I’ll admit it: the biggest impetus behind the purchase of a 13.000$ USD Hasselblad 500cx/CFV-50c bundle was looks. Gosh they really look good together. The previous CCD-based CFV-50, which I also own, does not. Neither its curves nor its ports fit the 500-series aesthetic. Its compact flash door was transplanted from the H-series.

The CFV-50c was built to look, and feel, like a digital extension to the 500 series. Consequently, some controls are iffy. The rear four-way controller is squishy. Gone is the handy rating button. While sturdy and clicky, its interface buttons are hard to press. And despite being released in 2014, the CFV-50c is slaved to firewire. Really? There is more about which to quibble and praise, but all in all, this back is a good, and especially when attached to a Linhof M679cs, part of a stable, reliable, and versatile system.

It’s also the back you want to show off. As a semi-geek myself, I’m surrounded by electronic know-it-alls. On the spot they can cite the every spec of Sony’s latest electronic system cameras and digital backs, and the f-stop difference between a Summicron and Summilux without blinking. Showing up to an audio festival with a 500-series camera and CFV-50c is instant geek street cred.

But I’m not a cultural photographer. I don’t shoot film. And while I’ve really enjoyed them, I’m pretty much done with SLRs in my studio. That said, for roughly a half year I did the SLR thing, migrating from a Rollei X-ACT 2 to a Fujifilm GX680III. But I missed the movements and focus stability of the view camera. At macro distances, the GX680’s smooth focus rack jumped, ruining about 1/4 of my composit work.

So, in 2016, I’m back to shooting an electronic view camera 100% of the time. As a result, I’ve never been a happier commercial still life photographer.

Relevant links:
Hasselblad: Hasselblad CFV-50c
Linhof: M679cs
ohm-image: dSLR to mirrorless to SLR - one Man's Fujifilm conversion
ohm-image: Irakly Shanidze to Leica users: you're a liar