Macro lens choices for a Hasselblad X2DII

[felix5616]

I was going to purchase a hasselblad HC 120 II macro lens to use on my X2DII. since there is no autofocus is there any advantage with the HC 120mm. marco lens over say a Pentax 645 120mm macro or mamiya 120mm Macro?

 

[SylB]

1st obvious advantage is leaf shutter on the HC120. I suppose you want the 1:1 reproduction ratio so you didn't consider XCD lens ?

 

[Pieter 12]

I was going to purchase a hasselblad HC 120 II macro lens to use on my X2DII. since there is no autofocus is there any advantage with the HC 120mm. marco lens over say a Pentax 645 120mm macro or mamiya 120mm Macro?

AF is not always very useful for macro work. It can get in the way.

 

[mristuccia]

The ability to use a flash may be useful for macro work. For flash-sync you'll need to operate a mechanical (leaf) shutter.

 

[Godfrey]

I was going to purchase a hasselblad HC 120 II macro lens to use on my X2DII. since there is no autofocus is there any advantage with the HC 120mm. marco lens over say a Pentax 645 120mm macro or mamiya 120mm Macro?

I tend to use my reliable old V-system Makro-Planar 120mm f/4 T* adapted to the XCD mount. With extension tubes if I need to get closer to 1:1 magnification than its focusing mount allows. (In my case, if I want to use the leaf shutter, I can just swap the CFVII 50c back onto the 500CM body and use the lens in its native mode.

AF just isn't my thing ... it's very rare I use AF even when I have an AF capable lens/camera.

G

 

[guphotography]

HC 120mm II, bar none.

 

[algrove]

Depends on your preferences, but I have good luck with the AF Fotodiox Pro 20mm Auto Marco tube on my 38V. Fotodiox also makes a 48mm AF Tube and Hasselblad also markets the 9mm that can be double stacked.

 

[Doppler9000]

I was going to purchase a hasselblad HC 120 II macro lens to use on my X2DII. since there is no autofocus is there any advantage with the HC 120mm. marco lens over say a Pentax 645 120mm macro or mamiya 120mm Macro?

The Pentax 120mm is well regarded, and sells for less than $300. Seems worth a try, sell it on if you don’t like it.

 

[Godfrey]

This thread piqued my curiosity ... I hadn't had the Makro-Planar 120mm out for a bit. So I pulled it out and set it up on the V to XCD mount adapter, added two 32mm extension tubes, racked it out to maximum magnification, and snapped a photo of a mm scale ruler using the 907x/CFVII 50c:

Hasselblad Makro-Planar 120 CF T* by Godfrey DiGiorgi, on Flickr

This setup achieves 1:1.34 magnification. I can get even more magnification with another extension tube or two... And the lens performs beautifully, cost me about $450 in 2016 or so.

G

 

[felix5616]

I appreciate the advice and time to spent generating examples

 

[jng]

If you're OK with using electronic shutter, as noted by @Godfrey the old Hasselblad Zeiss 4/120 Makro-Planar is a fine lens and can get you to 1:1 with extension tubes, same with the older 5.6/120 S-Planar. With its requisite auto-bellows contraption, the 5.6/135 Makro-Planar will focus from 1:1 to infinity. The bellows also provides continuously adjustable extensions allowing 1:1 and greater magnification with the other lenses (minimum extension is 63.6mm if I have my math right). I have owned all three lenses at some point, now just the 120 S-Planar. I sold the other lenses to a friend, who is making great use of them. All perform well on the 100 Mp 44x33 sensor as well as the 150 Mp 53x40 sensor. Here's a picture of the 135 with the bellows fully extended:


And the bellows allowing closer focus with the 120 S-Planar:

(the image created here can be found at the following link)

John

 

[felix5616]

thank you

 

[Precision]

Here’s a more general question re: Macro lenses: what is the magic of the 120mm focal length? The Makro-Planar 120, the later H series 120, the rare and now discontinued XCD 120, the mind Bogglling Schneider LS 120 BR, the Excellent 120mm Takumar. Is there something magical in that focal length? Or is it just a well known and available lens design that keeps being reused because it works so well?

 

[Godfrey]

Regards the question "what is the magic of the 120mm focal length?" ... I think it just comes down to the same reason that the 90mm macro lens was considered a great standard for 35mm format: the longer than normal focal length nets a bit nicer perspective for 3D objects in macro scale as well as a nice bit of additional working room for good lighting setup. The increased working distance enables a bit more depth-of-field for small 3D objects as well.

For whatever reason, the 120mm focal length does work very well for macro with medium format, both film and digital.

Comforting - Santa Clara 2026
Hasselblad 907x/CFVII 50c + Makro-Planar CF 120mm f/4 T*
Extension Tube 32mm
ISO 200 @ f/11 @ 0.3 sec​

G

 

[Godfrey]

A bit of a digression ..

All this talk of macro and the Hasselblad lit a little bulb in my brain. "Hmm," I said, "I have a Leica R to Hasselblad XCD lens mount adapter, and a have a Leitz Focusing Bellows-R with Macro-Elmar 100mm f/4 lens. I wonder if the two bits are compatible?" So I assembled the pieces on a tripod and did some testing ...

Surprise surprise! The lens+bellows setup nets focusing from infinity to 1:1 and does not vignette on the 33x44 format at all! The bellows has a built in geared focusing rail as well, with a click-stopped rear mount to allow body rotation (for portrait or landscape photos), and of course the bellows' controls include a quick way to focus wide open and check DoF at the taking aperture. The only negative to working with this setup is that it only really works for relatively static subjects because you're depending upon the back's e-shutter. But modulo that, it works beautifully!

Gives new value to the Leitz Focusing Bellows-R + Macro-Elmar 100mm f/4 ... I paid something like $250 for that complete setup, in the box with the instructions, etc, a dozen or more years ago. At a time when nobody wanted Leica R gear at all anymore, because Leica had just recently discontinued the R system...

heh heh heh.

G

 

[Godfrey]

Hope you don't mind ... While we're on the subject of Hasselblad and macro, I saw this yesterday morning and had to capture it:
One of the orchids I keep on my dining room table has decided to grace us with a flower spike. These blossoms are about the size of a US quarter (or smaller) across:

Blossoming Orchid - Santa Clara 2026
Hasselblad 907x + Leitz Focusing Bellows-R + Leica Elmar-R 180mm f/4
ISO 1600 @ f/11 @ 1/90 sec​

enjoy! G

 

[Gbealnz]

Leica Elmar 180 f/4 Godfrey? I wondered if you meant 100/4. The 180 would be considerable in size, on the front of the bellows?

 

[Godfrey]

Leica Elmar 180 f/4 Godfrey? I wondered if you meant 100/4. The 180 would be considerable in size, on the front of the bellows?

I tried with the bellows-mount Macro-Elmar-R 100/4 that came with the bellows, but it was too short to achieve the perspective and framing that I wanted. So I swapped the Elmar-R 180mm f/4 in its stead. It did just the right thing. I'd had some experience with this setup before ... although with the Hasselblad CF Sonnar 180mm f/4 and extension tubes, to wit:

Orchid Blossom camera setup - February 2024

This was the setup to make the First Blossom photo: Hasselblad 500CM fitted with 32E tube and Sonnar 180/4 lens, with the CFVII 50c back.

New Orchid Blossom - Santa Clara 2024

Orchid Triple Blossom - Santa Clara 2024

Hasselblad 907x/CFVII 50c + CF Sonnar 180mm f/4 (V system)
ISO 100 @ f/11 @ 1.3 sec​

This year I used the Fotodiox Pro Leica R to Hassy XCD mount adapter and the Leitz Focusing Bellows-R ... it's a bit more flexible as the bellows gives a broader range of focus settings and has the geared focusing rail built-in. Yes, the 180/4 is a bit larger than the 100/4 macro lens, but it isn't enormous and the bellows' lens mounting standard is quite robust.

G

 

[Niddiot]

I have the canon EF 180mm on Techart adapter. ES but has AF if of any value.

 

[Knorp]

I have the canon EF 180mm on Techart adapter. ES but has AF if of any value.

But on what camera ?