2026年11月7日 星期六

Sony RX100VA @ Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf 淡水漁人碼頭

2026/10/16

It had been 19 years since my last photographic outing to Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf. Back then, I brought along my Yashica Mat-124G to shoot black-and-white film.

This time, I took my fourth compact digital camera, the Sony RX100 VA. My previous three were the Kyocera Finecam S5R, Canon PowerShot A570 IS, and Canon PowerShot G16.

The RX100 VA has actually been discontinued for years. I bought a used one two years ago. Apart from a few scratches on the exterior of the lens barrel, the camera was in pretty good condition. At a time when there are very few options left in the compact digital camera market, I consider myself quite fortunate to have found one at a reasonable price.

距上次到淡水漁人碼頭拍照已經有19年了,那時是帶著Yashica Mat-124G拍黑白底片。

這次則是帶著我的第四台隨身數位相機 Sony RX100VA (前三台分別是 Kyocera Finecam S5R、Canon PowerShot A570IS、Canon PowerShot G16)。

這台相機實際上已停產多年,2年前我購入二手機,除了鏡頭外觀有些刮痕外,機況還不錯。在這個隨身數位相機沒甚麼太多選擇的時代,能以合理價格購入這台,運氣算是不錯。

Sony Cyber-shot RX100VA,
Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 8.8-25.7/1.8-2.8
T*

The newest photographic attraction at Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf is the Danjiang Bridge, which opened to traffic this year. Spanning the Tamsui River, the bridge connects Tamsui and Bali. It is currently the world's longest single-tower, asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in terms of its main span. These photographs were taken at around 7:00 a.m. The low-angle morning sunlight happened to illuminate the otherwise backlit bridge tower, adding depth and a stronger sense of dimension to the structure.

In another shot, the interplay of the bridge's silhouette and the reflections of the waterfront streetlights creates an intriguing sense of ambiguity between day and night.

淡水漁人碼頭可以拍攝的新景點就是今年通車,橫跨淡水河連結淡水與八里的「淡江大橋」,現為全球主跨最長之單塔不對稱斜張橋。這幾張照片拍攝的時間大約是早晨7:00左右,太陽斜射的光線剛好為背光的橋塔補光,增添這座斜張橋的立體感。

另一張,利用背光拍攝斜張橋的大剪影技巧,搭配岸邊的街燈反光,則給人的時間的錯覺。














2026年7月11日 星期六

Tripod Socket Replacement of Hasselblad SWC (Older Version)

2026/7/11

In May of this year, I acquired a Hasselblad SWC (the original version, rather than the later SWC/M). The first thing I noticed when I received the camera was that its tripod socket was only about half its original length. 

After doing some research online, I learned the reason behind this modification. On the original SWC, the clearance between the tripod socket and the camera body is too small. When a CFV digital back is installed, the battery compartment of the digital back interferes with the rear half of the socket, preventing the CFV back from being mounted on the camera.

To solve this problem, it has become a fairly common modification to cut away the rear half of the socket, creating enough clearance for the CFV digital back. On my camera, the rear portion of the socket has been removed with a very clean, precise cut, suggesting that the modification was carried out by a professional.

今年5月,我入手了一台Hasselblad SWC(舊款,新款為 SWC/M)相機,收到相機的第一時間我就發現相機的腳架快拆板只有有原來長度的1/2。上網爬文查證的結果,原來是這款SWC的腳架快拆板與機身之間的空隙太小,當安裝CFV數位機背時,機背的電池會頂到腳架快拆板後半部,導致數位機背無法安裝於SWC機身。為了解決這個問題,將腳架快拆板切除後段1/2,算是蠻常見的做法。我手上這台相機,快拆板後端切除得很乾淨,應該是專業人士所為。



Since I don't have any plans to use a CFV digital back, I decided to restore the camera to its original configuration by replacing the modified half-length tripod socket with an original Hasselblad part. After searching through several online auction sites, I finally managed to find and purchase a brand-new original tripod socket on eBay.

因為我沒有使用數位機背的機會,打算找個原廠零件把這1/2個腳架快拆板換掉。經過幾番搜尋各大拍賣網站,終於從eBay購得全新的腳架快拆板零件。




The next step was to figure out how to replace the tripod socket. During my research, I found two documents that served as useful references:

接下來,就是開始研究如何更換新的腳架快拆板,我找到兩份文件可供參考:

Repair Manual for Hasselblad 500C, 500C/M and Super Wide C
https://phsc.ca/repair/Hasselblad/hasselblad_camera_500C.pdf

Service Manual Hasselblad SWC903
https://repaircameras.org/files/hasselblad/hasselblad-903swc-service-manual.pdf

On the later SWC/M, the tripod socket is externally mounted and slightly raised above the camera body. This design makes it much easier to accommodate a digital back, as the socket can be removed or replaced with a redesigned third-party quick-release plate if necessary. The earlier SWC, however, uses a much less accessible design. To replace the tripod socket, the camera body must first be opened. Then, three major components must be removed: the film advance lever, the circular shutter-cocking mechanism, and the lens assembly. Only after these parts have been taken out can you access the three screws inside the body that secure the tripod socket.

新款SWC的腳架快裝版都是外裝,而且有增高,所在使用數位背時,比較好因應,例如直接拆除或是更換成第三方重新設計過的腳架快裝板。這款較早期的SWC則必須先打開機身,然後取下快門桿、鏡頭快門上弦環形機構、鏡頭共三項重要零件後,才能從機身內鬆開用來鎖定腳架快裝板的3顆螺絲。






After installing the new tripod socket, simply reassemble the camera by reversing the disassembly steps. Reinstall the lens assembly, the circular shutter-cocking mechanism, and the film advance lever, and the replacement is complete.

更換好新的腳架快拆板後,反向操作,機身組合鏡頭、鏡頭快門上弦環形機構、快門桿,大功告成。