The wind blew over my Hassey and Tripod

Inayat Noor · Nov 21, 2007

Yesterday I was across the river from Alton, Illinois. I had my Hasselblad and 50mm lens on a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. The tripod being light blew over while I was leaning into my bag for a filter. The wind was gusty and when I set my system up it was calm. When turning away a gust came through.

The result was two dents in the lens where the threads are located. This appears to be the only damage. So now I cannot put filters on this lens.

Does anyone know if this can be repaired? The dents are minor and a filter can almost go on. If not, are there slide on filters available?

TIA

Inayat

TheFlyingCamera · Nov 21, 2007

Inayat Noor said:
Yesterday I was across the river from Alton, Illinois. I had my Hasselblad and 50mm lens on a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. The tripod being light blew over while I was leaning into my bag for a filter. The wind was gusty and when I set my system up it was calm. When turning away a gust came through.

The result was two dents in the lens where the threads are located. This appears to be the only damage. So now I cannot put filters on this lens.

Does anyone know if this can be repaired? The dents are minor and a filter can almost go on. If not, are there slide on filters available?

TIA

Inayat

It should be pretty easy to repair, if the filter almost goes on as-is. Any competent repair shop should be able to fix it. Shop it around just in case.

MP_Wayne · Nov 21, 2007

Inayat Noor said:
Does anyone know if this can be repaired? The dents are minor and a filter can almost go on. If not, are there slide on filters available?
TIA
Inayat

You should be able to get a good quality camera repair place to fix this so you can use threaded filters again. As a last resort, www.micro-tools.com has a tool that can be used to straighten out the threads (but try for a good quality camera repair shop first).

Antje · Nov 21, 2007

I bought a lens that was in a condition like you described. When I sent it in for a CLA, they fixed that problem without charging me for it. Actually, without even mentioning it. I was stunned.
So, I guess this isn't something that's incredibly expensive to repair (or my repair shop was even nicer to me than I thought!).

Antje

dpurdy · Nov 21, 2007

I took a Pentax 67 lens in for repair once and when they gave it back to me it had a big folded dent on the filter ring that wasn't there before!! They denied doing it and wouldn't fix it until I actually went to a lawyer and got a letter demanding they fix it or replace it. Then they fixed it.

Sirius Glass · Nov 21, 2007

Two years ago I brought a tripod that was much heavier than I had realized. I have been kicking myself in the butt ever since. Thank you for validating my purchase. My Hasselblad feels safer now!

Steve

Jimster · Nov 21, 2007

They can usually be straightened if the dent is not severe. A block of wood
shaped to cradle the edge of the lens, a wooden dowel, and a hammer are
the tools used. Occasionally a thread chaser is needed.

Mike Wilde · Nov 21, 2007

sturdier tripod option, and threads fix option.

Get in the habit of hanging your bag from the tripod (providing that the mating of the two is not beyond the capability of either one). I have a velcro strap that floats arounnd the centre column all the time, and is used to secure the shoulder strap of the camera bag to the centre column when I feel the setup needs added stability.

I have fixed dinged filter threads on lenses knowingly wounded and bought as such from the *bay by cutting and whittling a wooden block to the correct outer diameter of the threaded portion of the barrel, and then using a tapered hardwood dowel (and wooden mallet to drive it) to gently press the pushed in piece of bent threaded portion back against the other piece of wood.

benjiboy · Nov 21, 2007

I recall an old photographer telling me when I was a teenager ( a long time ago ) that if a tripod was light enough to carry about conveniently it was no *****good

Jim Noel · Nov 21, 2007

tripod blowint over

The most common problem see with tripods is not their weight, although I feel that is important, but the legs are not spread wide enough. If the camera is at eye level, lets say 5'8", the legs need to be at least 30" apart, and 35" is better. The wider the foundation, the more stable.

jgcull · Nov 21, 2007

That was a nightmare come true, aye? I'm sorry for you.

I have a Manfrotto tripod that feels way too heavy for me and wears out my hands, popping those clip-things to raise and lower the legs. I hate it... though I do feel safe with it. Guess the weight isn't so bad after all maybe.

wildbill · Nov 21, 2007

It seems that 90% of the time when a camera falls over, the lens threads get bent. I've had it happen but all of my lenses excluding the 82mm sized fronts have step up rings on them. Those rings are only $5-$10 whereas a lens is usually much more. Get some step up rings and new lens caps, and a 15lb shot bag.

Curt · Nov 21, 2007

Happened to me two times, the first was in a dirty park mens room, I didn't want to stand the tripod up and put its feet in the Pee so I leaned the F3 on an extended tripod, closed legs, in a corner and turned to do the thing and heard a swish as it slide down the wall. Bent the winding crank handle and fractured a crystal inside, replaced the parts at the camera repair center and all was fine.

The last time was in Yosemite, I was using a d****l camera, expensive, and slipped on the stone steps up at the end of the service road leading to the walk to Mirror Lake before Half Dome. I bent the extension screwed on the lens, like yours I could't use filters. Fortunately I got a new extension and all was well.

There is a debate about putting a filter on lenses to protect the lens, in my case this extension was like an added filter and protected the lens.

Sorry to see that happen to you, don't feel alone though.

Curt

Christopher Walrath · Nov 23, 2007

I don't know that I would recommend this with the Hassy, but I got a lens for my Mamiya M645j from eBay. I know that the filter threads were messed up, but they ended up being pretty bad. No way a filter would thread as-was so I rounded it out as much as I could with pliers and forced a one size reducer into the threads. It went on and I am able to use filters. (Though a size smaller, stupid expenses)

The wind blew over my Hassey and Tripod

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