Battery longevity with Hasselblad 553 ELX

[Hassasin]

Have owned 553 ELX for some 6 months and like it a lot more than the 503CW. But have no long term go with it, yet am taking it away where I may not have much access to new batteries.

Hence the question: how long does a new set of Alkaline batteries last in this camera? If one can give a ballpark number of 120 rolls, that would be helpful. I will not use flash, if that helps.

Thanks.

 

[C Jensen]

Owners booklet says 4000 exposures with fresh alkies at norm temps.
How many you get at -150 degrees F on the moon is 10's of thousands with a couple nicads..? ?

 

[Hassasin]

Owners booklet says 4000 exposures with fresh alkies at norm temps.
How many you get at -150 degrees F on the moon is 10's of thousands.

Thanks, was hoping for direct experience though. Too many issues with manufacturer claims on anything. But it is a rather "modern" model, so electronics might not be as power hungry as I am worried.

 

[bdial]

I've had mine for around 6 years, I don't know when I last changed the batteries. IME, battery life is pretty good. Taking 1 or 2 spare sets should keep you going for a good long while.

 

[rulnacco]

I wish I could give you an exact figure. I normally shoot mine with a digital back, and I know I can shoot a couple thousand exposures, or close to, before having to change batteries. 4000 seems a bit much, but I'd think half that jives with my own experience. (I ran a portrait studio at a mall for 3.5 years from 2019-22, primarily using the 553ELX.) It actually does last a surprisingly long time on five AAs.

One thing you have to watch out for on the 553ELX is that on the battery chamber cover, there are metal tabs where the battery terminals make contact. Behind some of those there is some insulating material which keeps them from touching the metal of the cover itself, and creating a short. On both 553ELXes I have owned, one or more of those metal tabs pushed through the insulating material and shorted against the cover. You'll know when it's happened--your batteries will drain very quickly, and they'll get hot.

It's a very easy fix, even if not visually elegant: I just used a fine, flathead screwdriver to lift up the tips of the tabs where the short happens, and then cut really small squares of plastic-coated card stock (from the kinds of flyers people pass out for clubs) and slipped them under the metal tabs. Problem solved! You *can* get a new battery chamber cover from Hasselblad (well, at least you could several months back--they tried to sell me one when I sent the camera in for a service) but they want something like $275 for it. My solution (I actually got the idea from other people) works well--and is free.

 

[Hassasin]

I wish I could give you an exact figure. I normally shoot mine with a digital back, and I know I can shoot a couple thousand exposures, or close to, before having to change batteries. 4000 seems a bit much, but I'd think half that jives with my own experience. (I ran a portrait studio at a mall for 3.5 years from 2019-22, primarily using the 553ELX.) It actually does last a surprisingly long time on five AAs.

One thing you have to watch out for on the 553ELX is that on the battery chamber cover, there are metal tabs where the battery terminals make contact. Behind some of those there is some insulating material which keeps them from touching the metal of the cover itself, and creating a short. On both 553ELXes I have owned, one or more of those metal tabs pushed through the insulating material and shorted against the cover. You'll know when it's happened--your batteries will drain very quickly, and they'll get hot.

It's a very easy fix, even if not visually elegant: I just used a fine, flathead screwdriver to lift up the tips of the tabs where the short happens, and then cut really small squares of plastic-coated card stock (from the kinds of flyers people pass out for clubs) and slipped them under the metal tabs. Problem solved! You *can* get a new battery chamber cover from Hasselblad (well, at least you could several months back--they tried to sell me one when I sent the camera in for a service) but they want something like $275 for it. My solution (I actually got the idea from other people) works well--and is free.

Thanks, that is big help. I've noticed battery springs are quite strong minded and thus apply quite some pressure to the contacts on the plate side as well.

One thing that has always irked me with Hasselblad are some baffling design/material choices. In this matter there were certainly better ways to prevent insulation from getting pierced without any wrong doing on user's part. Good thing fix is easy enough.

BTW, have you used the plate style release on your 553 or the older style button? Mine works fine now, camera had had little use when I bought it. Yet I've read about this particular change also can cause release reliability problems and some users reverting to either the round button or the release cable for a fix. Can you shed some light on this?

 

[C Jensen]

How many licks to get to the center of a tootsie pop, we may never know.

 

[rulnacco]

Thanks, that is big help. I've noticed battery springs are quite strong minded and thus apply quite some pressure to the contacts on the plate side as well.

One thing that has always irked me with Hasselblad are some baffling design/material choices. In this matter there were certainly better ways to prevent insulation from getting pierced without any wrong doing on user's part. Good thing fix is easy enough.

BTW, have you used the plate style release on your 553 or the older style button? Mine works fine now, camera had had little use when I bought it. Yet I've read about this particular change also can cause release reliability problems and some users reverting to either the round button or the release cable for a fix. Can you shed some light on this?

That matches my experience exactly.

I have both button and plate releases--my 553ELX came with the button, and the 500ELX I got from KEH for stupid cheap ($300 for a complete body in excellent condition, including late-style WLF and 9V converter kit) as a backup came with the plate release. I *tried* the plate release on both cameras, but took it off in short order and put a button release on the 500ELX, too. I can't remember now--it's been about three years since I tried using it--what all the problems were, but I just found the release plate to be irritating to use. If I recall correctly, it just didn't feel as sensitive, precise, and quick-acting as the button release, and I seem to remember that it took more force to trigger, and if you pushed it in a location it wasn't quite happy with, it wouldn't fire. I *believe* I, too, read somewhere that it could potentially, over time, cause electrical problems with the cameras as well--bit I will not swear to that.

I use the buttons (or the electronic cable release, it works well!) all the time now, on both cameras. The plate release is just sitting in a drawer. As I really have no intention of using it again, I should probably put it up on eBay--they seem to fetch pretty good prices.

 

[Hassasin]

@rulnacco thanks, appreciate it. I have the short cable, so at least have a back up. At this point my plate release works ok and seems responsive, but I can see how it may have better spots to press on it in order to act as intended. Seems like Hass figured that round button was passe and "modernised" it.