If you want to keep shooting film for a long time, it's not because of some divine "film color." After all, if you really wanted to achieve that effect, you could create a software that would never leave your side. There's no need for such a huge amount of color. It's more about the joy and experience of the filming process itself.
From the moment you press the shutter until you get the final image, there's a long journey involved—shooting, developing, scanning, or even working in a darkroom. Sometimes, when you finally see the photo in front of you, you might doubt whether it was actually taken by you. Today, digital cameras dominate the market, but film cameras haven’t disappeared. There are still many people who enjoy the unique experience and fun that film brings. Many photography schools also emphasize film-based teaching. I’m not saying digital is bad—I use one myself. But every tool has its pros and cons. A digital camera lets you take as many photos as you want, delete the ones you don't like, and choose the best one. With film, you have to think before each shot. A single roll only holds 12 exposures (or fewer depending on the format), and once it’s exposed, you can’t delete it. That forces you to be more intentional with every click, and during the process, you develop a better understanding of the relationship between aperture, ISO, and shutter speed—even when using a digital camera, it feels less spontaneous and more deliberate. Plus, digital tends to make me take too many shots, which ends up being overwhelming. Film, on the other hand, makes me more focused. In the digital era, I still prefer to decide everything at the moment the shutter is pressed, rather than later in post-processing. Even the photos in this article were either straight out of the camera or just slightly adjusted to black and white. I'd call it lazy, but it works for me.
I know what I'm saying might sound a bit self-righteous, and maybe some photographers will disagree. But that's okay. Everyone should have their own opinion; otherwise, we wouldn't progress. I'm just taking ordinary photos and finding joy in my life through them.
Buying this Hasselblad wasn’t about the image quality of medium format. It's like taking a picture with a waist-level finder—I don’t care much about the technical details. Originally, I wanted to buy a Rolleiflex 2.8F, which has such an elegant design. But I couldn’t afford it, so I ended up buying a used 500C instead. The body has some glue marks and the lens cover seems to have been through a war zone. Still, I can’t be too picky about a vintage camera. The lens is intact, the shutter works well, and the price was right. That’s all I needed.
First, a few looks at the appearance:
The Hasselblad feels great in the hands. Its mechanical design is very clever—every part of the body can be disassembled and replaced with different accessories. If you have the budget, you can even attach a digital back or a metered viewfinder on top. The playability is really high.
Here are some parts: viewfinder, lens, over-handle, flap, body, and film card slot (not sure what that is).
My original viewfinder is from the factory. When there's strong light around, it can be hard to see. I think it's too dark, so I might change it later.
Using the magnifying glass helps focus more precisely.
The lens has a shutter (up to 1/500s), aperture (up to f/2.8), depth of field, and a focusing ring. The red numbers on the right side of the shutter correspond to the Hasselblad's built-in meter. By matching the numbers, you can easily find the right combination of aperture and shutter speed for the desired depth of field. Unfortunately, I don’t have that feature.
Hasselblad users know that the shutter sound is quite loud. That’s because there’s a light barrier inside the body. Every time you press the shutter, the barrier moves up and down, creating that distinctive noise. Actually, the mirrorless shutter sound is much quieter. To prevent vibration, you can pre-lift the light barrier by pressing a button under the handle. Just be careful—the viewfinder goes dark when the barrier is raised (because the film shouldn’t be exposed). If you're only taking one shot after focusing, it's better to pre-lift the barrier. I recommend using a tripod, especially since the camera is quite heavy. Using both the tripod and pre-lifted barrier ensures stability.
There's also a metal light shield in front of the film. This is a smart design by Hasselblad. Normally, you remove this plate (without removing the shutter) to allow exposure. But when you want to load or unload the film, you have to insert the metal plate to prevent accidental exposure. This design is simply brilliant.
Filters are usually 55mm, and you just need an adapter ring to install them. However, the filter shouldn’t cover the lens cap, so be careful. A separate hood is fine.
Introducing the camera is a bit boring, so let me talk about how to load film into the Hasselblad.
I used Fujifilm PRO160 NS color negative film, a 120-roll with a candy paper packaging. Don’t worry, it's easy to handle.
First, open the back (remember to put the metal visor in place).
Place the new film with the triangular mark facing the correct direction. Pull the leader from the back, not the front, and press the film under the metal strip. Otherwise, it might fall off during loading—this is very important.
Fujifilm’s roll has a round hole that clicks into the reel. Ilford doesn’t have this, so you have to pull it tighter. Kodak’s rolls aren’t used much anymore.
After that, turn the handlebars wildly (note that the handle on the slide isn’t the same as the shutter handle) until it stops. The number on the slide should read “1,†meaning the film is ready.
Then you can remove the metal barrier and open the viewfinder to start shooting.
Oh, almost forgot. Make sure the shutter is set before loading the film. Otherwise, when you mount the cartridge and then adjust the shutter, the number on the tablet will change to “2â€â€”which means you’ve wasted the first frame. That’s a $10 loss.
The last few samples were unadjusted originals. I used a Canoscan 9000F scanner, but some images had black edges and were slightly cropped.
The first batch was measured with a phone. The result was disappointing (maybe I didn’t measure correctly). One-third of the film was underexposed, and a few were okay.
The second batch was measured with a Ricoh GR and a mini tripod.
Another advantage of using the GR meter is that you can give it to the camera occasionally.
Hasselblad may be better suited for being photographed (laughs).
Okay, that's enough. Time to eat.
The camera is second-hand and can't be posted. I just loaded a film and took a few shots.
Next time I’ll write more and scan the rest. For now, take it easy.
I hope everyone loves their life deeply.
That's it.
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