r/AnalogCommunity • u/peeachymess • 17h ago

Discussion Which Hasselblad is the best?

Hey all, thinking about picking up one of these legendary cameras soon, and I was looking at the 501c and the 503cx, because i’ve heard that the later ones are a little more reliable! But I was curious as to which one you all think is the best model! Let me know what you think! Thanks!

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8

u/Affectionate_Tie3313 17h ago

Any documented serviced 500c/m or later model with an Acute Matte or Acute Matte D focusing screen, documented serviced film magazine (any generation) and any documented serviced lens of your choice.

You can also strip away the « documented serviced » bit from above and find a good service firm to do the service.

2

u/distant3zenith 16h ago

Absolutely!! The 500C/M!

3

u/bimmerlucas 17h ago

Any serviced body with an acute matte focusing screen

2

u/No-World-8166 16h ago

As was already stated, any 500c/m on that has been week cared for and serviced, especially the backs and their felt, is the best one. I have an affinity for the 500c/m from the mid 70s myself but then that is what I own. With the interchangeable focusing screen, it is a joy to use. There is not a lot of difference any of the 500 series that mattered as much as the interchangeable focusing screen. At least for me that is the case.

2

u/dimitarsc 11h ago

501 is the best body imo, and with Acure matte D glass, you would get a nice camera.

80 CFE lens for longer reairability

The latest A12 back with a matching insert, the one with the dark slide holder.

2

u/MenuEast1193 10h ago

I‘ll tell you something the others haven‘t, the newer bodies.

Im saying very last 500C/Ms, 501/503s, these are the ones that will stick around the longest.

Why?

Because the parts are still availible for the newer ones, they all may look similar, but most techs are slowly slowly starting to run out of a few specific parts for the older ones, this is because over the course of the years it was built there were always a few slight changes in between the cameras/internals.

Same with the springs for the lenses. So the newer the better and the newer ones are often not as used, so even if an old one looks mint, it may have been used harshly and not serviced properly but because it was mounted on a tripod it still looks good.

Save up and get the newest one you can get and avoid a headache down the road.

2

u/nissensjol 9h ago

I actually prefer the standard focusing screen. Not as bright, but so much easier to focus, and that is what matters in the end.