My first three rolls of film in the Hasselblad 500C/M
While I was still a child I remember my father told me about Hasselblad cameras. At that time he himself was shooting a Rolleiflex SL35. He could never afford to buy a Hasselblad. Somehow, the fact that these cameras built in Sweden are truly special has been deeply engraved in my memory. So, in 2024, after an extended trip through Sweden, I looked through the online used camera markets and found a black Hasselblad 500C/M in very good condition. I bought it. It came with the standard Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm F2.8.
Hasselblad 500C/M
with the Carl Zeiss 80mm F2.8 Planar T* CF lens. The camera was manufactured in 1983 and the lens in 1987.
After reading the manual and watching some YouTube videos on how to use this mechanical master piece I loaded my first roll of film: Ilford FP4+. The experience of using this camera to take photographs is unique. The Acute-Matte screen is simply brilliant and a joy to use. I love the slow process of composing the image, metering and calculating the exposure. And then the moment of mirror lock-up and pressing the shutter via the cable release. Together with the sound of the mirror and auxiliary shutter I get the feeling of imprinting the scene on the film as a memory for eternity.
In the meantime I also shot a roll of Ektachrome E100 and a roll of Kodak Portra 400. While I find the E100 a little bit difficult in terms of color and exposure, the Portra 400 is always delivering beautiful results. Below is a selection of the best images of my first three rolls of film. Enjoy and please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
