Hasselblad 100mm f/3.5 tight focus?

vivizen · Mar 17, 2020

I'd recently run into a friend's Hasselblad 100mm CF lens which has a tight focus, much like mine. Is this a common/known feature/problem of this lens?

How tight? It requires 3 fingers to comfortably turn the focus ring. (Which is significantly tighter than the other CF lenses)

John Koehrer · Mar 17, 2020

Any signs of the barrel having a slight dent? Then most likely old or wrong density grease, Best bet would be to have it cleaned & relubed.

Arthurwg · Mar 17, 2020

Yes, this is a common/known feature of this lens. I have the same problem with mine. Apparently can't be remedied.

vivizen · Mar 17, 2020

John Koehrer said:
Any signs of the barrel having a slight dent? Then most likely old or wrong density grease, Best bet would be to have it cleaned & relubed.

No dent I can see. Perhaps it's the wrong grease...

Sirius Glass · Mar 17, 2020

Some complain that Hasselblad lenses require more force to turn the focus ring than other lenses. That is the way it is, but just make it part of your physical fitness program.

vivizen · Mar 17, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
Some complain that Hasselblad lenses require more force to turn the focus ring than other lenses. That is the way it is, but just make it part of your physical fitness program.

If the 100mm were as stiff as the others (30, 50, 120, 180 that I could test against) that would be fine. It's the inconsistency in the case of the 100 that makes me wonder whether it is due for a CLA.

Sirius Glass · Mar 17, 2020

vivizen said:
If the 100mm were as stiff as the others (30, 50, 120, 180 that I could test against) that would be fine. It's the inconsistency in the case of the 100 that makes me wonder whether it is due for a CLA.

The best answer would come from a Hasselblad repairman.

etn · Mar 18, 2020

If by « tight focus » you mean stiff and difficult to turn, my 100mm CF is like this. It is the stiffest of all my lenses (Hasselblad or not), to the point of not being fun to use. I think this is one contributing factor why I do not use it that much. Was CLA’d when I bought it, so I assume everything is mechanically OK with the lens.

vivizen · Mar 18, 2020

Here's what David Odess has to say: "Because of the design of the focus mount on the 100mm CF lenses, the focus ring is often a little harder to turn than on some of the other lenses. This is normal, and should not be of concern."

It seems the difficulty in turning the focus ring is normal; good to know.

Sirius Glass · Mar 18, 2020

etn said:
If by « tight focus » you mean stiff and difficult to turn, my 100mm CF is like this. It is the stiffest of all my lenses (Hasselblad or not), to the point of not being fun to use. I think this is one contributing factor why I do not use it that much. Was CLA’d when I bought it, so I assume everything is mechanically OK with the lens.

I found that the focusing stiffness was overwhelmed by the superior optics of the CF 100mm lenses.

etn · Mar 19, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
I found that the focusing stiffness was overwhelmed by the superior optics of the CF 100mm lenses.

Very true!

GLS · Mar 19, 2020

vivizen said:
Here's what David Odess has to say: "Because of the design of the focus mount on the 100mm CF lenses, the focus ring is often a little harder to turn than on some of the other lenses. This is normal, and should not be of concern."

It seems the difficulty in turning the focus ring is normal; good to know.

FYI I have the CFi version of this lens, and focusing with it is no stiffer than any other Hasselblad lens I have. On the contrary, it's a joy to focus with, but the CFi and CFE lenses are generally better in this regard than the CF versions.

EarlJam · Mar 19, 2020

vivizen said:
Here's what David Odess has to say: "Because of the design of the focus mount on the 100mm CF lenses, the focus ring is often a little harder to turn than on some of the other lenses. This is normal, and should not be of concern."

It seems the difficulty in turning the focus ring is normal; good to know.

Thanks, Vivizen, this is great information. I have the same "three finger" focus issue with my 100/3.5 CF. I had often wondered if it was part of the design spec, to minimize focus drift, due to vibration, in aerial photography applications.

Hasselblad 100mm f/3.5 tight focus?

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