I got a bumper bargain of Hasselblad A12 and A24 backs when I bought my 500 c/m. The previous owner had 7 backs to offer with the camera, which means that I can load them up and shoot without having too much hassle trying to load film whilst on a shoot.
I did have a problem recently because I managed to baffle myself by loading the film into the A12 back incorrectly putting the loaded spool at the top, rather than the bottom. As such, the film was being wound off the spool but not onto the take up spool.
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A quick check over the manual and despite my brain drain, I did manage to load my Hasselblad back correctly and carry on shooting.
Many people are looking for hasselblad digital backs, or digital backs by other makers that fit the Hasselblad V system. They are very popular amongst studio photographers, especially those who do commercial fashion and major advertising work. Digital backs for medium format users, are prohibitive in cost to buy new, if you're a hobbyist or occassional photographer. They can cost from £15,000 - £40,000 new. However, many of the early digital backs are coming on to the secondhand market for around the £3-5,000 mark. Still high?, as more and more pro's upgrade their equipment, more and more will digital camera backs will come onto the market don't worry.
In the meantime, I am happy to shoot film, and scan where necessary, say for stock work. This works for me until the portfolio of images starts to earn for itself. Maybe in a year or so I will look again at the prices for a digital back for my Hasselblad 500, but for now, my 7 film backs will keep me going.
