I realized that, since getting my new Hasselblad with its expensive German lens, I haven't even bothered to see how color looks through it. So, when I drove Rachel down to San Marcos for a school function, I decided to shoot a roll of color on campus and see how it turned out.
I learned a few things.
First of all, the film magazine on this thing is unreliable and sometimes does strange things. Once, I had it overlap three photos so that the bottom of one frame cut through the middle of a woman's head. This time, however, it just offset its frames by one so that instead of 12 shots, I got 11 shots. It just started at #2 and only pretended to shoot the final frame.
This, the Internet tells me, can be easily fixed. Well, relatively easily. It's a common failure and can be fixed by cleaning and re-lubricating the magazine. This can be done by a qualified technician, of which Austin apparently has a few. But, as with all European mechanical objects, it's not exactly cheap. Or fast. So I'm going to have to give the camera up--again--for probably a month or two and drop another bill on it.
Second, I learned that I really need to get a hood for this thing. The lens I own is so old that it predates modern lens multicoating, meaning it flares pretty badly. Again, nothing made for this camera is cheap.
I feel like I understand what "car guys" go through when they try to buy and maintain classic cars. You love the thing, but damned if it isn't a giant money pit.
Oh well. Pictures:
I've done better, but at least the quality of the photos is nice. I can see why, in optimal condition, these cameras are so well regarded. I just wish I'd bought one in optimal condition.
Sigh.
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