Hasselblad 200 Series (201F, 203FE, 205FCC, 205TCC, 202FA)

Hasselblad 200 Series
(201F, 202FA,203FE, 205FCC, and 205TCC)

by Karen Nakamura

Overview and Personal Comments

The Hasselblad 200 series is a successful line of high-end, focal-plane, single-lens reflex (SLR) medium format cameras made by the Hasselbald Corporation of Sweden, using German-made Carl Zeiss lenses. The 200 series (which includes the 201F, 202FA, 203FE, 205TCC, and 205FCC) and the older 2000 series are renowned for their excellent optics, compact size, and extraordinarily ridiculously high original retail price in Japan, Europe, and the United States. On the secondary (aka used) market, the 200 series are currently priced reasonably and are worth the investment. Using the text or images on this website without permission on an ebay auction or any other site is a violation of federal law.

While the less-expensive Hasselblad 500 series share the same body shape and accessories (finder, film magazine, and lenses with leaf shutters) as the 200 series, the 500 series do not have a focal-plane shutter nor do they have in-camera metering. But because the 200 and 500 series share much in their basic DNA, please read my write-up on the 500 series before reading this page.

History of the 200/2000/1000 series focal plane Hasselblads
The very first Hasselblad roll-film system camera for the general public, the 1600F, was released in 1948, just a few years after the War. Victor Hasselblad had been making cameras for the Swedish military during the war. Like all Hasselblads until the recent X-Pan and H1, the 1600F was 6x6 medium format on 120 film, used interchangeable film backs, viewfinders, and lenses.

The F in the 1600F indicated that it used a Focal-plane shutter built into the camera body. From a distance, the older 1600F is indistinguishable from a contemporary Hassie 500 or 200 series.

From before the war, Hasselblad was a Kodak dealer in Sweden and had a close relationship with the company in NY. For the 1600F, they chose the well-regarded Kodak 80mm Ektar as its primary lens. There was also a selection of a wide-angle and a telephoto Ektar available at the time.

Unfortunately, the body shutter on the 1600F was not reliable especially at its top speed of 1/1600 second. Part of the problem was that the mechanical designer had been a watchmaker and the mechanism was too delicate for the harsh environment of a camera used in the field. Hasselblad de-tuned the shutter and released the 1000F in 1952 with a top-speed of 1/1000 sec. The German optics industry had recovered by that time and as a cost-cutting measure, Hasselblad offered the Zeiss Tessar 80mm as the standard lens in Europe, along with other Zeiss wide-angle and telephoto lenses. In the U.S., they released the cameras with the Kodak Ektar or Zeiss lenses. Unfortunately, the shutter mechanism of the 1000F was still delicate and many photographers shied away from it.

In response, Hasselblad moved away from the production of in-camera focal-plane shutters and towards using in-lens leaf-shutters. The first 500 series using the new leaf shutters, the 500C, came out in 1957. The 'C' indicated the Compur in-lens leaf shutter mounted in a Zeiss lens. The Compur shutters worked well. Studio and wedding photographers liked that you could flash synchronize at all speeds.

Unfortunately, the leaf-shutter design meant that the top shutterspeed was limited to 1/500 sec. (and it had limitations to its maximum aperture as well). The slow top-shutter speed limited the usefulness of the 500 series outdoors as a field camera. Also, the 500 series did not have any provision for in-camera metering, so you needed to buy an accessory prism meter which would only provide uncoupled metering (or you would have to use a separate handheld meter).

Nonetheless, the Hasselblad 500 series was a huge success with studio and wedding photographers who didn't mind since many of their shots were using studio flash and the pluses more than outweighted the negatives.

2000 series: Hasselblad did not return to focal-plane shutters for another 20 years. Finally in 1977, they released the 2000 FC. The 2000FC had a titanium foil focal-plane shutter with a top-speed of 1/2000 sec. At the same time, Hasselblad announced a new series of shutterless lenses, the F series. These had wider apertures and closer focusing than the leaf-shutter lenses, the C lenses. Several years later in 1982, the C lenses themselves were redesigned and renamed CF lenses in recognition that they could be used in both 500C and 2000FC bodies. Because the F (and later FE) lenses were more expensive and more limited than their C/CF/CFE counterparts, they had limited popularity and are rarer on the secondary market.

The 2000FC had the same problem of the 1600F/1000F, namely that ham-handed photographers had the unsettling problem of putting their thumbs through the fragile and expensive titanium-foil rear-shutter. The 2000 FC/M solved this in 1981 by having the shutter retract when the back was removed. There was a minor change in 1984 with the 2000 FCW which added the ability for a motor-winder. The 2000FCW and the 2003 FCW are the most reliable cameras in the 2000 series (and the only ones that Hasselblad will still repair) and the only models you should seriously consider buying. Otherwise, get a 200 series.

200 series: The 200 series was launched in 1991 with the 205TCC. This was the highest-end model with metering built into the body (a first for Hasselblad). It also solved the problem plaguing the 2000 series by using a relatively tough silk-cloth shutter curtain instead of fragile titanium foil. Of course when it first came out, the 205TCC cost about $7000....

The 205TCC was followed by other 200 series cameras. Read on for more details.

Hasselblad 203FE

The 200 series Hasselblad that I own is the 203FE which is the workhorse of the 200 series. When new, it was less expensive than the top-of-the-line 205FCC yet had most of the features that most photographers needed. It is perhaps the most popular model of the 200 series and is readily available on the used market.

The 203FE is compatible with the entire line of Hasselblad bayonet-mount lenses; aall film magazine backs; and the newer prism finder (PM and PME) series. In addition, it supports the new Databus CFE and FE lenses which communicate their aperture to the body; as well as the E-12 and ECC-12 film magazines which communicate their film ISO. Using the text or images on this website without permission on an ebay auction or any other site is a violation of federal law.

I ended up selling my 500CM to finance my 203FE. Why did I trade up? I wanted these features in particular:

• Aperture priority automatic exposure with stepless shutter speeds - this is very important if you're shooting slides in a changing light environment. Unlike most people, I use my 'blad as a field camera (not a studio camera), so I wanted something that was very responsive to changing light.
• Waist-level viewfinder with metering. The 500 series requires the use of a prism meter, adding weight and complexity.
• 1/2000 shutter speed as I use this camera outdoors.
• Maximum flexibility in using C, CF, CFE, FE, F, modified Zeiss Jena lenses, and weirdo homebrew lenses
• After selling my 500CM with 80 T* and my PME-90 prism, the 203FE + 80 CFE was only $500 more for a much newer camera and lens

The 203FE uses centered-weighted metering. You have the option of regular center-weighted aperture-priority metering; a "differential mode" where the aperture/shutter setting is fixed and you can measure the contrast range of the scene (a bit limited in utility because of the center-weighted metering); and pure manual mode in which the meter is still active.

Controls: The camera is designed so that you cradle it with your left hand. Your left index finger triggers the shutter while your left-thumb should be able to reach the metering/activation button. My hands are actually not large enough to reach the metering controls, so I just cradle and fire with my left hand. Your right hand controls the focus, aperture, and wind/cocks the shutter.

Left hand controls (pictured above):

• On the left side of the body, right under the 203FE logo is a small black button. This turns on the backlight for the LCD display.
• Below that is the Control mode dial:
  • Pr = Program. This lets you program the current film ISO, flash, self-timer, manual mode reference, and auto-bracketing setting
  • Ab = Auto-bracketing mode. Like the 'A' mode but with a winder will take a series of photographs (0/+/-) according to your AB setting. You have to hold down the shutter button during this, so it's fairly useless unless you have a winder on and a tripod.
  • D = Differential mode. Locks the meter and then tells you the difference between the current metering and the locked amount. Not so useful because of the center-weighted metering.
  • A = Auto-exposure. The camera controls the focal-plane shutter to give you a perfect exposure.
  • M = Manual metering. The meter stays on even if you have an older non-coupled lens attach, so this is a very useful feature.
• Metering/activation is the red AE-lock button centered inside the control mode dial. Push this to lock in a new meter reading. You can also depress the shutter button half-way to activate the meter. This also doubles as the 'mode' button when Programming. Using the text or images on this website on an ebay auction or any other site is a violation of federal law.
• Shift up/down buttons in blue. These either shift the exposure compensation up/down when in metering mode, or allow you to program the camera. When in 'M' mode, pushing both buttons engages the long exposure mode. Very sneaky and useful.
• Body flash sync terminal
• Body SCA terminal for TTL flash
• Battery holder: The 203FE is famous for eating the expensive silver-oxide 4SR44 or lithium 2CR1/3N batteries for breakfast. Yank the batteries out when not using them. I keep the battery holder and a spare 4SR44 cell in a 35mm film canister, they fit snugly. Using the text or images on this website on an ebay auction or any other site is a violation of federal law.

Right hand controls:

• Shutter wind/cock lever: Pretty self explanatory. Not self-explanatory is that there's a small button hidden under the fold-out crank. This allows you to do double-exposures or to re-cock the shutter after a jam (or if the batteries die). Push the button and re-crank the shutter.
• You can also remove the crank by turning the crank release lever slightly while rotating the crank. This allows you to attach the Winder F for a blazing 1.3 fps
• Mirror pre-release / self-timer lever is located under the crank. Push it in once for the mirror pre-release. Twice to activate the self-timer. The actual amount of time for the self-timer is controlled through the Program (Pr) function. I use the 2-second mirror-up/self-timer function a lot for macro, low-light, and "flowing water" photographs. It's very nicely thought out. Using the text or images on this website without permission on an ebay auction or any other site is a violation of federal law.

Front controls (see picture below):

• Shutter dial: This is turned off in 'A' Auto-exposure mode. Turn this to the 'C' setting when using the built-in lens shutter on C/CF/CFE lenses. To turn it to the C setting, hold down the lens release button while turning.
• Lens release button (on the right of the body pictured below): This normally releases the lens (if the lens appears jammed on, it's because you need to cock the shutter). Holding this down also allows you to turn the shutter dial to 'C' (see above) to 'B' for bulb. Using the text or images on this website on an ebay auction or any other site is a violation of federal law.
• Shutter release: Holding this halfway also activates the meter

Lenses

The 203FE is compatible with all Hasselblad V series lenses. Newer CB, CF, and CFi lenses can be used with either the lens (leaf) shutter or with the camera body shutter. Hasselblad recommends only the use of the lens leaf-shutter with older C and C T* lenses. The advantage of using the lens leaf shutter is that you get full flash sync up to the maximum speed of 1/500 sec but must be metered manually as the camera body cannot tell the lens which speed to use. The advantage of the body's focal plane shutter is the maximum speed of 1/2000 sec as well as the use of aperture-priority automatic exposure. Using the text or images on this website on an ebay auction or any other site is strictly prohibited.

C, C T*, and CF lenses: You can meter quite easily with the 203FE even when using older C and CF lenses. This trick requires using the lens leaf shutter. Simply put the camera in 'A' mode and focus and compose as usual. Read the shutter speed displayed ('250' for example). On the lens body, dial in the shutterspeed '250' so that it coincides with the maximum aperture of the lens '2.8' on the aperture dial. Then you can flip on the EV lock and dial in the aperture you want. This sounds complicated but in actuality is quite easy and smooth.

F and FE lenses do not have a leaf shutter in them and are dedicated to the 200/2000 series bodies. The lack of a leaf shutter means that these lenses can be brighter (i.e., the 50mm f/2.8 FE is one stop brighter than the 50mm f/4 CFi), focus closer, and theoretically less expensive. The less-expensive aspect has not been proven in the field (i.e., they always seem more expensive on the secondary market because of their rarity!) , but the brighter lenses are very nice and focusing more closely is always a plus.

The newest CFE and FE lenses feature the digital Databus communication through the four gold pin connections you can see in the photo above. They can tell the camera which aperture they are set at and allow for full automatic automatic exposure. This is the most convenient but unfortunately not all Hassie lenses have been rereleased as CFE (many are still CFi which is not databus compatible).

The one thing I hate about ALL Hasselblad lenses is that the aperture and shutter speed indicators are painted on and are not engraved. On well-used lenses, some of the lettering has been rubbed off. Come on, we're spending over a $1000 (and sometimes $3000) for a lens and the critical lettering rubs off????? This is incomprehensible to me. Yes, you can have them painted back on or replaced when you overhaul the lens, but what happens when Zeiss stops stocking the spare parts?

The other thing I dislike about the newest CFE lenses is that they enforce right hand use. The aperture is very difficult to manipulate with your left hand. The 'blad is designed to be cradled with your left hand and your right hand controls the lens. I'm used to SLRs and rangefinders where I hold the camera with my right hand and my left hand focuses and controls the aperture. I don't like being forced to switch handedness. This is my gripe about the CFEs....

Soviet lenses: There are also some Soviet-era lenses for the Kiev 88 that are being re-released as Hasselblad-mount lenses. These also do not have a leaf shutter in them, so they only mount on 200/2000 series bodies. They offer perspective control and super-wide angle lenses at ridiculously (for Hasselblad) low prices. Definitely something to check out. Do a google for "Arsat Hasselblad lens" or see my links below.

Prism Finders and Meters

Film Magazines

Practically all of the older film magazines are compatible with the 200 series including the 12, A-12, A-16, A-16S, A-24, 70mm, and Polaroid backs. You can also use latest and nicest film magazines such as the E-12 and ECC-12 or even most digital film backs.* The Hasselblad lens and film back mounting systems are excellent. There are no extruding pins or hooks on the lenses or on the backs. This means you can set down a Hassie lens or put a film back in your backpack without having to worry about something catching or getting damaged. It's truly a well-thought out system. Other lens systems and backs have protruding pins that are always getting snagged.

There are four major variations of film magazine backs: (1) the original 12 backs; (2) the "automatic" A-12 backs; (3) the E-12 databus backs; and (4) the ECC-12 zone databus backs.

Within each series, there are variations for 220 film (24; A-24); 6x4.5 framing (A-16); 4x4 "superslide" format (A-16S); and so forth. There are also 70mm film backs, but 70mm film is getting very, very difficult to find and I don't recommend getting any of these backs. They're being unloaded on the used markets for very cheap prices for a reason.

The original ("12") backs required you to look through a peephole to align the first frame. Some people call these M backs (M12, M24) because they are Manual.

With the A-12 backs (A=Automatic), loading became much simpler because you just had to align the "start" arrow on the film with an arrow inside the body. As the older 12 backs are much older and more difficult to use, there's no reason not to get the newer A-12 backs. There are at least three different revisions of the A-12 backs. Try to get the most recent ones you can afford, at least ones dating from the 1980s (see dating table below).

A-12 backs from 1997 (often called A-12N backs) and E-12/ECC-12 backs have a built-in darkslide holder. This is a great feature that Hassie ripped off from Lindahl, who has been selling a stick-on version of this forever (see my one on the A-12 above). The cheapest place to buy these is from Calumet Camera in Chicago. Three thumbs up.

The E-12 backs added the electronic databus for the 202FA, 203FE and 205FCC cameras. This communicates the film speed (set-manually) to the camera's in-body lightmeter. If, like me, you carry a bag full of different backs with different speeds (Tri-X@400; Provia @ 100; etc.), then this can come in handy. However.... these backs are so expensive ($750 new! you can buy 3 Canon EOS Rebels for that!), even on the used markets... that I only own one of them.z

The ECC-12 backs add the zone system latitude compensation found in the 205TCC and 205FCC. This lets you set the film-developing contrast latitude used in the Ansel Adam zone system to N+/-3. This is significant for black and white photographers who can develop their own film, adjusting for the contrast range. The N compensation is relayed automatically to the camera body where it is used in the Zone mode. An ECC-12 back on a 203FE acts just like a E-12 back -- the zone information is ignored.

Matching Insert Numbers: Hasselblad backs are reputedly hand-adjusted at the factory for the tightest tolerance possible. The film insert has a sticker on it with the last 3 digits of the shell's serial number. Whenever possible, try to get a back with matching insert and shell serial numbers (these are listed on ebay as "matching inserts" or something like that) as it will increase their resale value. In reality, it doesn't make that much of a difference and if you're a user rather than a collector, you can get mismatched backs for 50-75% of matched backs. Two of my backs have mismatches and I don't lose any sleep on it.

You can also buy digital CCD/CMOS backs for the Hasselblad from Kodak, Leaf, Imacon, and several other places. Now that Imacon and Hasselblad have merged, perhaps we'll see even more exciting backs (although I doubt it, most of their energy will most probably go towards the Hasselblad H-1). Note that digital backs for the Hasselblad start at $10,000 and go up from there.

Motor Winders: The 201F, 202FA, 203FE and 205FCC shared the Winder F. Unlike the ergonomic Winder W for the 503CW series which has a trigger button on the winder body itself (so it is almost like a trigger grip), the Winder F is just a big blob that you attach to the right side of the camera body. It's not ergonomic, doesn't have any controls on it, not even have a cold flash shoe and is pretty useless for any conceivable purpose other than feeding film through at a lethargic 1 fps. Two thumbs down.

Jams: The Hasselblad 200 series doesn't seem to experience the lens jamming problem of the 500 series. However, if you run out of batteries then the 200 series camera may exhibit what looks like a jam: the mirror will raise, the lens shutter will release or the mirror , but the mirror won't fall again. You can't wind on and the lens won't bayonet off.

Clearing this jam is easy. Just push in the multiple-exposure button in the middle of the winding crank. This will allow you to crank the camera, winding the shutter and resetting the lens. Then you can take the lens off, or more likely -- put in a new battery.

There also appears to be an electromechanical fault in the 202/203/205 series cameras that causes the camera to not power-up (which will cause the jam above). There's a thread in Photo.net about this.

Dating a Hasselblad
You can date the manufacture of your Hasselblad bodies and backs using the following serial number code. The first two or three digits indicate the item number, then the next two letters the manufacture date. Older cameras/backs may start directly with the date letters. Using the chart, I find that my 203FE body (serial #18SV113xx) was made in 2001; and the prism finder PM-90 (serial #411ET1xxx) was made in 1996.

You can also date the lens manufacture. Zeiss doesn't use Hasselblad's VHPICTURES, but if you take the lens off the camera and look at the rear element, there should be a 3-digit or 4-digit number in red lettering on the inner shroud. You may have to focus the lens to infinity or to the closest focus distance in order to reveal it. This is the manufacturing date code. In order to decode it:

• The last two digits are the month
• The first one or two digits are the year. Add this to 1957.

So my 50mm C Distagon has a date code of '806'. This means it was made in June of 1965. My 80mm C T* has a date code of '1605'. This means it was made in May of 1973. This only works with older C and CT* lenses apparently.

CF lenses use a different code: one letter and two digits. The letter is the month (A=Jan; B = Feb; C=March; D= April) and the two digits are the year flipped. So 28 = 82 = 1982. So F58 = June 1985.

My 80mm CFE lens does not have a visible date code, so if I wanted to know when it was made, I would have to look up the serial number (there are charts in some books).

Other Accessories
Along the way, I picked up a 2x Komura Tele-extender. The Komura is a high-quality 2x focal length multiplier. You also lose 2 stops of light and the Komura does not have electronic contacts, so with CFE/FE lenses you also lose the ability to open-aperture meter. You have to stop-down meter, which isn't all that difficult.

Technical Details