HASSELBLAD 907x Major connection issues

[spb]

I could not agree more Godfrey.

 

[PSS]

Been shooting with mine for about a week now, 21,30,45 no problems at all, seeing more and more reviews and hearing from more actual users and it does not seem like a big issue....
of course that is easy for me to say because mine is ok and i completely understand the frustration that comes with making a big investment and getting faulty equipment...
so far my experience with hasselblad support has been absolutely great, emails are answered fast and with real concern and information, i have not had any repairs done so far but it i am pretty confident they (hasselblad US for me) will do their best (i hope i never have to find out what that means)...
my decades long experience with tech support and equipment unfortunatley ranks the most expensive equipment highest as having the worst support (and failure rate)
RED cameras tops it for me by far, especially since i live so close and there was almost a reluctance to take care of me and the gear never seemed to get out of beta stage
Leica: not sure how anyone can actually work with equipment that needs lots of attention and repairs can take months....at prices that make (necessary) backup for every single piece close to impossible...
Rolleiflex (digital 6008) great camera with horrible reliability and desperate repair...
Broncolor a little like Leica....shipping huge packs across the country or the world and weeks and weeks of repairs in between....makes things difficult....
Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji.....somewhat reluctant support, often hard to get in touch with....BUT never, ever needed any repairs on lenses, cameras, anything....
I guess at the end of the day the ones mass producing the gear have the best chance of having the least issues....
canon now somehow seems to get away with releasing cameras with warnings about what seems to be intended use....
Hasselblad has to rely on parts, sensors, processors,...from suppliers, makes it much more difficult to come up with one working unit, especially when selling small numbers and time is always working against you....people always asking for more, better, faster....
forums like this one are great because questions can quickly be answered, issues addressed, problems often resolved and smart manufacturers read and chime in....
of course things can also get blown out of proportion, one person can post the same issue on 5 different platforms, there are so many trolls and haters (especially when it comes to higher priced “luxury” gear) and things can get out of control pretty fast....which helps nobody....
I realized that this forum here seems to be the hasselblad forum and DPreview the fuji forum.....both have medium format headers but it is very clear what gets discussed where....and how....i find it strange and brand loyalties don’t help anyone...
Issues can always arise, it sucks and these platform can help manufacturers receive info and get good info out fast and help them resolve issues....

 

[docholliday]

Been shooting with mine for about a week now, 21,30,45 no problems at all, seeing more and more reviews and hearing from more actual users and it does not seem like a big issue....
of course that is easy for me to say because mine is ok and i completely understand the frustration that comes with making a big investment and getting faulty equipment...
so far my experience with hasselblad support has been absolutely great, emails are answered fast and with real concern and information, i have not had any repairs done so far but it i am pretty confident they (hasselblad US for me) will do their best (i hope i never have to find out what that means)...
my decades long experience with tech support and equipment unfortunatley ranks the most expensive equipment highest as having the worst support (and failure rate)
RED cameras tops it for me by far, especially since i live so close and there was almost a reluctance to take care of me and the gear never seemed to get out of beta stage
Leica: not sure how anyone can actually work with equipment that needs lots of attention and repairs can take months....at prices that make (necessary) backup for every single piece close to impossible...
Rolleiflex (digital 6008) great camera with horrible reliability and desperate repair...
Broncolor a little like Leica....shipping huge packs across the country or the world and weeks and weeks of repairs in between....makes things difficult....
Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji.....somewhat reluctant support, often hard to get in touch with....BUT never, ever needed any repairs on lenses, cameras, anything....
I guess at the end of the day the ones mass producing the gear have the best chance of having the least issues....
canon now somehow seems to get away with releasing cameras with warnings about what seems to be intended use....
Hasselblad has to rely on parts, sensors, processors,...from suppliers, makes it much more difficult to come up with one working unit, especially when selling small numbers and time is always working against you....people always asking for more, better, faster....
forums like this one are great because questions can quickly be answered, issues addressed, problems often resolved and smart manufacturers read and chime in....
of course things can also get blown out of proportion, one person can post the same issue on 5 different platforms, there are so many trolls and haters (especially when it comes to higher priced “luxury” gear) and things can get out of control pretty fast....which helps nobody....
I realized that this forum here seems to be the hasselblad forum and DPreview the fuji forum.....both have medium format headers but it is very clear what gets discussed where....and how....i find it strange and brand loyalties don’t help anyone...
Issues can always arise, it sucks and these platform can help manufacturers receive info and get good info out fast and help them resolve issues....

You're definitely right on the button there. Especially once you've seen the behind-the-scenes happenings.
Both RED and BMD absolutely suck at support and when they work, they work great. For a motion company, you think that they would be the opposite, but I guess there's a reason large shoots "still" use Arri and Sony cinema.
Leica is definitely the worst in the small/medium format world. Months for support is an understatement and it doesn't matter how much money you want to throw at them, they don't move any quicker. Even getting a dealer involved they don't care much.
Sony is next, with exceptionally long service and most times, it'll still be broke (or more-broke) when you get it back.
Rollei is finicky. Works great until you need it and it mysteriously checks out at that moment. Repair is near non-existant or can take almost a year to get it done.
Bron and Profoto are both slower than molasses for repair, but luckily, their gear is designed well so at least the failure rates are low.

Been there, done that. And been behind the scenes too.

 

[John_McMaster]

Leica is definitely the worst in the small/medium format world. Months for support is an understatement and it doesn't matter how much money you want to throw at them, they don't move any quicker. Even getting a dealer involved they don't care much.

I think you may find that is just with Leica USA, I have had no issue living in NZ, France and the UK over the years...

john

 

[spb]

I think you may find that is just with Leica USA, I have had no issue living in NZ, France and the UK over the years...

john

Yes I too had good service from Leica.

 

[budfox]

I suppose we can agree to disagree - for the manufacturer it is a matter of judgement and management of risk. I agree the priority is to sort the affected purchasers. Ultimately the media strategy depends on whether there are only 3 of us affected, or if it‘s many more. Only Hasselblad really know the answer to that question.

 

[onasj]

It's a serious bug, but not a deal breaker. No one buys a $7000 MF back + frame body on impulse because of a good or bad internet review or forum post. The vast majority of serious buyers have researched these products meticulously, figured out the niche they would fill in their photography business or hobby, and then made a purchasing decision. If there are bugs or random defects to resolve, so long as they are addressed by the company, as Hasselblad has done for the vast majority of such reports, I don't think it will substantially dent their sales.

If you want a (nearly) state of the art MF sensor that supports a slew of excellent autofocus lenses, and an even larger lineup of excellent (and relatively inexpensive) manual focus lenses, that is so compact and light that you can easily fit an entire outfit into a small bag... there's no other game in town really. Does the fact that you might have to exchange your new 907x-50c for a different new one, like I did, if you happen to get one with connection problems cause you to wait for another such niche camera system to be released? If so, you could be waiting a long time.

Defective units aside, the system works very well. And it looks and feels great to use.

 

[ndwgolf]

Still waiting for mine to arrive........been told 4 to 6 months!!!
Neil

 

[scho]

I pre-ordered the 907x50cII kit with the 45/4p lens (and a few Cambo parts to adapt the 50CII to my Actus G) from Steve H at CI. The kit arrived today and it is working fine with no evidence of connection issues so far. Many thanks to Steve for his help putting this kit together and handling the ordering from Hasselblad and Cambo. A versatile, beautiful camera system that is also compact and a joy to handle.

 

[JAB]

I thought I'd give an update to my 907x/50c situation. I sent mine in on 9/24 due to the "No lens detected" issue. It started on day 1 which was 8/31. I struggled for several weeks to get past the issue but it persisted and was still under the initial 30 day warrantee. So I sent it in. It took a week to get to Hasselblad, then was in the evaluation que for a week. They started looking at it yesterday. Hopefully I'll hear something soon. I'll post once I hear something back.

I truly believe this was a growing pain issue in going from the Special Edition to the chrome and the larger display. From what I can see, the issue was with the early released cameras. I ordered mine direct from Hasselblad the day they announced the release. I received it on 8/31, so it was most likely one of the early ones.

In the mean time, I did a bunch of experiments around our house since we are very restricted due to Covid and my wife's autoimmune issues. Someday, we will be back to what we love most and that is the National Parks. This camera and back totally rocks on its own! And the bonus is that it works so seamlessly with my V series equipment as others have noted.

Here is a shot of a white onion in our back yard (15 image stack with the XCD45p)...

White_Onion

 

[budfox]

Thanks for the update JAB. I am surprised you waited so long to send it in for repair, such an expensive investment you should not expect these problems early on. I doubt it has anything to do with the new screen (which is on the wrong side of the camera to impact the lens connection). It's likely just a defective part / component / 'circuit board' or similar in the 907X.

As a comparator - I bought a heavily discounted with rebate X-T3 in January. After about 6 months I realised the shutter speed dial did not work at all (I mostly use A-priority). I took it back to the retailer and it was fixed by Fuji and back to me in 8 calendar days. Apparently a loose or disconnected wire. Works great now.

Fast turnaround and letting customers know that the company understands the fault and can fix it certainly inspires confidence.

 

[JAB]

I just received my 907x/50c back from Hasselblad service as a result of the "No lens detected" issue. It works!!

Ran through a number of the scenarios that were causing issues and no problems now.

They replaced the 907x. Everything else checked out fine. The serial number of the 907x is 1000+ higher than my original. If they are sequential, then my new 907x is a bit newer.

Hasselblad service was great. There was a lot of time spent for the camera to get there and back. Also, there was a bit of a que of other cameras that caused some delay. Regardless, all looks good now.

Jeff

 

[glaiben]

I too sent mine in as suggested by my dealer (thanks Steve at CI!). I had the no lens detected, the 500 series body connection (when on the 907X), an error 85 and the 45/3.5 made funny clunking sound when the camera was moved in various axes. Hasselblad Bron (USA) replaced the 907X body - serial number was 706 higher than the first body. All is good and no problems at all! I'm very happy with the service, my dealer and the camera.

...gregg

 

[budfox]

Thanks for the update JAB. I am surprised you waited so long to send it in for repair, such an expensive investment you should not expect these problems early on. I doubt it has anything to do with the new screen (which is on the wrong side of the camera to impact the lens connection). It's likely just a defective part / component / 'circuit board' or similar in the 907X.

As a comparator - I bought a heavily discounted with rebate X-T3 in January. After about 6 months I realised the shutter speed dial did not work at all (I mostly use A-priority). I took it back to the retailer and it was fixed by Fuji and back to me in 8 calendar days. Apparently a loose or disconnected wire. Works great now.

Fast turnaround and letting customers know that the company understands the fault and can fix it certainly inspires confidence.

 

[PSS]

Just putting this out there since i read about it on the hasselblad forum....
i just noticed the thin plastic film around the edges of the 907...which obviously needs to be removed but somehow i failed to know about it or see it in using the camera for weeks now....
similar to the tape over the battery contacts and head scratching when they did not charge in the double charger.....

 

[elm]

Those of you who had problems with your kits, how long was the turn around to get a good unit or repairs done, directly from HB or your dealer?

Any heads up or recommendations as part of putting the kit through its paces before sending it in?

Thank you in advance!

 

[JAB]

Those of you who had problems with your kits, how long was the turn around to get a good unit or repairs done, directly from HB or your dealer?

Any heads up or recommendations as part of putting the kit through its paces before sending it in?

Thank you in advance!

I bought mine directly from Hasselblad. So I worked directly with them in setting up resolving my issue.

Total turn around time was 3 1/2 weeks. Most of this time was the shipping time. They would only pay for UPS ground which took 1 week to go from Los Angeles to New Jersey. There was more than a week at Hasselblad with some waiting in the que for the camera to be evaluated. Return was a bit quicker since I paid for 3 day shipping. They replaced the 907x body. All is good now.

 

[glaiben]

Those of you who had problems with your kits, how long was the turn around to get a good unit or repairs done, directly from HB or your dealer?

Any heads up or recommendations as part of putting the kit through its paces before sending it in?

Thank you in advance!

My dealer assisted w/ FedEx - it arrived at Hasselblad USA on 9/25. They shipped the replacement via UPS (probably on 10/7) - I received it on 10/12.

Here are the exact notes I made (and sent to dealer & Hasselblad) which resulted in them asking me to return the entire kit for evaluation):

• 9/2/20 907X s/n XXX received
  • Intermittently thinks it’s attached to a 500 series body & won’t Live View
  • When camera is turned upside down, a click is produced in XCD 45/3.5
  • Both issues seem to have resolved after day #2
• 9/19/20 Taking photos on tripod w/ XCD120/3.5M; L-bracket was attached to 907X
  • Took 5 images; on 6th capture, developed black screen, shutter would not fire - shutter remained closed
    • Turned off, Removed & Replaced lens, no resolution
    • Turned off again and screen displayed Error Code 85 w/ 500 body icon now visible
    • Turned off again, removed battery, waited 10 seconds and re-inserted; upon Turn On, issue resolved
• 9/20/20 Cleaned lens and body contacts
  • No lens detected w/ XCD120/3.5M while hand held
  • Reseated lens and was fine

...gregg

 

[jotloob]

Additional to the known issues , I also experienced , that the firmware levels are sometimes not shown , for the back , the 907x and also the lens .
My entire kit will travel to HASSELBLAD SWEDEN by tomorrow .

 

[budfox]

My strong advice is not to buy this camera. There is clearly a manufacturing defect that HB are not disclosing to potential customers. Mine has been back with the dealer for over 2 weeks - no contact and no information. I will be requesting a refund as soon as I manage to talk to them.

It's pretty outrageous no matter how great their old film cameras were. In my view HB are now dead in the water.