MF Lens advice for studio

[Endeavour]

HI
I have a Hasselblad H1 with an 80mm normal lens. Right now I am shooting film rather than digitally.

I like the 80mm for exterior & landscape and full body work.
But I want a lens which is better suited to commercial fashion/studio work. In particular models at 3/4 to head shots.

I fear the 80mm is too wide, causing subject distortion, especially for headshots. So I'm assuming the 150 or 210 are the two main runners for me? Any longer than 210 I think would start to flatten out the subject too much?

HC lenses are damn expensive, so not like my happy Canon days where I could buy a bunch of decent primes to cover all bases, I am only going to be able to afford one.
Something which makes the choice harder, is that availability is slim. So checking out the options myself is going to be limited as I'll be buying used online.


I'd love to hear some thoughts on this
cheers
Simon

[douglevy]

I use the 120 for this, plus it has the benefit of being the macro so I use it for food as well. Focus is sloooooooow though (I'm using the H5X body)

-Doug

[Endeavour]

thanks Doug
I had thought about the 120, and had heard about the AF being slow. But as I'm not shooting pretty still models I wouldn't have thought it would be much of an issue.
the 120 however is about 33% more expensive than the 150 or 210 which are about the same price.

[Christoph B.]

A 120mm - 150mm focal length should do nicely. 200+ is also an option, however it will look very, very flat - I only use it for tight closeups with extension tubes.

I'd go for the 120mm macro even if it's more expensive - and then later on you can add a 210mm.

[Ken R]

I agree. The 120mm is just about the perfect length. I like the 150 as well because it handles better (lighter, AF a bit more swift) since the 120 is a macro lens.

[Joe Towner]

The 1.7x tele with the 80mm gives you a 135mm/f4.8 - and when found used can be had pretty cheap compared to other glass.

[minicoop1985]

I think I mentioned it before, but if not, I had the 150 3.2. What a fantastic lens, great for portraits. Here's a couple samples from that lens (not of portraits in studio, but whatever)

The Falls by Michael Long, on Flickr

Mother and son by Michael Long, on Flickr

Hopefully that helps.

[orc73]

I had the 150mm, old version, got it used for 1200USD:
http://www.valentino-photography.com/hasselblad-hc-150mm/
Lovely lense.

+1 for the 1.7 converter if you have the 80mm. Covers two focal lengths in a small and light package, probably also the lowest invest.

[TonyVentourisPhotography]

I too use the converter.  It holds up nicely in terms of quality.  On top of that...I add a Canon 500D magnifier filter if I need to do macro style closeups.  It might not be as ridiculous as a macro or macro plus extension tubes...but its great for on the spot details and small product.  The 80mm then gives me three different lens styles.  It's also a much smaller setup to carry around.

[Garry Sarre]

In the film days, 6x6, the classic was 50, 80 & 150. I mainly do studio portraiture and fashion. I use both the 120 and 150 on a H5D-50

The beauty of MF to me (not everyone) is the shallow DOF and the smooth Bokeh. So it's nice to shoot nearly wide open for some stuff. The focal length increasing tubes don't allow for that. Of course, if you are shooting at 5.6 - 8, that's no reason not to use them.

MF also wins hands down over 35mm in that I can focus manually through a bright, large view finder. So a fast lens is helpful, like the 150.

Sharp veins in the eyeballs are not important to me either, so I have successfully shot wide open at f4 on the 120 with manual focus. Slightly out but damned close.

The 150 won't allow close ups like the attached file taken with the 120. The 120 also seem a more 'intimate lens, like the 80 but with out the perspective.

My studio is only 6 metres, so it's awkward to get a full length with the 150 sometimes.

The 120 and 150 are my daily lenses. For me, they are neck and neck.

But all in all, I'd go for the 150 over the 120.

[Endeavour]

Thank you Garry.

I'm going to try and rent them both in the near future. Should give me a better idea

used teleconverters seem to be rarer than hen's teeth, besides my 80mm has a manual focus problem so getting another lens rather than extending this one, would be favorable.

[photo570]

Hi Simon,

The 50-110mm is a very versatile option, and the quality of the lens is a match for any of the primes, although it is big.