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Hasselblad 500 C/M : Jammed or Something Worse?


james_porter1

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Hi, I've got a question about the mechanics of the 500 C/M and the 80mm C Lens I'm using with it.

 

I went out last night, to try to use a flash for the first time with this camera/lens, and thought I had

everything set up correctly, but when I pressed the shutter release, the flash did not fire, and the shutter

didn't make it's usual sound, and instead sounded as if it came to a halt. At the time, I supposed it

jammed, after reading online about the Hasselblad's tendency to do this at times.

 

This morning I'm reading online about fixing it myself. Mainly David Odess's page ( http://www.david-

odess.com/faq.html#q18 ) and a few others. http://photoweb.net/pw_tech/hassy_unjam.html & http://

cesarigd.club.fr/photoe2b.htm as well.

 

When I twist the screw and then get it all the way to the right everything appears to be going as described

on these pages (minus the mirror coming down.) I even managed to get the lens off a while ago, but am

having no luck getting it back on (both the body and lens are cocked as well.)

 

I'm mainly curious as to why the mirror might not be coming down when I twist the screw clockwise. After

getting the shutter to open with this procedure, with the lens on the camera, my first reaction was "Yes! I

fixed it!"... but when I looked through the prism, and couldn't see anything, I wasn't so sure. And then,

when I tripped the shutter and heard the same halting sound... I felt pretty much defeated.

 

I really need to be shooting with this camera, today preferably, and just have no time to mail it in or take it

anywhere. I live in Alabama, and the nearest repair place is most likely in Atlanta, which is a pretty far

drive for me.

 

I'm willing to take and try any suggestions. For now I'll keep searching online for any information,...

 

Thanks for ANY help you may have!

 

- Trey

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I suggest you call David Odess at 781-963-1166. He usually always answers and perhaps he can walk you through a fix for your problem.

 

If Dave doesn't answer then call Hassy service in Parsippany New Jersey and perhaps they can help you. Anytime I've spoken with "John" in the past he has been extremely helpful. You can get them at this number: 973-227-7320

 

blessings,

Ken

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Ken S.,

 

Turning the advance crank was what I tried last night, and some of this morning... and it's completely unmoveable.

 

Russ,

 

They're quite complex indeed! I'm positively sure it's something I did, as I'm not too mechanically inclined/educated. Although, I have tried to read up on the 500 C/M as much as possible. It was dark and I was trying to mount a flash on a grip, syncing with a PC cable, and it just... crapped out apparently. I wish I could remember the exact motions I went through though... Any speculations?

 

This all brings me to another (embarassing) question. How do you connect a flash to the C lenses? I have a 500 C/M manual, but it's really shoddy when it comes to explaining that, in my opinion. I just don't quite understand the V,X, and M settings on the lens and what they're intended for. X is supposedly where I want it for flash... right? And that's always where it usually is as well, in regualr daylight shooting... correct?

 

This camera was really starting to feel like second-nature to use, and I thought I had it all figured out... until the night I tried a flash. Tsk tsk.

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X setting is for electronic flash, m is for flash bulbs, V self timer. I think that's correct. Any way leave it on X, if you lock the shutter button on, the camera will keep the shutter fired , not allowing you to remove or put on a lens. That's the first thing I would check. I did that on time , after using the camera for over 20 years.

Check the shutter lock first, then remember to ALWAYS keep the camera cocked , always. If you try to remove or add a lens to a uncocked body it will not work.

The other thing to remember is to always leave the camera cocked.....

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"X setting is for electronic flash, m is for flash bulbs, V self timer. I think that's correct. "

 

Almost, M is for M type flash bulb such as M5, M6. It can also be used for FP [focal plane flashbulbs] which burn brightly for a longer period of time. The FP bulbs, if you could find them, are not necessary with the Hasselblad lens shutters, however they would be useful for the 1600/1000/2000/200 series of cameras.

 

Steve

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Correction:

 

X stands for X synchronization

 

M stands for M synchronization

 

Fuller explanations cam be found on the internet. That should clear up and questions about the detail and the uses. It gets to be cumbersome to give long and detailed explanations on the forum.

 

Steve

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