Hasselblad CF 180mm Sonnar issue

mpirie · Jan 2, 2026

Does anyone know if there is something in the 180 Sonnar that could cause shake?.....shutter blade imbalance perhaps?

Even though i always use a tripod and mirror up on my 503, every shot with the 180 shows shake. Exposures are spot on.

None of my other lenses (including the 250mm Sonnar) show the same issue.

If there's no mechanical fault, then maybe i need to let the setup settle for longer before triggering the shutter?

Mike

John Wiegerink · Jan 2, 2026

Mike,
If you are using a good, heavy duty tripod and setting the camera as you say then you shouldn't have motion blur. Are you sure it's motion blur? I wouldn't think it to be some kind of shutter bounce problem, but you never know. I would help to see a closeup of the negative. Are all shots taken with the lens this way. At all shutter speeds?

BrianShaw · Jan 2, 2026

mpirie said:
If there's no mechanical fault, then maybe i need to let the setup settle for longer before triggering the shutter?

Mike

Investigate this, as well as the overall stability of your tripod/head. Are you using a cable release?

OAPOli · Jan 2, 2026

I don't think that a leaf shutter can induce camera shake.

retina_restoration · Jan 2, 2026

mpirie said:
Does anyone know if there is something in the 180 Sonnar that could cause shake?.....shutter blade imbalance perhaps?

Even though i always use a tripod and mirror up on my 503, every shot with the 180 shows shake. Exposures are spot on.

None of my other lenses (including the 250mm Sonnar) show the same issue.

If there's no mechanical fault, then maybe i need to let the setup settle for longer before triggering the shutter?

Mike

What shutter speeds are we talking about here?

mpirie · Jan 2, 2026

Thanks guys,

All shutter speeds......(though using Pan-F, they tend to be on the long side), ranging from ½s to around 13s.

Cable release and mirror lockup used each time, and like i said, the 250 Sonnar is fine with the same setup.

Tripod is a Gitzo 3 series CF with Linhof 3-way head and ground spikes due to the terrain we have.

I know the 180 is a heavy lens, so next step would be to try a different tripod/head setup i guess? Maybe need to move the head centre-point further forward for better balance?

John: all shots with the 180 exhibit the same double image, like one image at the start of the shutter opening and another before it closes......looking like shake.

Once the snow clears, i'll give it another try with a different tripod/head.

Mike

retina_restoration · Jan 2, 2026

If you are on a tripod, you've locked up the mirror, and using a cable release, there's no way you're seeing camera shake with a 13 second exposure. There's something else going on.

John Wiegerink · Jan 2, 2026

mpirie said:
Thanks guys,

All shutter speeds......(though using Pan-F, they tend to be on the long side), ranging from ½s to around 13s.

Cable release and mirror lockup used each time, and like i said, the 250 Sonnar is fine with the same setup.

Tripod is a Gitzo 3 series CF with Linhof 3-way head and ground spikes due to the terrain we have.

I know the 180 is a heavy lens, so next step would be to try a different tripod/head setup i guess? Maybe need to move the head centre-point further forward for better balance?

John: all shots with the 180 exhibit the same double image, like one image at the start of the shutter opening and another before it closes......looking like shake.

Once the snow clears, i'll give it another try with a different tripod/head.

Mike

Your setup seems alright and unless you're having ground tremors when taking a photo all should be sharp as a tack. I agree with Paul (retina_restoration) that there is something else at play here. If you have a strobe flash unit you could try one or two exposures using flash for a faster shutter speed and you'll know very quickly if it's technique or lens.

Arthurwg · Jan 2, 2026

mpirie said:
Does anyone know if there is something in the 180 Sonnar that could cause shake?.....shutter blade imbalance perhaps?

Even though i always use a tripod and mirror up on my 503, every shot with the 180 shows shake. Exposures are spot on.

None of my other lenses (including the 250mm Sonnar) show the same issue.

If there's no mechanical fault, then maybe i need to let the setup settle for longer before triggering the shutter?

Mike

I wouldn't be surprised if the front-heavy imbalance of the lens caused a vibration that managed to disrupt the exposure, even on. tripod. .

mpirie · Jan 3, 2026

Arthurwg said:
I wouldn't be surprised if the front-heavy imbalance of the lens caused a vibration that managed to disrupt the exposure, even on. tripod. .

That's what i was thinking too Arthur, hence the next effort will be a different tripod/head combination.

There's only 75g of a difference in weight between the 250 (1,000g) and 180 (1,075g), but that may be enough to cause the problem?

John: I like the idea of trying a flash with the 180.....with a short enough shutter speed, there shouldn't be a chance of any image blurring.

Mike

blee1996 · Jan 3, 2026

Also one possible solution for long lens support, if the lens does not have tripod socket itself

Sirius Glass · Sunday at 2:49 PM

You could send it out for an estimate to see if there is a problem or not.

mpirie · Monday at 2:25 AM

Knowing my luck Sirius, the cost of the estimate (never mind any repair) would be more than the price i paid for the lens.

That's why i wondered if anyone else with a 180 had seen blurring issues......if it's a known problem, then yes it'll be a repair, but if not, then it could be my taking process.

Mike

RalphLambrecht · Monday at 7:24 AM

retina_restoration said:
What shutter speeds are we talking about here?

the ground on which the tripod stans mabe an issue. too firm could actually be an issue.setting the legs onto sandbags dampens vibration.

mpirie · Monday at 7:39 AM

That's a good point Ralph.....the most recent examples were shot while the tripod was standing on concrete, but with spikes and not rubber feet.

Mike

retina_restoration · Monday at 10:15 AM

mpirie said:
That's a good point Ralph.....the most recent examples were shot while the tripod was standing on concrete, but with spikes and not rubber feet.

Mike

But if you are making long exposures, up to 13 seconds, it's extremely unlikely that camera shake is the issue, unless you are jostling the camera during the exposure. The longer the exposure, the less likely you are to see camera shake.

OAPOli · Monday at 2:45 PM

Yes for long exposures, a tiny bump on the tripod and/or camera could cause a double image.

Ai Print · Monday at 3:34 PM

The 180mm is one of my most used lenses and I have never had an issue with either the CF or CFi version that I now own and have used them in all kinds of situations with no additional lens support.

Have you got good results before and this is a new issue or is this a new lens for you?

chuckroast · Monday at 3:40 PM

Ai Print said:
The 180mm is one of my most used lenses and I have never had an issue with either the CF or CFi version that I now own and have used them in all kinds of situations with no additional lens support.

Have you got good results before and this is a new issue or is this a new lens for you?

Ditto here. I have the CFi and it's been just perfect.

reddesert · Monday at 3:51 PM

Are you sure that the problem is shutter-induced shake? If all the shots have the same double image pattern, maybe something is optically wrong with the lens. It seems unlikely for an optical problem to make double images rather than blur, but we are already in the realm of the unlikely. If you have any filter on the lens, remove it for tests. You could do something like take images with the camera rotated around the tripod-head roll axis, to see if the pattern stays fixed to the lens orientation or changes direction depending on the tripod head position.

Arthurwg · Monday at 6:41 PM

Yes, more tests are required. But at this point I think you may have a faulty lens.

mpirie · Tuesday at 3:37 PM

I carried out another test today, now that the snow's melting.

A different tripod, different head, different 503 body and different A12 back.....same 180mm lens......same results.

All 12 exposures are bang on, but all exhibit double images!

Looks like the lens will be heading for a CLA soon!

Mike

Hasselblad CF 180mm Sonnar issue

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