Hasselblad film magazines

I think this is the A16 family of backs:

A16 - 6x4.5 format, horizontally arranged, 16 exposures.
A16S - 4x4 format, 16 exposures (I think)
A16V - 6x4.5 format vertically arranged, 12 exposures.

Godfrey

The A16S was a magazine for "super slide" format. Sorry not too sure of the exact dimensions of super slide, but if your are looking for 6x45 then the A16 is the magazine for you.

Keith Laban Photography

"Super slide" is 4x4, it was reasonably popular in the late 1950's and 1960's.

Harvey,

The 16S has a smaller (less wide) opening/film gate, with two shorter rollers above and below the opening than are in the 16 magazine. That's it. The transport mechanism in the shell, and the holder/insert are exactly the same.

Some people reportedly have converted their 16S to 16 magazines by widening (milling, or filing) the opening. I don't know what they have done to the rollers.

Godfrey,

The 12 (!!!) exposure 6x4.5 cm vertical format back was called "A12V"...
;-)

I thank everyone for the information provided. I now know that the A16-S allows the taking of 4x4 super slides.

Does anyone know if the transparent mask for the viewfinder is the same for both the A16-S and A16?

Harvey

The 16S is used for 4x4 slides because with special frames, these slides can be projected with a "normal" 35mm slideprojector. The image is still square, and hence the mask for the viewfinder is square as well. The 16 is used for 6x4.5 format and is a rectangular format. Therefore, the viewfinder will be cropped in a rectangular manner.

Jeroen

I also use the A16 6x4.5 magazine for superslides simply by selective cropping at the slide mounting stage. It is even better than the A16s because one can visualise up to 10mm of 'shift' when composing the image. The imagination is one the best photo accessories you will ever have, it's free and fits all cameras. KP

Thanks for the correction, QG.

Godfrey

All information provided has been helpful. I don't think I asked my question in a clear manner because I have not gotten a specific answer to the question I thought I was asking. Perhaps this time I can get it right so that I can draw upon the knowledge you have.

There is a transparent mask that can be placed over the focusing screen to show clearly the 6X6.45 area. Does such a mask exist to clearly show the 4X4 area when using an A16-S back?

Thanks, Harvey

Harvey, I don't think so.

I made a plastic screen to use with my A16 but quickly dumped it because I found the standard etched grid lines on my viewfinder screen worked just as good. However, thin plastic material like what's used for the lid of a small food storage container will do. Use an exacto knife and steel ruler.

If 645 format is what you're after beware ebay sellers who will let you ASSUME that an A16 is the same thing as an A16S. The "S" designation is key, and stands for superslide format, TWELVE exposures only. Superslide A16S can only be 12 exposures and can never be modified or manipulated to produce 16 exposures. So if you're not out to make mounted super slides for projection the A16S is just wasting film. You see that "S" there on the lower side of the magazine and you know its strictly 12 exposure superslide capable.

Have also seen ebay sellers of masks to cover the film plane to mask out the 6x6 to create 645. Idiotic, once you think about it, since you're just blanking out potentially useful exposure area you can just as easily crop out when printing. Can't change A12 6x6 gearing to add frames.

Harvey,

There indeed is a transparent viewfinder mask that can be used both for 6x4.5 and 4x4 superslide formats.
Superslide actually is 42 mm square, and 42 mm also is the actual dimension of the short end of 4x4.5 (= 56 x 42 mm).

The transparent viewfinder mask (Hasselblad cat.no. 42145, current version is cat.no. 3042146) has a square opening, corresponding to the 4x4 format, and two scored lines indicating how the 6x4.5 format extends beyond the 4x4 Superslide format.

The 6x4.5 mask that comes with the Format mask set (cat.no. 41151) can also be used for both 6x4.5 and 4x4 formats.

Myron,

I'm afraid you're wrong.
Superslide format A16S magazines produce 16 frames on one roll of 120 film, not just 12.

The 4x4 format is nothing but the 6x4.5 format, masked off horizontally. So exactly the same numer 4x4 and 6x4.5 frames fit on a roll.

Hasselblad made it easy for us to know how many frames will fit on a roll by including that number in their back's type designation. So a magazine called A16S produces... ;-)

Myron,

One other thing.
Though i agree with your qualification of the format masks as being useless, they are not just sold by eBay sellers, but are an official product produced and sold by Hasselblad themselves.

Thanks, Q.G. and Wow, that's what I get for allowing my assumptions to trump logic. Why else would they call it a "sixteen!" I stand corrected.

After having painstakingly put together my Hassy kit on the cheap over the last year via (I like to think) shrewd, strategic bidding successes (and a few failures,) a residual pet peeve regarding shady or dubious ebay descriptions remains with me. RE: the 16 back.

Q.G.

Thank you for your very precise information regarding the 4X4 focus screen mask for the A16-S film back.

Harvey