Hasselblad 500C/M Slow Body. Springs?

[LeKo]

Hi All!

I just recently got myself a Hasselblad 500C/M and it seems like the camera is working but incredibly slow. Let me explain:

When I press the shutter release button the back curtain opens up fairly fast but the screw that interfaces with the lens turns incredibly slow. It takes about 1 full second for it to fully turn. When I release the shutter the screw continues to turn about 1/5 and the curtain closes but very softly and a fair bit slower than any other Hasselblad I've seen before.
The camera triggers the shutter of the lens but only around 1-2 seconds after the shutter release button has been pressed.

I guess some kind of spring in the camera is worn out? I wouldn't mind taking it apart myself but I'd rather ask if anyone has any experience with this kind of issue and if so, how exactly to fix it?

 

[btaylor]

That doesn’t sound like a DIY job to me. But I don’t know if you are an experienced camera repair tech or how many Hasselblads you have repaired before. In my service business we don’t like to accept jobs where the owner has already tried to fix it and failed- too much stuff gets damaged or incorrectly reassembled. If you want to enjoy your wonderful camera as it was meant to be I would strongly suggest handing it off to a qualified tech and you will have something valuable and great to use. Just a thought...

 

[Scott Micciche]

The return spring might need replacing or lubrication.

 

[Jim Kilroy]

Hi All!

I just recently got myself a Hasselblad 500C/M and it seems like the camera is working but incredibly slow. Let me explain:

When I press the shutter release button the back curtain opens up fairly fast but the screw that interfaces with the lens turns incredibly slow. It takes about 1 full second for it to fully turn. When I release the shutter the screw continues to turn about 1/5 and the curtain closes but very softly and a fair bit slower than any other Hasselblad I've seen before.
The camera triggers the shutter of the lens but only around 1-2 seconds after the shutter release button has been pressed.

I guess some kind of spring in the camera is worn out? I wouldn't mind taking it apart myself but I'd rather ask if anyone has any experience with this kind of issue and if so, how exactly to fix it?

It is probably NOT the main spring. The front gearing assembly is most likely gummed up. I see it often. More precisely, the governor (part of the front gearing) is gummed up. The camera needs a tear down and CLA. If the “key” (lens interface) is moving that slowly, it would stand to reason that there are other areas of the mechanism plate (the mechanism that controls cocking, advance and release) that will need attention too. Lubricants are not forever and if a camera has sat for a long period then they will get gummy. To get to the front gearing out and cleaned you need to take the front plate off and then when you put it back together you will have thrown off the body focal length and the tuning of the winding and release sequences. You will not be able to get those correct without the factory jig and timing equipment. Is it in good condition? Is it worth a CLA?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Not a DIY job, get it CLA'd by an approved Hasselblad repairman.