Hasselblad 500 cm prism finder loose

kahlheins · Mar 29, 2020

Hello everyone,

I just recently acquired two Hasselblad 500 cm together with some accessories. Previously I have been exclusively using rangefinder cameras, and I am new to the modular style of the Hasselblads. While I am still waiting for my first few rolls of film to come back from the lab, I have already grown quite fond of the system though. However, I have notices that while the waist level viewfinders are sitting tight, the Hasselblad PME prism is sitting a bit loose and "wiggles" around a bit. Can anyone confirm if this is normal? It occurs with both Hasselblad 500 cm bodies that I have tested.

Sirius Glass · Mar 29, 2020

I had the same problem. I solved it by putting a strip on the upper edge runners of the PME to narrow the clearance. You may need more than one strip on each side although I only needed one on each side. Let me know how this works for your.

John Galt · Mar 30, 2020

in my limited experience this is normal . . I have two 500CM bodies and two prism finders, they both have a bit of "wiggle" don't worry about it, have fun with your new cameras .

kahlheins · Mar 30, 2020

John Galt said:
in my limited experience this is normal . . I have two 500CM bodies and two prism finders, they both have a bit of "wiggle" don't worry about it, have fun with your new cameras .

I accepted the wiggle Tried to stick some tape on it, but didn't have anything around that wasn't quite sticky on both sides. It doesn't bother me too much, as long as it won't cause any problems down the line. Looking forward to getting my first negatives back.

Sirius Glass · Mar 30, 2020

kahlheins said:
I accepted the wiggle Tried to stick some tape on it, but didn't have anything around that wasn't quite sticky on both sides. It doesn't bother me too much, as long as it won't cause any problems down the line. Looking forward to getting my first negatives back.

One does not need double stick tape. Just build up thin layers as necessary.

kahlheins · Apr 1, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
One does not need double stick tape. Just build up thin layers as necessary.

Sorry, I just meant tape that is somewhat sticky on the upper surface rather than smooth (i.e duct tape).

itsdoable · Apr 2, 2020

You should not need to use tape or spacers to correct the prism looseness on the hasselblads. They all have a mechanical spring that is used to take up the slack. I have a NC-2, PME51 and a PM90.

The PME51 uses a thin plate on top of the main plate, which has a raised flange near the end that takes up the slack. You may need to bend up the spring a bit, easily done with a knife edge.

The PM90 has a cutout that is bent to spring load itself in the slot. Again a slight bend with a pair ot needle nose pliers does the job.

kahlheins · Apr 3, 2020

itsdoable said:
You should not need to use tape or spacers to correct the prism looseness on the hasselblads. They all have a mechanical spring that is used to take up the slack. I have a NC-2, PME51 and a PM90.

The PME51 uses a thin plate on top of the main plate, which has a raised flange near the end that takes up the slack. You may need to bend up the spring a bit, easily done with a knife edge.

View attachment 243220

The PM90 has a cutout that is bent to spring load itself in the slot. Again a slight bend with a pair ot needle nose pliers does the job.

View attachment 243219

My Prism doesn't seem to have either of those features. It does however have two little spring loaded balls at the rear end of the mount, which push that side down. However, that means that the prism still has room to wiggle at the front (lens facing side).

Sirius Glass · Apr 3, 2020

kahlheins said:
My Prism doesn't seem to have either of those features. It does however have two little spring loaded balls at the rear end of the mount, which push that side down. However, that means that the prism still has room to wiggle at the front (lens facing side).

Mine does not have a spring and never did. It has just worn thinner that it should be.

Dan Daniel · Apr 3, 2020

What about slightly deforming the base plate on the slide-in edge? A pair of needle nose pliers and a bit of crimping or bending of a small section. Lightly, of course, and slowly, just enough to have the crimped area provide a little drag and stop the wiggling.

Sirius Glass · Apr 3, 2020

Dan Daniel said:
What about slightly deforming the base plate on the slide-in edge? A pair of needle nose pliers and a bit of crimping or bending of a small section. Lightly, of course, and slowly, just enough to have the crimped area provide a little drag and stop the wiggling.

All very bad ideas. Especially when low cost effective methods have been recommended by people who used them. Deforming the base would change the distance from the mirror; a sledge hammer would be more effective.

itsdoable · Apr 3, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
Dan Daniel said:

What about slightly deforming the base plate on the slide-in edge? A pair of needle nose pliers and a bit of crimping or bending of a small section. Lightly, of course, and slowly, just enough to have the crimped area provide a little drag and stop the wiggling.

Click to expand...

All very bad ideas. Especially when low cost effective methods have been recommended by people who used them. Deforming the base would change the distance from the mirror; a sledge hammer would be more effective.

I'll point out that the viewing prism/magnifier is not that sensitive to focus, or that slight wear that produces play in the prism would have effected your focus a long time ago. It's position only has to be within range for your eyes to focus on the screen. The mirror to screen precision is another story.

I will also point out that many parts in the Hasselblad are adjusted by "bending" something. The hooks on the back for the magazine are adjusted by a small rubber mallet (OK, not a sledge hammer) when the back starts to get loose. The Compur shutter has many parts that are tweaked by bending when being calibrated.

That being said, I would not bother with bending the base to make it fit snugger, it does not need to, and you may end up creating more wear on the aluminium body. But if the play bothers you, just add a thin piece of tape as suggested.

Hasselblad 500 cm prism finder loose

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency