Hassy 110/2 apertures blades stuck - again

<p>The aperture blades on my Hassy 110/2 are stuck wide open. It had the same problem two years ago. Hasselblad NJ had to send it to Sweden for the repair. Cost me $550. </p>

<p>I know you're supposed to exercise Hasselblad equipment once a month....which I admit I don't do. Hard to say how often I've used that lens in the last two years, but I did use it occasionally....maybe every couple of months. I used it two weeks ago, and it worked fine. But yesterday, after shooting three rolls at what I thought was 5.6, I realized, after using the depth-of-field preview, that the blades were stuck again.</p>

<p>Does it seem odd that blades are stuck again so soon? In my decades of taking photos, this is the only lens whose blades have ever gotten stuck....and now twice in two years.</p>

<p>Kat,</p>

<p>I feel your pain too. I had similar results with all of F series lenses for my 201F. 50mm, 80mm, 110mm, & 150mm. The 60-120mm zoom never had any issues with it!</p>

<p>Unfortunately, only Hasselblad is the only vendor that I could find that would service these Non-Electronic camera...<br>

I wish that there were someone else whom can service these lenses for a simple CLA.</p>

 

<p>Hi Evan. Did you have frequent stuck aperture blades in your lenses? Do you feel it is more likely to happen with F lenses than C? I'm almost tempted to get the 110/2 fixed and then sell it before it breaks again. $550 every two years on one lens is a drag. Though I do love that lens.....</p>

<p>A light seal came off inside my 202FA a couple of weeks ago, and that will cost $350 to repair. Tom Chow (in these forums) thinks I may not need to repair (separate thread). Haven't tested the camera w/o it yet.</p>

<p>$900 in repairs. Ugh.<br>

<br /><br /></p>

 

<p>Which version of the lens do you have? IIRC early versions had problematic aperture blades, which are more prone to getting stuck. Was the last repair just a CLA or did they actually replace the aperture blades with more recent parts?</p>

<p>A bit of googling leads me to this thread: http://www.photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00U80Q</p>

<p>Wow, very interesting thread, Lee. Thank you. Good question about whether they replaced the aperture blades on my lens. I just assumed they would "unstick" and clean. Considering they will charge $350 to replace a little light seal inside my 202FA, the $550 for the stuck aperture blades, sent to Sweden, was probably just CLA. But if this problem of bad aperture blades is a known issue, and if my lens is one of those affected, it would be quite negligent of Hasselblad to not replace the blades.</p>

<p>My 110/2 says "F" on the barrel but it has the two blue lines and electrical connections. The serial number is 7143553. I don't know if it would be one of the affected lenses. I guess I should look online and see if I can date the lens.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

<p>.....Also, Q.G. de Bakker's comment in the thread you pointed out was interesting:</p>

<p>"The diaphram mechanism of the 110 mm lens in particular (the 150 mm too) is rather complicated, and is more likely to fail than that in other Zeiss lenses. This is due mostly to the large size of the opening, i.e. the little room left for the mechanism in the lens. The 110 mm has a 'double' diaphragm, with more blades than usual. And that too doesn't help to make it more robust. And yes, i have had troubles with the apertures in both f/2 110 and f/2.8 150 mm lenses. Both needing repairs (the 110 mm more than once). Repair wasn't cheap..."</p>

 

<p>Just discovered Q.G. de Bakker's Hasselblad Historical site, typed in my 110/2 serial number. Says it was made in 1989. The Hasselblad notice about bad aperture blades (in the thread you pointed out above) says new blades will be available in September 1993. I can't find anything in the notice about what year lenses are affected. Any FE's prior to 1993? Should Hasselblad have replaced my blades when I sent it for repair two years ago?</p>

<p>Yes, they probably should have replaced the aperture blades however it's possible that they no longer have those parts, in which case you're out of luck. It's entirely possible they did replace the blades, although $550 sounds rather low for that sort of service and repair, and you've just had a run of bad luck.</p>

<p>There probably were FE's affected prior to 1993. I would say the only guaranteed FE's not to be affected by this are the fifth generation models, as these were released in 1998+ and included other refinements. These usually go for around $2000+ second hand - they seem to be in demand by digital shooters, which i don't understand because there doesn't seem to be much point in shooting this lens unless you can use it with a full size MF back.</p>

<p>Good point about Hasselblad probably not having those parts anymore. I'll ask if they replaced the blades, maybe they have a record of the repair. But, yes, for $550, sent to Sweden, likely not.</p>

<p>I paid about $2,000 for mine at Keh, maybe five years ago. Didn't realize I should research the year it was made.</p>

<p>Agree with what you say about using this lens with digital. Why bother. </p>

<p>Most F and FE lens apertures are (relatively) easy to work on compared to the CF/C series. Only the rear of the lens needs to be disassembled (remove lens mount, rear optical group, and your there). This compares to the CF/C series, where both the front and rear must be disassembled (front and rear optical groups removed, shutter unit removed, then you can access the aperture blades).</p>

<p>I think the main issue with getting F/FE series lenses repaired is their rarity and parts availability. Cleaning or replacing aperture blades is a relatively easy task on most shutterless lenses, 'blads included. (with the FE lenses, you have to be very careful with the aperture encoder - those brushes are really easy to bend).</p>

<p>Of the hand full of F/FE lenses that I have used, most have had issues with oil contamination causing sticky aperture mechanisms. If you have fixed CF/C lenses, these were easy to repair. However, of the 2 150mm f/2.8F lenses I've had, neither has had the blade/pin interference issue that causes the aperture to stick (knock on wood!) - both have the old blade design.</p>

<p>If you can work the lens so the aperture closes, you can then determine if:<br /> 1) you have the new or old blade design (see link to 2009 post above)<br /> 2) you have marks on the blade from the pin<br /> 3) there is oil contamination on the blades</p>

<p>If 3), it's an easy fix. If 2) then you are looking for parts from Zeiss or scavenge the blades from a lens. Hopefully it's 3)....</p>

<p>PS: have you asked KEH if they can repair it? That is one of the thing they are good at.</p>

<p>Hi Tom.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, the aperture blades are totally stuck. Do not move at all if I move aperture ring or engage the depth-of-field preview.</p>

<p>Even if I could see what the problem is (as you describe), I wouldn't feel comfortable taking the lens apart. I've never done such a thing. If I were to attempt it, I would try on a less valuable lens first :)</p>

<p>I was wondering about Keh. Have you had Hasselblad equipment worked on there?</p>

<p>I just found an old email about the last repair (April 2013). Says besides getting cleaned, the lens got a spring and sleeve. No mention of new blades. Also, I see the price was $428 plus shipping (not to Sweden, from NJ). The $550 I mentioned earlier was in my head because that's Hasselblad Sweden's cut-off point for giving estimates -- that is, if repair is $550 or less, they just do the repair w/o giving you an estimate.</p>

<p>Won't know until it goes to Sweden if it will be $428 again.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>they seem to be in demand by digital shooters, which i don't understand because there doesn't seem to be much point in shooting this lens unless you can use it with a full size MF back.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>and</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Agree with what you say about using this lens with digital. Why bother.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Are you guys talking about 35mm digital? Because on anything larger - even the smallest MFD sensors (37 x 37 mm / 45 x 30 mm / 44 x 33mm) - it's still a unique lens option. There's nothing else that's as fast as f/2, longer than 80mm focal length. (Well, there's a new Leica 100/2 Summicron ASPH, but that works only on the Leica S bodies and is s-c-a-r-y expensive!)</p>

<p>> Are you guys talking about 35mm digital?</p>

<p>Yes.</p>

<p>Yes, also talking about 35mm digital. But even if I could afford medium format digital, I don't think I'd use a manual focus lens. For me, digital is about convenience, so auto-focus is what I'd choose.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I was wondering about Keh. Have you had Hasselblad equipment worked on there?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Sorry, never had anything repaired at KEH. But they have a good reputation, and you did buy it from there, so if you are looking for an independant repair, that would be a good starting place.</p>

<p>I don't shoot professionally, it's more an obsessive hobby. For 20 year old equipment that is no longer in production, I don't have any issues getting non-factory repairs done. I usually do them myself, because I have an engineering interest in how it works, and why it broke.</p>

<p>Hi Tom. I emailed Keh, and they said they would look at the lens and see if they could repair it. Said they would send on to Hasselblad NJ if they couldn't (with my approval). They have flat rate of $180 for repair of medium format lenses which is less than half of what it would cost at Hasselblad.</p>

<p>However, if Hasselblad NJ doesn't have anyone to work on the lens and has to send to Sweden, it seems unlikely that someone at Keh could work on it. But I don't know the situation at Hasselblad NJ....maybe they don't have much of a staff of repair technicians now that they are part of Bron?</p>

<p>If Keh would have to send to Hasselblad NJ, then they have to send to Sweden, that would be a very roundabout process.</p>

<p>.....I just reread the comment from Q.G. de Bakker above about the the diaphram mechanism of the 110/2 lens being rather complicated because of a double diaphragm, with more blades than usual. So I think I'll just send to Hasselblad and deal with the rather painful cost....</p>

<p>Thank you so much for your help. Must be nice to be able to work on your cameras yourself....</p>

<p>Kat,</p>

<p>Sorry for the delay in responding. I just checked both 110mm F & 150mm F and so far I do not have the sticky aperture on either of the lenses. Of course that doesn't mean it will not happen in the near future....<br>

I would call Hasselblad USA and ask for Dennis Greco. He is the Head 2000/200 series Technician there. If he is no longer there, ask the Head of the Repair Dept what exactly is their course of actions for older 2000/200 series equipment.<br>

I called recently regarding spare bulbs and Service for my Imacon Flextight Precision III that was serviced by them. I am the second owner and although the CLA was expensive, I am quite satisfied with it overall. <br>

Dennis Greco serviced my 2000 FCM, 201F, and 205TCC. The 205TCC had a new curtain that came from Sweden... Otherwise I can not find any other individuals whom can even touch these 2000/200 series equipment..<br>

Best course of action would be to allow Hasselblad to repair them if possible. </p>

 

<p>Hi Evan. I did indeed send my 110/2 lens to Hasselblad a couple of days ago. I was in touch with my usual contact there, Maryann Murphy (whose title is service administrator). She had told me that the lens would have to be sent to Sweden, just as it was in spring 2013.</p>

<p>Prior to 2013, someone at Hasselblad here in U.S. did work on the lens (just clean, the blades were not stuck that time). I can't recall his name, but I don't think it was Dennis. I remember he included a nice note with the lens. Maybe they lost him when they moved to a different city after they became Hasselblad Bron.</p>

<p>When Maryann gave me an estimate for the repair of the light seal on my 202FA (another thread here), she didn't say anything about sending to Sweden. So maybe Dennis Greco would be working on that. I haven't sent that in yet. Thank goodness for Dennis Greco! I'm afraid that all 200/2000 series equipment will have to be sent to Sweden at some point. And will Hasselblad Sweden continue to work on it indefinitely, I wonder?</p>

<p>Interesting that you have a Flextight. I have wondered what I will do when my Nikon LS-9000 dies.</p>

<p>Yet, I won't give up on film......</p>

<p>Thanks for your input!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Kat,</p>

<p>There use to be another woman there beside Maryann. I think Rose Marie. Both were very good in communicating the customer's need to the Service Dept. I live in NJ so I always do I Walk In and meet everyone for a Face Off.</p>

<p>The best way to know Hasselblad better. I enjoy their staff and their service. Its a bit pricey, but for the 2000/200 series & H System, there is no other option!<br /><br /><br>

With demand for the specialty V system declining, its best swerve to send it to Sweden for all complex repairs. All spare parts comes form there, so naturally it best route for service.<br>

That has also worked for the Contax product line. Simple repairs are done here by Tocad America (Also NJ Based) and all complex repairs goes directly to Kyocera Japan. I hope to use my recently serviced & Overhaul Contax 645 till it can no rise to the challenge anymore in the future years...</p>

<p>Yes I use two different high end scanners for my medium format scanning. A Scitex Eversmart Pro II and the Imacon Flextight Precision III.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi Evan. How nice that you can go to the Hasselblad office and speak to people in person. Re Contax 645.....I have one of those, too. I hope they can be repaired in the future as well. Loving these older cameras can be a bit worrisome....</p>

I repair Hasselblad F Lenses and modify their blades a bit so they don't get stuck every two years.

My prices are cheaper than Hasselblad and KEH. Including the modification.

 

You can also send me a message about C and C T* lenses. I do not work on CT lenses.

 

I also work on Rolleiflex TLR shutters, I do not work on old style ones.

The ones you cannot change the speed from 250 to 500 when the camera is cocked.

I don't like them, rather not work on them.

 

 

 

You can contact me via kadirkirisci1@gmail.com

I'm located in the USA and accept PayPal. Checks and such are fine as well

Edited January 16, 2018 by kadir_kirisci

Hi Kadir,

 

I know of one other master Repairman whom will take the entire Shutter assembly OUT and rebuilt it up from Scratch.

 

I had him modified a CZJ 180mm 2.8 Sonnar MC for me. Works like a charm on my Hasselblad 2000FCW.

I've never messed with Hasselblad for my 500c/m and lenses. I use David Odess. My gear gets fixed right, and I'm sure he's more reasonable than Hasselblad (though he's not cheap). And He's easy to find with google.