Second hand from Hasselblad importer and sloooow service and...

Hi!

 

I think I am in need for some advice here.

 

This is the situation; I recently bought a used 503cxi (from 1996)

with an A12 mag (from 1998) through a dealer from the official

importer of Hasselblad here in Norway, Interfoto, with a three month

warranty from the dealer.

 

Immediately after I had recieved it I found out that the WLF did not

open unless you held it upside down. I am supposedly getting that

replaced, but I have waited three weeks now.

 

So I borrowed a WLF and I have shot three films, the second of which

shows slightly uneven spacing, and the third shows very uneven

spacing and cuts the last frame in two, due to the excessive spacing

between frames. So I figure I need to have the back serviced.

 

Then I notice that it seems like the back does not match the camera

body completely. It looks like the camera body is slightly bigger

than the back, but only on the top left side when held as when you

photograph. With the back off I can squeeze the left side of the

body and watch it move closer to the (shall we say) frame around the

auxiliary shutters. With the back mounted on the camera, it appears

that it can easily be moved slightly towards the top left corner of

the body, so that they match better. But I cannot really work out if

it is the "shell" of the body bending or if it really is the back

moving. I would guess it is both. There are no light-leaks, by the

way.

 

All repairs would be covered by the warranty, but the importer is

notouriously slow. I have waited three weeks for a WLF, and I know

other people have waited much longer for repairs. But my main

consern is the body and the back, and I have started wondering if I

should just return the camera and ask to get my money back, and buy

another one from somebody else. I have a lot of pictures to shoot

(art) and I´ve also started out doing a few commercial jobs, so I

can´t bear the thought of having to wait for a month or two. On

buying the camera I was told that it would be in good working order,

as it would come from the importer, who would have serviced it.

 

For the record; all my previous experience with Hasselblad has been

excellent. I worked two years as an assistant and used Hasselblad

quite a lot.

 

Has anyone got any thoughts about what is going on with the body and

the back? What to do? Any advice will be very welcome.

 

Thank you very much!

I would return it, sounds like you got a "lemon", or something else wrong here...

Return it, and start over with another camera!

Take the outfit back

and ask for your money back

then hop across to Sweden and buy a good one.

Regards

 

Alan.

It sounds like there are a number of problems with the camera.

 

First, the waist level finder. Even if the dealer does replace it, it shouldn't have been sold in that condition, and you shouldn't have to put up with the aggravation of having to return it to the dealer, and waiting for it to be replaced. Granted, I might not return the camera for a refund simply because of this, but the other issues are of great concern to me.

 

You wrote, "Secondly, there is the problem with film spacing. This is caused by a problem within the film back, and this would have to be repaired."

 

You are correct ... the film spacing is caused by the film back, and it would have to be serviced.

 

You also wrote, "Then I notice that it seems like the back does not match the camera body completely. It looks like the camera body is slightly bigger than the back, but only on the top left side when held as when you photograph. With the back off I can squeeze the left side of the body and watch it move closer to the (shall we say) frame around the auxiliary shutters. With the back mounted on the camera, it appears that it can easily be moved slightly towards the top left corner of the body, so that they match better. But I cannot really work out if it is the "shell" of the body bending or if it really is the back moving. I would guess it is both."

 

Without seeing the body and the magazine, I couldn't say with absolute certainty, but from what you wrote, it sounds to me like the camera was dropped, causing the camera body shell to be knocked out of square. The body shell should be the same size as the film magazine, and you should not be able to squeeze the left side of the body and watch it move closer to the frame around the auxiliary shutters. And, with the film back mounted on the camera, you should not be able to move the film back towards the top left corner of the body.

 

You wrote that you were told that the camera would be in good working order, and, obviously, it was not. If it were a matter of one minor thing being wrong with the camera, that would be corrected in a timely manner, I would give the camera dealer the opportunity to correct the problem.

 

However, because there are so many things wrong with the camera, (especially the possibility that is has been dropped), I would return it to the dealer and insist on getting my money back, and purchase another camera from a different dealer.

 

David S. Odess - Factory trained Hasselblad technician

I am looking at my camera right now. As I said, with the magazine off, there is a little gap between the outer "shell" of the body and the inner on the side where the iso-dial is placed, just enough so that it can be pushed inwards. The magazine can be moved as I said just a little towards the top left corner of the body when seen from behind. This could be the locking mechanism giving a little way? But, the back seems to lock tightly into place, and I cannot move the magazine when trying to twist it, only when my fingers are placed on the joining pressing on the body and the back at the same time. I am not using any force. All functions of both the body and the mag feel "firm" or "tight", except the spacing problem with the mag. Running my finger along the camerabody and over the joining of the body and the mag reveals that the joint seems fine except at the top left corner (again from behind) where the outer shell of the body seems to be leaning a little outwards.

 

I don´t know... this is just a little tiresome. I paid 1.000,- US dollars for the filmback and the body so I would have liked everything to be in good working condition (sigh)!

 

 

Regards

 

Steinar

David Odess, thank you very much for your reply! Your answer puts words to what I am trying to describe; yes, it seems to be out of square! I will take the camera to the dealer tomorrow and talk to them. I thought I would be safe byuing from the importer though...

 

Again, thank you very much! :)

 

 

Best wishes,

 

Steinar

Steinar,<br><br>I'm sure you were planning too anyway, but when you return the thing, do make sure to let them know too that you expected more from an official Hasselblad representative.<br>I would complain to Hasselblad Sweden too. Even though this may be a never-before-never-again thing, it's just not acceptable that something like this should happen at all.<br>So let them know!

I took the camera back to the dealer today and got my money back.

 

I also visited a friend of mine who ownes a 500cm and a 203- body. Well, what can I say, the magazines on those cameras fit perfectly and you can´t move them in any direction, at least not without using excessive force. The 500cm is from 1989 with a magazine from 1988. The funny thing is, my CF150 wouldn´t fire on that camera, but his CF180 does. Don´know why, but it´s a shame, ´cause we were thinking maybe I could buy it from him.

Steinar: As I said today when I called you I'll pay some of the cost for a check of the CF150 that I sold to you. The strange thing is that the CF150 worked without problems the 4-5 months I had it and also with the bad 503CXi you bought.

 

Good luck, and give me a call.