Hasselblad 500C flash synch and shutter questions

I recently bought my first Hasselblad 500C with a few older C lenses. I am

confused by the language used in the Hasselblad 500C manual concerning flash

synchronization (and a few other things!). I am accustomed to using my 500CM

with CF lenses.

 

The manual says: "The cable from flash to synchronizer is kept neatly out of the

way by a special cable hook inserted at the cable-hook hole (38)". Uh... what

"special cable hook"? I have never seen or heard of such a thing... can anyone

point to a photo or provide a catalog number?

 

And what is the "Synchronizer contact for auxiliary shutter"? (37 in diagram).

Under what conditions would this be used? I'm thinking... surely you can't use

this auxiliary shutter as a focal plane shutter with F lenses, like you would

the 2000FC, can you? There would be no way to control the speed of this

auxiliary shutter on the 500C, as far as I know... so I'm confused...

 

 

Thanks,

Keith<div></div>

Your 500c works just like your 500cm.

 

The special cable hook is an option that plugs into the left side of the body. You don't need

it. The synchronizer you mention is for the rear 'flaps' which can act as a shuuter.

 

Consult youe manual. Your cameras are, FAPP, alike. The CM has easily interchangealbe focus

screens and maybe an elevated accessory shoe. No other differences.

Use the flash contact on the "C" lens/shutter, and set the synchronization to "X" (not "M"). An ordinary PC tip sync cable will be needed.

 

The body contact, if it exists (only implemented briefly by Hasselblad) works from the auxillary shutter (the barn doors).

The 'body contact' is indeed used when lenses without shutter are used. But think special macro lenses rather than F lenses (they didn't exist until after the body contact was dropped - which was relatively soon, but still many, many cameras were made with the thing, so it is not rare). Such lenses are/were used in an 'open flash' situation: ambient light not contributing at all to the exposure, so timing wasn't important. You can fire the flash by hand after pressing the release, but using the body contact, the camera does that for you.

Thank you Q.G.. Can you tell us more about the lenses you are referring to that would have Hasselblad mounts but without shutter and are not F lenses? This is not a practical how-to question, more of a historical and design question. I have never heard of 'lenses-in-barrel' that could be used with Hasselblads, if that is what you mean. Or are you saying that Hasselblad itself made/distributed lenses for awhile for this purpose?

 

Also, I'd still like to see a photo of this 'special cable hook' if anyone can point to one. I realize it is a not needed accessory, again this question is only out of historical curiosity.

 

-Keith

Hasselblad made both an 'adapter' that could be machined to accept many lenses, and a shutter assembly (a 80 mm C lens without the glass bits and a lens bayonet mount on front).<br>The adapter had a centered hole, with RMS-thread. And that points to the type of lenses that would (and will) be used: special photomicrography lenses, like the excellent Zeiss Luminars, or the Leitz Phocotars.<br><br>High magnification photography is a slow undertaking, with lots of time spend on setting up (set and lights) and focussing. And lots of light loss due to magnification = very long shutterspeeds.<br>In such a setting, having no shutter and using open flash isn't as awkward as it may seem. And since magnification is the name of the game, not being able to focus to infinity is no problem.<br>The shutter assembly was meant to be used when shutterspeeds got short. They don't do that very often.<br><br>The cable hook is a tiny plastic thingy, shaped like a question mark "?". It snaps into the socket with a tiny ball where the ?'s dot is.<br>The idea is that when a cable, grabbed by the hook, is jerked, the hook will take the strain, and the PC connector will not be pulled out of the PC terminal.

Oops, I shouldn't have used that term 'lenses-in-barrel'; obviously the lens would have to have an aperature! -Keith

Thanks Q.C.!!! And Edward and Pico! I had never seen or heard of the Hasselblad shutter assemblies you mention. And actually, the cable hook (i.e. strain relief) sounds like a really useful thing... It amazes me how many of these little features have disappeared and how few people even remember them. That is what makes this forum so valuable, and fun! -Keith