The Hasselblad V-System Master Guide is a hub of in-depth articles and reviews intended to be an exhaustive resource for real, user-verified data on this classic film camera system.
To the uninitiated, the V-System is a black box; totally impenetrable. If you’re coming to it for the first time and think you have everything nailed down, I’m here to tell you that you are likely wrong, very wrong….and that’s where this collection of articles comes in.
This guide started off as a short review of the Hasselblad 2000 FCW, a little-known focal plane shutter version of the classic Swedish box. As the review ballooned to incorporate compatibility, lens versions and camera history, it became clear that a more detailed outline was needed to do the intricacies of the camera and wider platform justice. Thus, this guide was born. The purpose of this guide is to:
In the guide you will find:
Before we get stuck in, I have a question for you: when was the V-System not the V-System?
Answer: any time before September 2002.
2002 saw the release of Hasselblad’s new native 6×4.5 format H-System cameras and the existing cameras were retroactively rebranded as the V-System in order to create a distinction between these wholly incompatible systems. Prior to that, the entire range from 1948-2002 was called simply, “The Hasselblad System”.
The H-System is still being manufactured in 2018 and continues the hybrid film/digital approach started with the first Hasselblad digital magazine in 1992. That said, the H-System is not what one would call a “pure” Hasselblad. Like the Xpan/Xpan 2 wide format 35mm rangefinders, H-System cameras and lenses are manufactured by Fuji and their subsidiaries; and if you search for “Fuji GX645”, you’ll find a Japan-only, Fuji-branded version of the H1 at a fraction of the Hasselblad price. The system deserves a guide in it’s own right but for the purposes of this Master Guide, I won’t be touching on it, or the newer X-System, aside from the occasional nod to compatibility or incompatibility.
Here’s what I cover in this article:
It might look like a lot but that’s only because it is. Still, for this section of the guide, I’ll be starting slowly with accessibility in mind. Beginning below, I cover a bit of Hasselblad history before jumping into a deep outline of the V-System bodies, lenses, film magazines and accessories.
Each of these sections will be covered in full in the associated articles that form this guide.
The V-System comprises of several generations and models of (on the whole) fully manual medium format cameras. These all natively take photographs on medium format roll film (120/220) in 6x6cm square format.
The system supports a wide range of lenses from Zeiss, Kodak Schneider and (to a degree) Rodenstock. They cover focal lengths from a 30mm fisheye to a 500mm telephoto. In between, you have the standard medium format offerings including dedicated macro, zoom and some highly specialist photography lenses.
Compatible digital backs are available, with the first (4 megapixel) version released by Leaf in 1992. At the time of writing the most current iteration is the 50MP Hasselblad CFV-50c, which was released in 2014 and uses a 48.8×32.9mm sensor (very close to a 6×4.5 aspect ratio).
The V-system is subdivided into six distinct series and sub-series as follows:
With each of these cameras capable of using film, instant and digital media, the V-System is in a word, extensive…
Up until the release of what is now known as the Hasselblad Series One 1600F in 1948, Hasselblad’s photographic division had largely been producing cameras for the Swedish military.
A civilian camera based on Hasselblad’s prototype ROSSEX (left), the Series One 1600F was something completely new for the company: modular, precisely engineered, beautifully designed and made for the general public – all based on a recovered World War II German military camera.
Even during wartime, Hasselblad had been using lenses from a number of German lens manufacturers, Meyer, Schneider and Zeiss for their military cameras but for the Series One, they decided to call on one of their oldest partners for assistance: Eastman Kodak.
George Eastman and Arvid Viktor Hasselblad – founder of Hasselblad F.W.’s photographic division and grandfather of Victor Hasselblad – originally met in 1887 whilst Arvid Viktor was honeymooning in Europe. At the time of the 1600F’s release, the companies had been working together for decades, with Hasselblad acting as the sole Kodak distributor in Sweden and offering a number of additional photographic development services. When it came to building the standard lenses for the new 1600F, Victor Hasselblad called on Kodak to help and through their partnership, the camera was released in New York in 1948 with the stunning Kodak Ektar 80mm f/2.8 and 135mm f/3.5 lenses.
The story goes that the use of Kodak lenses for the initial Series One line-up was in recognition of the long-standing relationship between the two companies but my gut tells me it was a little more complicated than that.
Zeiss and the other German lens manufacturers Hasselblad had previously been employing had seen their infrastructure split-up or destroyed following World War II and anti-German sentiment was still high in Allied countries at the time of the Series One 1600F’s release.
Regardless of their neutral status, a Swedish company launching a camera in the US market with a German lens was likely something Hasselblad was not willing to take a risk on and given the long-standing relationship, it made sense to call on Kodak for their lens expertise.
It’s ancient history that both Zeiss and Schneider later provided lenses to Hasselblad but Eastman Kodak’s support was invaluable in helping them break the important US market. In 1950 the Series One 1600F was replaced with an improved and upgraded Series Two 1600F. The new 1600F was itself replaced two years later in 1952 by the Series Two 1000F. The updated models benefited from revised and improved shutter systems, however the cameras remained comparatively fragile and 1957, just nine years after the original 1600F’s release, the Series Two was discontinued in favour of Hasselblad’s new beau: the 500C.
This new 500 Series wasn’t a completely fresh take on its predecessors though. The camera retained its lines and compatibility with the Series One/Two finders and film magazines but lost its focal plane shutter and was upgraded with a new lens mount. Lenses for the new mount were now being produced by Zeiss not Kodak, and came with in-lens shutters supplied by Compur. Although the system now had a slower top shutter speed of 1/500 second, it offered full flash sync across the entire range and if you were to put the Series One/Two and 500C in silhouette next to each other you’d be forgiven for mistaking one for the other.
Although those troublesome focal plane shutters were gone, Hasselblad wasn’t done with them just yet. A source of great joy and frustration for both the company and its customers, the focal plane shutter and associated mechanisms of the 1600F and 1000F cameras laid the groundwork for the 2000 Series focal plane shutter cameras, which were released 20 years later in 1977, and the 200 Series released nearly 20 years after that in 1994.
The curtain finally closed on the V-System in late 2013 when the Hasselblad 503CW – the last remaining V-System camera – was unceremoniously discontinued. After 55 years in production, the only remaining connection the company had to the system that gave it global recognition was a digital film back and a few lens adapters. To all intents and purposes, the company had become a rebrander of OEM cameras and accessories and was left with zero dedicated manufacturing capability of its own.
Although the system now had a slower top shutter speed of 1/500 second, it offered full flash sync across the entire range and if you were to put the Series One/Two and 500C in silhouette next to each other you’d be forgiven for mistaking one for the other. Although those troublesome focal plane shutters were gone, Hasselblad wasn’t done with them just yet. A source of great joy and frustration for both the company and its customers, the focal plane shutter and associated mechanisms of the 1600F and 1000F cameras laid the groundwork for the 2000 Series focal plane shutter cameras, which were released 20 years later in 1977, and the 200 Series released nearly 20 years after that in 1994.
The curtain finally closed on the V-System in late 2013 when the Hasselblad 503CW – the last remaining V-System camera – was unceremoniously discontinued. After 55 years in production, the only remaining connection the company had to the system that gave it global recognition was a digital film back and a few lens adapters. To all intents and purposes, the company had become a rebrander of OEM cameras and accessories and was left with zero dedicated manufacturing capability of its own.
Take a look at Hasselblad.com today and you’ll be lucky to find more than a few paragraphs of attention given to the V-System. Considering the importance the system had in establishing the company’s reputation it is a sad virtual hand-washing.
No discussion about Hasselblad’s history would be complete without even the smallest reference to the use of their cameras and lenses by NASA for their space program, so here it is, a small reference. Trust me when I say that I will be dealing with this rather large chunk of Hasselblad history in a dedicated article for this collection.
Whilst not technically V-System cameras, I have included Series One and Series Two Hasselblad cameras in the tables below for completeness. Without them, the V-System would not exist. You’ll also find some information about the specialist FlexBody and ArcBody cameras.
As with any detail in this and other articles in the collection, if you see anything amiss, or would like to add/edit something, just drop me a line in the comments below.
You’ll likely be able to discern the meanings of some of the designations used in the camera names above. For reference, I’ve provided a complete listing of what these mean in the following section.
Looking at the table in the previous section, it’s apparent that Hasselblad V-System has a dizzying array of camera nomenclature and designations. Some may seem arbitrary or just downright puzzling but they all have meaning. The following three sub-sections outline the main terminology used in describing the individual series in the V-System family, as well as the camera designations themselves.
Later in this document, I’ll also be talking about the lens and film magazine types and their designations.
*1 – Whilst not technically V-system cameras, the Series One and Series Two Hasselblads represent the root of the system, so are represented here for completeness.
Designations used for each camera are provided below alphabetically and grouped by series. The body designations are generic at best but can be used to provide a basic identification of the features present within each version.
With the exception of the SW/SWx models, every other V-System camera body can accept different lenses. The SW/SWx cameras were sold as sealed units with dedicated lenses not available elsewhere. Only the film magazines were interchangeable.
The Hasselblad V-System’s lens system (V-Mount) is comprised of six generations of lenses. Each lens in the system has a Flange Focal Distance (the distance from the lens’ mount to the film plane) of 74.90mm.
All but two V-Mount lenses were produced by Zeiss for Hasselblad. These were zoom lenses and were created by Schneider. They were based on the same design used by the Rollei SLX and 6000 cameras.
For the purposes of this document, I have not included lenses used by the ArcBody camera in the table below. These are technically large format lenses adapted by Rodenstock for this specialist camera body.
500 Series cameras lack a focal plane shutter, which means modifying lenses from other systems is impractical for many Hasselblad owners but it there is a small and growing “mod” community of Hasselblad 200/2000 users (including me).
These rather strange but wonderful individuals adapt Pentacon Six, Hasselblad 1000F/1600F and large format lenses for use with their camera bodies. It is perfectly possible to machine a dedicated adapter to mount and use Series One/Two lenses on 2000/200 series cameras. With their Flange Focal Distance of 82.10mm, the most common route to modify these lenses is by using a modified 16mm macro extension tube.
On the subject of adaptation, it should be noted that all first-party Hasselblad lenses can be very easily adapted to other medium format and all 35mm camera mounts – as well as for specific large format applications. The main exception to that rule (agreed upon by machinists in the know) are lenses from the Pentax 67 system. Still, workarounds exist where the 67’s mount itself is modified to accept V-System lenses. Check out the wonderful abomination from South Korea’s Litzst on eBay on the left.
Let’s take a quick look at the various Hasselblad lens families/designations produced for the V-System.
NOTE: All lenses which followed 1974’s “C T* ” lenses include this new coating. A distinction has been made above only to recognise a mid-production update.
Lenses that include a “C” designation (C, CB, CF, CF FLE, CFi, CFE) can be used on 500 Series cameras, along with the first-party Zeiss ZV “Classic” lenses. All Hasselblad V-Mount lenses can be used on all Hasselblad 2000 and 200 Series cameras. With the exception of the 135mm Macro-Planar, all V-System lenses include dedicated aperture and focus rings, aperture stop-down levers and PC-sync flash ports. The 135mm lens is designed to be used with a dedicated bellows extension for focusing and thus has no focus ring.
CFE lenses include a databus connection to pass exposure information to the camera body and can be used in a similar manner with 200 series bodies and the 503CX and CXi bodies. Other than the electrical contacts, they are identical in every way to the CFi models. When the CF lenses were released, the shutter was replaced by a Prontor type. Still, the “C” designation stood.
F designated lenses were designed specifically for 2000 Series cameras and do not include a shutter. They typically focus closer and benefit from wider maximum apertures than other generations of lenses. They can also be used on 200 series cameras. FE designated lenses were designed to be used with 200 Series cameras but can also be used with 2000 Series bodies. As with the F lenses, FE lenses have no shutter, focus closer, and mostly have wider apertures than their C-designated counterparts.
Certain F/FE lenses, such as the Planar 110mm f/2. F/FE are optically distinct from their equivalent C-designated leaf shutter siblings. However, the Planar F 80mm f/2.8 is identical to the Planar CF 80mm f/2.8.
If inclined, one could use an F or FE lens on a 500 series body in bulb mode…but I’ve yet to see anyone try.
You can very quickly tell if a Hasselblad lens is an F/FE or a C/CF/CFi, etc. Check the location of the focus and aperture rings. If the aperture ring is closest to the lens mount then it’s an F/FE lens. If not, it’s a C/CF/CFi, etc., lens. You’ll see a lot of eBay sellers and even bonafide camera store selling F lenses as FE lenses. You’re best to confirm yourself, as FE lenses command much higher prices. They can be easily distinguished from normal F lenses in two ways:
First, the mount includes four circular gold contacts (the databus connection). These communicate aperture information to 200 Series bodies.
Second, every FE lens features a pair of parallel blue stripes on the lens body. Whilst the stripes could be rubbed off unintentionally, there’s no way the databus connection is going anywhere.
From the beginning of 1974 (whilst the C lenses were still in production), all Zeiss lenses made for Hasselblad were given a new and improved coating designated by a “T* ” on the front of the lens.
Not all lenses which received this coating were marked so – a case of branding catching up to technology and very unlike today, where the smallest, most meaningless feature is used to try and edge ahead of the competition.
Anyway, you can identify these multi-coated sleepers by the slightly different colour cast on the lens.
For what it’s worth, many people prefer the early lenses for their slightly lower contrast result (especially on black and white film), however with a suitable shade and an eye for the direction of light hitting the lens, they stand up very well against later lenses in nearly all conditions.
Hasselblad film magazines come in versions that support 120 and 220 format roll film, 70mm film strips, Polaroid Series 80 and 100 film, as well as glass plate and cut film. For this system overview, I will not be covering Polaroid, glass plate and sheet film magazines/backs. These are covered in the film magazine article in this collection.
With a few exceptions, nearly every single Hasselblad film magazine made from 1948 until production ceased is compatible with every Hasselblad V-system body ever made. How’s that for commitment? There are a few incompatibilities however, the main ones you should be aware of are:
Full details of rollfilm, sheet and instant magazines and backs can be found in this dedicated section of the guide. If you don’t want to jump over just yet, here’s a quick breakdown.
There are seven types/generations of Hasselblad rollfilm magazines:
The numeric designation on each roll film magazine denotes the number of frames it is able to shoot on a single roll of 120, 220 or 70mm film. The letter denotes the family of magazine. For example:
Each rollfilm magazine is comprised of a shell and insert. Load the film in the insert and then install the insert into the shell. Wind the film on until you reach the first frame and then take the freshly loaded magazine and mount it onto any V-System camera body. Magazines can be swapped out mid-roll, just slip in the dark slide, release the magazine and swap.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the available V-System roll film magazines:
*1 – A plug could be purchased to block-out the film window on these magazines and therefore allow the use of 220 film (with a bit of guesswork).
*2 – 120 film can be used in 220 film magazines without modifying the magazine’s gearing. To use an unmodified 220 magazine with 120 film, simply ensure that the start mark on the film is lined up OPPOSITE the red mark on the film insert.
You may need to employ some trial and error. Alternatively, your local camera repair service should be able to help you re-gear your film back to suit. It is also possible to use 220 film in 120 magazines. Shoot 12 frames then wind up the roll and then reinsert to shoot the next 12. The frame spacing might be off slightly but you should still end up with 24 (or 36) useable frames.
Electronic film backs can be used with all Hasselblad V-System cameras but have some dedicated functionality for use with the 200 series bodies. Not listed here are the Ex-TCC and Ex-FCC film backs, dedicated for use with the 205TCC and 205FCC cameras and their Zone System metering modes. These film backs will be covered in the dedicated film magazine article for this guide.
*1 -120 film can be used in 220 film magazines without modifying the magazine’s gearing. To use an unmodified 220 magazine with 120 film, simply ensure that the start mark on the film is lined up OPPOSITE the red mark on the film insert.
You may need to employ some trial and error. Alternatively, your local camera repair service should be able to help you re-gear your film back to suit. It is also possible to use 220 film in 120 magazines. Shoot 12 frames then wind up the roll and then reinsert to shoot the next 12. The frame spacing might be off slightly but you should still end up with 24 (or 36) useable frames.
Like any mature system, Hasselblad has a rich ecosystem of V-System accessories that come in all shapes and sizes. Chances are that if you can think of something that you’d want to use, it was produced at one time or another. So-called “speed finders”, dedicated macro flash attachments, underwater housings and even “blank” lens mounts for you to have a play with.
For the purpose of the dedicated accessory article in this guide, I’ll be breaking out accessories into the following groupings:
It gets hard to categorise everything, as there’s always the risk of becoming too granular. That said, if it’s worth discussing, I will be – yes, that includes the reason why Hasselblad lens hoods and shades are square.
That’s it for now. It’s tempting to continue but I value my sanity and at nearly four thousand words so far, so should you. This is a living document and if you come back, you’ll likely find that things have been updated and links to new sections added.
Although you should consider it an element of the whole, as opposed to “part two in the series”, the next article in this collection takes an in-depth look into Hasselblad V-System film magazines and busts a few myths about those damned matching inserts and shells.If you’re looking for data on Carl Zeiss V-System lenses, head on over to the C/C T* and CF, CF-FLE and CF IHI lens guides.
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I'm EM, founder, overlord, and editor-in-chief at EMULSIVE.org. I may be a benevolent gestalt entity but contrary to increasingly popular belief, I am not an AI. Click to see EM's full profile, links and other articles , and please make sure you also check out their website here.
This is a delightful article. Last summer I bought a use Hasselblad X1D. Used V System and H System lenses are the only way it is practicable to build out a kit. This website is a truly great resource to learn about them.
Other than a couple of adapters and such, Hasselblad hasn’t made much money on me. I wonder if they see all those old lenses and cameras as competition to selling their X and H Series equipment, though they do sell a digital back now. Thank you for these great articles.
There was also a 35mm film back.
220 in 120 automatic backs (A-backs) not possible. Be aware also nonautomatic backs are called A…. Maybe not meant when switching inserts. no mentioning this in Hasselblad Kompendium by Wildi. Interesting solution using Nonperforated 70mm film in A70. Will come back when done. google
Uhhmm… so where do we find the “Hasselblad Accessories” in this article as mentioned (?) Did I miss something? Great article, but it fell flat at the end on accessories… which was what I initially came here for. Hasselblad is a great piece of engineering, but compared to Nikon, they failed miserably over the years with stamping model numbers on things. I have all sorts of gizmos I have no idea what they are or how to put them to use… all because I can’t look anything up! Nikon… EVERYTHING HAS A PART NUMBER. Google it and voila, info galore. So I was extremely excited when my search found this site. But then as I say… the article left us hanging on the accessories. looking forward to that info if its available. Much Thanks
It’s a multi part article! This is just the overview! Finders, shades, gadgets and gizmos are all coming as soon as I can get to them. Thanks for the feedback, Rich!
Awesome, looking forward to your accessories portion as well.
Well, heck: only a handful of months ago I was given–yes, given–a two-lens, two-back 500c/m system, and while I was pleasantly flummoxed, I was also in a quandary: I’m a lifelong 35mm person, with only occasional forays into larger formats. Besides, since I’ve adopted a “hybrid” photo methodology for the last 20 years (film on the front end, digitizing on the back end), I had facilities for properly scanning 35, but nothing larger. Then, my wife lands an Epson V800 on me for my Birthday, and boom, scanning issue resolved. (not just for me, either: she has a sizable MF archive in need of scanning. Coincidence?) So, the Hassy stays in the picture, so to speak. Thanks for this massive trove of info!
Now this is more like it. Very extensive work with a notch of history included. Very informative and explains nomenclature well. My kind of work .Thank you sir.
Very well done. I’m currently immersing myself in Hasselblad after having used a much more affordable Bronica SQ-Ai system for years and this is coming in very handy to parse the nomenclature and lineage of the V system. Looking forward to future additions and revisions. Many thanks!
Maybe you could rewrite the addendum on using 220 in 120 backs? I read it over and over, and can’t make sense of it. Otherwise, I look forward to the rest–it’s great!
The inserts are interchangeable. You can put an insert from a 120 back into a 220 back and shoot 220 film with it; not that anyone has 220 film now days. Back in film wedding days I only had one 220 back but several120 backs and so I would pre-load my 120 inserts for a quick film change using my single 220 back.
unbelievably detailed article, excellent work.
A great article that will probably make me spend a lot of money in the near future!
Wow! EM, what a great work!! Thanks this article is very very interesting and complete. Congrats!!!
@Hasselblad Very timely for me! Thanks Em!
By gum! This has brought back some memories. I used the V system at work for 15 years. A solid extremely reliable workhorse and it was worked hard. We had 500C’s, 500CM’s, EL’s, SWC’s and many lenses and accessories. You know I hadn’t picked up a Hasselblad for 20 years until recently and it was like riding a bike, remembered how to use it, felt like an old friend. Looking forward to more nostalgia in the following articles.
@Hasselblad The most useful thing I ever read about the 500CM was how to unjam a stuck lens with a sc… https://t.co/dNqNnbfh2c
This is superb – good work, Em, very good indeed!
@Hasselblad https://t.co/PEVJNL2vdD
@Hasselblad What was the hole in some backs for then?
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