In this live stream, I invited my friend Brian Chambers to walk us through the legendary Hasselblad V System. Brian brought his collection to the table and demonstrated why these 50-year-old cameras still captivate photographers today. We explored the remarkable modularity of the 500CM, witnessed the magic of mounting a modern 100-megapixel digital back onto vintage camera bodies, and got a peek at the panoramic X-Pan.
Whether you’re curious about medium format film photography or considering entering the Hasselblad ecosystem, this conversation covers everything from mechanical engineering marvels to practical buying advice.
Because I am a good person to you, I broke the video into chapters for your convenience, so you can jump to the area that most interest you, or just watch the whole thing, I guarantee you will learn something new.
Please consider subscribing if you learned something from us today!
Chapters
00:40 Introduction & How We Met
Two camera nerds who bonded over film photography in NYC
03:31 The Hasselblad 500CM
First look at the V System and its waist-level viewfinder
05:03 Taking the Camera Apart
Brian starts disassembling to show the modularity
05:48 Interchangeable Film Backs
Swap film stocks mid-roll with the dark slide system
08:42 Mirror Lock-Up for Long Exposures
How to prevent mirror slap from affecting your shots
12:47 The Leaf Shutter Lives in the Lens
Why Hasselblad puts the shutter mechanism inside each lens
14:14 One Crank Does Everything
The elegant engineering of the film advance lever
17:28 Multiple Film Backs in Practice
Why professionals kept several backs loaded and ready
20:19 The Red Flag System
Visual indicators that prevent double exposures
25:38 Lens Controls: Shutter Speed and Aperture
How the mechanical timing works on V System glass
27:48 How Old Is This Camera?
Brian’s 500CM dates to 1974
28:24 V System History and the H System
From the 1950s mechanical cameras to modern electronic bodies
30:33 Why Leaf Shutters Matter for Flash
The advantage of flash sync at any shutter speed
34:15 The Problem with HSS
Why high-speed sync is a compromise, not a solution
39:15 What Brian Loves About This System
Sharp lenses and the discipline of intentional shooting
41:36 Tips for Buying Your First Hasselblad
Three things to look for when shopping
47:41 The 907X Digital Back
Hasselblad’s 100-megapixel back that fits on 50-year-old bodies
50:26 The Party Trick: Film Body Goes Digital
Mounting the CFV 100C on the vintage 500CM
54:28 100 Megapixels in Action
Screen share showing incredible detail from a studio portrait
58:23 The Hasselblad X-Pan
A 35mm panoramic rangefinder co-developed with Fuji
1:01:01 Reverse Film Loading
How the X-Pan pre-spools so you never lose already-shot frames
1:11:01 Adapting X-Pan Lenses to Digital
Using vintage panoramic glass on modern Hasselblad bodies
1:14:26 Final Advice for Beginners
Build your kit piece by piece without breaking the bank
1:16:06 Viewer Q&A
A chat with a 500CM owner in the comments
Watch the Full Stream
The complete 1 hour 20 minute conversation is available above. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating!
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