Help needed, Hasselblad 50mm cf fle VERY soft corners

[sb1202]

Hi folks, looking for some help re this lens I just bought second hand. I've ran a couple of test rolls through this and I'm less than impressed with the performance. I've never used one of these before but I'm led to believe they are supposed to be better than CF lenses.

When set to infinity on the barrel, it is not focused on the ground glass. It seems to stop just short of infinity going by the viewfinder.

I also set up test objects at 2m, 1m and the barrel scale markings were showing it focused at 15m & 8 metres respectively. That too me suggests the lens is wildly out.

The image attached is focused at infinity and the FLE set to infinity. The resulting image shows the results, which I think are horrendous.

Can anyone shed any light on this. Is it a dodgy lens?

 

[snapguy]

don't know

I don't know what your problem is but from the scan (I blew it up on my computer screen) it looks to me you have camera movement. You might have more than one problem with the camera/lens. Good luck.

 

[nwilkins]

i have no experience with that camera or lens but that does look almost identical to the results I got with a Nikkor 28mm F2.0 which I bought and promptly returned to the seller. Maybe it is something that can go wrong on a floating element lens? Or perhaps someone messed with it and put an element in backwards? Almost looks like a Holga!

 

[nwilkins]

by the way there's no camera movement in that picture - it is fine in the centre. but terrible in the corners. definitely should be returned ASAP.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

I've used the 50/4 CF FLE quite a bit at all sorts of settings (including infinity, obviously). It is very, very sharp out to the edges even on 16x20 prints.

Your results do indicate something is amiss.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

That looks like astigmatism, either native (sometimes with very old lenses, but not Hasselblad!) or a product of interference e.g. disassembly of the lens and imprecise re-assembly. This is definitely not the performance anybody would expect from a Hasseblad lens — any Hasselblad lens. In this case, there is a fault that perhaps was not disclosed to you by the seller, or the seller was not aware of it. Whatever the case, you have grounds for returning it and, preferably, getting your money back.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Hi folks, looking for some help re this lens I just bought second hand. I've ran a couple of test rolls through this and I'm less than impressed with the performance. I've never used one of these before but I'm led to believe they are supposed to be better than CF lenses.

When set to infinity on the barrel, it is not focused on the ground glass. It seems to stop just short of infinity going by the viewfinder.

I also set up test objects at 2m, 1m and the barrel scale markings were showing it focused at 15m & 8 metres respectively. That too me suggests the lens is wildly out.

The image attached is focused at infinity and the FLE set to infinity. The resulting image shows the results, which I think are horrendous.

Can anyone shed any light on this. Is it a dodgy lens?
View attachment 95898

I have two of these lenses and never seen a result this bad. Are you sure yourfilm magazine is OK and not buckling the film?:confused:

 

[sb1202]

I don't know what your problem is but from the scan (I blew it up on my computer screen) it looks to me you have camera movement. You might have more than one problem with the camera/lens. Good luck.

Definitely not movement. It was tripod mounted and I shot 2 rolls. The centre is sharp in all photos. The edges are as bad as this in the rest.

 

[sb1202]

I'm thinking this too.

 

[sb1202]

I have two of these lenses and never seen a result this bad. Are you sure yourfilm magazine is OK and not buckling the film?:confused:

Yeah, pretty certain. Put 2 rolls through it and the film is spot on. The problem is on the ground glass too when focusing. It doesn't snap into focus at infinity which was the first thing I noticed. It seems to be focusing short of infinity when it hits the stop. I've confirmed this when focusing from say 2 meters to infinity. Trees in the distance, hills etc do not snap in.

 

[sb1202]

Thanks everybody for your replies. Very good of you and I think I will return the lens.

 

[ic-racer]

Perhaps one of the lens elements was reversed. Does the lens have stigmata of being tampered? Of note, for fun I get effects like that by placing the dinky little wide angle viewing lens accessory on my TLR's taking lens.

 

[cramej]

Holgablad.

It's a feature, not a bug. Mark it up and make a profit!

 

[Douglas Fairbank]

Most likely the relationship between the two focus mounts has been lost, or there could be a loose element. I have seen this a few times. It really needs to be looked at by an experienced Hasselblad engineer and probably realigned using an optical bench because the off axis focus needs to be calibrated together with the centre focus. The reversal of an optic is very unlikely, maybe impossible.

 

[TheToadMen]

Hi,
Wilco Jansen (The Netherlands) is an experienced Hasselblad repair man. his site: http://www.hasselblad-reparaties.nl/index.php?content=default&hlk=en
Maybe you can contact him?

 

[Chris Livsey]

Obviously we don't know where you purchased but it's either return or invoke a warranty repair if you were wise enough to buy from a reputable dealer.
Uk price guide from Hasselblad:

CF/CB/Cfi/CFE lens​

​

70990207General shutter overhaul/serviceCompletely dismantle shutter and iris mechanisms. Worn or faulty parts replaced. All parts cleaned and re-lubricated. Shutter speeds, flash sync and optical centring checked and adjusted. £395 plus carriage and vat.Following this work, the lens shutter and iris will be fully covered by a six months service warranty. Should any failure occur during this period, if not caused by incorrect use or damage, we will repair the fault at no charge. This warranty does not include the focus action. 70990208Focus mount overhaulCompletely dismantle focus mount. All parts cleaned and re-lubricated. Focus mount re-assembled and focus reset.£195 plus carriage and vat.This repair is subject to a six months warranty limited to parts and labour only.​

 

[Sirius Glass]

Thanks everybody for your replies. Very good of you and I think I will return the lens.

Good move.