Godfrey
Well-known member
NONS Camera : an Instax SQ back for Hasselblad V system
Hasselblad V system 6x6 exposures are 56x56 mm in size, and of course the Hasselblad has interchangeable film magazines. So ... In the now distant past (about 6-8 years ago), a kickstarter came up that married a Fuji Instax SQ processing mechanism with a replacement back (for Leica M, Nikon, and various other 35mm cameras) containing enlarging optics and a mirror to exploit making instant prints with your favorite 35mm film camera.
Of course, I bought in on one. I got the Leica M model and it works well enough: replace the back, use a 35 to 135 mm lens on it, stop down two stops from wide open for best results, and adjust exposure by +2 stops for losses in the enlargement optical system. Turns out pretty nice instant prints.
But... It's a large device and awkward to carry, somewhat fragile due to all the pieces to put together and keep in alignment, and not particularly conducive to wanting to take for a walk. But it does work.
Thinking about it way back when, I said to myself: 'Well, Hasseblad made a back for instant film, but it only put a little image on a big print, the film is out of production (peel apart type Polaroid or Fuji) and very expensive when you can still find some. The Instax SQ format is 62x62 mm so a 56x56 mm Hassy image would fit it pretty tightly, and you wouldn't need a mirror or optics—it would be much more efficient. ...' And so I started mucking around with various ways of putting one of the Instax SQ processing units onto the back of the Hasselblad 500CM. I finally gave up, saying to myself that I could not fit the Instax SQ close enough to the film plane due to the shape of the processing unit and the film cartridge, and maybe I could just make a box to mount a Mamiya 23 type lens/shutter/focusing mount onto the front of the processing unit instead.
So I acquired a lens and a broken body (to get the lens mount) and started hacking it to pieces so I could build a box behind it. And got stuck because I just don't have the expensive tools or skills required to do a precision job and make it work.
Roll forward to about two weeks ago, and I stumble across a YouTube vid talking about the NONS Camera Instax SQ film back for Hasselblad V. "What? It just snaps on like a normal back? and pushes the film out the side rather than up or down? and ... and ... and ..." Needless to say, I couldn't resist. It arrived yesterday, late, and I had to try it.
1978 Hasselblad 500CM fitted with NONS Camera Instax SQ back and Planar 80mm f/2.8 T* lens
I opened the box, fitted it to the 500CM, put in a pack of B&W film, and did some quick testing.
GDG and Bookcase on Instax SQ
80mm lens, f/8, scale focused, manually timed about 4-5 seconds exposure.
Kitchen Counter with Knives
120mm macro lens, f/11 at 1/2 second
Fat Bike, FLEETWOOD Tire
120mm macro lens, f/8 at about 26 seconds
Counter Outlet with Switches
120mm Macro lens, f/16 at 1/4 second
I'm pleased with these test shots. I shot the whole pack, but reciprocity failure cost me the other six exposures (underexposure). Instax film isn't really geared to long exposures...
The back is reasonably sized, not overly heavy, and easy to use. It has an on/off switch and a button to eject the print. You can make as many exposures as you want on a frame before ejecting. The dark slide means you can swap other backs on and off partway through a pack of film, and the battery is built-in rechargeable with a USB-C standard port. It has a battery indicator and a frame indicator on the top deck, and a holder for the dark slide.
More info: https://nonscamera.com/products/nons-instant-back
Now to take it out for a walk...
G
Hasselblad V system 6x6 exposures are 56x56 mm in size, and of course the Hasselblad has interchangeable film magazines. So ... In the now distant past (about 6-8 years ago), a kickstarter came up that married a Fuji Instax SQ processing mechanism with a replacement back (for Leica M, Nikon, and various other 35mm cameras) containing enlarging optics and a mirror to exploit making instant prints with your favorite 35mm film camera.
Of course, I bought in on one. I got the Leica M model and it works well enough: replace the back, use a 35 to 135 mm lens on it, stop down two stops from wide open for best results, and adjust exposure by +2 stops for losses in the enlargement optical system. Turns out pretty nice instant prints.
But... It's a large device and awkward to carry, somewhat fragile due to all the pieces to put together and keep in alignment, and not particularly conducive to wanting to take for a walk. But it does work.
Thinking about it way back when, I said to myself: 'Well, Hasseblad made a back for instant film, but it only put a little image on a big print, the film is out of production (peel apart type Polaroid or Fuji) and very expensive when you can still find some. The Instax SQ format is 62x62 mm so a 56x56 mm Hassy image would fit it pretty tightly, and you wouldn't need a mirror or optics—it would be much more efficient. ...' And so I started mucking around with various ways of putting one of the Instax SQ processing units onto the back of the Hasselblad 500CM. I finally gave up, saying to myself that I could not fit the Instax SQ close enough to the film plane due to the shape of the processing unit and the film cartridge, and maybe I could just make a box to mount a Mamiya 23 type lens/shutter/focusing mount onto the front of the processing unit instead.
So I acquired a lens and a broken body (to get the lens mount) and started hacking it to pieces so I could build a box behind it. And got stuck because I just don't have the expensive tools or skills required to do a precision job and make it work.
Roll forward to about two weeks ago, and I stumble across a YouTube vid talking about the NONS Camera Instax SQ film back for Hasselblad V. "What? It just snaps on like a normal back? and pushes the film out the side rather than up or down? and ... and ... and ..." Needless to say, I couldn't resist. It arrived yesterday, late, and I had to try it.
1978 Hasselblad 500CM fitted with NONS Camera Instax SQ back and Planar 80mm f/2.8 T* lens
I opened the box, fitted it to the 500CM, put in a pack of B&W film, and did some quick testing.
GDG and Bookcase on Instax SQ
80mm lens, f/8, scale focused, manually timed about 4-5 seconds exposure.
Kitchen Counter with Knives
120mm macro lens, f/11 at 1/2 second
Fat Bike, FLEETWOOD Tire
120mm macro lens, f/8 at about 26 seconds
Counter Outlet with Switches
120mm Macro lens, f/16 at 1/4 second
I'm pleased with these test shots. I shot the whole pack, but reciprocity failure cost me the other six exposures (underexposure). Instax film isn't really geared to long exposures...
The back is reasonably sized, not overly heavy, and easy to use. It has an on/off switch and a button to eject the print. You can make as many exposures as you want on a frame before ejecting. The dark slide means you can swap other backs on and off partway through a pack of film, and the battery is built-in rechargeable with a USB-C standard port. It has a battery indicator and a frame indicator on the top deck, and a holder for the dark slide.
More info: https://nonscamera.com/products/nons-instant-back
Now to take it out for a walk...
G
