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Thoughts on my Hy6 Mod 2

I recently acquired a Hy6 Mod 2 from Eric at Rolleiflex.us. I had a Leaf AFI and a 645 back, and he knew I was seeking out a 6x6 back somewhat desperately. The factory (yes, they're still around) allegedly is in the middle of a production run, but having difficulty sourcing a part... Anyway, I was able to get a very lightly used Mod 2 kit with the back. It cost me dearly, as I had to sell my 80/2 Xenotar to afford it, even after having just acquired it a few weeks before. Lucky for me, I still had the 80/2.8 AFD Xenotar, and the always under-rated 60/3.5 Distagon.

So was the upgrade worth it? Well....YES. The Mod 2 in many ways fulfills the promise of the original Hy6 in my mind. It's very much a 6x6 SLR of the new century. While I was used to shooting manual focus with a Hasselblad, I never jived with the waist level finder. My eyes are just not quite there enough to focus reliably, and I always had my face stuck on the magnifier anyway. The irony for me is, that though my hit rate went up focus-wise while using a prism, my compositions suffered. Maybe it's just the way my brain works, but when you are looking at a WLF from a couple feet away, you can really pre-visualize the image much more quickly. The Mod 2 allows me to shoot with almost complete trust in the AF mode with the WLF. I occasionally check focus with the magnifier, but thus far it hasn't let me down. You can really shoot away, especially in aperture program mode. I find internal meters more accurate for E6 films, and I love to shoot Provia and Velvia so for me this has been great. Even for long exposures, I am enjoying that you can program for the shutter to open longer than an hour, much longer than I would generally ever expose. Auto bracketing is quick and wonderful. (of course the original Hy6 had these features too, but the AF was MUCH worse). From the symmetrical inserts to the rotating grip, there are just too many small design choices to list that make this camera incredibly well thought out.

Frankly, it's like a 6x6 Nikon F6, with a single focus point. I'm just over the moon with it!

I sometimes miss my 80/2, but on the other hand my 2.8 is just incredible. It's tack sharp, with very high contrast. I'm not sure i've use a better medium format lens. Having access to the Rollei versions of classic Zeiss lenses is a big bonus, but for my part I'm going to be seeking out the Schneider designs. The 180/2.8 is next on my list. The more exotic lenses like the 110/2 are probably too rich for my blood, thought it's interesting they made it with a leaf shutter. I'd also love to try out the Super Angulons. Both the AF 50 and MF 40 look great. I love my 60, and though I have heard the Curtagon is a better design, I'm not sure I'd upgrade to it.

I'm benefitting from the fact that I shoot film exclusively. It's a shame that there aren't Phase options for the system, but I understand you can get the Credo backs.

I've been posting images recently on my instagram which you can see here: https://www.instagram.com/marksperry/
 

DB5

Member
It is such a good system, really, one of the best. Like Contax, one of the better system there was and it's a great loss - such a shame of it's and Rollei's demise. If Phase One made backs for the mount I might consider it still.

That 80 f2 is a really stunning lens, that would really hurt to have to sell!
 
It is such a good system, really, one of the best. Like Contax, one of the better system there was and it's a great loss - such a shame of it's and Rollei's demise. If Phase One made backs for the mount I might consider it still.

That 80 f2 is a really stunning lens, that would really hurt to have to sell!
Keep in mind the Hy6 Mod 2 is still in production at DW Foto.
 

hcubell

Well-known member
I recently acquired a Hy6 Mod 2 from Eric at Rolleiflex.us. I had a Leaf AFI and a 645 back, and he knew I was seeking out a 6x6 back somewhat desperately. The factory (yes, they're still around) allegedly is in the middle of a production run, but having difficulty sourcing a part... Anyway, I was able to get a very lightly used Mod 2 kit with the back. It cost me dearly, as I had to sell my 80/2 Xenotar to afford it, even after having just acquired it a few weeks before. Lucky for me, I still had the 80/2.8 AFD Xenotar, and the always under-rated 60/3.5 Distagon.

So was the upgrade worth it? Well....YES. The Mod 2 in many ways fulfills the promise of the original Hy6 in my mind. It's very much a 6x6 SLR of the new century. While I was used to shooting manual focus with a Hasselblad, I never jived with the waist level finder. My eyes are just not quite there enough to focus reliably, and I always had my face stuck on the magnifier anyway. The irony for me is, that though my hit rate went up focus-wise while using a prism, my compositions suffered. Maybe it's just the way my brain works, but when you are looking at a WLF from a couple feet away, you can really pre-visualize the image much more quickly. The Mod 2 allows me to shoot with almost complete trust in the AF mode with the WLF. I occasionally check focus with the magnifier, but thus far it hasn't let me down. You can really shoot away, especially in aperture program mode. I find internal meters more accurate for E6 films, and I love to shoot Provia and Velvia so for me this has been great. Even for long exposures, I am enjoying that you can program for the shutter to open longer than an hour, much longer than I would generally ever expose. Auto bracketing is quick and wonderful. (of course the original Hy6 had these features too, but the AF was MUCH worse). From the symmetrical inserts to the rotating grip, there are just too many small design choices to list that make this camera incredibly well thought out.

Frankly, it's like a 6x6 Nikon F6, with a single focus point. I'm just over the moon with it!

I sometimes miss my 80/2, but on the other hand my 2.8 is just incredible. It's tack sharp, with very high contrast. I'm not sure i've use a better medium format lens. Having access to the Rollei versions of classic Zeiss lenses is a big bonus, but for my part I'm going to be seeking out the Schneider designs. The 180/2.8 is next on my list. The more exotic lenses like the 110/2 are probably too rich for my blood, thought it's interesting they made it with a leaf shutter. I'd also love to try out the Super Angulons. Both the AF 50 and MF 40 look great. I love my 60, and though I have heard the Curtagon is a better design, I'm not sure I'd upgrade to it.

I'm benefitting from the fact that I shoot film exclusively. It's a shame that there aren't Phase options for the system, but I understand you can get the Credo backs.

I've been posting images recently on my instagram which you can see here: https://www.instagram.com/marksperry/
It’s a wonderful camera system...for someone who doesn’t really NEED a camera system.
 
It’s a wonderful camera system...for someone who doesn’t really NEED a camera system.
Shots fired. I'll assuming that your chosen system is the only "correct" chosen system and the rest of us are amateurs. Shucks, you got me. I'll close my photography business out here and call it a day. :ROTFL:
 

Photon42

Well-known member
I recently acquired a Hy6 Mod 2 from Eric at Rolleiflex.us. I had a Leaf AFI and a 645 back, and he knew I was seeking out a 6x6 back somewhat desperately. The factory (yes, they're still around) allegedly is in the middle of a production run, but having difficulty sourcing a part... Anyway, I was able to get a very lightly used Mod 2 kit with the back. It cost me dearly, as I had to sell my 80/2 Xenotar to afford it, even after having just acquired it a few weeks before. Lucky for me, I still had the 80/2.8 AFD Xenotar, and the always under-rated 60/3.5 Distagon.
[...]
Photoscala claims in their hy6.2 article, that Mod1 cameras can be updated (you can trust my German more than my English ...):

Dort können auch Hy6-Kameras der ersten Generation auf den Stand mod2 modifiziert werden
No idea whether this is (still) valid.

Regards
Ivo
 

med

Active member
Would love to add a Hy6 to my kit as I love 6x6 but I need another camera system like I need a hole in my head... If Phase made a back for it perhaps it would be a different story. For now I’ll have to continue using my 500 c/m for my 6x6 fix, and my H2 for my auto-MF film fix. As I type that I realize how awesome it would be to combine the two...

Thanks for the write up and comments!
 

lamestllama

New member
Photoscala claims in their hy6.2 article, that Mod1 cameras can be updated (you can trust my German more than my English ...):



No idea whether this is (still) valid.

Regards
Ivo
It is still valid even now. Mine is currently being upgraded. Turn around time seems to be quick too. They only received it last Friday, got back to me on Tuesday with a quote (I had a dodgy aperture thumbwheel) and started working on it Wednesday. Not bad since I am in Australia and there is a 9.5 hour time difference.

Regards Eric
 
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