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Can any experts with the CFV help me with lens selections?

N

nikonf

New Member
I have a 503CW and 80mm CFE and I would like to purchase lenses to use with my new CFV-39 digital back.
I used Hasselblads in the 1970s and I had the 50mm T* Distagon and 150mm T* Sonnar.
I need to purchase a wide angle and telephoto and I want to make sure I
get the right ones to use with the back (CF or CFE or are older lenses still OK).
I appreciate any help you can offer.
Thanks very much,
Mike
 
As have the cfv-39, I think that the 80mm is just good enought.
Better lenses:
30mm (In fact an excellent lens in the center and phocus help to correct distorsion.
40mm (CF or CFE-IF better)
50mm FLE
60mm & 100mm (even very old ones)
180mm perhaps better than SA lens (?)
SA250mm and SA 350mm
And the mpossble to buy: FE 300/2.8

I was suprized in good with the 60-120mm
The lens I use most of time: FE 110mm/2.0 (excellent at 5.6) and FE 50mm /2.8
 
First lens to consider: the latest 40 mm (IF version).
Not easy to find used and still quite a lot of money.

Forget any of the 80 mm lenses, go for a 100 mm CF or even better the CFi version to use as standard lens.

Last lens to consider is the 120 S-Planar or the later 120 Makro Planar.
All other lenses will show the limits of their optical performance when used with a digital back.
 
Polypal

polypal said:
First lens to consider: the latest 40 mm (IF version).
Not easy to find used and still quite a lot of money.

Forget any of the 80 mm lenses, go for a 100 mm CF or even better the CFi version to use as standard lens.

Last lens to consider is the 120 S-Planar or the later 120 Makro Planar.
All other lenses will show the limits of their optical performance when used with a digital back.
Click to expand...


Polypal

I seldom if ever disagree with you but I will here. I've used Hasselblad since 1975. My 120 S Planar was bought new then. I currently use it on my 503CW with Phase One P25+. It is tack sharp and has been serviced only once in its life. The only draw back is the PC sync connector -- later ones are better.

My old 80mm is very sharp but is out done a bit by the newest 80mm.

For portraits I bought a 160mm Tessar thinking it would be softer than the 150mm and the 180mm. Who wants tack sharp portraits? Well I don't. To my surprise it is also tack sharp. Being able to zoom into nose pores until they look like craters on the moon is not attractive to me. I wish Hasselblad made a bad lens.

BC
 
bcphoto said:
Polypal

I seldom if ever disagree with you but I will here. I've used Hasselblad since 1975. My 120 S Planar was bought new then. I currently use it on my 503CW with Phase One P25+. It is tack sharp and has been serviced only once in its life. The only draw back is the PC sync connector -- later ones are better.


BC
Click to expand...

I did not phrase my recommendation for the 120 S Planar correctly.
It is not the last lens to consider from an IQ pov but from the focal length.
To convince you that I do appreciate the 120 S Planar as one of the best macro designs ever made by Carl Zeiss:
I own three excellent 120 S Planars, two black barrel ones with T* and a beautiful silver barrel one.

Zeiss did not make bad lenses for Hasselblad. There are only very good and even better ones.
Try to find a nice silver barrel 150 Sonnar for portraits.
That lens has quite a reputation for portraits.
If the IQ is still too much use Softar l or ll.
Of course softening canb also be done in digital processing.
 
Polypal

polypal said:
I did not phrase my recommendation for the 120 S Planar correctly.
It is not the last lens to consider from an IQ pov but from the focal length.
To convince you that I do appreciate the 120 S Planar as one of the best macro designs ever made by Carl Zeiss:
I own three excellent 120 S Planars, two black barrel ones with T* and a beautiful silver barrel one.

Zeiss did not make bad lenses for Hasselblad. There are only very good and even better ones.
Try to find a nice silver barrel 150 Sonnar for portraits.
That lens has quite a reputation for portraits.
If the IQ is still too much use Softar l or ll.
Of course softening canb also be done in digital processing.
Click to expand...


Polypal,

While in school in the mid 70's, I used the 120mm S Planar for portraits with a softar II. Those looked too soft and so I then switched to a Cokin soft focus and then later to a Softar I. Currently I use a Tiffen Pro Black dot/net or something sounding like that.

PS blurring or any digital softening looks fake to me. Ideally I think a nasty old orthochromatic lens would be best (for B&W) with the red out of focus -- like the old early 1930's portraits made with 8x10 view camera.

I agree that the 120S is a specialty lens and maybe should be considered last unless one is shooting products. At infinity the lens is less than spectacular but it shines from about 10 feet and closer.

BC
 
bcphoto said:
Polypal,

PS blurring or any digital softening looks fake to me. Ideally I think a nasty old orthochromatic lens would be best (for B&W) with the red out of focus -- like the old early 1930's portraits made with 8x10 view camera.

BC
Click to expand...

Ortochromatic film, not lens I'd say.

Or do you mean an old lens designed only corrected for a single wavelength? Or in other words: a lens that predates achromatic correction.
 
Orthochromatic

You got it -- an old lens made for orthochromatic film. The film couldn't see the red so why have the lens focus for it.

Sharp is ok on most things and sharp portraits are ok on an old sea captain but don't do one on a woman -- oh no.

I like flowers with a soft look too and shallow DOF.

BC
 
40mm CF FLE

I just sell my 40MM CF FLE, he is so bad with the CFV-50 out of the center!
I remplace it with a 50mm FLE that is much better on all field and I want to make a test with the 30mm 3.5 (I need a wide angle and 50mm is not not wide enough for me).
 
Please note Hasselblad offers lens corrections for most lenses in their current software. It is rewarding to use these corrections.
The 40 mm IF is the lens to go for if you are looking for a good wide angle.
 
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