Hasselblad 553ELX
The Hasselblad 553ELX is a medium-format 6x6 SLR with a built-in electric motor drive, part of Hasselblad's V-system and the successor to the 500ELX. It takes the same interchangeable lenses, film backs and viewfinders as the rest of the V-series, and was positioned as the professional studio and NASA-lineage body for photographers who needed motorised advance rather than the manual crank of a 500C/M.
At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the 553ELX body have spanned roughly £280–£850, with a median around £510 — so that is what a clean example is worth at saleroom level in 2026. Condition drives most of the spread: tatty bodies with worn leatherette or battery-compartment corrosion sell for £280–£330, while tested examples with a working back and finder fetch £500–£850 today.
Sales History
Prices shown are UK auction hammer results — the wholesale level achieved in the saleroom. Neither buyer’s nor seller’s commission is included. Dealer and retail asking prices are typically higher.
| Date | Price | Source | |
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| Dec 2024 | £325 | Flints Auctions | |
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Auction: Cameras & Scientific Instruments (Lot 140) Title: A Hasselblad 553ELX Medium Format Camera Body
Description:
black, serial number RT1331705, body VG, untested,, with film back and cap. |
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| Oct 2024 | £280 | Harper Field Auctions | |
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Auction: Buying & Selling (Lot 1977) Title: Hasselblad 553ELX medium format camera, serial number RR1335131, circa 1988, with Carl Zeiss
Description:
Hasselblad 553ELX medium format camera, serial number RR1335131, circa 1988, with Carl Zeiss |
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| Feb 2024 | £850 | Flints Auctions | |
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Auction: Cameras & Scientific Auction (Lot 167B) Title: A Hasselblad 553 ELX Medium Format SLR Camera
Description:
1989-1999, with a Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* f/4 120mm lens, serial no.7242805, 45 degrees prism finder, waist level hood, lens hood, 6 x 6 and 6 x 4. |
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| Jan 2023 | £500 | Flints Auctions | |
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Auction: The Collectors Sale (Lot 334) Title: A Hasselblad 553ELX Medium Format Camera
Description:
chrome, serial no. RU1334844, with Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* f/4 150mm lens, black, serial no. 6284462, body, G, some corrosion to battery terminals, |
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| Aug 2022 | £438 | Flints Auctions | |
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Auction: The Collectors Sale (Lot 453) Title: A Hasselblad 553ELX Medium Format Body
Description:
1994, chrome, serial no. 12EI14492, body, VG, untested, complete with A12 back and waist level finder Note: This does not have an acute-matt screen |
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| Apr 2022 | £525 | Flints Auctions | |
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Auction: Fine Photographica (Lot 114) Title: A Hasselblad 553ELX Medium Format Body
Description:
1994, chrome, serial no. 12EI14492, body, VG, untested, complete with A12 back and wasit level finder |
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| May 2020 | £637 | Flints Auctions | |
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Auction: Fine Photographica & Instruments of Science (Lot 201) Title: A Hasselblad 553ELX Medium Format Body
Description:
A Hasselblad 553ELX Medium Format Body, chrome, serial no. 12ES11444, body, E, shutter working, battery door locking catch broken, together with |
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| May 2013 | EUR 800 | Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 23 (Lot AI_23_10434) Title: Hasselblad 553 ELX '25 Years on the Moon'
Description:
very rare limited edition 553 ELX in like new condition (emblem with marks as usual) with both caps, instructions, certificate and matching maker's box Estimate: EUR 1,500 - EUR 2,000 |
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| May 2007 | EUR 700 | Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 11 (Lot AI_11_16305) Title: Hasselblad 553ELX chrome
Description:
with acute-matte D screen and magazine A12 30074 no.30ET4446, connecting cord LK150 and release cord FK300, all new in original maker's boxes, brochure Estimate: EUR 1,200 - EUR 1,400 |
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| Nov -0001 | £400 | Flints Auctions | |
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Auction: The Collectors Sale (Lot 696) Title: A Hasselblad 553ELX Medium Format Camera
Description:
chrome, serial no. RU1334844, with Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* f/4 150mm lens, black, serial no. 6284462, body, G, some corrosion to battery terminals, (Qty: 1) |
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