Hasselblad 550C Queries

Back in the day I lusted after such a beast but could never afford one and had to make do with a second-hand Pentacon 6. Scroll forward many years and the desire for 6x6cm again reared its head but due mainly to concerns about coping with the weight of a Hasselblad, I opted for a lightweight Rolleicord Vb - a delightful and very capable camera. This kept Hasselblad thoughts at bay - for a while. Also, earlier this year I found I could just about cope with occasional short forays with 1.5kg of Fuji GW690II, so hopefully concerns about the weight of a 500C with f2.8 Planar will be unfounded. I'll find out this weekend. A 70th birthday present to myself

Now that the 500C has arrived, I have some questions:-
In image 1 there appears to be a fastener missing from the small oblong black plate. Anyone know what the plate is for and should I be concerned about the lack of fastener?
Image 2 of the right side shows a small button below the the shutter-tension knob. Purpose?
Image 3 shows the lever on the lens between the words "Synchro" & "Compur". Purpose?

All help, hints & tips re operating the 500C are very welcome!




PS - thank goodness for this film loading video!

Thanks - downloaded, read and (mostly) understood.
Tri-X now loaded and ready to go. Hopefully will have time tomorrow to fire it off and dev over the weekend.

small button below knob prefires mirror....

Careful about loading film..making sure the white/black dot windows are correct..Hell I forget if they should be B or W but I know one of each = Jam. Found that out on the second load. The mirror tends to get miss aligned with age so mind the focus and if you think something is amiss the mirror probably needs adjustment. I sent mine to NJ for an unplanned $700 overhaul. Although I never did tell my wife about that it was worth the price in the long run (new seals, main spring, mirror adjustment, and film holder adjusted to match body, etc) but I suspect a private repair person could align the mirror for much less or perhaps a DYI is possible.

The lever on the lens is for the self timer. Lot's of people in here recommend not attempting to use it, because they are susceptible to failing because they typically get little use. If you don't know the history of the lens, or whether it has had recent service, I'd probably leave it alone.

A good manual source + other information is hasselbladhistorical.eu

Enjoy it.

No - that's the aperture stop down lever. Once pressed, either fire the shutter to re-open it or turn the aperture back to maximum.

Early C lenses did not have this. The SWC doesn't have it.

The self-timer is another switch that is set to V (only after the shutter is cocked).

Use the self timer only if you know your lens' mechanism is good. I have a mix of older C lenses and CF lenses and I do use the self-timer just because I can.

The button under the wind lever pre-releases the camera so that photos can be made with almost no vibration. When cocked, pressing this lever will close the shutter, stop down the lens, raise the mirror, and open the rear baffles. Then, all you have to do is press the release - in which case only the shutter blades move - no vibration. You'd want to use a cable release for best results (or the self timer).

By the way, your photo shows both magazine and body in an uncocked state. With Hasselblads, it's best to get into the habit of keeping everything cocked (just like a motorized Hasselblad always is). That way you're less likely to remove an uncocked lens (=future jam).

Camera people always worry about leaving shutters cocked and firearms people are always worried about leaving magazines with rounds in them - they think the springs deteriorate while under tension. Not so. At least four mechanical engineers have told me the static state doesn't affect the spring - wear comes from flexing.

Thank you all for the further very useful advice - appreciated!

It is best not to use the self timing switch. It often can cause problems and it is not worth fooling with.

Also see Hasselblad Historical for manuals. http://www.hasselbladhistorical.eu/Index/HWIndex.aspx

FWIW The hole in the black pate was for a hook that kept a synch
cord from flapping around.

Sirius Glass said:

It is best not to use the self timing switch. It often can cause problems and it is not worth fooling with.

Also see Hasselblad Historical for manuals. http://www.hasselbladhistorical.eu/Index/HWIndex.aspx

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. Downloaded and read - very useful indeed

I popped up to a distinctly chilly and somewhat snowy Avebury quite early this morning and fired off a roll of Tri-X. Now developed and scanned - very pleased with the results and look forward to exploring this camera & lens's capabilities further.
Thanks again for the help.

Your 'blad looks to be in very nice condition.

NoClewAtol said:

Your 'blad looks to be in very nice condition.

Click to expand...

Thanks. With the help of all the info in the above posts it is a 1969 model (with 1968 lens).
Bought it from Peter Loy, who I have dealt with in the past. The one I bought has been serviced and is guaranteed for six months. I can only assume that the body has been re-covered as it is pristine. I have no connection with Peter, other than being a very satisfied customer over the last five years or so and have no hesitation in recommending him.