A split-prism viewfinder screen would help you nail focus better. I installed an AcuteMat split-prism grid screen in my 500cm and the hit rate difference was night and day. I found that helped me way more than a prism finder. Now I only use my prism finder when I am using my 6x45 back for ease in portrait oriented shots.
I think the best use for this is when you need to hold it even higher, or against strong light casting above, but it does add tones of weight plus you need a split image to help focusing sometimes, 45 degree prism is a lot larger than 90 but hard to work with for vertical, so..... I have both waist and 45
Sam, my opinion is that this is a foolproof set up with my Hasselblad 503cx.. Pme 51 View finder. Pme 90 View finder. Acute Matte 45 degree split veiwing screen. 1st. Best choice. easiest to set focus (hard to find) Acute Matte Horizontal split Viewing screen. 2nd choice (Easy to find) I ues a variable neutral density filter rotate it till i get a reading in my prism finder of EV 12 or 13. Using a 80mm len, 200 iso film, this EV should give you an option to use 500 to 60 shutter speed and f/2.8 to f/8.0. When you press, hold, and rotate the aperture ring they move togather and gives you the correct exposure for that 4-stop range. I hope I said this right and so you understand. Now my brain hurts. This is so much simpler to do than explain..GRINS 72-year-old man here and been shooting from the age of 15.
prism is great, I have one for my 500c\m and it is a refreshing change, you change angle of view, so instead of all waist level compositions, you get higher levels too, also for glare, the eye-cup on this is a godsend, it cuts extraneous light so helps focus better, or adjust a polariser, or ND filter to the scene, PS: I was crap at focussing at one time, just remember, if focus is crucial, do like the journalists do, use F8 and be there!, for gold 200 that also works for sunny days (EV 12 - 17) as that is correct exposure anyway, F8 @ 1/250 or F11 @ 1/500 [from my recent experience]- HINT, if you set F8 to 'see' it, you need to rotate the slider on the left (in shooting position), to CLOSE the iris down, its an open system, until the mirror is triggered, in the shot cycle; OR you hit the "stop down" system, to "un-set" this press inwards on the top of the slider, it springs open automatically; these are for CF/CF e/CF i style lenses, for C style, the 'trip' sets it, then to un-set, just turn the iris ring to full open, it dis-engages it automatically at the ring stop.
Cool vid. As a Mamiya 645, Bronica ETRSI, and sometimes 500c user, nailing focus wider than f5.6 has been more frequent rate of missing focus (40% missed rate for me personally) f5.6, and up has been in the 95% hit rate. It's even more difficult if you wear glasses like I do, but waste level viewfinder is far worse for me than the prism finder at my old age. Thoroughly enjoy these new vids of film shooters. Keep them coming!
++ split microprism focus screen. There is also the 42459 View Magnifier which can be added to the viewfinder. Worth also marking some lines paper and taping to the wall, then focusing them and taking photos of at 2.8. If you're sure you've hit focus perfectly and the photos don't come out the same, it's probably time for a CLA.
I just bought a later version 500c with the prism finder. Hopefully it will arrive in excellent condition. Planning to get digital back though since there is no place here that develops and prints film anymore. Beautiful fotos ms sam. Always looking forward to your posts.
a nice tip that most people may not realized, if you peak your eyes or glasses to almost the surface of the waist finder magnifier, it shows a full vision that is even larger than the 45 prism, x4.5 vs x3, plus you can focus while framing, at that point the waist finder becomes a vertical eye prism somehow lol, definitly try it! Especially if you need to save weight
The 501c is the most recent model that is equipped with the high performance Acute Mate D focusing screen that makes focusing easy. The problem is that many second hand vendors take the high performance screen out and throw in an old low performance screen and sell the Acute Mate D separately for a very high price. Acute Mate D screen are marked with a half moon cutout in the metal frame. If the PME5 prism gives a perfect exposure the focusing screen is indeed an Acute Mate C ! each focusing screen generation need a marching PME prism generation to meter correctly (the model 5 prism matches the D screen) If the lens focusing ring is very hard to turn, it's the focusing barrel grease that hardened, the lens needs to be serviced.
As someone who has shot on my blad for well over a decade, I highly highly recommend the focusing clamp arm that attaches to the lens. It's a game changer that will make you love it again and nail critical focus with ease. I also use a prism finder. The WLVF is just for looks. If you want to make really good images, you are going in the right direction. Get the arm with the ball. It changes everything. Thanks for sharing your experience.
if you open magnifier and look your eyes as close as possible to it, you see a even larger than 45 degree magnified image that almost cover your entire vision, the waist finder is alot lighter as well, so I think that it is not just for the look. I have both finders by the way
the most annoying thing is once you use the way I do, which is peak through magnifier as close as possible, you see dust more, thus that's a constant annoying part, but 45 eye finder does has small dust sip in by time though
Sam, at 1:56 you are misguided here, this lens is FINE, the helicoid thread has grease in it, its just gone hard!- normal for wearing parts, aka dust gets into it, making it more viscous, so this just indicates a need to have the lens CLA at a shop, no big deal; keep in mind these where designed as 'pro' tools, for heavy use, and ALWAYS serviced every two to three months, to keep them tip top. This is the nature of owning these cameras, eg. mine had a light leak in the film mag (darkslide seal), flared a roll 😞, but got it replaced ~AUD$60 for a seal kit, just like owning a car, bicycle, or anything that needs repairs. a hint, to focus great all the time, put it on a tripod, use mirror-up when slower than 1/15th and go slow, focus critically and if you are unsure, use a DEEP DOF, aka learn to use the EV scale on the lens, lock the rings together, and shift the exposure to higher dof, aka F8/11/16 that ensures you have enough safety margin of focus, if you are 1mm off, it doesn't get noticed, as everything's more blurred, not crisp in\out, like at F2.8 or f4; I also use a cable release if at all possible, that saves my weight bearing down on the tripod, introducing a source of movement; and like LF shooters, hold the release, count to 5 and THEN squeeze the release, this time allows the mirror to stop, and the vibrations to calm down.
I used Hasselblad for many years, I used a prism finder for a period, but when the new Acute Matte focus screen and the new Waist Level finder came with 5x, I never used the prism finder.
SF is always cloudy, especially as you get closer to the ocean. You can find overcast skies in the outer sunset/richmond on most days, but travel just 7 miles east towards the Ferry Building and you'll find blue skies.
I wear glasses also and recommend add diopter for viewfinder. 80mm f2.8 is usable, but had to get nail sharp, much more practice. I have got very sharp pics tested by DSLR with live view which is my way to test my hasselblad. Love square format. It is art of comprise. Too less is too more.
Thanks for your video. A Split screen is very helpfull indeed. Could you tell something over the way you scan your negatives and get sharp digital photos for processing in Lightroom?
Try the Pentax 6x7 it is much cheaper than the hasselblads
หลายเดือนก่อน
Heh, the first thing I did after unpacking my PME5 was to take off the rubber eyecup, since it interfered with my glasses - but couldn't shake the worry I'd scratch them on the now exposed metal rim ever since. Now I see you can use the eyecup with glasses without issues if it's simply oriented downwards, so thanks for that 🙂 I always forget to wind the film as well (I've spent ages looking for an eyecup without the raised lip, but didn't want to buy a whole new prism finder just for that)😅
I really love the photos by the beach, the wind, the colours, the composition, it was all so beautful. I think more than anything, whatever accessories or cameras get you out there shooting is the best for you. Are you going to post these photos onto your blog or insta? And whats the model's name/tag?
I use my Prism finder maybe 99% of the time. and I am on tripod maybe more than that. Only use the waist level when I want a smaller more compact camera to pack around.
Honestley the prism viewfinder is nice but it's really not going to help you improve your focus. What you are really looking for is a much better focusing screen. When I bought my Hasselblad 503CX it came with just the matte screen and I found it very dificult to focus specially at f2.8. I searched all over for the brighter Acute Matte focus screen with the prim split image and I was lucky to find a store in the UK that had brand new ones and had it shipped to me in the US. Wow did this screen make a huge diffrence it was not only brighter but the split image prism helped me nail focus at shallow depth of field F2.8. I got this screen almost 2 years ago and am not sure how available they are. It's the Hasselblad Focusing Screen CFV-50c. Good Luck!
The CFV 50c back screen is indeed the high performance Acute Mate D model. Three years ago you could get one from Hasselblad as a spare part for the back (I bought one then). But I guess today they are all sold out.
@@jean-claudemuller3199 Yes the CFV-50c is an amazing focusing screen. I just checked the store that I bought them from and they are no longer available. I was super lucky to get mine when I did. There is one on Ebay going for over $700 us.
I’ve had no problems using this viewfinder and accute matte focusing screen. She often doesn’t do her research even though she is fun to watch. No one uses hasselblad with the original cheap screens.
Gorgeous images and lovely model. The thing to know is that Hasselblad V series are professional cameras with a big learning curve. Back in its day it was the preferred studio camera for professionals who mainly shot fashion, portraits and editorial work. The 6x6 format was a key part in publishing work because it was an editing friendly format for typesetters, publishing print layout editors who can crop whatever format needed for the editorial or magazine page. Photographers made sure there was just enough negative space in the shots for page editors to reformat print copies for their respective page layouts. It also lended itself for editors to be able to layover any text copy like cover art, titles, logo and content text without bleeding into the subject no mater if it's a landscape or portrait format decision. As far as the focusing issue; a simple fix is getting a split prism focusing screen. All it needs is using that center slit for focusing on your subject then recompose, and Done.
A split-prism viewfinder screen would help you nail focus better. I installed an AcuteMat split-prism grid screen in my 500cm and the hit rate difference was night and day. I found that helped me way more than a prism finder. Now I only use my prism finder when I am using my 6x45 back for ease in portrait oriented shots.
Sam, your photos are beautiful ✨🙌
awww~ thank you ☺️
I think the best use for this is when you need to hold it even higher, or against strong light casting above, but it does add tones of weight plus you need a split image to help focusing sometimes, 45 degree prism is a lot larger than 90 but hard to work with for vertical, so..... I have both waist and 45
Sam, my opinion is that this is a foolproof set up with my Hasselblad 503cx..
Pme 51 View finder.
Pme 90 View finder.
Acute Matte 45 degree split veiwing screen. 1st. Best choice. easiest to set focus (hard to find)
Acute Matte Horizontal split Viewing screen. 2nd choice (Easy to find)
I ues a variable neutral density filter rotate it till i get a reading in my prism finder of EV 12 or 13.
Using a 80mm len, 200 iso film, this EV should give you an option to use 500 to 60 shutter speed and f/2.8 to f/8.0. When you press, hold, and rotate the aperture ring they move togather and gives you the correct exposure for that 4-stop range.
I hope I said this right and so you understand.
Now my brain hurts. This is so much simpler to do than explain..GRINS
72-year-old man here and been shooting from the age of 15.
prism is great, I have one for my 500c\m and it is a refreshing change, you change angle of view, so instead of all waist level compositions, you get higher levels too, also for glare, the eye-cup on this is a godsend, it cuts extraneous light so helps focus better, or adjust a polariser, or ND filter to the scene, PS: I was crap at focussing at one time, just remember, if focus is crucial, do like the journalists do, use F8 and be there!, for gold 200 that also works for sunny days (EV 12 - 17) as that is correct exposure anyway, F8 @ 1/250 or F11 @ 1/500 [from my recent experience]- HINT, if you set F8 to 'see' it, you need to rotate the slider on the left (in shooting position), to CLOSE the iris down, its an open system, until the mirror is triggered, in the shot cycle; OR you hit the "stop down" system, to "un-set" this press inwards on the top of the slider, it springs open automatically; these are for CF/CF e/CF i style lenses, for C style, the 'trip' sets it, then to un-set, just turn the iris ring to full open, it dis-engages it automatically at the ring stop.
Cool vid. As a Mamiya 645, Bronica ETRSI, and sometimes 500c user, nailing focus wider than f5.6 has been more frequent rate of missing focus (40% missed rate for me personally) f5.6, and up has been in the 95% hit rate. It's even more difficult if you wear glasses like I do, but waste level viewfinder is far worse for me than the prism finder at my old age. Thoroughly enjoy these new vids of film shooters. Keep them coming!
Great pictures!!! I love them all!
Great vid as always. The best photochannel out there right now.
You got some fantastic shots Sam! Very nice!❤
You may should try out an acute matte screen with split focus indicator and a grid… these are brighter then reality… especially the newer ones
The golden gate bridge pics arew so beautiful Sam, love that blue color grading on gold
Do you have a split screen prism. That would help with focus.
Changed from matte focusing screen, to split prism on RB 67, made all the difference...
This was an excellent episode. The portraits at the end were superb. I hope you can put these in a book in the future.
++ split microprism focus screen. There is also the 42459 View Magnifier which can be added to the viewfinder. Worth also marking some lines paper and taping to the wall, then focusing them and taking photos of at 2.8. If you're sure you've hit focus perfectly and the photos don't come out the same, it's probably time for a CLA.
I just bought a later version 500c with the prism finder. Hopefully it will arrive in excellent condition. Planning to get digital back though since there is no place here that develops and prints film anymore. Beautiful fotos ms sam. Always looking forward to your posts.
a nice tip that most people may not realized, if you peak your eyes or glasses to almost the surface of the waist finder magnifier, it shows a full vision that is even larger than the 45 prism, x4.5 vs x3, plus you can focus while framing, at that point the waist finder becomes a vertical eye prism somehow lol, definitly try it! Especially if you need to save weight
The 501c is the most recent model that is equipped with the high performance Acute Mate D focusing screen that makes focusing easy.
The problem is that many second hand vendors take the high performance screen out and throw in an old low performance screen and sell the Acute Mate D separately for a very high price.
Acute Mate D screen are marked with a half moon cutout in the metal frame.
If the PME5 prism gives a perfect exposure the focusing screen is indeed an Acute Mate C !
each focusing screen generation need a marching PME prism generation to meter correctly (the model 5 prism matches the D screen)
If the lens focusing ring is very hard to turn, it's the focusing barrel grease that hardened, the lens needs to be serviced.
As someone who has shot on my blad for well over a decade, I highly highly recommend the focusing clamp arm that attaches to the lens. It's a game changer that will make you love it again and nail critical focus with ease. I also use a prism finder. The WLVF is just for looks. If you want to make really good images, you are going in the right direction. Get the arm with the ball. It changes everything. Thanks for sharing your experience.
if you open magnifier and look your eyes as close as possible to it, you see a even larger than 45 degree magnified image that almost cover your entire vision, the waist finder is alot lighter as well, so I think that it is not just for the look. I have both finders by the way
the most annoying thing is once you use the way I do, which is peak through magnifier as close as possible, you see dust more, thus that's a constant annoying part, but 45 eye finder does has small dust sip in by time though
Nice one, I always enjoy your videos…lovely model too!
這次的麻豆真的好好看，空靈系
Sam, at 1:56 you are misguided here, this lens is FINE, the helicoid thread has grease in it, its just gone hard!- normal for wearing parts, aka dust gets into it, making it more viscous, so this just indicates a need to have the lens CLA at a shop, no big deal; keep in mind these where designed as 'pro' tools, for heavy use, and ALWAYS serviced every two to three months, to keep them tip top. This is the nature of owning these cameras, eg. mine had a light leak in the film mag (darkslide seal), flared a roll 😞, but got it replaced ~AUD$60 for a seal kit, just like owning a car, bicycle, or anything that needs repairs.
a hint, to focus great all the time, put it on a tripod, use mirror-up when slower than 1/15th and go slow, focus critically and if you are unsure, use a DEEP DOF, aka learn to use the EV scale on the lens, lock the rings together, and shift the exposure to higher dof, aka F8/11/16 that ensures you have enough safety margin of focus, if you are 1mm off, it doesn't get noticed, as everything's more blurred, not crisp in\out, like at F2.8 or f4; I also use a cable release if at all possible, that saves my weight bearing down on the tripod, introducing a source of movement; and like LF shooters, hold the release, count to 5 and THEN squeeze the release, this time allows the mirror to stop, and the vibrations to calm down.
I used Hasselblad for many years, I used a prism finder for a period, but when the new Acute Matte focus screen and the new Waist Level finder came with 5x, I never used the prism finder.
SF is always cloudy, especially as you get closer to the ocean. You can find overcast skies in the outer sunset/richmond on most days, but travel just 7 miles east towards the Ferry Building and you'll find blue skies.
Lovely portraits, per usual.
I wear glasses also and recommend add diopter for viewfinder.
80mm f2.8 is usable, but had to get nail sharp, much more practice. I have got very sharp pics tested by DSLR with live view which is my way to test my hasselblad.
Love square format. It is art of comprise. Too less is too more.
I love you Sam ❤
You're always a wonderful person i can get some advice and input from.
Thanks for your video. A Split screen is very helpfull indeed. Could you tell something over the way you scan your negatives and get sharp digital photos for processing in Lightroom?
The Hasselblad is more for studio or set up/tripod work. There are lens attachments that make focusing easier.
the model is so prettyyyyyyy
Try the Pentax 6x7 it is much cheaper than the hasselblads
Heh, the first thing I did after unpacking my PME5 was to take off the rubber eyecup, since it interfered with my glasses - but couldn't shake the worry I'd scratch them on the now exposed metal rim ever since. Now I see you can use the eyecup with glasses without issues if it's simply oriented downwards, so thanks for that 🙂 I always forget to wind the film as well
(I've spent ages looking for an eyecup without the raised lip, but didn't want to buy a whole new prism finder just for that)😅
LoL.. the eye piece is kinda annoying, I do wish I don’t ware glasses. 🤓
Try a monopod. Collapsed it makes a sort of gimbal/ball head that should help with verticality and is much easier to hold. hth -a random mike
I’ve used a monopod with this camera, it did helped!! But my monopod is pretty heavy, I just don’t like to carry it 😆
Thanks, I understand. Lots of things now
Get a split image screen for hassy, its a game changer for shure
I really love the photos by the beach, the wind, the colours, the composition, it was all so beautful. I think more than anything, whatever accessories or cameras get you out there shooting is the best for you. Are you going to post these photos onto your blog or insta? And whats the model's name/tag?
My way of getting extra height with a waist level finder is to have tall platform shoes on lmao 2 inches taller makes a difference
For the same reason after I got my 90 degree viewfinder I constantly went back to the waist level viewfinder because of the magnifier.
Girl… this is why I never shoot wide open. Unless it’s dark, I’m not risking missing the moment
I use my Prism finder maybe 99% of the time. and I am on tripod maybe more than that. Only use the waist level when I want a smaller more compact camera to pack around.
I really wish I’m not wearing glasses though, the eye piece would work even better 😂
Honestley the prism viewfinder is nice but it's really not going to help you improve your focus. What you are really looking for is a much better focusing screen. When I bought my Hasselblad 503CX it came with just the matte screen and I found it very dificult to focus specially at f2.8. I searched all over for the brighter Acute Matte focus screen with the prim split image and I was lucky to find a store in the UK that had brand new ones and had it shipped to me in the US. Wow did this screen make a huge diffrence it was not only brighter but the split image prism helped me nail focus at shallow depth of field F2.8. I got this screen almost 2 years ago and am not sure how available they are. It's the Hasselblad Focusing Screen CFV-50c. Good Luck!
The CFV 50c back screen is indeed the high performance Acute Mate D model. Three years ago you could get one from Hasselblad as a spare part for the back (I bought one then). But I guess today they are all sold out.
@@jean-claudemuller3199 Yes the CFV-50c is an amazing focusing screen. I just checked the store that I bought them from and they are no longer available. I was super lucky to get mine when I did. There is one on Ebay going for over $700 us.
I didn’t think it was worth it. Sold my hassi and bought Mamiya 6, and been much happier with the rangefinder experience! 😊
You can nail the focus, by using a split image focusing screen....
Nice one!
I’ve had no problems using this viewfinder and accute matte focusing screen. She often doesn’t do her research even though she is fun to watch. No one uses hasselblad with the original cheap screens.
海边这组实在太美
Gorgeous images and lovely model.
The thing to know is that Hasselblad V series are professional cameras with a big learning curve. Back in its day it was the preferred studio camera for professionals who mainly shot fashion, portraits and editorial work. The 6x6 format was a key part in publishing work because it was an editing friendly format for typesetters, publishing print layout editors who can crop whatever format needed for the editorial or magazine page. Photographers made sure there was just enough negative space in the shots for page editors to reformat print copies for their respective page layouts. It also lended itself for editors to be able to layover any text copy like cover art, titles, logo and content text without bleeding into the subject no mater if it's a landscape or portrait format decision.
As far as the focusing issue; a simple fix is getting a split prism focusing screen. All it needs is using that center slit for focusing on your subject then recompose, and Done.
Damn your hair has gotten LOOOOOONNNG!!! When are you checking the discord?
Funny you say that coz I just trimmed a good 4 inch off 😂 (and I forgot I have a discord…
@@itscapturedbysam Wow forgot about us lol.
這種中畫幅的眼平取景器就是一整塊實心玻璃五棱鏡。你不覺得重嗎？？
值得
你好棒
maybe theres something wrong with your diopter
一会讲中文一会讲英语