I just bought a Hasselblad 500C body off ebay as an xmas present for my girlfriend. The seller says that when the shutter is released the rear baffles do not close completely. Is this a problem that is easily fixed or is is going to cost me a lot of money, or did i just buy a complete piece of garbage. Just wondering if anyone else has had or heard about this problem. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks guys.
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Repair question
- Thread starter discostu
- Start date
wbulte
Active Member
Actually I have had a very similar issue with a 500cm I bought for cheap (EUR 110). In my case it was easily fixable, the baffles can be rotated relative to the spindle they are mounted on. This does need taking the shell of the body, and some dexterity etc. I would not really recommend doing it yourself, even if it is not all that difficult it is sort of unnerving (in my book).
David Odess (I hope I spell that correctly) can probably comment with much more authority on this matter.
Wilko
David Odess (I hope I spell that correctly) can probably comment with much more authority on this matter.
Wilko
hasselbladtech
Member
Christopher,
There is a large spring that powers the 2 rear flaps open when the release button is pressed, and powers the 2 rear flaps closed when you let go of the release button. The fact that the 2 flaps do not close all the way when you take your finger off the release button indicates that the spring is either broken, or has lost tension. A qualified Hasselblad technician could repair this for you.
As Wilko wrote, he was able to adjust one of his rear flaps by carefully rotating the flap slightly on its axle. But I believe his problem was that the upper flap was not opening up quite all the way, and this is a different problem than the one that you have.
David Odess
Factory trained Hasselblad technician
www.david-odess.com
There is a large spring that powers the 2 rear flaps open when the release button is pressed, and powers the 2 rear flaps closed when you let go of the release button. The fact that the 2 flaps do not close all the way when you take your finger off the release button indicates that the spring is either broken, or has lost tension. A qualified Hasselblad technician could repair this for you.
As Wilko wrote, he was able to adjust one of his rear flaps by carefully rotating the flap slightly on its axle. But I believe his problem was that the upper flap was not opening up quite all the way, and this is a different problem than the one that you have.
David Odess
Factory trained Hasselblad technician
www.david-odess.com
Thank you for the info guys. You seem to have a pretty good community going here. My only other question is if anyone knows how much this is going to cost to fix? The body itself didn't cost me much, but I also have to get a a12 film back and I am quickly running out of Christmas $$$...lol. Thanks again!
hasselbladtech
Member
Christopher,
The price for the repair will vary, depending on which repair shop you use. My labor charge for an overhaul on the camera body is $150. This includes cleaning, lubricating and adjusting the body to factory specifications. Any parts that might need to be replaced would be additional.
Please feel free to visit my website at: www.david-odess.com for more information.
David Odess
Factory trained Hasselbld technician
www.david-odess.com
The price for the repair will vary, depending on which repair shop you use. My labor charge for an overhaul on the camera body is $150. This includes cleaning, lubricating and adjusting the body to factory specifications. Any parts that might need to be replaced would be additional.
Please feel free to visit my website at: www.david-odess.com for more information.
David Odess
Factory trained Hasselbld technician
www.david-odess.com
wbulte
Active Member
Hi David,
Indeed my coil spring was OK. I just had to get the very fine sand out the gear train and the housing of the coilspring (which is not fun to do).
Back to the flaps: they only closed completely on my 500cm after the film was almost completely wound to the next frame. After the shutter was released the flaps stayed open approx 0.4" / 6mm. It needed to have the film transported completely before the flaps were entirely shut.
Wilko
Indeed my coil spring was OK. I just had to get the very fine sand out the gear train and the housing of the coilspring (which is not fun to do).
Back to the flaps: they only closed completely on my 500cm after the film was almost completely wound to the next frame. After the shutter was released the flaps stayed open approx 0.4" / 6mm. It needed to have the film transported completely before the flaps were entirely shut.
Wilko