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Are newer V-Series cameras more accurate?


jim_coyote

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<p>I have a 1987 500 c/m, and it seems to back-focus. This is problematic because I mostly use it for portraits with a 150 f/4 wide open, so DOF is pretty shallow. <br>

I understand that focus shift can be a result of the foam pads that hold the mirror breaking down, an incorrectly adjusted focus screen, or simply incorrect body length. I've also read that newer bodies were built to tighter tolerances. <br>

Would a newer 503CW focus more accurately? Would it be worth an upgrade? <br>

Thank you. </p>

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<p>The older bodies can be serviced and brought back to new by factory trained repairmen.<br />I would recommend either David Odess or Hasselblad in New Jersey for this work.<br />Even if you buy a newer camera it too will probally need to be serviced.<br /><br />So it's your call, buy newer and get service or get the one you now have serviced.......they are all mechanical in nature. <br /><br />I have never heard of "incorrect body lengths" not sure I would trust that source for further information?<br />The newer bodies do have updates that you may find useful?</p>
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<p>As far as I can tell, the biggest upgrades to the 503CW over the 500c/m are the gliding mirror, TTL, and Palpas coating. <br /><br />Viewfinder vignetting/blackout isn't an issue with the 150mm lens, I use the flash in manual mode, and I'm not sure that the Palpas coating is a big deal. <br>

Mostly, I just wondered whether the newer cameras were built to tighter spec because they were made to work with digital backs, so I wondered if it would give me sharper focus. </p>

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<p>Is this correct? <br>

The internal body of a Hasselblad is an assembly of plates, to which the several bits of the mechanism are attached. <br />That assembly of plates can, and may need to, be adjusted (which is done using a hammer, tapping it 'in shape') to adjust correct body length.<br>

<br>

Source: http://www.apug.org/forum/index.php?threads/hasselblad-focus-stability-issues.57157/print</p>

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<blockquote>

<p>"the newer cameras were built to tighter spec" I still have NEVER heard this before.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I'm not a Hasselblad user, but I do recall a recommendation to use a factory-matched pair of body + film back; the rationale given was that if the body was ever so slightly "long" then the flange on the matched back would be ever so slightly "short" to compensate, or vice-versa. I don't recall which era of bodies this applied to.</p>

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