Lens:
· The lens on the Hasselblad SWC is the legendary Zeiss 38mm f4.5 Biogon (equivalent to 21mm on the 35mm format) and it is probably the best wide angle made by Zeiss.
· The Zeiss 38mm f4.5 Biogon is famous for its optical excellence, which is almost distortion-free and offers image perfection.
· There are only two variations for this lens in terms of the coating, as one version with the T* coating and the other without.
· The original Zeiss Biogon lens offers the 10 element design compared to the updated 905SWC with an abbreviated 8 element design.
Models:
There are seven versions of the Hasselblad SWC made throughout the years:
- 1959-1968: SWC silver lens barrel, all bodies chrome
- 1968-1973: SWC black lens barrel, but not T*, all chrome bodies
- 1973-1980: SWC black lens barrel T* coating, bodies can be either chrome or black
- 1980-1982: SWC/M-Polaroid back usable
- 1982-1985: SWC/M with CF lens and bubble level on body
- 1986-1988: SWC/M with CF lens and no bubble level on body
- 1989 to 2001: the 903SWC
There are also three types of Viewfinders made:
- Type 1 1959-1969: standard "megaphone" finder
- Type 2 1969-1985: standard finder with rubber at eyepiece
- Type 3 1986-present: finder with built in bubble level
The latest version of the Hasselblad SWC is the model 905SWC, which was produced in the year 2001 and the optics have downgraded to 8 elements compared to 10 elements on previous models.
Practical Use:
The camera is relatively small and light, therefore it allows me to shoot up to 1/15 seconds without worrying about vibration. When shooting “street photography” with this camera, you will have to pre-focus to the distance that you anticipate the subject will be and shoot steady with both hands at waist-level. This strategy can be done in “blind” shooting since the depth of field is enormous.