Thinking about getting a Hasselblad 110mm f2.0 FE Planar lens. It has a very good reputation.
I understand that the FE versions of this lens are improved over earlier F versions. FE version added electrical contacts, but at least as I understand it, slight changes/improvements were made to this lens related to the rear elements. I have heard there have been as many as 5 generations of this lens. Are there any optical differences between the 4th and 5th generation? Does the FE version correspond to the 5th generation, or how does one identify a 5th generation lens? Does anyone have a run down on these differences?
Anyone know what a mint condition Hassy 110mm f2.0 FE Planar is worth these days?
From what I have heard the two lenses (F and FE) are identical, apart from the electrical contacts that communicate the aperture to the camera. I can not back this up at this point however. The FE lenses tend to be quite a bit more than their F counterparts.
Update!
The Hasselblad 203FE users manual states the following: "The F-lenses are optically, mechanically and operationally identical with the corresponding FE-lenses but are not equiped with their internal electronics and external identifications".
Hope that helpes! I have the F110 myself and absolutely love it. But if I could have only one lens it would probably be the Distagon 50, which is a totally different animal alltogether of course.
Thanks. While the optical formula has not changed, I do remember something about Zeiss with the FE version of this lens cementing the the rear elements and adding a baffle which reduced, I believe, veiling flare and improved overall contrast in more difficult lighting situations. I guess I was hoping to get confirmation of that and get a more accurate handle on when the change (or changes) in manufacturing were made.
I'd skip the 5th gen because that baffle creates a square which makes for ugly bokeh rings. The aperture blades mesh nicely with the baffle around F5.6. Clearly, the lens was designed for medium format and intended for F5.6. If you're shooting a Canon, get a Contax or Zeiss. Contax is the lightest of the bunch and has simplest aperture ring. The Hass is quite large on a Canon:
Well, a few years ago I purchased a Mint copy of the older version. The aperture was stuck open so I ended up returning it. Doing some research at the time, I discovered this was a fairly common issue with this particular lens. The estimate to have this fixed by Hasselblad was around $350. Mine was not an FE so I would look at later versions which perhaps fixed this issue.
By the way, why would the baffle have any effect on the Bokeh? There is no way that Zeiss designed this lens so that the baffle would vignette at 5.6, despite what the lens might look like when examining it from the rear with the aperture closed down to 5.6.
Thanks for the picture of the baffle. Just what I needed to see. Apparently this particular change came after the introduction of the FE as I've seen an FE without this baffle (maybe I should buy it -- any idea what it should be worth?).
I do have to agree with Tariq on the influence of the baffle on bokeh. It wouldn't be designed/made such that it would affect the light that hits the film/sensor. Do you have any images of what the different in bokeh looks like? I believe, all it is doing is limiting the size/shape of the image circle to about what will hit the film. It shouldn't vignette of influence bokeh at all (as far as I know), and certainly would have less of an impact on a 35mm sensor. I would appreciate better understanding the mechanism that might make such an effect possible.
Francisco Tan wrote:
Mint condtion will probably cost about $3500, more or less.
That is way high. KEH wants $1899 for EX+ FE version which is conservatively rated meaning that its mint. Non FE versions on ebay sell as low as $800. I bet an FE could be had for $1300 - $1600.
Tariq Gibran wrote:
Well, a few years ago I purchased a Mint copy of the older version. The aperture was stuck open so I ended up returning it. Doing some research at the time, I discovered this was a fairly common issue with this particular lens. The estimate to have this fixed by Hasselblad was around $350. Mine was not an FE so I would look at later versions which perhaps fixed this issue.
By the way, why would the baffle have any effect on the Bokeh? There is no way that Zeiss designed this lens so that the baffle would vignette at 5.6, despite what the lens might look like when examining it from the rear with the aperture closed down to 5.6....Show more →
Its a pretty well known issue the hasselblad lenses need to be used with frequency or they will get stuck. Many owners excercise their lenses weekly without taking even a shot to make sure they stay in good working order. Many stores do the same thing.
That is true about mechanical leaf shuttered lenses in general. Of course, the 110 is NOT a leaf shuttered lens at all. The issue with the 110 aperture mechanism goes beyond a simple lack of exercise as the mechanism in that lens has a higher failure rate compared to other lenses in the F/FE non shuttered lens line. It is due apparently to the much larger size of the aperture mechanism required for an F2 lens. It is a basic design problem with that lens. The lens I had was an early-mid 90's vintage by the way.
Justin Berman wrote:
Its a pretty well known issue the hasselblad lenses need to be used with frequency or they will get stuck. Many owners excercise their lenses weekly without taking even a shot to make sure they stay in good working order. Many stores do the same thing.
Francisco Tan wrote:
Mint condtion will probably cost about $3500, more or less.
Tariq Gibran wrote:
That is way high. KEH wants $1899 for EX+ FE version which is conservatively rated meaning that its mint. Non FE versions on ebay sell as low as $800. I bet an FE could be had for $1300 - $1600.
There are a couple on ebay for $2995 and $2495, which don't appear to be moving to fast. Another one, less than mint condition (obvious wear) was unsold at $1800. I was offered an FE (without baffle) for $1000 -- which is probably reasonably low. Not sure I'll bit, though. It's not something I actually need. Decisions, decisions.
Lotusm50 wrote:
There are a couple on ebay for $2995 and $2495, which don't appear to be moving to fast. Another one, less than mint condition (obvious wear) was unsold at $1800. I was offered an FE (without baffle) for $1000 -- which is probably reasonably low. Not sure I'll bit, though. It's not something I actually need. Decisions, decisions.
$1000 for an FE if its in nice shape is a great price. For that amount, I'm sure you could at least get your money back if you sold it in the future.
Picking up where we left off, so what differentiates the 5 different versions? Version 5 is just the FE version with the contacts, if I read it right. By the way, John, I saw the images on your blog made with this lens, and thought they looked fantastic. Could you post an example of an ugly boke photo?
I just picked up a version of the FE lens, but although it has the square shape around the back, it doesn't have the inner square baffle. I wonder if it was removed, or if it was made without for some time?
Pics of the lens wide open: see the eBay auction above. In case you mean pics with this lens wide open, I think there are a couple on a P25 at pebbleplace.com in the MF section. I am sure flickr has some too.
