Hasselblad 201F
When thinking of Hasselblads, most photographers will think of the classic 500 series with its square lines, familiar, satisfying, crisp mirror sound, and almost imperceptible "click" from the Compur shutter in the lens. Just like any other company, Hasselblad kept up with the growing needs of professional photographers and the technology that came with those needs. With many studio photographers looking for more flash control and faster shutter speeds, the engineers and designers at Hasselblad developed the "200" Series of Hasselblad cameras.
Introduced in 1991, the 201F was both modern in its electronics and, with its focal plane shutter, a bit of a throwback to the first Hasselblad cameras that were produced just after World War II. The original Hasselblad 1600F and 1000F featured focal plane shutters with maximum shutter speeds of 1/1600th and 1/1000th of a second respectively. The focal plane shutters, however, proved to be the weakest link in this design and the company switched to the famous Synchro-Compur leaf shutters. The latest 500 series cameras continue to benefit from this design change.
Although the Hasselblad 201F is considered by some to be an "entry-level" camera, it has many of the features of its more expensive and more highly regarded siblings. All of the 200 series of Hasselblads came with an electronically-controlled, silk-cloth shutter that replaced the manually-controlled, expensive, and fragile titanium-foil shutter. The 201F's fastest shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second, however, was slower than its other 200 Series cousins.
The 201F metering was designed for use with Hasselblad Proflash 4504 and with that flash, extremely precise metering was available. Without using flash, however, the 201F did not meter for exposure as some others in the 200 Series did, adding to its reputation as something less than a professional-level camera. But the Hasselblad compatibility of lenses, backs, finders, and even focusing screens meant that the 201F could be used with nearly all of the 500 Series lenses and film backs. The potent combination of the Hasselblad arsenal of equipment means that the 201F is capable of producing excellent images in a wide variety of different circumstances.
In the end, the question of whether the Hasselblad 201F is a professional-level camera or not is really in the eye of the beholder. But it is worth remembering this version the next time you hear the name Hasselblad mentioned.
ar/js
Blue Moon Camera and Machine llc
- sales@bluemooncamera.com
- (503) 978-0333
- (503) 978-0370
-
8417 North Lombard Street
Portland, OR 97203
All rights reserved ©2024, Blue Moon Camera and Machine llc