Hasselblad H4 parts or repair source.

[sj2w1]

Yesterday morning I was out and my H4D-50 took about a 4' gravity trip when my tripod fell off a boulder. I had the camera on the tripod and set it on the rock in order to shimmy my way down to a lower position with the intent of then turning around to grab the tripod to set up the next shot. I've done this countless times and will never do it anymore, lesson learned. On the bright side everything works and all the damage is cosmetic. I was hoping someone could help with locating a replacement auto-focus beam lens cover or know of somewhere to have this replaced.

 

[citizin]

I had this issue before. Hasselblad USA needed me to ship the body to them. Ended up buying a 'for parts' body off ebay as it was quicker and cheaper. In the meantime i used some thick masking tape cut to size, provided the same if not better water sealing.

GLHF

 

[sj2w1]

Thanks Citizin, guess I'll be on the lookout for a parts body. I figured that was what I'd probably end up having to do. That or attempt to fabricate a replacement. But, tape will work in the meantime.

 

[docholliday]

Just take a scalpel and cut a small piece from a 2 litre bottle, apply some double-sided tape like carpet tape or 3M 200MP, and pop it in the hole. It won't be red like the OEM, but it'll offer better protection than tape and won't distort the beam pattern.

 

[sj2w1]

Just take a scalpel and cut a small piece from a 2 litre bottle, apply some double-sided tape like carpet tape or 3M 200MP, and pop it in the hole. It won't be red like the OEM, but it'll offer better protection than tape and won't distort the beam pattern.

I’m going to use a heat gun to shape some plexiglass to the body’s curve. Then trim the piece to fit. I’ll either use the 3m tape, epoxy, or instant adhesive to affix the replacement lens. I have a few projects to finish before I’ll get a chance to work on this though. I’m hoping to get to it in the next few days. Thanks for the suggestion, I wouldn’t have thought of 3M 200mp.

 

[docholliday]

I’m going to use a heat gun to shape some plexiglass to the body’s curve. Then trim the piece to fit. I’ll either use the 3m tape, epoxy, or instant adhesive to affix the replacement lens. I have a few projects to finish before I’ll get a chance to work on this though. I’m hoping to get to it in the next few days. Thanks for the suggestion, I wouldn’t have thought of 3M 200mp.

Be careful with cyanoacrylates - the fumes can fog up plexi as well as ruin the finish on the camera. For most plastics (especially the ABS of the grip cover), you'd also have to use a curing agent like Loctite 770 to get proper adhesion, all the while preventing the 770 from running all over the lens. I'd recommend the 200mp/468mp or 300mp, cut as a rectangle to fit inside the body slot, and with the center exposed. You could then clean the old glue, burnish on the cut-to-size tape, and stick the new "lens" on. The 300mp is actually thicker and might help fill any irregularities in your shaping of the piece.

I usually buy remnant chunks of all the MP tapes in bulk from companies. They die cut the tapes to fit the pieces they are making and throw away big chunks of the stuff. I have "trash" pieces that range from 16"x5" down to 6"x6" squares that I've picked up for $5-10 for a 1000 pieces. Occasionally, you'll see sign companies selling grab bags of these scraps on eBay for next to nothing. I also keep actual fresh rolls of the 200mp around and while it's expensive, it solves a lot of problems with "weathersealing" or loose items.

It's interesting how many H1-4 bodies have the red cover "lens" missing. I've even seen some H5 bodies with the clear lens missing. And every time I see one, I also see the remnants of glue that the factory used and it seems to have become brittle. I'd probably not use any liquid glue to put it back, unless it was a flexible acrylic (probably UV curable, like AA3942). But even then, curing the acrylic will produce fumes that can potentially fog or leave residue on something inside the grip (like the upper display cover). I'd use a thick 200mp as that is commonly used for glass displays on cell phones and clear LCD coverings on camera bodies. The flexibility helps it stay in place when the differing substrates change shape inconsistently at different temperatures (acrylic of the lens vs the ABS of the body).

 

[sj2w1]

I ended up cutting a piece from a clear plastic storage container that was 0.039" thick. I applied enough heat to get it pliable enough to from to the body curve with finger pressure and trimmed to fit. It sits flush with the body using 3M 468MP. I tried using a plastic lens from a pair of safety glasses but air bubbles would form when heat was applied. Hopefully, this will work It's not perfect but functional is more important. The bonus is it only cost $4 for the 468 tape. Thanks for all the help and input.

 

[docholliday]

Looks good, well done! The 468MP should hold well, probably better than the original glue. At least if it falls off again, you can quickly make one. $4 for 468 is a great price and it lasts forever.

 

[citizin]

That looks great. The design of the H's compliment the idea of the right to repair is one of the reasons why I stick with them. It looks like it's keeping another too.

 

[buildbot]

That looks great. The design of the H's compliment the idea of the right to repair is one of the reasons why I stick with them. It looks like it's keeping another too.

I feel like this is true of most of the medium format bodies, they aren't made in high enough quantities to throw away easily! If only they'd actually sell us parts like Apple now does

 

[citizin]

I feel like this is true of most of the medium format bodies, they aren't made in high enough quantities to throw away easily! If only they'd actually sell us parts like Apple now does

Same. I've got a few bins of H's that have become for parts. I really wish I could've rebuilt them instead of having them become scrap.