How to cock a Hasselblad lens properly

[RalphLambrecht]

as all Hasselblad users know, to safely mount or unmount a Hasselblad lens, both, camera body and the lens have to be cocked or uncocked, both cocked being preferred. This sometimes requires an uncocked lens to be manually cocked. Most literature states that this is easily achieved by using a coin, screwdriver, or a special Hasselblad tool to turn the crankshaft at the back of the lens in the direction of the arrow until the slot in the drive shaft aligns with the red dot. This isn't always simple, because the spring-loaded crankshaft tends to return to its previous position as soon as the tool is removed from the slot. The solution to this, however, is simple. One must turn the crankshaft more than a full turn until a soft click is heard, which is the acoustic verification that the lens shutter is fully cocked. At this point, the slot also aligns with the red dot, providing an additional optical verification. Having just finished my yearly maintenance cycle, I thought I'd share this tidbit of valuable information.

 

[jeffreyg]

Good advice and I will add that the special tool is worth while because it not only fits in the slot but also surrounds the screw and is just the right size. It is less likely to damage the screw slot or slip out.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Is this the tool you speak of? It's a FotodioX CameraKey.

 

[tcolgate]

I've never attempted to attack a lens when the lens and body are both uncocked. That's feels risky. When cocked they slot and "pin" are both exactly concentric with the lens mount. When fired they are a bit off. Maybe it works, but I wouldn't risk it myself.

 

[djdister]

There was one time my 500 c/m body and lens got out of sync and I had to manually cock the lens, which I did very carefully. That never happened again...

 

[jeffreyg]

Andrew. Yes that looks like it

 

[4season]

I've never attempted to attack a lens when the lens and body are both uncocked. That's feels risky. When cocked they slot and "pin" are both exactly concentric with the lens mount. When fired they are a bit off. Maybe it works, but I wouldn't risk it myself.

There's no risk: The lens simply won't click into place.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Is this the tool you speak of? It's a FotodioX CameraKey.

View attachment 412799

mine looks just like that, but is marked with the words 'Hasselblad Camera Tool' on one side and came in a leather pouch.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Yes, I see heaps of them on ebay, mostly out of China. If I get the Hasselblad kit, I'll order one... Some people use a coin I hear, but I rarely have one in my pocket these days.

 

[David R Williams]

mine looks just like that, but is marked with the words 'Hasselblad Camera Tool' on one side and came in a leather pouch.

That's the one I have too - nice to have a soft leather case to keep a steel scratch-initiating tool within.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The first time I needed to recock a Hasselblad lens, I only had a screwdriver, not the proper tool. It took several times to keep the screwdriver in the slot and turn it one full turn. With the proper tool, I learned to recock the lenses without the tools slipping off. One needs to take care not to rush and concentrate.

 

[miha]

As a happy Mamiya 330 user, I’m lucky I don’t have to deal with any of this.

 

[chuckroast]

As a happy Mamiya 330 user, I’m lucky I don’t have to deal with any of this.

Having owned both several 330s and a Hasselblad, I'm not sure you're at any real advantage. Both are kind of Rube Goldberg mechanical contraptions But you overlook it for the image quality they produce.

I always preferred the 220 to the 330 because it was lighter and simpler, and not so mechanically fiddly, But with a late model black/blue dot lens, either can do wonderful stuff.

 

[miha]

We don’t really know Rube Goldberg over here, but we all grew up with Professor Baltazar!

 

[reddesert]

Hasselblad lenses can be kind of tough. I suggest marinating it overnight and then braising it in a red wine sauce, but be careful not to let it go too long.

Oh sorry! I thought the title was how to cook a Hasselblad lens properly.

 

[chuckroast]

Hasselblad lenses can be kind of tough. I suggest marinating it overnight and then braising it in a red wine sauce, but be careful not to let it go too long.

Oh sorry! I thought the title was how to cook a Hasselblad lens properly.

Thats how you make salt prints...

 

[tcolgate]

I've always recocked lenses with a coin
Never occurred to me I might have to recock the bit on the body.
I ordered the tool!
Be warned , most of the options on Amazon are charging more for shipping than the tool. I found a free shipping option on eBay.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

The first time I needed to recock a Hasselblad lens, I only had a screwdriver, not the proper tool. It took several times to keep the screwdriver in the slot and turn it one full turn. With the proper tool, I learned to recock the lenses without the tools slipping off. One needs to take care not to rush and concentrate.

for some reason, for me, the coin method works better than theHasselblad tool. The only trick was to keep turning more than a full turn.

 

[Nitroplait]

So many idiosyncrasies with Hasselblad. It makes a Barnack Leica seem like a point & shoot
No hate, I am a Hasselblad user myself - albeit SWC, so less potential challenges.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

So many idiosyncrasies with Hasselblad. It makes a Barnack Leica seem like a point & shoot
No hate, I am a Hasselblad user myself - albeit SWC, so less potential challenges.

to me, Hasselblads are still worth the occasional trouble. Wow else make better images?

 

[tcolgate]

My lens cocking tool just arrived and I've given it a try. I must say, it doesn't actually feel safer than using a coin for me so far. A couple of things I don't like. (I'm going to refer to the bit on the lens with the slot it in as the "screw head", because it looks like one and I'm not sure what else to call it).
- I feel like I have to hold the tool at the very end near the screw head when using it. Trying to use any of the length of the tool means you've got this bit long lump of metal "secured" by your fingers at one end and the screw head at the other, the moment you get any "angle" on the tool it can slip off of the screw head, and then it feels a lot like I'm waving something quite jabby at the rear element of my lens.
- When keeping the tool short, things are more secure, but the tool covers the whole of the screw head, that helps with grip, but it makes it far harder to assess the amount of "turn" I've put it. When you do it with a coin you can easily see the angle of the slot and the red dot you are turning to, that's harder with the tool.
- I feel like the above also means there more of a risk of "over tightenting", which feels very bad. Obviously there's just the potential of doing something nasty to the internal spring, but also, I worry about wear/"stripping" the slot.
- The tool is kind of OK if I put the lens on a non-slip surface and can be sure I'm keeping the tool vertical, but if I needed to do something in the field, that wouldn't be an option.

I feel like using a soft "copper" coin is safer? I can hold the coin to lower the risk of slipping and knocking the element, I can gauge the turn better, and it feels like I'm more likely the tear up the coin than the slot (the slot being worth literally thousands of times more than the coin!).
When "exercising" my lenses, I tend to do it with them off the body. I've taken to using a coin to cock them because that's just a lot quieter than having the lens on the body (the dog tends to sleep in my office with me, and I always feel terrible if she gets up because her "spare human" is messing about with his noisy cameras again).
I'll keep the tool around, especially if I need the other end of it one day, but I think I'll stick with the coin.