide to take the plunge, u may need these accessories.
