Why are the Hasselblad so noisy

I own a 205 TCC. Each time I press the shutter, my daughter close her

eyes as soon as the mirror hit the top! Even on a tripod and the

mirror set up, the shutter makes a noisy "Clock Clock"! My question

is: cannot Hasselblad manufacture a shutter like that of a Leica M?

Sure if you would settle for a shutter 1/3 the size with no mirror. Oh yeah you might have to put it into a body specifically designed to be extrememly rigid and quiet. Personally I love the sound of the hassy - I understand your problem, but it comes with the teritory. Go for an RB, prefire the miror and the leaf shutter is nearly silent.

Compared to the old Bronica focal plane 6x6 SLR's (particularly the S2a), Hasselblad is REAL quiet.

The leaf shutters for the 500 series are much quieter than the focal plane shutters when the mirror is locked up first. Most blad users like the ka-plunk sound that is unique to the 500 series. I have the old lenses with the built in self timers and they are really quiet when the shutter lock is used to prerelease the mirror, barn doors and the diaphram. FWIW

I used to have Pentax 67, it was noisier than the Hasselblad. My Nikon F and F2 were about as noisy as the Blad. But nothing I've ever used made more racket than a Nikon F3 with the MD-4 going full tilt. Like a machine gun in a sawmill. Inasmuch as the Blad isn't something you're likely to keep tucked under your jacket for candid snaps, or sneak into a theater, the noise isn't normally much of a problem for most photoraphers. When near-silent MF photography is a must, TLRs or rangefinders are available. I own a couple Rolleis for just such occasions, plus the lack of mirror slap makes them better suited to handheld shooting. For me it's an advantage that no one camera is perfect for everything, gives me the excuse to own a whole bunch of them ;>)

The shutter in the Hasselblad XPan is reasonably quiet. Not as quiet as a Leica, but that camera is famous for its quiet, low vibration shutter. And then there is the winding noise, but that at least is well after the picture has been taken. But then again, the XPan is made by Fuji, not Hasselblad.

<i>"But then again, the XPan is made by Fuji, not Hasselblad."</i><p>

Yes, and we all know how quiet those Fuji rangefinders are! <p>(((thuh-WUNGK!)))

If noise is that important, why not just use 500 series leaf shutter lenses on your 205? I haven't had the pleasure of using a focal plane Hasselblad, but would hazard a guess you'll lose a lot of your features.

Low noise is gained and no camera features are lost when you use CFE lenses. The "E" is the critical aspect here.

I can vouch for the substantial thunk of the Bronica S2A, which has a falling mirror design (more room for wide lenses that way), thus requires an additional shutter blind to block light from the viewfinder and one more to prevent stray light from reflecting off the mirror.

 

If you want quiet, use a rangefinder or viewfinder camera or TLR with leaf shutter lenses. Take the mirror and focal plane shutter out of the equation.

The mechanical Hassy's are roughly equivalent to the old Volkswagen Bugs- a perfected 50 year old design.

It may be time for Hasselblad to take out a blank sheet of paper and design a 645 camera that has all the virtues of the traditional line and all conveniences we take for granted in 35mm SLR's like the F100.

How about a Hasselblad 645 *rangefinder* with interchangable lenses built to traditional Hasselblad standards by Hassleblad. What might be added to such a camera?

Someone already did it for them-Contax 645.

In answer to Steve's point!

Marc,

 

Before your daughter will have had time to react, the picture will have long been made.

Some folks are just prone to blinking in anticipation of the photo being taken. That's why I use tricks like fake counts. I'll say: "OK, on three...one...*SNAP!*" I'll vary the counts and take at least three shots for each pose or setup. Nearly always works. So far, no one's gotten irritated enough to hit me.

 

Anyway, I think the Hasselblad noise is relative. I was standing next to a wedding shooter outdoors while she took full length portraits of the bride-to-be. To me, only a couple of feet away, the sound was just an efficient ka-chunk, and I doubt the young lady being photographed heard much at all.

 

Meanwhile I went to photograph some nearby water lilies with my Nikon F3 and MD4 motor drive, hoping the machine gun racket wasn't distracting them.

I just went to a wedding and the official photographer was using a 500CM. I was about 10-20 ft. away from the photographer in the church and I thought the camera was very quiet and sometimes I don't even hear the camera shutter and mirror flop when the minister is speaking. I use a 501CM and I quite enjoy the mechanical sounds it makes. A lot nicer than the sounds of the Mamiya RB67 I used to have. I agree that if you want your Hasselblad to be quieter use the leaf shutter lenses with mirror lock-up. I also use mirror-up pre release for shorter time lag when taking portraits and sharper results. If you are shooting with fast film or flash try 1/250 or 1/500 to eliminate most blinking shots.

"Clock Clock? My 500 CM goes "Whump-ting . . .tock." The "tock" happens when the shutter button is released.

You could do what they do in Hollywood: use a "blimp" on the camera to deaden the sound. Maybe you could have a soft case made up out of a thick, quilted fabric, covering much of the camera, with clearances, of course, for the winder, shutter release, lens opening, and viewfinder. It would need to be well secured so the Hassie won't slip out of it!

<I was about 10-20 ft. away from the photographer in the church and I thought the camera was very quiet and sometimes I don't even hear the camera shutter and mirror flop when the minister is speaking.>

 

There are churches in our time where the speaking and the music are at a such sound level that even an airjet inside the church won't be heard! (especially Chinese churches)

Well it's a bit like a gun. A silent gun might do the same job but how unsatisfying. A gun is noisy because of it's function and design compromises. So is a Hasseblad and a very satisfying kerklunk it is - you can almost feel the light hitting the film . (that's providing you remembered to load the magazine and release the safety catch of course)