Why Hasselblad stopped making extension tube 10? ...

Anybody know why Hasselblad stopped making the extension tube 10 and

opted for the 8 and 16 lengths instead?</p>

<p>A quick search didn't turn up anything except the following post

that received no replies....</p>

<p><a

href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000OA9"

target="_blank">http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000OA9</a>

</p>

<p>Anyone know if the poster was correct about extension tube 10 and

CF lenses? I've recently bought one to use with a 500c/m and an 80mm

CF planar and I'm slightly concerned.

I have an extension tube 10 that I use with the 150 Sonnar to get tight head & shoulder portraits. The 180mm lens accomplishes roughly the same thing without the extension tube. The extension tube was discontinued at about the same time as the release of the 180. Likely as well, the 10mm extension wasn't a very popular item.

I recall that the 10 tube changed along with a number of others when the later series/barrel styles became available. I have a mix of 10, 16, 21, 55 (if I recall correctly) which seems to be a mix of the early C lens barrel design and the later more up to date barrel design. I don't know why the lengths changed since there has been little lens focal length change among the c, cf and CFi/CFE versions of Hassy lenses. It all gets confusing to me.

 

I use my 10 tube with my recently purchased CF 120mm Markro-Planar with absolutely NO trouble. However, what I do notice about the 10 tube is that it "rubs" against the 503CW shutter button when I have the CW Winder attached. The 10 tube barrel design (more prominent rough barrel grip versus the earlier tubes that had the more scalloped barrel design like the C lenses did) makes it touch the shutter button slightly with the winder's "arm" over the button. Maybe this is what that guy was referring to.

 

Otherwise the only limitation is with focal plane shutter cameras (why? I have no idea).

 

Looking carefully at the shutter cocking fitting inside the 10 tube seems identical to any other tube I have. It fits to all my lenses equally tight and well (cf50fle, 80cfe, 120cf, 150cf, 180cf, 250cf) and it fits to all my other tubes the same.

The 8, 10 and 21 mm extension tubes cannot be used with focal plane shutter bodies due to interference with the shutter setting ring. All extension tubes are compatible with lenses with leaf shutters. The newest "E" tubes are made in 8, 16, 32 and 56 mm lengths, and have contacts for CFE and FE lenses.

 

The first generation were made in 10, 21 and (I believe) 55 mm, discontinued in 1957 for the current lineup. The binary series probably offers more flexible combinations of extension tubes.

Alice,<br><br>They made a new set of tubes that really works as a set instead.<br><br>The length of the shortest tube, 8 mm, is chosen so there is a sligth overlap with the built-in extension of the shortest lenses.<br>The length of the other tubes are multiples of that of the shortest tube, with the lengths you can produce by combining the different tubes skipped.<br><br>So you get the 8, 16, 32 and 56 series, good for 8, 16, 8+16=24, 32, 8+32=40, 16+32=48, 56, 8+56=64, and there the bellows take over (63.5 mm).<br>With the built-in extension of all lenses ranging from 0 mm to at least a bit over 8 mm, you get a seemless range of extension. The old 10, 21 and 55 mm tubes could not give you that.

Edward,<br><br>The first generation Hasselblad tubes, the ones discontinued in 1957, were 20 and 40 mm. Made for the 1600 F/1000 F cameras, they can not be used on post-1957 cameras. ;-)<br>The 10, 21, 55 mm range was replaced much later, in the 1980s i think.

I knew there had to be a reason and the seamless transition through all lengths seems logical. Glad to know I've nothing to worry about with the extension tube 10 and the 80mm CF too.

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. Exactly what I was looking to know.

"Hasselblad System Compendium" by Richard Nordin cites the "First version" tubes were 21mm and 55mm, first offered in 1957, with a 10mm added to the lineup in 1973, discontinued in 1982. The second version tubes consisting of a 16mm and 32mm were introduced in 1977. The 8mm and 56mm became available in 1981. There were a 20mm and 40mm introduced in 1950 for pre-1957 cameras. The current "E" versions were introduced in 1994.

 

I know that the "E" tubes work with a 500CM, and it appears that the 10, 21 and 55 tubes have the necessary coupling mechanism for C/CF/CFI and CFE lenses. Otherwise, who gives a damn?

The only thing to remember is that there are two separate episodes in Hasselblad V-system history, the one from 1948 to 1957, and the one from 1957 until the present day (i wonder if there is a V-system to celebrate its 50th anniversary in a couple of years. And if there is, if it will be dumped soon after, only kept alive tio be able to have something to celebrate.).<br><br>Each episode has its own lens mount, post-1957 things (lenses, tubes, bellows) will not work with pre-1957 thingies, and vice versa.<br><br>But that's it: the lens mount hasn't changed since 1957. So C, CF, CFi etc. lens... it makes no difference; they all fit all post-1957 tubes, and non of the pre-1957 tubes.<br><br>System compatibility!