From my previous blog I explained that the Camera Museum in London provided me with a free roll of film when I purchased my Hasselblad camera from them.
The film they provided me with was the Ilford Delta 400 black and white film, which I had never used before.
I also explained in my previous blog that I didn’t have time to try out the camera in London and had to wait until I got back home to Brighton.
I was keen to try out the camera asap so the first photo I took was of one of my cats in my living room:

I balanced the camera on a foot stool to take this image and I was still getting used to the focusing screen so it’s the corner of the blanket which is really in focus. However, I still quite like the image and the way the corner of the blanket is nice and crisp. The exposure could be improved since my cat is really dark in this image.
The actual negative itself is marked and I’m not sure if that was because it was my first time loading film into the camera and perhaps I accidentally marked the beginning of the negative whilst loading since the rest of the negatives are absolutely fine.
I decided for the remainder of the film that I would go to Hove Cemetery since it’s nice and quiet there, which meant I could really concentrate and focus on how to use the Hasselblad.
I personally think it’s essential to use an external light meter when using the Hasselblad and I used one for most of the photos I took. I’m going to blog about the light meter I used separately.
When I took the camera outside and started to use it, I was extremely impressed by the bright viewfinder:

I’ve personally never owned a camera with an amazing viewfinder like this before. I also felt it really helped me in composing my shots.
Here are the photos I took:











This was the first time I had used an external light meter and I was extremely impressed with the results from using one.
I scanned all my images using an Epson V600 scanner and I didn’t have to ‘tweak’ any of the photos for the exposure.
For my first roll, I’m very happy with the results. I handheld the camera when taking the photos rather than using a tripod and I’m impressed with how crisp the images are. The lens is amazing.
I found the camera really easy to hold and use. It still felt fairly light to me and with the strap it just felt like I had a handbag over my shoulder.
I am so happy I purchased this camera, I definitely have no regrets and I’m really excited about shooting some more images with it. I can’t wait!
Very nice images. Cemeteries are wonderful places to shoot and Delta 400 is a lovely film. I’ve never used it on medium format but I use it for 35mm shooting. It’s just a shame it’s a little pricey.
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Thank you. It certainly is a nice film 👍
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I’m looking forward to your future images with the Hassy. 🙂 I rented one last year and spent the holiday weekend shooting. You mentioned that they gave you a Hasselblad strap. I found the strap to be very useful. When the camera was around my neck, I could use the strap to steady and compose the shot while looking down through the viewfinder.
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Yes the strap is great. For me it’s essential when I’m shooting as I also feel it gives me greater control 👍
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The quality of the lens really shows, great images.
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Thank you 😊
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These photographs look great and you’re right they are nice and crisp. I love the photo of your cat too. Well done 🙂
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Thank you Keith 😊
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I’m not jealous at all! It’s a beautiful camera and you took some beautiful images! I’ve been eyeing up a Pentacon Six as my next MF camera after the Lubitel – might have to wait a while though, as photography (especially film) is an expensive hobby!
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Thank you for your kind comments 😊 I agree, film photography is expensive. The Pentacon Six sounds good 👍
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Great photos! Now you have a quality camera that matches the quality of your photography. Can’t wait to see what you produce next 🙂
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Really nice! I just traded a few bits for a 503 CX. It was after a trip to Camera Museum where the gent behind the counter kindly allowed me to play with a 500 for as long as I wanted
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Thank you 😊 the camera museum are great. Congrats on getting the 503 👍
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It’s a real beauty was out shooting it on Sunday. Really enjoy how much it slows me down vs 35mm
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They are such great cameras to use.
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