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The reincarnation
of a classic
The name Hasselblad conjures up images
of timelessness and extraordinary workmanship. Easily one of the most respected
names in photography, Hasselblad was founded by Victor Hasselblad in the
1930s. The incredible attention to quality and the simplicity of design
soon made Hasselblad cameras renowned throughout the world. One of the
most popular models of the Hasselblad system is the 503 series. Incorporating
convinences such as TTL metering in a fully mechanical body, the 503 series
soon became the workhorse of professional photographers. The 503 is now
in it's latest incarnation - the 503CW.
The 503CW looks almost totally identical
to its predecessor, the 503CXi. The improvements made in this new model
are minor but significant. First of all, the 503CW incorpates the latest
gliding mirror system, which enables the 503CW to be used with lenses longer
than 150mm without vignetting. Because of the size of the mirror box, the
reflex mirror cannot be made beyond a certain dimensions, and this led
to vignetting with longer lenses in the older Hasselblad cameras. This
vignetting cuts off the top of the image in the viewfinder, but the image
on film is unaffected. Still, it was not an ideal siutation with photographers
concerned with perfection. The new gliding mirror system solves the problem
in an ingenious way. The mirror is made slightly larger to cure the vignetting
in the viewfinder. A newly designed mechanism lifts the mirror slightly
upwards, and withdraws it slightly back into the mirrorbox before fully
lifting the mirror all the way up. In this way, the gliding mirror system
allowed the new Hasselblads to use a full-sized mirror without compromising
the size of the compact Hasselblad system!
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The new 503CW is also built from ground
up with the ability to use a special motorized winder. The CW winder is
designed to be used with the 503CW, giving a film advance rate of 0.8 frames
per second. Both the 503CW and the winder were designed with each other
in mind, and the fit is perfect. The addition of the CW winder gives the
503CW much better hand-holdability and great ergonomics for hand-held shooting.
As you can see in the main title image, the winder fits to the right side
of the body (sorry, lefthanders will just have to stick to the 555ELX),
in a very snug and comfortable manner. The slight slopping position of
the release button makes it easier to locate and fire the camera. Around
the release button is a ring dial for selecting the various modes of the
winder.
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Using the 503CW with the winder is a pleasure.
Although the winder adds considerable size and heft to the setup, it becomes
extremely easy to use handheld. The wide grip allows the hands to hold
the camera comfortably, although users with smallish hands might find some
trouble with the grip. The leather strap around the grip gives you
a secure handle, and makes the winder a joy to use. Using the 503CW with
the winder and a PM5 prism, the camera handles like a giant 35mm camera
even with a 120mm Makro Planar or a 250mm Sonnar attached. The results
are incredibly sharp for a handheld camera, as compared to shots taken
without the winder and prism. If you are into handheld shooting and do
not mind the extra weight (and price) of the winder and prism, you will
definitely love the setup!
And
because you have paid a considerable amount for the CW Winder, Hasselblad
has decided that you should recieve something more than a plain old motor
winder. The CW Winder can be used with an IR remote release set, which
allows you to remotely fire the setup. This comes in useful for nature
photographers who might like to use the 503CW in remote-controlled setups,
or for portrait photographers who prefers to capture spontaneous images
by surprising the subjects when they least expect the photos to be taken.
The IR release is very compact and fits into the palm of your hands, with
just a simple button on the top and a small switch by the side. The IR
Release also allows the user to change the frame rate mode. As for
the winder, I've been told that the CW winder may also function on the
503 CXi, by using intelligent sensors to detect the torque of the winding
mechanisms and adjusting the tension accordingly. The CW Power Winder is
also easily detachable (but there is no way it can come off accidentally),
so you can switch to manual cranking at anytime.
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One minor disappointment is the lack of
the 'body cocked' indicator. The 503CW body does not have the indicator
window for its status, so you cannot tell by looking at the body if it
is cocked for action. However, this is easily resolved by looking into
the viewfinder to check if the mirror is up or down (a mirror which is
down and showing the subject means that the camera is cocked). If you are
using the CW winder, this is never an issue - because the CW winder cocks
the camera and the lens after every shot, making sure you will never accidentally
try to remove/mount a uncocked lens.
At the same time of the launch, Hasselblad
released a new 90° meter prism - PME90 (you can see it in the title
image). With a metering system that performs spot and integrated metering,
you get a great deal of flexibility and convinence. The metering is extemely
accurate in most situations, while you can use the spot metering for the
tricky high-contrast situations. There is even a small receptor at the
top for incident metering, if reflected meter readings are not your cup
of tea. There are several controls at the side of the meter, allowing you
to use the different modes in aperture or shutter priority. However, because
the 503CW is a totally mechanical and manual camera, you have to transfer
the metering to the camera manually.
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Personally
though, I prefer the PM5 prism. I found it odd (and slightly tiring) to
hold the 503CW with winder setup at eye-level. I prefer to hold it slightly
below the eye level, and use a 45 degrees prism with the setup. It allows
me to push the camera against my eye, giving me better support than a 90
degrees arrangement. The greatest advantage is the the 45 degrees prisms
such as the PM5 allows me to use a Polaroid magazine without removing the
prism first. If you are a frequent Polaroid user, this is an important
consideration in your choice of prism. Although looking down into a waist
winder is said by some people to be spiritual and theraputic, it can cause
migraine for some users who cannot get accustomed to the reversed view.
The use of a prism (whether 45 or 90 degrees) makes life much easier for
the photographer. Once you tried the prisms on your Hassies, you will probably
not use the waist finder as often!
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Who should
buy the 503CW?
If you are making a first time purchase
into the Hasselblad system, and want something more than the basic 501
camera, the 503CW is for you. The 503CW offers slightly better built, and
the through-the-lens (TTL) metering makes it a god-send for photographers
who use flash often. Many wedding photographers will choose the 503 series
over the 501 series anyday for this reason alone. A 503 will also command
a higher resale value over the 501 series.
If you have a 503CX, it makes good sense
to upgrade the camera. All the accessories and lenses for your 503CX can
be used with the new 503CW. The 503CW will offer you the ability to use
the CW winder, and offer full-frame viewing even with longer lenses. On
the other hand, if you have a 503CXi, there is less incentive to upgrade,
because the CW winder can still be used with the 503CXi. Unless you
are using longer lenses and want to avoid the viewfinder vignetting with
the new gliding mirror system, you can still use the 503CXi with the new
CW PowerWinder.
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Should
you get the 503CW or the 555ELD? It's a personal choice really. If you
have a motordrive camera bolted down to a tripod all day, the 555ELD might
be a better choice. Why waste the superb ergonomics of the grip when you
are not going to use it? The integrated motor drive of the 555ELX will
also give you higher reliability (theorectically), especially when you
do not see yourself using the camera without the winder.
However,
if you are looking for a great hand-holdable camera and you
might like to work the classic way (hand-winding), get the
503CW. It offers the best of both worlds - a superb combination
of prism and winder makes it a wonderful fast-reacting camera,
while the versatile Hasselblad modular system makes it possible
to use the 503CW in the classic minimalist tradition.
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