Hasselblad 205TCC
Hasselblad · Hasselblad V mount · 6×6cm on 120 (12 exposures with the A12TCC or any A12); 220 via the A24TCC/A24; 6×4.5 via the A16TCC/A16. The instruction manual also allows ordinary non-TCC magazines, including Polaroid backs, with the film speed entered by hand in the Pr mode. · 1991
Also known as: Hasselblad 205TCC · Hasselblad 205 TCC · 205TCC · 205 TCC · Hasselblad 205-TCC · Hasselblad 205TCC body · Hasselblad 205TCC A12TCC · Hasselblad 205TCC Planar 80mm FE · ハッセルブラッド 205TCC
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 205TCC, chrome | Hasselblad V | 1991–1994 | — | — |
| 205TCC, black | Hasselblad V | 1991–1994 | — | — |
| 205TCC-based NASA Space Shuttle camera (designation unconfirmed) | Hasselblad V | — | — | — |
- Years from Hasselblad Historical's V-system model table (1991–1994), agreeing with English and German Wikipedia; camera-wiki gives 1991–1995. The Japanese Wikipedia product list gives the release year 1991 and says the 2003FCW was discontinued once the 205TCC's launch was decided.
How to tell them apart
- '205TCC' on the front nameplate; two parallel blue lines on the left-hand side of the body — the mark that identifies every TCC item (body, lenses, magazines, finders)
- Shutter-speed ring around the lens bayonet marked B, 1 to 1/2000 (half-step clicks, a flash symbol at 1/90) and a red C position; the ring locks at C with the lens-catch button
- Four databus contacts on the lens bayonet plate and four more on the rear magazine interface; the manual warns not to touch them with fingers
- Mode selector dial on the left side marked A, D, Z, M and Pr, with the AE-lock button at its centre; adjustment keys, PC socket, dedicated flash connector and display-illumination button alongside
- LCD display above the screen with 7-segment figures, a ZONE / DIFF legend, battery and magazine warnings and a green flash-ready symbol
- Battery cassette for a 6 V PX28 lithium cell (UCAR 537, 4G-13 or equivalent) in the body
- Black textile curtains visible through the rear opening when the magazine is off, where the 2000-series bodies show corrugated titanium foil
- Focusing hood with a 'TCC recess' cut for the display; earlier hoods and prisms without the recess do not fit
- Rubber grip cushion along the lower right edge with a moulded film-plane index
205TCC, chrome:
- Satin-chrome trim with black leatherette; '205TCC' on the front nameplate
- Hasselblad part number 10405 (instruction manual, technical specifications)
- Two parallel blue lines on the left-hand side of the body — the TCC system mark carried by every databus-equipped item (manual, introduction)
205TCC, black:
- Black-finished body; '205TCC' on the front nameplate; the two blue TCC lines remain on the left side
- Hasselblad part number 10413 (instruction manual: 'black finish P/N 10413')
205TCC-based NASA Space Shuttle camera (designation unconfirmed):
- No photograph, NASA part number or Hasselblad designation of a Shuttle-modified 205TCC has been located; treat any listing claiming one with caution
- 205TCC, chrome: The standard finish. The manual lists the chrome body as P/N 10405, supplied with focusing hood, Acute-Matte screen, winding crank, shoulder strap and front and rear protective covers, plus the booklet 'The Hasselblad Zone System'. No kit with a lens is named in the manual; Nakamura's page gives an original US retail of about $7,000 without saying whether that was body-only. No factory production figure has been published for either finish.
- 205TCC, black: Attested by the instruction manual's specification page, which lists the black body as a catalogue item beside the chrome one. No production split is published and Hasselblad Historical's table says nothing about finishes.
- 205TCC-based NASA Space Shuttle camera (designation unconfirmed): English Wikipedia's Hasselblad article states that 'during the Space Shuttle period cameras based on the 500 EL/M, 553 ELX, 205 TCC and 203 FE were used', but the references attached to that passage are Apollo-era NASA documents that do not mention the 205TCC. Hasselblad's own 'Hasselblad in Space' history page names only the 203FE as the focal-plane body 'used in space', and NASA's Earth Observation camera table lists Hasselblad generically ('70mm, 55mm x 55mm'). The variant is recorded because the claim circulates; it rests on Wikipedia alone and no modification details, years or serials are known.
Serial-range notes
- two-digit product prefix + two-letter date code + digits, e.g. ??EV…, ??EH…, ??EP…, ??EI…
- Hasselblad bodies carry a two-letter year code read with VHPICTURES (V=1 H=2 P=3 I=4 C=5 T=6 U=7 R=8 E=9 S=0), preceded from 1990 by a two-digit product prefix that Q.G. de Bakker's dating page on Hasselblad Historical says is for factory records only. For the 205TCC's production years the letters read EV (1991), EH (1992), EP (1993) and EI (1994); a body coded ES (1990) would predate the market launch and would be worth recording. The 205TCC's product prefix is not stated by any source consulted and no serial has been examined for this entry.
Specifications
- Format
- 6×6cm on 120 (12 exposures with the A12TCC or any A12); 220 via the A24TCC/A24; 6×4.5 via the A16TCC/A16. The instruction manual also allows ordinary non-TCC magazines, including Polaroid backs, with the film speed entered by hand in the Pr mode. · 12 on 120 (A12TCC); 16 at 6×4.5 (A16TCC); 24 on 220 (A24TCC) exposures
- Finder
- waist-level, interchangeable (prism and meter-prism finders available)
- Shutter
- electronically controlled, mechanically powered horizontal focal-plane shutter with two textile (rubberised cloth) curtains — the manual gives a curtain transit time of 1/90 s; the C setting turns it into an auxiliary blind so a C or CF lens's leaf shutter can make the exposure · B, 1 s–1/2000 marked on the body ring with half-step clicks; in the A, D and Z modes the processor sets 16 s–1/2000 steplessly in 1/12 EV increments regardless of the ring; 1 s–1/2000 in M; C for leaf-shutter lenses (1 s–1/500 and B on the lens) · flash sync 1/90 s and slower through the body with the focal-plane shutter (dedicated units are reset to 1/90 automatically, non-dedicated units are inhibited at faster settings); all speeds to 1/500 through a C/CF lens's leaf shutter in C mode. Centre-weighted TTL/OTF flash metering with the Proflash 4504 or SCA-adapted units · self-timer
- Film advance
- Folding crank — one full turn cocks the shutter, resets the mirror and advances the film; a pre-release lever lifts the mirror ahead of exposure and a second press starts the self-timer (default 10 s, programmable 2–60 s in 12 steps). The crank is removable and the hub takes the Hasselblad Winder for up to 1.3 frames/s
- Back
- interchangeable magazines — A12TCC, A16TCC and A24TCC with four databus contacts, a film-speed dial (ISO 12–6400 in 1/3 steps) and a contrast dial (N−4 to N+3) read by the body; ordinary A12/A16/A24, 70mm and Polaroid magazines fit, with the film speed entered in the Pr mode. Later E-series magazines (E12CC, E24CC) are the databus equivalents per the Japanese Wikipedia product list
- Meter
- Built-in TTL spot meter, silicon photocell, reading about 1% of the frame — roughly 1° to 7° depending on the lens — at full aperture with TCC lenses and stopped-down with F, CF and C lenses; EV −1 to EV 20 at ISO 100 and f/2.8; film speed ISO 12–6400 from the magazine dial or the Pr mode. Modes on the left-side dial: A (aperture-priority automatic), D (Differential — locks a reading and shows the deviation of subsequent readings), Z (Zone — exposure computed for a chosen print zone and for the contrast-development setting on the magazine), M (manual) and Pr (programming: film speed, film latitude warning, self-timer delay). ±5 EV compensation in 1/4 EV steps, AE-lock, 16 s meter hold. The first Hasselblad body with an exposure meter built in
- Motor drive
- Hasselblad Winder F — The winder bayonet under the crank is inherited from the 2000FCW/2003FCW ('+ Winder connection' in Hasselblad Historical's table). The manual quotes 'up to 1.3 frames/second'; the Japanese Wikipedia product list calls the matching unit 'Winder TCC' and gives the same 1.3 frames/s.
- Weight
- 745 g
- Dimensions
- 178 × 118 × 108 with focusing hood, Planar F 2.8/80 TCC and A12TCC magazine (instruction manual); body-only dimensions are given there only as a drawing mm
- Country
- Sweden
- Original price
- about $7,000 in the US according to Karen Nakamura's photoethnography.com page — year and whether body-only are not stated; no dealer price list from 1991–1994 has been found
- Accessories
- A12TCC, A16TCC and A24TCC magazines (part numbers 30309/30317, 30325/30333, 30341/30350) with film-speed and contrast dials on the databus · Prism and meter-prism finders with the TCC display recess ('TCC viewfinders only acceptable' — manual) · Hasselblad Winder F — up to 1.3 frames/s · Proflash 4504 dedicated TTL/OTF flash; SCA 300-system units via adapter · 'The Hasselblad Zone System' booklet, supplied with the camera · Acute-Matte screen with spot-meter circle; other Hasselblad screens interchangeable
Folding focusing hood with a 4× magnifier over an Acute-Matte screen ('designed by MINOLTA' in the manual's footnote) carrying a hairline cross and a 6mm circle of dots that marks the spot-meter field. An LCD sits above the top edge of the screen and shows mode, shutter speed, aperture, film speed, zones, corrections and warning symbols; it reads reversed through the hood and the processor re-orients the figures when a prism is fitted. Only finders with the TCC recess for the display can be used — the manual says 'TCC viewfinders only acceptable' without naming them.
Where sources disagree
- Last
- 1994 — Hasselblad Historical's V-system model table; English and German Wikipedia
- 1995 — camera-wiki.org's Hasselblad page
Better supported: 1994 — Hasselblad Historical; the 205FCC succeeded it in 1995
- Weight (grams)
- 745 g body alone — 205TCC instruction manual (© 1990), technical specifications
- 760 g body — Karen Nakamura, photoethnography.com
Better supported: 745 g — the manufacturer's manual
- Speeds
- B, 16 s–1/2000 (automatic), 1 s–1/2000 marked on the ring — 205TCC instruction manual
- 34 minutes to 1/2000 s — Japanese Wikipedia product list (ハッセルブラッドのカメラ製品一覧)
Better supported: the manual; the 34-minute figure matches the later 203FE/205FCC manuals and may have been carried back
Exposures longer than 16 s on the 205TCC are made on B and timed by hand, per the manual
What reviewers say
- Karen Nakamura, photoethnography.com (blog) — Places the 205TCC as the top of the 200-series — the first Hasselblad with metering in the body, spot meter, aperture-priority AE, zone metering and a silk-cloth shutter that cured the fragile titanium curtains of the 2000-series — but concludes that the 203FE is the sensible workhorse, offering most of what a photographer needs at a fraction of the 205TCC's roughly $7,000 price.
History
The 205TCC is the camera with which Hasselblad put an exposure meter inside a body for the first time, thirty-four years after the 500C. Hasselblad Historical’s V-system table places it on the market in 1991 and out of it in 1994, and gives its whole difference from the 2003FCW it replaced in one line: TTL-OTF flash, a built-in spot meter, and film backs with electronic coupling to the camera. The Japanese Wikipedia product list adds that the 2003FCW was discontinued as soon as the decision to launch the 205TCC was taken, and the English instruction manual is copyright 1990, so the camera was finished — and very probably shown — in the autumn before it shipped. No source consulted names the fair.
The letters stand for Tone and Contrast Control, the manual says, and the phrase describes the metering system rather than the shutter. A silicon cell behind the mirror reads about one per cent of the frame — 1° to 7° depending on the lens — over EV −1 to EV 20 at ISO 100, and a dial on the left side selects five ways of using it. A is aperture-priority automatic; D, Differential, locks one reading and displays how far every later reading departs from it; Z, the Zone mode, lets the photographer place a reading on a print zone and have the exposure computed for the contrast-changing development dialled into the magazine; M is manual; Pr is a programming mode for film speed, film-latitude warnings and self-timer delay. Exposure is compensated ±5 EV in quarter steps, and in the automatic modes the shutter runs steplessly from 16 s to 1/2000 in 1/12 EV increments whatever the ring says. Karen Nakamura’s photoethnography.com page is right to call the spot meter and Zone mode the features that separate the 205TCC from every other Hasselblad body; only the 205FCC of 1995 carried them on.
None of this works without the databus. Four contacts on the lens bayonet plate carry the set aperture to the processor from a new series of shutterless lenses marked F/TCC — the F lenses of the 2000-series with contacts added and, the parts list notes, without the EV interlock button — and four more on the rear interface read the A12TCC, A16TCC and A24TCC magazines, whose film-speed dial runs ISO 12–6400 and whose contrast dial runs N−4 to N+3. The TCC magazine leaflet says the dials are simply ignored on any other body, and the body meters ordinary magazines with the film speed keyed in by hand, and ordinary F, CF and C lenses stopped down. Nakamura records the lenses being renamed FE in 1994, when the 203FE arrived; the FE lens manual describes them as designed for the 200 and 2000 series, and the same contacts reached the leaf-shutter CFE lenses in 1998. Everything on the bus wears two parallel blue lines, which the manual names as the way to recognise the system, and the focusing hood gained a recess for the LCD that sits above the screen — earlier hoods and prisms without it do not fit, which is what the specification means by ‘TCC viewfinders only acceptable’.
The shutter itself was the other correction. English Wikipedia’s account of the 2000-series notes that its corrugated titanium curtains ‘proved to be quite easily damaged by clumsy fingers’; the 205TCC has two horizontally running textile curtains — rubberised cloth — with a transit time of 1/90 s, which is also the fastest flash synchronisation through the body. The C position on the speed ring parks the curtains as a blind and hands exposure to a C or CF lens’s Synchro-Compur or Prontor shutter, with sync at every speed to 1/500 and the metering system switched off. Power is a 6 V PX28 lithium cell in a cassette in the body; the manual gives 745 g for the body alone and 1615 g with hood, Planar F 2.8/80 TCC and A12TCC. Two finishes were catalogued, chrome as P/N 10405 and black as P/N 10413.
What is not settled is mostly about the edges of the record. camera-wiki extends production to 1995 against Hasselblad Historical’s 1994; the Japanese product list gives a longest speed of 34 minutes, which is the 203FE/205FCC figure and does not match the 205TCC manual’s 16 s automatic limit; Nakamura’s 760 g and roughly $7,000 are the only weight and price outside the manual, and the price carries no year. English Wikipedia says a camera based on the 205TCC flew on the Space Shuttle, but the references behind that sentence are Apollo documents, and Hasselblad’s own space history names only the 203FE. No production figure has been published for either finish; Richard Nordin’s Hasselblad Compendium (2011) is where one would be, and it has not been consulted here. Nor has any serial been examined, so the two-digit product prefix that Hasselblad added in 1990 remains unknown for this model.
This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.
Photographs
More sample photos elsewhere
These photographers keep all rights to their work — enjoy it at the source.
Live listings
Asking price, USD: a median of $3,900 across 6 fixed-price listings on 2026-09-06 (middle half $450–$4,000). First day tracked.
Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.
- 🔵 Classic Camera 🔵 HASSELBLAD 205 TCC 🔵 System 🔵 NEU # TOP 🔵
- Hasselblad 205TCC 6x6 / 6x4,5 - 1993 (?) English, 24 pages perforated #93569
- Hasselblad PM 5 Prismensucher für Hasselblad 205 TCC
- Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar F 1:4 / 250 mm T* TCC für Hasselblad 205 TCC mit OVP
- HASSELBLAD E12 TYPE FILM BACK 120 AS NEW SEALS TESTED 205TCC 203 6x6
- 【TOP NEUWERTIG】 Hasselblad 205TCC Filmkamera Acute Body E12 III Film Rückseit...
- HASSELBLAD 205TCC Outfit - SNr: 15EH10934
- SELTENE E12CC [Top NEUWERTIG] Hasselblad 205TCC Filmkamera FE 80mm f2.8...
- [TOP NEUWERTIG] Hasselblad 205TCC Filmkamera FE TCC 80mm f2.8 Objektiv E12 au...
- HASSELBLAD 205TCC Mit F 80mm 2.8 Planar /DEMO
- HASSELBLAD Camera Accessory 205TCC Used
- Work Properly Tested [Near MINT] Hasselblad Winder 205 TCC 44069 From JAPAN
- Hasselblad 205TCC nur Karosserie
- 【TOP MINT】 Hasselblad 205TCC Film Camera Acute Body E12 III Film Back From Japan
- Hasselblad 205TCC Medium Format Camera with FE 60-120 Zoom Lens
- RARE E12CC [Top MINT] Hasselblad 205TCC Film Camera FE 80mm f2.8 Lens From JAPAN
- [ TOP MINT ] Hasselblad 205TCC Film Camera FE TCC 80mm f2.8 Lens E12 From JAPAN
- Hasselblad 205TCC Aluminum Case with Dial Lock Pre-owned
- Work Properly Tested [Near MINT] Hasselblad Winder 205 TCC 44069 From JAPAN
- USED Hasselblad 205 TCC Body
Show 4 more listings
eBay links are affiliate links. If you buy through one, Glass Bodies earns a small commission from eBay at no cost to you. It does not change which listings appear, their prices or their order — those come from the search and the sort described above.
Listings updated 2026-09-05. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.