Hasselblad 500c/m description- problem??

[Dan Daniel]

So I saw a Hasselblad 500C/M body listed at a lower price. A touch under $500. The description says:

"Upper secondary baffle has slight droop to it when shutter is fired."

Is this a bad problem? Cosmetic only? Well, anyone want to chime in, much appreciated.

(Rest of description is basic cosmetic shows wear, everything functions fine.)

 

[F4U]

I do not know what a "droop" means. but I already know enough to stay away. What has happened is the body has suffered a jam and the barn door has moved on its axle. This is a typical situation in a body long overdue of service. There will be more jams. That, you can count on. And $500 is no deal anyway.
Edit: figured out what droop means. The barn door has moved on its axle due to a previous jam. It's no coming all the way up any more. Typical of an old unserviced body. I can already also tell you that the foam pad between the back of the mirror and its metal frame have deteriorated and the focus is now quite inaccurate.

 

[4season]

It's a significant problem if it's drooping into the image area, which seems likely.

Pretty much as @F4U says, but in the case of my camera, I could not simply rotate the door on it's axle, because it had developed cracks, and someone had cemented in into place, so I ended up replacing both doors, and at that point, might as perform a full overhaul on the camera.

 

[mshchem]

Stay away.

 

[Don_ih]

It's not something that can't be fixed. Any body you buy may have numerous issues that require attention.

Body removed from shell, hold that pivot with pliers to prevent it from turning, and bend the top shutter inward until it doesn't "droop" anymore (apply pressure close to the pivot point). I just did this with a Hasselblad EL/M.

Bending stuff is the genuine Hasselblad way of fixing things.

But I think $500 is a bit much for that. There are likely other issues.

 

[Dan Daniel]

Thanks, everyone. I wasn't sure if this was a 'cosmetic' issue, like a lever that needs a nudge to release. Or a symptom of a mechanical problem. I'm not up to risk a problem child camera at this time so I will pass.

 

[itsdoable]

The baffle can be pushed back into the correct position as described above, by holding the shaft.

Migration of the upper baffle is a symptom of the mirror brake. As the mirror brake becomes less effective, the shock from the mirror's end travel causes the baffle to shift on it's shaft. The mirror brake consists of a large rubber disk, which both wears and hardens over time (and it's been a long time!), making it less effective. I don't know of a good supply of replacements as NOS stock is rare, and hardened by age.

I've bent a few back into place, but over time, they will shift again. Not a big deal. The other issue is the mirror shock - but I've not noticed anything significant to the resulting image captures, and I still take a lot of pictures without the mirror pre-release. Keep in mind the mirror foam also plays a significant role in mirror shock.