135 mm and bellows Hasselblad..Portraits?

harlequin · Apr 6, 2023

Hello!!

Was wondering if any member is familiar with or owns Hasselblad bellows and 135mm macro lens setup.

I saw an insert in a vintage vogue magazine that was shot in 2/14 square in one of the photos you can see the power packs etc as it was a mirror reflection the camera bellows and lens were pretty close to model.

A) is this a workable option for close up portraits. Pros/cons ?
B) am I better off getting extension tube on my 150 c lens and call it a day?
C) can this combo emulate a flex body which at first glance looks like a sophisticated system for high detail closeup work?

Thanks for opinions/feedback!
Any photo using this rig would be also
Greatly appreciated!

Sirius Glass · Apr 6, 2023

My Hasselblad repairman recommends the 135mm Macro lens with the variable focus tube.

Slixtiesix · Apr 7, 2023

I do not have the 135mm but the old 120/5,6 S-Planar and I can say this lens is extremely sharp if used in the close range. The 135mm will be too, as MTFs look pretty similar between the two of them. Drawbacks are that at f 5,6 it is rather difficult to focus and of course it will not generate as much background blur as a faster lens would. But the sharpness is really extreme and quite different from the 150/4. As Sirius said, try the variable extension tube. It was made specifically for this lens.

etn · Apr 8, 2023

I have the 135 and use it for close up macro - mostly for digitizing slides. It is an excellent lens, which shines in the "closer" part of close range - around 1:2 to 1:1 or so. Not to say that the rest is bad.

The bellows are cumbersome to use hand held. I would not recommend it if you ask me. Can you use a tripod?

If you want to use the 135 handheld, try the variable extension tube mentioned above.

etn · Apr 8, 2023

The full name is "Variable extension tube 64-85", reference # 51691.

etn · Apr 8, 2023

Also note that for near the price of one of those extensions tubes, you can have a 150mm portrait lens, or a 120 Makro for not much more.

etn · Apr 8, 2023

harlequin said:
C) can this combo emulate a flex body which at first glance looks like a sophisticated system for high detail closeup work?

No. The goal of the flex body is to have tilt/shift. (And even more so with the Arc body).

The bellows of the 135 only goes in one direction, namely the lens-film distance. No tilt/shift. It serves a complete different purpose than the flex body.

Also, the 135 can only be mounted on a bellows or on one of those variable extension tubes, as the rear element of the lens extends beyond the mounting plate of the lens. (Technically it could be mounted on any extension tube, but it wouldn't make much sense as there'd be no means of focusing the lens.)

Sirius Glass · Apr 8, 2023

etn said:
Also note that for near the price of one of those extensions tubes, you can have a 150mm portrait lens, or a 120 Makro for not much more.

Please do not go and get "being practical" on us, after all this is mostly a place for people to go overboard on cameras and lenses.

randyB · Apr 8, 2023

If you are wanting to do "classic" portraiture you may find that the 135mm and the 120mm macro lenses are far too sharp. You might want to also get a Softar 1 or 2 to tone down the biting sharpness. This is especially true when photographing females, they tend to frown on photos showing every little bump, zit, and that super fine facial hair. One other option is to use a Proxar with the 150 to get up close.

MarkS · Apr 8, 2023

I used the 135/5.6 Makro-Planar, with the bellows, on the job for many years. It was superb for close-up work. But the focus rack on the bellows is stiff, fine for macro work but not the quick focus of a helical. You'd want easier focusing for portraits. It was also awkward to hand-hold (I never did shoot with it hand-held).
The 150/4 Sonnar (an older chrome one) that we also had was a far superior lens for portraits.
Resolution, well the 135 is extremely contrasty and has very high resolution; I'll just leave it at that.

Philippe-Georges · Apr 9, 2023

MarkS said:
I used the 135/5.6 Makro-Planar, with the bellows, on the job for many years. It was superb for close-up work. But the focus rack on the bellows is stiff, fine for macro work but not the quick focus of a helical. You'd want easier focusing for portraits. It was also awkward to hand-hold (I never did shoot with it hand-held).
The 150/4 Sonnar (an older chrome one) that we also had was a far superior lens for portraits.
Resolution, well the 135 is extremely contrasty and has very high resolution; I'll just leave it at that.

If the the focus rack on the bellows or any sliding system of a (LF-) camera is getting stiff, too stiff, then clean it with some wash gasoline (the one used in the household to clean fat stains from clothes (also called C7-C9 or cleaning benzine?)).
Then lube it (sparingly) with Ballistol gun oil, this will get into the suface structure and will not stick and 'dry' clean.
If it gets stiff again, put some fresh Ballistol on and wipe it off to solve and clean away the old, and lube again.

Don't use Ballistol inside a closed optical system as you don't know if the fumes of this (mineral based-) oil will deposit on the optical surfaces.
Ballistol is good to maintain the bellows also (and the leatherette, neck strap, bayonet mount, camera bag zipper and locks, ball head, tripod locks, enlarger column and knobs and whatever you can tink of...)

PS: to be done on your own risk ofcourse...

Axelwik · Apr 13, 2023

Philippe-Georges said:
If the the focus rack on the bellows or any sliding system of a (LF-) camera is getting stiff, too stiff, then clean it with some wash gasoline (the one used in the household to clean fat stains from clothes (also called C7-C9 or cleaning benzine?)).
Then lube it (sparingly) with Ballistol gun oil, this will get into the suface structure and will not stick and 'dry' clean.
If it gets stiff again, put some fresh Ballistol on and wipe it off to solve and clean away the old, and lube again.

Don't use Ballistol inside a closed optical system as you don't know if the fumes of this (mineral based-) oil will deposit on the optical surfaces.
Ballistol is good to maintain the bellows also (and the leatherette, neck strap, bayonet mount, camera bag zipper and locks, ball head, tripod locks, enlarger column and knobs and whatever you can tink of...)

PS: to be done on your own risk ofcourse...

The problem with Ballistol is that it smells like someone who doesn't bathe very often - kind of a body odor smell. And I think it off-gases too much to be used anywhere near a lens.

Philippe-Georges · Apr 13, 2023

Axelwik said:
The problem with Ballistol is that it smells like someone who doesn't bathe very often - kind of a body odor smell. And I think it off-gases too much to be used anywhere near a lens.

I use it regularly, for years now, on my Hasselblad and Linhof Kardan GT and Rollex cassettes, even on the rubber roll of the film transport system of the Technorama, to keep it 'lively', which is inside the camera where the rear element of the lens protrudes.
At the time I used it a lot on my Leica's too.
It's simply important to let the Ballistol dry (evaporate) overnight before you close the system.

But I kind of like the smell, it's similar to the smell of pine trees essence, like in the Black Forrest, of which I think it's in this oil's mixture (the story goes that there are about 80 components). I never heard a huntsman complain...
If it smells bad, then it went bad (perhaps due to heat)...
Anyway, to my modest experience, this gas/vapour, if there is any, isn't that aggressive.

Hassasin · Apr 13, 2023

The most practical way to work the 135/5.6 is with variable extension tube, specifically made for this lens as it will focus at infinity with it (so it becomes both: handholdable and all around lens, if nothing else will do that is. Note this is going to get quite dark once all pout together, but it is workable, provided sufficient light is on hand as well.

The bellows is really for stationary objects as in pure macro work. Everything is possible, so I suppose you could drive your model nuts and do some portraits with it, but I would not go that far.

Variable extension tube is relatively rare and as such, pricey in general sense. It is indeed in the range of 150 CF lens price wise. But it is a quality piece, smooth and solid feel.

135 mm and bellows Hasselblad..Portraits?

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