Hasselblad Planar CF T* stepless shutter speeds?

Hi,

 

I'd assumed that my Planar 80mm 2.8 T* couldn't be set in between

shutter speeds. Eg. is not stepless. I only challenged this assumption

recently and am sure I can hear a difference between setting the

shutter to 1 second, in between 1 second and half a second, and the

half second speeds.

 

Does anyone know if my previous assumptions have been wrong? Can the

lens actually be set between speeds? If it can then I've really been

missing out!

 

Thanks in advance.

CF shutters are controlled by a stepped cam, and should be set on the mark. Intermediate settings are not consistent and potentially harmful. If you need stepless exposure control, use the aperture.

 

Focal-plane shutters in the 200 series are electronically controlled. The manual shutter ring must still be set to the mark, but the auto exposure settings are in 1/4 stop increments.

"Intermediate settings are not consistent and potentially harmful"

!!!

 

I'll not go any further with my trials then... and stick to the half stops between apertures.

 

Thanks for your reply and advice Edward. Much appreciated.

Better safe than sorry. I paid over $400 for a gear train and cam - not for that reason, but it broke while changing speeds.

If you hear the difference between 1sec, 1/2 sec, and the in--between setting,

it is not sure the timing is somewhere 1 sec and 1/2 sec -- for stepless mode. You need some shutter testing mechanism to find it out. Try it on all the speeds.

 

Mechanical shutters are not exactly very accurate to start with. And you can easily get 1/2 stop deviation even when you do use the designated speed.

 

If you are looking for more accurate shutter, either use the 2xx series Hasselblad, but then you loose the benefit of a leaf shutter.

 

Of course you can always choose some other brand to give you better accuracy. And also shutter speeds slower than 1 second.

Lakhinder,<br><br>To get shutterspeeds slower than 1 sec. you do not need to go to another brand. Just take your own advice and use a 2000-series focal plane shutter camera, and the shutterspeed multiplier.

QG, if I am to read you correctly, I should have two cameras:

 

1. Hasselblad 5xx for speeds faster than 1 second, and use a leaf shutter. The thrust of this thread is about a leaf shutter, so let us stay with that.

 

2. Switch to 2xxx series when I need say accurate 1.5 second exposure?

 

3. And if the light is changing, maybe switch the camera accordingly :-)

Lakhinder,<br><br>No, there is no point in having two cameras. Not for any of the reasons you mention. If you think i say that you do indeed read me incorrectly.<br><br>Hasselblad 2000-series for both use with leaf shutters and focal plane shutter (at any speed these shutters can do). With a shutter speed multiplier if you like the camera to time long exposures for you.<br>Why would you think you would need to switch camera if light changes?<br><br>Anyway, yes, the question was about leaf shutters.<br>My respons was in reply to your suggestion that for timed exposures longer than 1 second you would need to get another brand (you don't), picking up on your ;-) suggestion that a focal plane shutter (!) Hasselblad would be advisable if you want/need to accurately time in-between-stops shutterspeeds.<br>See? ;-)

QG, I am under the impression that the 2xx camera can handle a CF in its native mechanical mode only -- i.e upto 1 second. Please explain the multiplier mode.

Lakhinder,<br><br>Of course the shutters in both C(...) lenses and in the 2000/200-series cameras only go to 1 sec.<br>But you can extend the range in 2000-series (not 200) cameras by using the shutter speed multiplier. This thing is inserted in place of the battery holder (it too holds a battery to feed the camera), and multiplies all shutterspeeds of the focal plane shutter by a factor 60, providing timed exposures up to 1 minute long (in half stop steps).

Oh and...<br><br>2000/200-series cameras can use either their focal plane shutter or the shutter in any leaf shutter lens.

QG, thanks to you for information on the Multiplier. I was not aware of such

a gadget. Therefore, I stand corrected on the issue of longer shutter speeds. This was not even the original topic of this thread, but am glad I got to know of such a gadget!