C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →
slr-medium-format
The 503CW is the 1996 evolution of the 503CX (1988), itself a refinement of the 500C/M. It adds **TTL flash metering** through a sensor in the body, the **Acute-Matte D** brighter focusing screen as standard, and a coupling for the **CW Winder** — Hasselblad's first winder for the V system that doesn't require an EL-series body. Otherwise: same V-system modularity, same bayonet, same leaf-shutter-in-lens design as every 500-series Hasselblad since 1957.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the — format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →C41
Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Develop — film
We're growing the lab directory near you. Browse all labs.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The last great manual-focus V-system Hasselblad. 503CX with TTL flash and a winder mount.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 / 220, 6×6 cm |
| Mount | Hasselblad V (bayonet) |
| Years | 1996–2013 |
| Shutter | 1s – 1/500s, leaf, in each lens |
| Flash sync | All speeds (TTL flash supported) |
| Meter | None (body); TTL flash sensor only |
| Weight | 1,750 g (with 80mm + A12) |
| Battery | None (body); CR123 in CW Winder |
Released 1996. Production continued until 2013 — alongside the 503CWD digital-back-bundled version. By the late 2000s the V system was being phased out in favor of the H-series; the 503CW was the final manual-focus V body in regular production. Late bodies have minor cosmetic upgrades (chromed details, anniversary engravings on limited editions).
For working V-system photographers in the 2000s, the 503CW was the camera. Better focus screen than older 500C/M bodies (Acute-Matte D), TTL flash for studio work (handy when wattage and shutter speed change frame to frame), and the CW Winder for portrait sessions where you don't want to hand-crank between frames. Used prices reflect the desirability — a clean 503CW commands $1,000+ over a clean 500C/M despite the cameras being mechanically identical at the lens-shutter level.
For Canistr's purposes (film-lab clientele), the 503CW is the V body most commonly seen on premium fashion / wedding shoots in the 2010s and 2020s, alongside the 501CM.
Same V-system Carl Zeiss lenses: Planar 80/2.8 CFi/CFE, Distagon 50/4 CFi, Sonnar 150/4 CFi, etc. Backs: A12, A24, A16. Finders: waist-level (default), PME-90 (45° meter prism), PME-51 (90° meter prism). CW Winder (1996+, single-frame and continuous), Polaroid back, magnifying chimney.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →