Hasselblad's manual V-system 6x6 SLR — leaf-shutter lenses, interchangeable backs, 1997.
The Hasselblad 501CM is a medium-format SLR from the Swedish V-system, the modular 6x6 line that Hasselblad built around a square 2.25-inch frame from the late 1950s onward. It replaced the 501C in the mid-1990s and belongs to the manual-wind, non-metered branch of the family, positioned as a working studio and field body rather than an automated electronic model.
It is a medium-format (6x6) SLR shooting a 56x56mm square frame on 120 or 220 roll film through interchangeable film backs. The V-system uses a leaf shutter built into each lens rather than a focal-plane shutter in the body, so flash synchronises at all speeds. The 501CM takes a removable finder (waist-level or prism), interchangeable focusing screens, and Hasselblad V bayonet lenses. There is no built-in meter; exposure is set manually or with an external meter or metered prism.
The square format and modular design suit studio portraiture, product work, and deliberate landscape shooting where a tripod and slow pace are normal. The waist-level finder gives a bright, reversed image; the interchangeable backs let a photographer switch film stock or format mid-roll. Handling rewards care rather than speed, and the leaf shutter's full flash sync is useful for fill-flash outdoors.
When buying used, check the film-back seals and dark slide for light leaks, and confirm the back's frame counter advances correctly. Inspect the mirror, focusing screen, and the leaf shutter in each lens for accurate speeds, as older lenses can run slow. Confirm the waist-level finder mirror is clean and the body, back, and lens are from compatible serial eras, and test for the 'barn-door' trap where a jammed shutter locks the mechanism.