Book Review:The Hasselblad Manual , Wildi

The standard Hasselblad book


Hasselblad cameras have good and bad points. The good points are that
they are, through longevity and marketing as well as other qualities,
the standard in pro medium format photography, and Hasselblad system
items can be rented worldwide: they are reasonably durable, have good
optical quality, and lots of system accessories are available. No
other medium format system boasts a fifth of all the various items
available for the Hasselblad system. Because they are the standard
most photographers understand them. Because working pros favor them,
prestiege buyers, wannabes, and dilettantes do so as well.

The downside is that they are heavy, noisy, expensive (especially for
the lenses which are not so much better than their Japanese
counterparts), and can be damaged easily by careless or untutored
handling: they are somewhat awkward: and their 6x6 cm format is simply
out of sync with standard print sizes (with a 1.2:1 aspect ratio) or
35mm practice (1.5:1), leading to never utilizing the whole negative
in practice.

This volume is to all intents and purposes the official unofficial
Hasselblad manual of practice. You are getting "100% Standard Tech"
hethis is the fountainhead of Hasselblad doctrine. If you've
committed to using Hasselblad cameras the Hasselblad way, this book
shows you how to do it. You won't find any criticism of any current
Hasselblad equipment or any objective "vis-a-vis" here.

If you are looking into whether or not you should choose Hassselblad,
this book is essential provided you keep the above in mind. Other
books will provide information on other systems. Hasselblad is
definitely not for everyone, even everyone without financial
impediments to doing so. Large format, 35mm, other MF SLRs and the
classic twin lens reflex are all better choices for some uses-and
users. However, if you want a visually conspicuous status symbol, it's
tough to go very wrong with Hasselblad.