Hasselblad Super Wide C (SWC) camera

My Hasselblad Super Wide C camera.

Having spent over fifty years working in the photo industry, I have always felt that Hasselblad cameras exist at a level close to nirvana. When discussing gear with professionals, Hasselblad cameras were consistently at the top of the conversation. Pros absolutely loved these medium-format cameras.

 I would see them being used in television commercials, on professional photo shoots, and in movies and magazines. I got to know many of the sales representatives and repair technicians over the years, and they were always incredibly professional, which perfectly reflected how the brand was represented.

 Knowing my love for colored, unusual, and panoramic cameras, it's no surprise that wide-angle cameras are right near the top of my list as well. The more I can capture in a photo, the better. Taking in wide-open vistas and getting as much into the frame as possible has always been a favorite of mine.

 When I first started this blog, I did a post on the early version of the Hasselblad Super Wide, which I had purchased at a very reasonable price because it featured a crudely modified viewfinder. It was glued to a block of metal and screwed into the accessory shoe mount! The good news was that the shutter worked beautifully, and the lens was clean.

Image from Hasselblad’s Super Wide C Manual.

 The Super Wide, produced between 1956 and 1959, was one of the first cameras to feature Hasselblad's legendary Carl Zeiss 38mm f/4.5 Biogon lens. (It was actually introduced a couple of years earlier, in 1954, when Hasselblad debuted the Supreme Wide with that fantastic wide-angle lens).

 Years before I retired from the photo industry in 2024, I purchased a beautiful, black-body Hasselblad Super Wide C (SWC) with a Hasselblad A12 film back. The body was in stellar condition. The back had a few scuffs, but the price was right—especially for the time. I was thrilled to add another wide-angle camera to my collection, particularly one boasting such fantastic optics.

 Next to the phenomenal lens, my second favorite thing about this camera is its compactness. It's a very thin body. According to the instruction manual, when handholding it, you should hold it similar to a movie camera: cradled in the palms of your hands with your fingers wrapped around the top to trip the shutter easily.

 Initially, this felt a bit awkward to me, but the more I shoot with it, the more comfortable it becomes. Changing positions after setting the focus and shutter/aperture combination can be slightly cumbersome. Still, I genuinely believe the camera is much more stable in my hands when held this way.

History

 The Hasselblad brand is synonymous with modular medium-format photography, but its most unique and enduring legacy lies outside that modularity: the ultra-wide, fixed-lens cameras. The story begins in 1954 with the introduction of the Supreme Wide Angle (SWA). Victor Hasselblad realized that adapting an extreme wide-angle lens to his reflex mirror cameras was optically compromised due to the flange distance required for the mirror box. The solution was radical yet elegant: eliminate the mirror.

Hasselblad Super Wide C advertisment

 The SWA was built around the legendary Carl Zeiss 38mm f/4.5 Biogon lens, an optical masterpiece offering a 90-degree angle of view with virtually zero rectilinear distortion. By mounting this lens onto a shallow body that accepted standard Hasselblad film magazines, photographers gained unparalleled optical performance in a compact form. The camera was briefly renamed the Supreme Wide (SW) in 1955 before evolving into its most famous iteration.

 In 1959, Hasselblad released the SWC (Supreme Wide Camera). The SWC shifted the shutter release from the lens barrel to the top of the camera body, vastly improving ergonomics and stability. It utilized the new Synchro-Compur shutter, synchronizing with electronic flash at all speeds up to 1/500th of a second. For decades, the SWC remained the gold standard for architectural, landscape, and interior photographers who demanded medium-format resolution without the bulk of a large-format view camera. In 1980, the SWC/M was introduced, featuring a modified viewfinder and the ability to accept Polaroid backs.

 As lens technology and manufacturing evolved, so did this iconic lineage, eventually transitioning into the 900 series. The 903 SWC, introduced in 1988, replaced the older SWC/M. While structurally similar, it featured an updated Zeiss 38mm Biogon lens with advanced anti-reflective T* multi-coating, significantly improving contrast and flare resistance. The final chapter arrived in 2001 with the 905 SWC. Because the environmentally hazardous glass types used in the original Biogon design were phased out, Zeiss reformulated the 38mm f/4.5 lens using eco-friendly glass, designating it as a CFi lens.

 Despite the rise of digital sensors, the Hasselblad 900 series and its SWC predecessors remain highly coveted by film photographers. They stand today as a testament to bold, purpose-driven camera design, proving that intentionally removing features, like the bulky reflex mirror, can directly result in an uncompromising, highly specialized photographic tool that consistently produces images of breathtaking optical clarity and unmatched visual scope. These cameras truly represent a unique pinnacle of mid-century optical engineering.

My Camera

 My Hasselblad Super Wide C camera is 6 inches long (including the A12 film back) by 3.75 inches tall without the viewfinder mounted on the accessory shoe, and 5.5 inches tall with the viewfinder on top. It measures 4 inches wide. If you measure just the camera body alone without the film back, it is just under 4 inches long with the lens focused to infinity. The camera weighs 2 pounds, 14.4 ounces with the film back and viewfinder attached.

The camera features a Carl Zeiss Biogon 38mm f/4.5 lens in a Synchro-Compur shutter. This superb wide-angle lens has a 91-degree angle of view with very minimal distortion. The Synchro-Compur shutter offers speeds ranging from 1/500 of a second down to a maximum 60-second exposure, along with a "B" mode for longer exposures if needed.

 Another feature I love about the Hasselblad system is how setting the shutter speeds and aperture gives you a "locked-in "EV" (Exposure Value) system. The shutter speeds are set via a knurled ring on the outside portion of the lens, but the speed is limited by where the aperture ring is currently set. If you need a higher or lower shutter speed, you have to change the aperture ring to achieve it.

To change the aperture, you pull back on a small silver tab on the side of the aperture ring, then slide it up or down to adjust your shutter speed. Because Hasselblad uses an EV system, the exposure value is "locked" when you set your combination. This is wonderful because once you are locked in, changing the shutter speed automatically shifts the aperture value, maintaining the proper exposure you originally metered for.

 You'll also notice two red bars on either side of the focus line on the lens barrel. These move in or out when you change the EV setting, corresponding to your focused distance. They provide a quick visual of the depth of field you'll have based on the shutter speed and aperture combination you've chosen.

On the left side of the lens is a switch that sets the flash sync type: "M" for bulb, "X" for electronic flash, and "V" for an 8.5-second self-timer. To set the camera to the "V" position, you must press a small button just under the setting before the switch will move. After the self-timer fires, the switch automatically returns to the "X" position. Just above this switch is the PC sync terminal where you connect your flash cable, as this camera does not have a hot shoe.

 On the right side of the body sits the winding lever. Just under it is a small status window. If the window is white, the camera is cocked and ready for the next exposure. If it is red, the camera needs to be wound.

On top of the camera, there is a bubble level just to the left of the cold shoe (which houses the optical viewfinder). To the right of the cold shoe is the shutter release. The shutter release features a small switch behind it to lock or unlock the button, preventing accidental exposures.

The optical viewfinder is fantastic and highly functional. One of my absolute favorite parts of the finder is the small prism on the left side. This prism (or optical mirror) is placed directly over the camera's bubble level. When framing a photo through the viewfinder, it's incredibly easy to glance over and ensure the bubble is centered. This guarantees your camera is plumb with the horizon and perfectly straight.

 Both sides of the camera body feature lugs for attaching a leather carrying strap.

Loading the Film

 The film back is removed by sliding the round button on the top of the back, tipping it away from the camera body, and lifting it off. The film back features a chrome dark slide that fits into a thin slot on the left side. Note: The dark slide must be inserted before the camera will allow you to remove the back, and it must be removed before you can fire the shutter.

 Here is the step-by-step process for loading film:

  1. Remove the Film Chamber: On the left side of the film back, turn the latch to unlock and pull the film chamber out.

  2. Prep the Spools: Lift the film holders on the chamber to make loading easier. Place your empty take-up spool on the side with the small knurled handle, then close the holder to secure it.

  3. Load the Fresh Film: Place your fresh roll of 120 film into the opposite side and pull down the arm to lock it in place.

  4. Thread the Leader: Draw the film leader across the silver pressure plate. Turn the latch that unlocks the chamber so the small retaining ledge lifts up; slip the edge of the film under it.

  5. Secure and Wind: Insert the leader tab into the take-up spool slot. Turn the knurled knob on top to begin taking up the slack. Continue winding until the "Start" arrows on the film paper align with the designated mark.

  6. Reinsert the Chamber: Turn the locking knob back so the loaded chamber can slide back into the housing, then lock it firmly into place.

  7. Advance to Frame 1: MAKE SURE your dark slide is inserted! Use the winding crank on the right side of the film back, cranking it until it physically stops. You will now see the number "1" in the small circular window beneath the crank.

  8. Attach to the Camera: Place the two small slots on the bottom of the film back onto the two hooks on the lower rear of the camera body. Tilt the back upward until it clicks into the latches. You may need to slide the top locking button over slightly to ensure it is fully secure.

 You'll also notice a small status window to the right of the frame counter. When the film is ready for exposure, this window is white. After taking a photo, it turns red, signaling that the film needs to be advanced. The winding lever on the camera body handles everything in one motion—it cocks the shutter and advances the film to the next frame. Once wound, both the camera body and film back windows will turn back to white, and the frame counter will advance.

 Now that we have film loaded and the back attached, let's go out, take some photos, and see how the camera performs!

Hasselblad Super Wide C (SWC) Overview Video

My Results

Here are some of the results from my walk around the neighborhood.

Conclusion

WOW!!! What a fun camera to use. I really need to take this one out more often!

There were some fantastic images taken on this walk, though I did have a few duds where I forgot to change the focus—that was definitely operator error rather than a camera malfunction.

 The lens is REALLY sharp and wonderfully wide. The viewfinder is highly accurate for framing the subject, and I absolutely LOVED the prism mirror that let me keep an eye on the bubble level.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about this incredible mid-century Hasselblad film camera.

Here are some of my other Camera Reviews.

 Check out my Cuny's Camera Collection YouTube channel, where I am putting together video overviews of the cameras I write about. Be sure to subscribe and like the channel, too!

 Cuny's Cameras and Photos is my online eBay store, where you will find some of the cameras I have reviewed, along with a wide range of other cameras, lenses, and items from my collection that I am thinning out.

 Until next week, please be safe.

Envoy Wide Angle camera

My Envoy Wide Angle camera

I’ve always been drawn to anything panoramic—cameras, negatives, even yard‑long prints. I love images that feel like the way I actually see: scanning the edges, noticing subjects on the periphery, wanting just a little more in the frame.

 That’s why I’m so fond of cameras that may not be truly panoramic, but still give a generous wide‑angle view. I enjoy classic street and fashion work—Diane Arbus, Elliott Erwitt, Henri Cartier‑Bresson, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, Irving Penn—I can happily look at their photos all day long. But when it comes to scenic images, even with masters like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, a part of me is always wondering what’s just outside the edge of the frame.

 So when I went hunting for a camera to feature in this week’s camera‑collecting blog, the Envoy Wide Angle was sitting there on one of my shelves, quietly staring back at me. It isn’t famous, it isn’t flashy, but it’s a small English wide‑angle box that happens to see the world a lot like I do.

 My friend, fellow camera blogger, and co‑host of the Camerosity podcast, Mike Eckman, wrote an excellent review of the Envoy Wide Angle a while back, so I deliberately let some time pass after his piece. Now that the dust has settled, it felt like the right moment to pull my Envoy down, load some film, and see what I could add to the conversation.

Brief History of Ilford:

 While often synonymous with high-quality black-and-white film, Ilford Ltd. holds a distinct and fascinating place in the history of camera manufacturing. Founded in 1879 by Alfred Hugh Harman in Ilford, England, the company initially focused on dry plates. However, as the photographic medium evolved, Ilford expanded into the hardware that would utilize their world-class emulsions.

 Ilford's foray into cameras began in the late 19th century with specialized plate cameras. By the early 1900s, they introduced models like the Ilford Falling Plate camera. These were designed to be robust and reliable, catering to a growing market of serious amateur photographers. As roll film began to dominate, Ilford transitioned, ensuring its hardware remained a perfect vessel for its advancing film technology.

 The post-WWII era marked Ilford's most ambitious period in camera design. Two models, in particular, stand out to collectors and historians:

  • The Ilford Witness (1953): A legendary 35mm rangefinder that is now a rare prize for collectors. It featured a unique interrupted screw mount and was designed to compete with the likes of Leica and Contax. Though technically brilliant, its high production costs led to a very limited run.

  • The Ilford Advocate (1949): Instantly recognizable by its ivory-white stove-enamel finish, the Advocate was a 35mm camera designed to stay cool under the sun (ideal for tropical climates). Its distinct aesthetic and reliable performance made it a mid-century icon.

 By the 1960s, Ilford pivoted toward the mass market, collaborating with manufacturers like SND (West Germany) to produce the Ilford Sportsman series. These were affordable, user-friendly 35mm cameras that brought the Ilford name into households across the UK and Europe.

Today, while Ilford's focus has returned to its roots in chemistry and paper, the "Ilford" badge on a vintage camera remains a symbol of British engineering and a golden era of silver halide photography.

My Camera

The Envoy Wide Angle is a deceptively simple, very boxy camera that shoots big 6×9 images on either 120 or 620 roll film, or on plates with a removable back. It measures roughly 5 inches wide by about 3.75 inches tall and 3.5 inches deep, and it has the solid, brick‑like feel you’d expect from a mid‑century British box. Controls are straightforward: shutter speeds from about 1/150 to 1 second plus B, set by rotating the ring around the shutter until the red dot aligns with your chosen speed.

On my example, the shutter unit is from Agilux (Agifold), who also produced their own cameras in the late 1940s and 1950s. The cocking lever sits around the 5 o’clock position on the front, while the shutter release is down at about 7 o’clock. It’s not an ergonomic marvel by modern standards, but after a couple of frames your fingers know where to go.

The Envoy’s party trick is the lens: a 64mm f/6.5 Taylor, Taylor & Hobson wide‑angle, a 4‑element design covering an angle of about 82 degrees, roughly equivalent to a 25–28mm lens on 35mm. For what is otherwise a plain, fixed‑focus box, that’s an unusually ambitious piece of glass. Held level, distortion is minimal, and the lens has a reputation for being impressively sharp, especially stopped down.

Although the lens opens to f/6.5, the manual is clear that this full opening is only for focusing on the optional ground‑glass screen when using plates. In normal use on roll film, the working apertures start at about f/11 and go down to f/32; f/16 will satisfy most situations, and f/22 is where the lens is said to give its best coverage and performance. There is no focusing mechanism at all—sharpness comes purely from depth of field, with approximate ranges as follows:

  • f/11: 10 ft to 60 ft

  • f/16: 6 ft to 400 ft

  • f/22: 4 ft to infinity

  • f/32: 30 in to infinity

 In other words, once you’ve set a sensible aperture for the light, the Envoy behaves like a very refined point‑and‑shoot: you concentrate on framing, and the lens quietly takes care of focus.

Using the Finder and Framing:

 The Envoy doesn’t give you an optical viewfinder in the usual sense. Instead, you flip up a rectangular sports finder on the front and a matching chrome frame on the back, then look through and do your best to line things up. The rear frame has a little slider for 3 ft, 6 ft, and infinity, but in practice those settings don’t seem to change much—the framing is more of an approximation than a precision instrument.

When using the Envoy Wide Angle camera, I treated it like a loose, intuitive framing aid. I composed a bit wider than I might with a “normal” camera, knowing I could afford to include extra space in those big negatives. Between the generous depth of field and the easy loading of 120 roll film, the camera encourages you to work simply: point, estimate, and trust the lens.

To open the back of the camera to load film, on the right side is a top slider that pulls up, and the film back will open for roll film. On the back of the camera, when using roll film, there is an insert. Pull up the winding wheel, and the film insert is removable. Pull out the insert and load the roll of film as you would any 120 or 620 film. Put the insert back into the camera's body, press down the winding wheel to engage the film's notches at the end, close the back, and make sure it's fully closed and locked. On the back of the camera is a sliding cover for the red window, which you use to wind the film and note the frame number. Wind the film until you reach the number 1, and you're now ready to take your first photo.

 A Morning at Moulton Falls:

 Once I pulled the Envoy Wide Angle off the shelf, I did what any curious wide‑angle fan would do: I loaded a roll of 120 and took it somewhere with space to breathe. My wife and I, along with our grand‑dog Bean, headed up to Moulton Falls in Washington, about 15 miles from home. It was a sunny day, but we went out early, while the sun was still low and brushing the trees and river with softer light.

 Knowing the Envoy really comes into its own at smaller apertures—f/16, f/22, even f/32—I chose 400‑speed film to give myself some flexibility in the forest shade and along the river. With a fixed‑focus lens, the only “decisions” you really make are shutter speed and aperture, so I quickly settled into that mindset: pick a stop for the depth of field I wanted, set a reasonable shutter speed, and let the camera do the rest.

Front view of Envoy Wide Angle, No. 2880.

 Moulton Falls is one of those places that suits a wide‑angle view: the arched bridge, the rocky river, the trees crowding the edges of the frame. It’s exactly the sort of scene where I’m always wishing I could see “just a bit more” to the left and right, and the Envoy happily obliged, giving me big, expansive 6×9 negatives from a very compact box.

My Results:

 Back from the walk, I was pleasantly surprised by what came out of that first roll. For a camera with no focusing mechanism at all, the Envoy’s lens is very sharp, with good contrast and a pleasing tonality across the 6×9 frame. Stopped down, the corners hold up better than you’d expect from a mid‑century wide‑angle box, and distortion is minimal as long as you keep the camera level.

 The 400‑speed film paired well with the slower shutter speeds and small apertures I was using under the trees and near the water. Scenes that could easily have turned muddy or soft came out crisp, with plenty of detail in the rocks, foliage, and bridge structure. For a “simple” camera, the negatives have a surprisingly modern look once scanned.

Final Thoughts:

 For something that looks like a straightforward box, the Envoy Wide Angle turns out to be a very capable wide‑angle 6×9 machine. The lens is sharp, contrasty, and handles scenery with confidence, as long as you respect its need to be stopped down. The fixed focus and sports finder mean it will never be a precision tool in the modern sense, but that’s part of its charm.

 This one is a keeper in my collection, both for its compact size and for the quality of the images it produces. I’d happily put it in the same conversation as the Brooks Plaubel Veri‑Wide, a fun, wide‑angle medium-format option, with the Envoy winning on simplicity and portability. If you enjoy wide‑angle cameras and can live with fixed focus and a guessy finder, it’s well worth tracking one down and adding it to your group of “user” cameras.

 I’d love to hear your thoughts—if you have an Envoy Wide Angle or another fixed‑focus wide‑angle medium-format camera you enjoy, let me know how you use it and what you like about it.​

 Here's a link to my other Camera Reviews.

 Cuny's Cameras and Photos is my online eBay store where I sell some of the cameras I've reviewed, along with lenses, and other odd photo items. Please stop by and browse around. I list my items with a "make offer" option, so if you see something you like, make a fair offer, and I'll most likely accept. Let me know you saw my blog.

 Until next week, please be safe.