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More cable release problems

D

drbell

New Member
Hi -

I just bought a (2nd hand) 50cm long cable release for my 500cm. It appears to be in perfect condition and functions smoothly off the camera, however I'm experiencing a few difficulties though.

When attached to the camera it seems a bit erratic. Despite pressing the cable release button in fully the shutter often fails to fire. When it does fire there is frequently a pause of several seconds before the shutter release completes. Often the release has to be held out straight in front of the camera for shutter release to happen, These things make me think that the release is sticking and doesn't like to work when flexed, but the release button depresses fully when pressed and, as I say, it works fine off the camera.

Any suggestions, beyond the obvious, 'buy a new release'?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Stuart
 
Hi Stuart,
In my experience, cable releases tend to stick most when made to curve through tight radii. However, there is sometimes a little offset washer near the release end, which is used to lock the cable in position for long exposures. This is released by turning the knurled cap next to it. Check if this is fitted, and if it is functioning smoothly. IMHO, the best results are obtained with air bulb releases.
Kind regards, Gerard
 
>I have had precisely the same problem with my 501C/M - the button works perfectly and so does the detached cable, but they often refuse to work together. At one stage I lost the release cable and the new one is much more problematical than the original. Is it possible that there are various brands of release cable and that some are unsuitable for the Hasseblad?' Graham Dukes
 
This problem is caused by the bit that comes out being too short.
Try other cable releases until you find one that has a long enough throw.
 
Just be careful when you have one that has a very long protrusion. I once ripped off the shutter release button on my 2000FCW when being a bit too forceful pressing the plunger on my cable release. Oops! With some of my cable releases, I need to use the angled L-connector since the treads on some of my releases don't mate well directly to the release button, but work well with the L-connector. The L-connector is good to have when using bellows shades, anyway. Since most of my equipment is used, it could be a case of worn threads, but hopefully I can prevent some grief for others by my experience.

Taras
 
>I experienced the same problem: it didn't work with any release cable, >even though the trigger worked perfectly by depressing it with the finger.

>The culprit was the 500 C body and I had to send it to be repaired (they >fixed the trigger mechanism, not an expensive repair).

I would suggest to borrow another release cable and check if the problem repeats (if it is so, chances are that you would need to send your 500 body for a check). Good luck.
 
Thanks everyone for your sharing your experiences and advice. Some interesting ideas and a few options for me to try. Hopefully one of them will work!

Stuart
 
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