Hasselblad 501c issue

RalphLambrecht · Dec 29, 2023

I'm perplexed. I'm not new to this camera; this issue got me. The camera and its normal 80mmf/2.8 CF lens have been stored safely in a foam-packed aluminum case. I took it out yesterday and tried to mount the lens after cocking the camera first but the lens couldn't be mounted. It just fell out of the mount and luckily onto my bed. No way to establish a solid connection. Ever heard of that?

retina_restoration · Dec 29, 2023

RalphLambrecht said:
I'm perplexed. I'm not new to this camera; this issue got me. The camera and its normal 80mmf/2.8 CF lens have been stored safely in a foam-packed aluminum case. I took it out yesterday and tried to mount the lens after cocking the camera first but the lens couldn't be mounted. It just fell out of the mount and luckily onto my bed. No way to establish a solid connection. Ever heard of that?

Have you checked to see that the lens itself is cocked?

RalphLambrecht · Dec 30, 2023

retina_restoration said:
Have you checked to see that the lens itself is cocked?

nothing looked crooked as far as I could tell. I will try with another lens today and report.

BrianShaw · Dec 30, 2023

RalphLambrecht · Dec 30, 2023

RalphLambrecht said:
nothing looked crooked as far as I could tell. I will try with another lens today and report.

I tried another lens; same issue. I tried another body and lens; working as expected. still stumped.

RalphLambrecht · Dec 30, 2023

retina_restoration said:
Have you checked to see that the lens itself is cocked?

both body and lens are cocked; as required. the lens does not want to lock into place. It stays loose and wiggles.

BrianShaw · Dec 30, 2023

Have you considered the potential value of posting pictures of the lens and body that won’t mate? Might garner a bit more educated assistance.

Evidence/experience relayed thusfar makes the body suspect as source of problem. Cocking shaft failure? Need to recock body with the special tool (long screwdriver)?

BTW, I had similar happen once on an 501CM and it was me not properly seating the lens into the body mount before twisting to lock. Now I tend to point the body lens mount straight up when mounting a lens so gravity helps…

Philippe-Georges · Dec 30, 2023

Just a (wilde-) guess without seeing the camera...
There is a small catch that engages with the bayonet to lock the lens, and is held by a spring which is connected to the knob for disengaging the lens, perhaps that little spring is broken or lost its resilience due to metal fatigue?

RalphLambrecht · Dec 31, 2023

Philippe-Georges said:
Just a (wilde-) guess without seeing the camera...
There is a small catch that engages with the bayonet to lock the lens, and is held by a spring which is connected to the knob for disengaging the lens, perhaps that little spring is broken or lost its resilience due to metal fatigue?

That is not a bad thought. However, I can clearly see that little pin moving up and down when I press and release the knob to disengage the lens.

RalphLambrecht · Dec 31, 2023

Philippe-Georges said:
Just a (wilde-) guess without seeing the camera...
There is a small catch that engages with the bayonet to lock the lens, and is held by a spring which is connected to the knob for disengaging the lens, perhaps that little spring is broken or lost its resilience due to metal fatigue?

trust me; pictures won't help. There is no distortion to see. Nevertheless, I will try to follow the recommendation and try again to firmly hold the lens upright when seating the lens;thanks.

jeffreyg · Dec 31, 2023

About a year ago I had an opposite problem. Despite being able to depress the lens release button and seeing the body screw in the proper position I could not remove a lens from the body. I ended up having a costly repair which included a cla. Philippe-Georges may have your answer.

Arthurwg · Dec 31, 2023

Oddly enough I have the exact same problem. Tried two days ago to mount my 500mm CF lens to my 503CX and no go, just as you described. Camera and lens were properly cocked. I tried another body and it too wouldn't mount. Both cameras are fine with other lenses. I had used the 500mm lens about a month ago and it was fine. Not sure what to do now, maybe trip the shutter and re-cock several times?

I used to use David Odess for repairs but as we know he has passed. Any other recommendations?

BrianShaw · Dec 31, 2023

The Hasselblad bayonet mount is the most precise of any camera I’ve ever used. I suspect that makes it vulnerable.

I’d be highly tempted to use a cotton bud lightly moistened with an appropriate solvent to clean both the body and lens bayonet mounts.

On the West Coast there is Steve’s Camera Repair in Culver City CA. They have the legacy of Rudy Lingg, a venerated Hasselblad repairman for the Hollywood and LA film scene.

Sirius Glass · Dec 31, 2023

Arthurwg said:
Oddly enough I have the exact same problem. Tried two days ago to mount my 500mm CF lens to my 503CX and no go, just as you described. Camera and lens were properly cocked. I tried another body and it too wouldn't mount. Both cameras are fine with other lenses. I had used the 500mm lens about a month ago and it was fine. Not sure what to do now, maybe trip the shutter and re-cock several times?

I used to use David Odess for repairs but as we know he has passed. Any other recommendations?

Also Hasselblad repair now in Burbank California. I too use Steve's Camera. And Samy's Camera on Fairfax in Los Angeles.

RalphLambrecht · Jan 1, 2024

BrianShaw said:
The Hasselblad bayonet mount is the most precise of any camera I’ve ever used. I suspect that makes it vulnerable.

I’d be highly tempted to use a cotton bud lightly moistened with an appropriate solvent to clean both the body and lens bayonet mounts.

On the West Coast there is Steve’s Camera Repair in Culver City CA. They have the legacy of Rudy Lingg, a venerated Hasselblad repairman for the Hollywood and LA film scene.

cleaning the bayonets may be my last option. This just got me. I've used this camera for 30 years now. WTF?

Hassasin · Jan 1, 2024

BrianShaw said:
The Hasselblad bayonet mount is the most precise of any camera I’ve ever used. I suspect that makes it vulnerable

Really? The only system, from most made, you can name it and I likely have it, Hasselblad is the only one that gave me a wobbling lens in the mount. Never happened with Bronica, Pentax MF or Mamiya.

Philippe-Georges · Jan 1, 2024

Hassasin said:
Really? The only system, from most made, you can name it and I likely have it, Hasselblad is the only one that gave me a wobbling lens in the mount. Never happened with Bronica, Pentax MF or Mamiya.

Interesting:
Was the wobbling along with the optical axis (forth and back) or perpendicular to the optical axis (left to right)?
Did the lens mounted securely?
Did the system worked as it should, like releasing the shutter to take a picture and then cocking it again?
Where the pictures then taken unsharp?
Did it happen with other lenses too?
Was the camera's lens mount undamaged and did the bayonet catch worked smoothly?
Was the lens's bayonet worn or damaged?

BTW, about the Hasselblad's bayonet catch: this tiny system is lubricated too, and after a long period this lubrication can become gummy, if not simply soiled, and by this not working smoothly nor locking securely (not to mention the spring...).
This happend to me too. I did a simple DIY repair with Ballistol (yes there we go again!).
This gun oil, like many others, is not only a good lubricant, but an effective cleaner too as it can dissolve the residue of burned gun powder.
So, I stuck some paper towel in the bayonet around the little catch, put the camera bayonet upwards, ad dripped a (very-) little amount of Ballistol on the unlocking knob (I used a syringe). This fine oil flowed around that knob into the catch system, dissolved the old lubricant, and the dirt, which came out in the bayonet, and was sucked up by the paper towel.
I repeated it till what came out was clear. Then with some canned air I carefully blew out the excess of the gun oil and that catch worked as new...
This took some time, but time was a negligible factor in this case...

Hassasin · Jan 1, 2024

@Philippe-Georges Ye sit mounted "securely" with piss off axial wobble, no matter how slight, it's there. It is on the lens side, as it mounts same on 4 different bodies, while all other lenses mounting fine. And it was a lens hardly ever used, not an issue with wear, more like lack of QC at the factory.

All I am saying, give me a break with "most precise" lens mount, it is not. And there is absolutely nothing special about the design of Hasselblad mount. At the prices these were selling for new (or now at any price) this is inexcusable. I am yet to find a system that does this. I had one lens from Canon FD (breach lock) that was doing similar thing, but that was in the end mounting ring lose on the body, so not really a mounted lens that isn't tight once secured in place.

RalphLambrecht · Jan 1, 2024

RalphLambrecht said:
trust me; pictures won't help. There is no distortion to see. Nevertheless, I will try to follow the recommendation and try again to firmly hold the lens upright when seating the lens;thanks.

Remember, I said: I have ne body/lens combination that works fine. took a look at that again and that lens works fine on all bodies. What's the difference? With the working lens, the red dot is perfectly aligned with the slot; with the non-working lens, the red dot is ever o slightly off. I will now try to realign it again but remember having trouble doing that perfectly before. I guess there is precision and there is robustness; Hasselblad is definitely not the Kalashnikov of the camera world.

Sirius Glass · Jan 1, 2024

RalphLambrecht said:
Remember, I said: I have ne body/lens combination that works fine. took a look at that again and that lens works fine on all bodies. What's the difference? With the working lens, the red dot is perfectly aligned with the slot; with the non-working lens, the red dot is ever o slightly off. I will now try to realign it again but remember having trouble doing that perfectly before. I guess there is precision and there is robustness; Hasselblad is definitely not the Kalashnikov of the camera world.

I suspect since the red dot is slightly off that the shutter shaft is worn or slightly bent. I had that happen. In that case the lens sounded like it fired but the shutter never opened. A trip to the repair man will settle the question once and for all.

Arthurwg · Jan 1, 2024

Solved my 500mm CF lens mount problem today simply by releasing and re-cocking the shutter several times. Now it all works perfectly.

BrianShaw · Jan 1, 2024

Arthurwg said:
Solved my 500mm CF lens mount problem today simply by releasing and re-cocking the shutter several times. Now it all works perfectly.

Great! What do you think may have changed from that process to make it right again?

Sirius Glass · Jan 1, 2024

Arthurwg said:
Solved my 500mm CF lens mount problem today simply by releasing and re-cocking the shutter several times. Now it all works perfectly.

As advised my my Hasselblad repairman, every three months remove the back from the camera and fire every lens 10 to 15 times at 1 second to keep the Hasselblad lens shutters from getting sticky or stuck.

Steven Lee · Jan 1, 2024

I was hesitating to comment because my knowledge is incomplete, but I think it can still be useful. @RalphLambrecht I had the same issue on my 503cx. However, sometimes it would work but then I'd have issues detaching the lens. This was caused by the "incomplete sequence" of winding of the body. The drive screw position was slightly off. The result was lens-dependent creating an impression of a lens being a part of the problem. Odess serviced the body and the problem went away.

Arthurwg · Jan 2, 2024

BrianShaw said:
Great! What do you think may have changed from that process to make it right again?

I really can't say. Just thought exercising the mechanism may have done it.

Hasselblad 501c issue

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