No doubt, the cost and uncertainty involved in professional service for Hasselblad equipment is daunting. Most of my Hasselblad equipment was purchased off E-Bay with the understanding that I could collect exactly the system parts I wanted as money came available and, in that way, eventually wind up with a decent kit. Unfortunately, the condition of these pieces, though cosmetically quite decent, can have hidden mechanical issues that happen when purchasing 30 year old equipment. Here's how it turned out for me:
Among the myriad bits and pieces of kit I've acquired, the major, servicable components are one 500C/M body, a 50mm Distagon C T* lens, a 250mm Sonnar C T* lens and one A12 film back.
The '84 body came to me looking rough as a sizeable section of leatherette was missing. I paid 189.95 for the "bargain" body touted as "fully functional." I recovered the entire body with a $30 leatherette kit from CamreaLeather.com and it looks wonderful. The body was serviced by David Odess who felt it necessary to replace the upper-plate foam, front-plate foam, release button spring, aux. shutter spring and aux. shutter reflection protector at a total cost, with labor ($150), of 235.82.
Body Total: $455.77
The '75 50mm lens looks gorgeous and was purchased for $445.36. While the lens behaved quite well as shipped, I knew it would need service due to slow, uneven (on the slow end of the dial) shutter speeds -even after repeated cycling. David Odess replaced the main-spring, flash contact and cocking-ring spring with a labor cost of $150. Total cost of service was $211.04.
50mm Lens Total: $656.40
The '77 250mm lens was touted by the seller as in near perfect condition. I paid $583.20 for it. When it arrived I knew there was trouble as the focusing ring "stumbled" over itself while rotating the ring and the self timer was too weak to trip the shutter. The mechansim felt weak all around and I felt ripped-off. Nevertheless, I decided to keep the lens and have it serviced. David Odess replaced the main-spring, flash contact, cocking-ring spring, main-bearing and self-timer with a $150 labor cost. Service total was $383.85.
250mm Lens Total: $967.05 (ouch)
The '79 A12 Film Back was purchased for $150 and looked fabulous. Unfortunately, though it was said that it "works perfectly," it would sometimes seize at (or about) the 6th frame. David Odess replaced the light-trap, light-trap foil, nylon stop & drive gear with a labor cost of $80. Service cost was $175.07.
A12 Film Back Total: $325.07
All that said, before service, I had a cludge of equipment that looked great but was utterly undependable. If I did everything right -best practice shooting, perfect meter use and optimal conditions for making a photograph I would likely produce as many garbage shots as useable ones due to neglected, unpredictable equipment. When I go out to shoot now, I KNOW I can trust the machine to do its part and that it will perform any command I give it with flawless execution. I might make wrong choices, but the camera is not an inhibitor to the process. The peace of mind I gained from spending near $1,100 in service is worth far more to me.
Special thanks to David Odess, a skillful dealer in "Peace of Mind."
Among the myriad bits and pieces of kit I've acquired, the major, servicable components are one 500C/M body, a 50mm Distagon C T* lens, a 250mm Sonnar C T* lens and one A12 film back.
The '84 body came to me looking rough as a sizeable section of leatherette was missing. I paid 189.95 for the "bargain" body touted as "fully functional." I recovered the entire body with a $30 leatherette kit from CamreaLeather.com and it looks wonderful. The body was serviced by David Odess who felt it necessary to replace the upper-plate foam, front-plate foam, release button spring, aux. shutter spring and aux. shutter reflection protector at a total cost, with labor ($150), of 235.82.
Body Total: $455.77
The '75 50mm lens looks gorgeous and was purchased for $445.36. While the lens behaved quite well as shipped, I knew it would need service due to slow, uneven (on the slow end of the dial) shutter speeds -even after repeated cycling. David Odess replaced the main-spring, flash contact and cocking-ring spring with a labor cost of $150. Total cost of service was $211.04.
50mm Lens Total: $656.40
The '77 250mm lens was touted by the seller as in near perfect condition. I paid $583.20 for it. When it arrived I knew there was trouble as the focusing ring "stumbled" over itself while rotating the ring and the self timer was too weak to trip the shutter. The mechansim felt weak all around and I felt ripped-off. Nevertheless, I decided to keep the lens and have it serviced. David Odess replaced the main-spring, flash contact, cocking-ring spring, main-bearing and self-timer with a $150 labor cost. Service total was $383.85.
250mm Lens Total: $967.05 (ouch)
The '79 A12 Film Back was purchased for $150 and looked fabulous. Unfortunately, though it was said that it "works perfectly," it would sometimes seize at (or about) the 6th frame. David Odess replaced the light-trap, light-trap foil, nylon stop & drive gear with a labor cost of $80. Service cost was $175.07.
A12 Film Back Total: $325.07
All that said, before service, I had a cludge of equipment that looked great but was utterly undependable. If I did everything right -best practice shooting, perfect meter use and optimal conditions for making a photograph I would likely produce as many garbage shots as useable ones due to neglected, unpredictable equipment. When I go out to shoot now, I KNOW I can trust the machine to do its part and that it will perform any command I give it with flawless execution. I might make wrong choices, but the camera is not an inhibitor to the process. The peace of mind I gained from spending near $1,100 in service is worth far more to me.
Special thanks to David Odess, a skillful dealer in "Peace of Mind."
