Hasselblad 500CM jam cause?

[kento_kawakami]

<p>So I read online about the jams that occur on a rare occasion with the 500CM. I am currently borrowing the camera prior to purchasing it to get into using this Hasselblad on a commercial level. While playing around with it, I did notice that the camera seems to lock up and jam as many people on the internet put it. By looking for solutions online, turning that middle screw thing inside the body past the auxiliary shutter to a certain degree will fix that problem. By doing this method I did fix the camera using a simple jeweler's screwdriver. <br>

However I am a little worried that if I continue doing this, the screw can potentially strip (it's starting to wear from what I see in this camera) making it harder to unjam in the future. So I am curious to know what is the exact cause of these jams so I can avoid in the future. Or maybe I can send this in for a technician to repair. But before spending lots of money on repair, I would like to know if this is simply a user error that can be avoided all together. <br>

I notice that the camera jams when I use the pre-release button on the side on a rare occasion. I've cocked and fired the shutter as you normally do and I have yet to jam the camera that way. However when I press the pre-release button sometimes I hear the camera firing without the auxiliary shutter opening at all. The fact that it does not jam 100% but happens too often makes me worried as this problem happened during a wedding yesterday and had no way to fix it until I got home. This makes me paranoid to use the pre-release button at all for any reason. I would like to know if anybody has had a similar experience with the 500CM regarding jams through the pre-release button. <br>

PS. Idk if this could be a cause but the 60mm Distagon lens that is on the camera is really sticky at shutter speeds slower than 1/15. However the problem happened without the lens before as well so I doubt that the lens would be a cause. <br>

Any help would be appreciated.<br>

-Kento</p>

[marco_ristuccia]

<p>I use an Hasselblad 500 C/M and a 503 CW regularly and never had a jam. By design the only way to end up with a jam is not having both the camera and the lens cocked before attaching them together. It happened once to me when I didn't know this documented behaviour.<br /> The rule is: always cock the camera before detaching the lens. That means that the optic must be kept cocked when not attached to the camera.<br />I can assure you that by following this simple rule Hasselblad V cameras work smoothly as a charm without any jam.<br /><br />If you are already aware of this, then I suspect that the camera/lens you tried simply need a CLA.</p>

[hasselblad technician]

<p>Kento,<br>

There are a number of issues that can cause the camera body to jam when using the pre-release button. The fact that the slower shutter speeds in the lens are sluggish indicates that the lens needs to be serviced, but that is not the cause of the body jam. I would suggest that you have the camera body serviced by a qualified Hasselblad technician.<br>

<br />One note of caution: You wrote, "However I am a little worried that if I continue doing this, the screw can potentially strip (it's starting to wear from what I see in this camera) making it harder to unjam in the future". The "screw" that you are turning is not really a screw. It is the slotted end of a shaft in the front key mechanism. If you damage that slot to the point where you are unable to turn it with a screwdriver, the front key mechanism will need to be replaced. The current price of the front key mechanism is $290.00 (ouch). So I would suggest that you have the camera body serviced by a qualified Hasselblad technician, before you really damage the slot in the front key mechanism shaft.<br>

David Odess<br>

Factory trained Hasselblad technician<br>

www.david-odess.com</p>

<p>The "screw" in the camera body that you are turning to reset the camera body is not really a screw. It is the slotted end of a shaft in the front key mechanism. </p>

<p> </p>

[Aoresteen]

<p>Use the correct tool to unjam a Hasselblad! Screwdrivers can slip and scratch the rear element of the lens. $20 from B&H:</p>

<p><img src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e5/aoresteen/Hasselblad/Hasselblad%20jam%20tool_zpss77tvs49.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" /></p>

<p> </p>

[paul_wheatland]

<p>Be sure to store the camera with the shutter cocked which is also the case with Rollei 35. Most other cameras are stored with shutter uncocked!</p>

[kento_kawakami]

<p>Thank you all for your responses, I will definitely have the camera serviced when I buy it. I just wanted to know if it was simply user error or a malfunction in the system to begin with. The lens that comes with the camera is something I am not interested in and I might end up selling for an 80mm T*. However it might be best to get a CLA done on the camera once I purchase it. </p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>You can't remove the lens once the camera has been fired, nor can you assemble a lens to the body unless both the body and lens are cocked. You can't wind the camera unless it completes it's cycle once fired, which appears to be the root cause of your jam. Let and expert like David Odess fix it and do a CLA on camera and lens.</p>

<p>Another issue I've encountered is a worn latch keeping the lens cocked, which would trip as I removed or mounted the lens, causing a jam.</p>

<p>I had mine repaired and cleaned at Hasselblad in New Jersey. It has performed perfectly for over 10 years.</p>

[henryp]

<blockquote>

<p>Use the correct tool to unjam a Hasselblad! Screwdrivers can slip and scratch the rear element of the lens. $20 from B&H</p>

</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/995353-REG/fotodiox_hassy_tool_camerakey_tool_for_hasselblad.html">It's this. </a></p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

[douglas_fairbank]

If the camera jams or the lens shutter sticks it is faulty! It will probably need a service (cla), the 'unjamming' is not a fix! If

you do get the camera because it is in good condition please budget for a service.

There is not a single problem that causes the jam up of a body, the action of the body shutter, mirror and lens drive all

have to happen in the right sequence for it to work properly at the right time, this is why a complete clean and

relubrication is the only realistic repair. A possible exception would be when a part is broken but if that has happened it

will jam every time.

[savagesax]

Send it to David. Once he fixes it you are good to go for several years. Send the lens or lenses in too, just to make sure the

shutters are clean and oil free, as well as firing correctly in sync at all speeds. If you send it to Hasselblad, I guess they still

fix older cameras, expect to pay triple compared to David.