HASSELBLAD 500CM 6x6 SLR MF CAMERA
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Stelrxr Metalworks - Athens, GA - 706.548.9349
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Hasselblad 500cm
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Guide (Thanks to Richard Hughes!)
From: [email protected] (Mr500CM)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Older Hasselblad info.....
Date: Sat, 03 Oct 1998
This article is written for users of older 500C/M and EL/M users. I wrote
it to help users of older equipment find accessories, filters and other
items that were discontinued a few years ago.
Unlike other camera companies, Hasselblad still repairs and services all
of the 500 series equipment no matter how old it is. Some cosmetic parts
are no longer made as well as some accessories. In this article I will
pass on some information and hopefully others will e-mail me some
information too.
Filters: The Bay 50 series made for the older "C" lenses (80mm, 100mm,
120mm, 150mm and 250mm) are no longer made by VHI. There are a good amount
of these filters on the used market and prices are fairly cheap, usually
around $10.00 to $25.00 depending upon the brand and its condition. If
you are looking for new filters, you can sometimes find new old stock, in
addition Hoya is still producing new Bay 50 filters. Skylights, B&W colors
(green, red, etc) and light balancing are still made. You can buy a Bay 50
step up ring that would allow you to use screw in filters, the most common
are 52mm and 55mm ( you can go up to 58mm but they often won't work with
lens hoods. The rings run from $12.00 and up. The 63 series, also known as
series 8 ( for the older 50mm & 60mm "C" lenses & SWC ) again are
plentiful on the used market. I have seen brand new Hasselblad filters
selling as cheap as $10.00 for this series. If you remove the filter
retaining ring, you can use a 67mm screw in filter too. These are still
made by all manufacturers.
Softars: The most sought after filter in the Bay 50 size is the Softar.
The Softar is not made by Hasselblad, it is made by Zeiss. You can buy a
52mm Softar ( I, II or III ) for about $200.00. Yes it is expensive but if
you want it you can still get it. Bay 50 Softars are very expensive if
they are near mint and seldom found in that condition. They are made of
plastic and scratch very easy.
Proxars: The Proxar is a useful close-up filter designed by Zeiss to be
used with their optics. Again, these were discontinued in the Bay 50 size
a few years ago. There seems to be a fairly good supply of these and I
still see some old new stock pop up from time to time. Prices are in the
$30.00 to $50.00 range depending upon its condition.
Quick Focussing Handles: For the older "C" lenses there were two handles
made, #1 and #2. Handle #l was for the 50mm, 60mm 80mm and 100mm lenses.
These handles are no longer made. Now as a wedding photographer I only
like the handle with a 80mm lens, and I was distraught when they were
discontinued. The Lynn company came out with their own quick focus
handles. Handle 1 included an adapter that allowed the handle to be used
on the older "C" lenses. The adapter is a thick rubber ring that slips
over the focussing mount. You place the ring on the focus mount of the "C"
lens and then you place the handle over the rubber ring and tighten. This
worked but if you were hard on the handle like I am, it would often pop
off. I found that it was just not worth it. With a little help form VHI,
I found out that the new quick focus handle #1 for the CF lenses works
well with the old "C" lenses without any modifications. First the handle
is a bit smaller than the original so this takes some getting used to. It
is made a lot better and the handle folds for easier storage. The handle
sits farther back on the focus mount, because of this you can easily see
you depth of field marks with no problem. There is one recommendation
that I must make, if you use a PC cord with this lens, use the Paramount
high tip cords made for the "C" lenses. Other cords can cause a lock up
until the cord is repositioned (it gets caught on back end of the handle).
Unlike the older handles which only lasted a few months of heavy use, I
have been using the CF handles for almost two years and it works great.
The price is a bit high, $60.00 for a new one. Older #2 handles are
plentiful. They can often be found for $10.00 and up.
Focusing Screens: These too have been discontinued a few years ago. About
a year ago I needed a split image screen for a 500C that I bought. I
contacted a place that I deal with, the owner who is also a repairman,
informed me that I can use any screen that is made for the newer cameras.
All you have to do is CAREFULY remove the metal frame from the screen and
install. I did and it worked. If you've never installed a screen in a 500C
or EL body you can do it yourself, but the screen must be aligned to
insure that focus will be correct. If you don't want to do it, any
repairman can easily install the screen of your choice including an Acute
Matte. [Ed. Accu-matte]
Shutter Speed Bands. The chrome shutter speed bands that were on the
chrome "C" lenses have been discontinued for a while. The current
replacement is a black band found on the last series of black lenses. I
have seen people refinish the chrome bands using press type and then
coating them with clear coat. It looks good and it doesn't cost as much as
a new band. And your lens still looks original.
EL/ELM Batteries: Varta discontinued these batteries in the beginning of
1997. The factory has found a new vender so don't worry, there are plenty
of batteries in stock. It is important to discharge them to prevent
memories and avoid overcharging. A full charge is 14 hours with the
standard charger. The factory is offering a modification for the older
cameras. Once modified, the cameras will run on AA batteries like the
current series. Details are coming in, but the price should be in the
$200.00 area.
Other lens problems: The Compur shutters used in the "C" series lenses are
very reliable and will last the life of the lens. I have known only one
lens to need a new shutter and that lens fell in salt water. After it was
repaired it worked like new. A killer of these shutters is lack of use.
Lubricants harden and the shutter becomes sluggish. It is best to exercise
the shutters every few months simply by shooting a few shots on each speed
1 through 1/500 sec. You should also work the self timer. Dont forget to
work the focusing ring. The grease becomes stiff with age and could cause
a tightness when focusing. You should have silica gel packs in your case
to keep moisture down. Moisture can breed fungus, which can turn a
$2000.00 lens into a paper weight. At first it starts with a small tiny
dot, then it becomes stringy and looks almost like a spider's web. The
lens should be clean as soon as possible, fungus will etch into the glass
making it useless. You also should make sure you have your shutter set on
the correct type of synch you will be using. "M" is for flash bulbs and
"X" is for strobes. Most of us, have no use for "M" at all, in fact if
you're not careful you can change the flash synch without even knowing it.
My technician "pinned" my lens. There are two ways of doing this, one is
total removal of the "M" gear train that means the shutter must be torn
apart. The other way is to put a tiny screw in the the sync track that
will prevent the lever from moving to "M." This is the method that I
recommend. It's cheap and it can be reversed in seconds.
Storage: If you're not going to use your equipment for a long period of
time, it is best to store it in a relaxed state. What this means is take
the back off and trip the shutter. The mirror is now up and the shutter
(if a lens is on the body) is now closed. Replace the back and store the
camera. If you have other lenses, trip the shutters and relax them. This
takes the stress off the main spring in the lens and will add life to it.
Remember to re-cock your equipment.
Repairs: As I stated earlier, lack of use is a killer of camera
equipment. The lack of use causes lubricants to become hard and gummy.
This will make shutters sluggish and low speeds will start to become
inaccurate. In magazines, two things usually go wrong. The first is light
leaks along the edge. This is normal with use. Inside the magazines there
is a light trap to prevent fogging when the dark side is removed. It is
made of foam and mylar. The foam wears out with age and needs to be
changed. The other problem is spacing between frames becomes uneven. At
this point it is time for service. Bodies seem to go on forever. I just
had one after fourteen years of use require service, that not too bad!
Good technicians are hard to find. A good technician not only fixes a
problem but finds out why it happened and while he is in there he checks and
replaces key parts as needed. I used one technician for ten years until he
retired. My search several years ago led me to Brad Sherman of Precision
Camera Service in New Jersey. Brad is a rare find, an honest technician
who knows what hes doing and is reasonable. Oh, and he is factory trained.
All my friends now use him and they agree with me. Here is his information:
Brad Sherman
Precision Camera Service
798 Woodlane Rd., Ste. 10-128
Mount Holly, NJ 08060
Tel: 609-702-8100
800-263-6599
Fax: 609-702-9410
E-mail: [email protected]
How old is my equipment?: Bodies and magazines are easy to date. Before
the serial number there are two letters. The two letters hold the key to
the code which is:
V H P I C T U R E S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
If your body is RI, your body was made in 1984. Lenses were thought to be
undateable. But not anymore, thanks to Richard Nordins new book, more
information below.
Books: For the beginner the best book Ive seen on how to use the
Hasselblad system is "The Hasselblad Manual" by Ernst Wildi. Mr. Wildi
goes into incredible detail with the system and it can answer most
questions. Another book is "The Hasselblad System Compendium" by Richard
Nordin published by Hove. Unlike Wildi's book that is how to use the
system, Richards book is on the equipment. It is a history of the system
and more. Listings include descriptions and photos of all the camera
models, lenses and accessories plus a lot of previously unpublished data
like the lens dates, all the code numbers, listing of literature and
reference material. It is 300 plus pages and has over 700 photos. It can
be found at most good book stores, I bought my copy at "A Photographers
Place" in New York. It is well worth the money.
If you have a question about anything I wrote e-mail me and I'll see if I
can help. Please note, I am not paid nor am I receiving any gifts of any
type for any information that I list. The people and products that I list
are those that I use.
Lance Karp
Related Postings:
From: [email protected] (John Hicks)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: How to buy a used Hasselblad
Date: 4 Oct 1998
>How To Buy A Used Hasselblad
Good post!
>so if your buying a 500C and you dont like the screen thats installed, any good >repairman can change it.
A competent repairman can also remove an Acute-Matte screen from its
frame and install it in a 500C. Hasselblad used to do this but stopped
because they scratched or broke too many Acute-Mattes.
Also, although it appears to be a simple swap-out job, don't do it
unless you're equipped with an autocollimator and shims so you can
match focus of the new screen with actual film-plane focus.
>Magazines
When I get in a Hassie back I always assume there's light leaks and
frame-spacing problems and more often than not those problems do
appear. I believe that usually Hasselblad stuff that's sold or traded
in has been sitting unused for a long time.
Used-gear dealers never have time to run film through backs and of
course don't pay for routine servicing, especially on consignment
items.
So if you're buying a used Hasselblad back be sure that you have the
opportunity to shoot a roll of film to check it out and that you can
return it for a refund or repairs if needed.
>The myth is that professionals beat their cameras to death.
That's true; the cameras that function the worst are the ones that
are fairly old but appear to be in new condition. Usually those are
the ones that need major servicing.
---
John Hicks
John's Camera Shop
From: "John Stafford" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000
Subject: Re: Hasselblad 500c
Most used 12 backs I've got needed new light traps. You can pay 57$ and
up, sometimes less for a repair, or do it yourself for $12 in materials.
If you are using lenses from the 500c era and you want filters, then
invest in the bay-to-series VIII adapter so you can use good-quality
aftermarket filters rather than Ha$$elblad name brand. (Someone will rant
on me for that one.) Optionally, along with the later, you can find Kodak
Series VIII lens hoods for less than $20. The big Kodak hood works
out-of-the-box for the 150mm, and can be trimmed back for the 50mmm and
80mm. If you find the Hasselblad missing the 'blad' (in other words, a
Hassle) for hand-holding, then it is a good idea (imho) to go with
Hasselblad name-brand grips. They fit without compromise and can be
purchased quite reasonably.
The standard ground-glass on the 500c is adequate for bright light or for
an experienced user in dim light, but difficult otherwise. Have a
qualified technician replace it with a brighter screen. Expensive!
And when shopping for these cameas, remove the back, push back the
auxillary shutter and check out the 'unjam' slot head. If it's munged,
then pass - lest you find that your next jammed lens/body becomes the
event that adds $300 in repair work as the lens is turned so far the screw
turns past the lens release. (The worst case is when the lens fires as you
are mounting it, usually on a camera with a history of jams.)
And DO NOT bother with the Kiev viewfinders, unless you have relatively
low-standards. They suck, plain and simple - poor contrast and internal
reflections especially at the edges.
If you can, or care, 'fix' the flash synch switch in X postion so you do
not accidentally shoot on M. (I suspect you will never use M.)