Ended up with 13 shots on Hasselblad A12 back

Вormental_old · Oct 19, 2020

I spent all weekend shooting with my 503cx and just developed a bunch of rolls. One of them had 13 6x6 frames, with two interlapping:

It was shots #1 and #2
The first shot started right on the edge of the film
The other 11 are fine

Here's how they look like:

This happened just once, the other 5 rolls I've shot with this Hasselblad were absolutely fine, so I probably made a mistake somewhere, but I wonder - where?

Load film, turn the take-up spool until the arrows align
Turn the knob on the back until it stops
Shoot

My only theory is that I somehow (how?!) did not complete the step 2 above. Am I missing anything?

MattKing · Oct 19, 2020

How much film "leader" was there initially? That looks to me to have started a bit too early.

Вormental_old · Oct 19, 2020

Matt, what do you mean "initially"? I did not cut it, what you see is what came out of the tank. The alignment of the 1st frame to the edge of the film looks weirdly perfect.

If you just remove the 1st frame, the roll would look absolutely normal.

MattKing · Oct 19, 2020

Look at where the #1 is in the rebate.
With Kodak film, and a Hasselblad magazine, that 1 should be adjacent to the middle of the first frame (IIRC - it has been a long time). With my Mamiya and Voigtlander bodies it definitely is.
Foma may position it differently, but if the film was not cut, that first frame is too close to the end of the film.
The fact that you were almost able to get 13 frames on the roll tells me something similar.
How much blank film was there at the other end?

Вormental_old · Oct 19, 2020

There's the usual amount of blank film on the other end. I have 4 rolls drying right now, one is 645, but the three others are all 6x6 looking identical from the other end. As I said, if you just remove that strange/premature first shot, everything else will look normal. Looks like the camera let me take a shot prematurely?

Donald Qualls · Oct 19, 2020

Yep, loading error. Counter wasn't fully started (knob/dial turned to "1" or "S") when you closed up the back. If it were, you couldn't get 13 even if the start was in the wrong place.

W_Taylor76 · Oct 19, 2020

I had the same issue occur once, and my error was I did not wind the back so the number “1” was in the window before I shot my first frame. I just loaded the film, wound the paper to start and aligned the arrows, put film in the back, placed the back on the camera, shot the first image, and got 13 frames with the first and second frames slightly overlapping.

Lesson learned: don’t get in a hurry and forget a step.

Вormental_old · Oct 19, 2020

Thanks guys! I have not developed a habit of watching the frame indicator on this camera yet.

bdial · Oct 19, 2020

On an A back, the counter should reset when you take the insert out, and should stop at 1 when the winder stops. But, it doesn’t take much when you are lining up arrows to throw things off, 1/8th of an inch too far or not far enough is sufficient.
If the back reset correctly and stopped correctly for frame 1, and you lined up the arrows, then the back likely needs a CLA.
Another possibility could be not winding the back to frame one and just shooting. Are you missing any shots you remember making but are not on the roll? (i.e. got exposed on the paper ahead of the film). It’s an easy mistake to make when you’re in a hurry, DAMHIK.

Вormental_old · Oct 19, 2020

@bdial ironically, this was my first roll, i.e. it was carefully loaded when I was still at home. The other 3 were hastily re-loaded on the go. I did not miss any shots. I remember reading about matching the "readiness" of the back & the body by looking at two adjacent round "windows" (both have to be either white or blank), I need to re-visit that.

Kino · Oct 19, 2020

13 shots on a Hasselblad back? What are you drinking? I'd fall off after the 3rd shot!

Ended up with 13 shots on Hasselblad A12 back

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Ended up with 13 shots on Hasselblad A12 back

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