I recently completed my Hasselblad trinity with the impulse purchase (justified as an eBay score) of a 150mm Sonnar. As with any second-hand acquisition, I was both anxious and eager to test its working condition and image quality.
Balancing a desire to venture outside and soak up some winter sun whilst trying to maintain social distancing due to the Coronavirus, I embarked on a short day trip to Cockatoo Island. Known for its history as a naval shipyard and the filming location of the climactic battle scene of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it was a welcome change of scenery and pace to the Sydney CBD.
With a roll of Lomography 400 Colour Negative loaded in my Hasselblad 503CX, I found the 150mm to be an interesting change of perspective. The longer focal length producing a more compressed image than the standard 80mm or the 50mm I had specifically acquired for the purpose of landscapes.
Its reputation as a portrait lens was the sole reason for its place in my kit. To complete the roll (I had a couple of shots remaining), I knew had to find a willing subject to satiate my curiosity of how this lens would render at f/4.
Having found the 150mm Sonnar to be plenty sharp and relatively easy to nail focus, my 503CX is once again loaded (this time with Ilford Delta 400). Stay tuned for more during this “honeymoon period” of gear acquisition as I find more portrait subjects to shoot with this lens!
Film processed and scanned by Rewind Photo Lab.