Camera Labs

i am seriously considering buying a hasselblad 500 c/m with an 80mm f/2.8 lens but i am new to this form format. I know i will be using 120 film as this most readily available to me so which back do i buy with the body or does it come with a film back attached to it?
Any help would be much appreicated

Thanks!

Hey neighbor............used camera could come either way.......and I think the new bodies also. Years ago you could anyway. A12 is the standard 120 back. It's truly as system camera and most everything fits everything else. From new to old. Old backs used to have a peep hole to see what frame you were on.......the new ones have a mechanical counter but fit on any Blad body. The only items not compatible are the lenses that were designed for the body with the focal plane shutter.........they will fit but you then won't have a shutter.

I'm not big on the square format........645 is more practical, and I tended to work more with the 6x7 Mamiyia RZ. If you want an interesting and cheaper medium format film camera look at the Pentax 6x7 SLR. I really like those too, not as versatile as the camera's with interchangeable backs but very functional giants, no digital possibility though and not quite the cache of the Hasselblad.

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Nick.
Lumix TZ 5
Canon F-1n, Pentax 6x7, RZ 6x7, Rolleiflex TLR 6x6.

hahaha alright nick?

yeah i have managed to work all that out now, nearly bought one off ebay but i figured i would go have a look at the camera mall. the reason i want one is because of the square format haha just seems so practical as i take alot of portraits. also where do you buy your 35mm and 120 film from here? i have been to the lomography shop but it is limited and expensive.

I haven't
I did a couple shops selling film at the mall there.

I pretty much gave up serious photography 10 years ago. I got burned out, only just manage to carry a digital point and shoot the last couple years, still have my film cameras, just not here, sold all the lighting.

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Nick.
Lumix TZ 5
Canon F-1n, Pentax 6x7, RZ 6x7, Rolleiflex TLR 6x6.

Jack,
Your choices are 6x6cm, 6x4cm (slightly smaller than 6x4.5, but 16-on), and 4x4cm (approx. - super slide). There are also 220 backs with the same options.
6x6cm is the most popular because you can crop the image to horizontal or vertical, whereas the 6x4 (55 x 42mm) format requires you to shoot a frame either way, using more film and maybe losing opportunity.
If buying second hand, check the back with a film. All Blad backs had a tendency to slip on the first frame after a while, overlapping the first and second frames.
Common advice is to check the code number of the back and the insert, to make sure they match. I haven't tried a mis-matched back, but some say there can be a problem if not matched by the factory.
The Hasselblad is different in the hand to a 6x7cm camera. You are comparing chalk and cheese. The Pentax and the Mamiya are both fine things, but a Blad is lovely too use, and the old Zeiss lenses are in a class of their own and quite cheap to buy 2nd hand now.
If you ever do go digital with your medium format, the old Zeiss lenses have the quality to deliver, whereas with Mamiya, you need the newer lenses.
Best wishes for your MF work,
Wayne Lawler

Forgot to mention that with a 6x4cm back, you need a prism viewfinder, wheras with 6x6cm you can use the lightweight waist level finder, which makes the camera as compact as a DSLR.