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Hasselblad quality

doccdiamond

doccdiamond

Member
darr said:
In the areas where I lived and worked (NYC and Atlanta), we referred to the systems as "C" and "V" to differentiate between the older, classic components and the newer "V" series, which was marked on some of the more recent gear at the time.
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I believe Hasselblad invented "V" when they introduced the H-system? Or even later?
 
darr

darr

Well-known member
doccdiamond said:
I believe Hasselblad invented "V" when they introduced the H-system? Or even later?
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The "V" insignia, as seen on the middle rear protective plate placed on an ALPA STC, is indeed an older logo/mark, indicating that this designation has been in use for some time (before the "H" system). This aligns with historical practices where the "V" symbol was used to denote certain series or components. It stands for "Victor," and some believe the two small "V" blackouts in the film gate are also a reference to "Victor." But enough of the old gear, on with the new!

 
doccdiamond

doccdiamond

Member
darr said:
The "V" insignia, as seen on the middle rear protective plate placed on an ALPA STC, is indeed an older logo/mark, indicating that this designation has been in use for some time (before the "H" system). This aligns with historical practices where the "V" symbol was used to denote certain series or components. It stands for "Victor," and some believe the two small "V" blackouts in the film gate are also a reference to "Victor." But enough of the old gear, on with the new!

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The two blackouts on film were great marketing!

On the ALPA I prefer P1 rear protective covers... ;)
 
Godfrey

Godfrey

Well-known member
My 500CMs, backs, and lenses are old ... and some of those bits have needed service from time to time.

My 907x/CFVII 50c is one of the first batch of 50th Anniversary Moon Landing models ... It had an intermittent minor problem from the start which finally became clear when one of the connecting pins for the back fell out. Hasselblad USA took it, a year after the warranty ran out, sent it to Hasselblad in Europe. They replaced the rear body panel the pins poke through, put a new board in it, tested it, and returned it to me in five weeks at no charge (including shipping in both directions). It has worked perfectly since.

So ... I have nothing bad to say about Hasselblad quality or service. They've been great to me. All machines occasionally have problems and need service, even the best, and Hasselblad has been very good about it when my equipment needed it.

G
 
B

Bill_Evans

Active member
darr said:
I've never encountered a failure with my Hasselblad CFV 50c or 907x 50c system that wasn't due to user error. The 45p lens did give me an error once, but I quickly realized it was my mistake—I hadn't secured the lens properly to the camera while rushing in bad weather.

As for the negative comments about the V system, I can only share my experience: I've shot with the V system for 40 years of commercial and personal work without a single spacing error from any of my film magazines, whether they were 120, 220, or 70mm backs. For 15 of those years, I shot special events, weddings, and portraits on location in Atlanta—some of the toughest conditions for setup and breakdowns on gear. The only recurring issue I faced was with the flash stems on some of the "C" lenses, which required occasional repairs. Still, I can't complain—this system built my career.

Recently, I ran 120 films through an A24 magazine for an article, and while it produced expected odd spacing, it did not produce any focus issues, and the entire 12 frames are usable. I also once had a Bronica that I took in trade and enjoyed using for a weekend, but I knew it wouldn't have held up to the demands of the commercial work I was doing back then. Similarly, I tried an RB67 that I took in barter that ended up needing repairs for a mirror jam; after it was fixed, I gifted it to an assistant.

At the end of the day, it's different strokes for different folks. But one thing holds true: if you buy used gear without knowing its service history, it doesn't matter who made it—you're bound to encounter a surprise or two. Here's hoping they're the good kind.
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Super interesting and useful article btw. Thanks
 
tenmangu81

tenmangu81

Well-known member
I use a 500 C/M regularly. I got it from a waste disposal site of a well-known French research institution (no name...) when they decided to go digital. It came with a Zeiss Planar 80 and a Zeiss Sonnar 150 ! All the gear was bought by the institution in the early 70's, and it works quite well up to now, even if I had to go once or twice to my dealer (and workshop) for repairs (my Planar was stuck and the A12 broke down, if I remember well).
It gives me gorgeous results and I love shooting with this combo. It's quite a different experience and pleasure than shooting with my X1D II.
 
A

algrove

Well-known member
I acquired a new Bronica years ago and after a few weeks the mirror rollers started dusting the interior with pieces of brass. Returned it for full refund and then got a 500C (which I could not afford, but wanted a MF film camera) and to this day never a problems with multiple film bodies and many old lenses (40 to 500) nor 907X100C and 38 lens. The adapter for old lenses works for me too.
My 2c.
 
A

anyone

Well-known member
... As I have to send in my CFV100c with the 907x, I'm without a digital back for the first time since many years. Hope they are fast.
 
H

hcubell

Well-known member
anyone said:
Hi there,

I may have bad luck, but two items I bought within the last 12 months need service:
  • XCD 90/3.2 - the weather sealing ring went out of place when I attached the rear lens cap
  • 907x - the body first started with showing odd signs: when I wanted to dial in the exposure compensation (-), it first went to (+) before it reacted properly. Then recently, it also showed the undesirable property of not detecting the attached lenses in the first place.
The XCD lens is now for 2 months in service (didn't come back yet), the 907x is going the same route next week.
While I shot unique pictures with the system, the service time is not what I expect from such a system (comparison: Fuji fixed an issue within days), neither is the durability. I'm very happy with the image output, but these things make me wonder.

How are your experiences with the system?

Thank you!
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The issue with the weather sealing ring happened to me as well several years ago with my 90mm f/3.2, but it was my fault. At least with the original XCD lenses, you have to be careful with how you attach the lens to the camera bodies. If the lens is not properly aligned with the lens mount and the orange dot as you rotate the lens to secure it, the weather sealing ring is apt to be pulled out of the lens. I sent it to Hasselblad for repair and it was repaired on warranty and returned to me within a week. A similar issue is apt to occur with the lens hoods, where the plastic retaining ring on the hood can break if you don't align the dots on the hood and the camera and forcibly try to secure it. That also happened to me recently with the lens hood for my 30mm lens. Again, my fault. Hasselblad sent me replacement parts for around $15 within a week and I repaired it myself.
Two months to repair the weather sealing ring is ridiculous. Where was the lens sent in for repair?
 
H

hcubell

Well-known member
anyone said:
It was sent to Hasselblad via my dealer. I'm in Germany. Hope now the digital back will be returned sooner.
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So strange. Germany is widely viewed as the model of efficiency on so many levels, yet it seems like the worst customer service stories about delays in Hasselblad service involve Hasselblad products sent in for service through German dealers. In the US, we can deal directly with the Hasselblad service center in California, and they appear to be trying very hard to provide good service and turnaround times. That was definitely true when the service center was in NJ. I guess the problem may be that Hasselblad doesn't have a dedicated service center in Germany, and everything is shipped to Sweden.
 
doccdiamond

doccdiamond

Member
hcubell said:
So strange. Germany is widely viewed as the model of efficiency on so many levels, yet it seems like the worst customer service stories about delays in Hasselblad service involve Hasselblad products sent in for service through German dealers. In the US, we can deal directly with the Hasselblad service center in California, and they appear to be trying very hard to provide good service and turnaround times. That was definitely true when the service center was in NJ. I guess the problem may be that Hasselblad doesn't have a dedicated service center in Germany, and everything is shipped to Sweden.
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Germany - the model of efficiency? Long time ago....
 
FloatingLens

FloatingLens

Well-known member
hcubell said:
So strange. Germany is widely viewed as the model of efficiency on so many levels, yet it seems like the worst customer service stories about delays in Hasselblad service involve Hasselblad products sent in for service through German dealers.
Click to expand...
Let's rather wait for @anyone's feedback as to the explanation of the delay before blaming the local dealership?
 
Photon42

Photon42

Well-known member
Hasselblad defects:
XCD 30 - shutter failure, was repaired under goodwill after the warranty ran out
XCD 90 - was at some point not detected by the camera anymore - repaired
H-Adapter: Locking pin broke off - repaired under warranty

I have a very worn 201F, where the cloth shutter does open again when the camera is filly wound. Does not matter for digital but for film it is not ideal ...
Long back there I had the barn doors of my 501CM serviced

So far, the new lenses 28/38/75 work fine as well as the X2D.
 
P

Paul2660

Well-known member
Looks like they stepped up on both of your lenses, 30mm and 90mm. The Lens not detected by camera anymore issue is concerning to me as I get this still occasionally with various XCD lenses on my X2D, but none of them are consistent. So far removal of the lens and re-attaching it with a power off seems to clear the error. I have cleaned contacts on both the camera and all lenses.

Paul
 
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