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Hasselblad HC lenses actuation count

leicashot

New member
For some reason I keep seeing very low shutter count HC lenses out there in the marketplace, often between 300-500 only. This seems a little suss to me so wondering what others' thoughts are about this? Who buys a lens like this and uses it so little?

How do you tell how many actuations a lens has done, and can it be faked, like on a tachometer?
 

ronjh

Member
Funny you should ask this question because I just bought a H4D50 today from a forum member who I met in person, and he told me he had heard from someone that you can reset the lens count like an odometer. He didn't know how this was done. But to find the actuations for the body and the lens, you can check the actuations by pressing the menu button on the top of thevbody, and scrolling through until you get to settings, and then enter the system status section, and then pressing next until you eventually reach the lens and body count numbers.
Hope this helps

Ron
 

fotografz

Well-known member
For some reason I keep seeing very low shutter count HC lenses out there in the marketplace, often between 300-500 only. This seems a little suss to me so wondering what others' thoughts are about this? Who buys a lens like this and uses it so little?

How do you tell how many actuations a lens has done, and can it be faked, like on a tachometer?
The lens actuations can be read while mounted on any H body by going into the System Status menu on the camera grip and pressing the enter button until you get to the Usage Info screen which will tell you body count, digital mag count, and lens count (of the lens mounted).

I wouldn't be overly suspicious, but caution is wise. However, I wouldn't have a clue how to reset that counter myself. I don't know if even Hasselbald Service could do that unless the CPU was replaced or something like that.

I think low counts can be attributed to a number of factors ...

Shooters that use multiple lenses so the count is spread over more lenses relative to the body count;

Certain focal lengths that get used less. Like I use my 100 far more than my 210 ... the 100/2.2 was my first lens many years ago, has remained my favorite, and has a 6200 shutter count (I just had it CLAed and part of the AF mechanism replaced because it seemed to be getting slower) ... compared to the more recently purchased 210 with only 204 shots on it, and I purchased that lens used!

Different style of shooting with MFD where one doesn't hose of the shots like with 35mm DSLRs, especially more studied work like Landscapes.

Lastly but most likely, lenses use by week-end warriors coupled with periodic system swaps compared to professionals, who tend to stay pat with a system, upgrade the body, and shoot the same lens system more every week and do so for years.

But I'd still inspect and try any HC lens before committing.

Hope this helps,

-Marc
 

rem

New member
I dont know, but I received my new HC 120II brandnew and it had already more than 300 actuations. After one day, the shutter was down and now the new one has about 20... My 35-90 has after not yet one year 5183, but it I don't think I made so much pictures with it. Ups, and the bod has only 89.... So, I think maybe after xxxtousends the counter begins from new...?
rem
 

Giorgio

Member
I don't know if the shutter can be reset, I doubt it can be done by a user.

But if you shoot these cameras and lenses you should read the Hasselblad pdf Shutter At high Speed it is very informative.

Hasselblad states that the shutter is good up to 100,000 actuation's.

Since getting the 35/90 it is my most used lens, the 50 was in the past.

I think that used lenses with low actuation counts show up for sale because some people use high end photo gear like a commodity rather that a tool. But that is just my opinion.
 

BlasR

New member
For some reason I keep seeing very low shutter count HC lenses out there in the marketplace, often between 300-500 only. This seems a little suss to me so wondering what others' thoughts are about this? Who buys a lens like this and uses it so little?

How do you tell how many actuations a lens has done, and can it be faked, like on a tachometer?

I have the 300 for 2 years now, in I only have 200 photos taking with it,

Some lenses get use more then others, so if the person say its 300 to 500 I will believe the person, why not?

Now my 50-110 have more then 10,000 3 year older, but still. My 150 3 years older, have less then 2000.

BlasR
 

leicashot

New member
Thanks for the answers guys. I guess I'm used to seeing 35mm people gloating so much that they've shot tens or hundreds ofd thousands of frames, that when seeing lenses shot for less that 500 frames, it looks too odd to me.

The lens in questions seems to be the 150mm, of which I've seen many recently with less than 500 frames.
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
Many lenses are tested at the factory with many actuations before it leaves the factory. My 28mm had almost 200 when I received it, but it worked flawlessly.
 

leicashot

New member
Many lenses are tested at the factory with many actuations before it leaves the factory. My 28mm had almost 200 when I received it, but it worked flawlessly.
Thats why I'm suspicious when I see so many 150mm lenses, old models, not the new 'N' models with such low counts like 300 frames, etc. i really appreciate everyone's comments, especially Marc's which are always above and beyond expectations.

Thanks
 

docmoore

Subscriber and Workshop Member
Probably the 150 was used much less as it had a reputation as a less than stellar preformer. So another lens...100 with 1.7 extender or 210 was used more. The old 150s were replaced by many users for the new and improved 150...these may have higher shutter counts.

Keep in mind that a lot of 35 shooters point the thing and fire off a great number of shots hoping for a keeper...not so with MF. Most of use don't take the shot if nothing looks like it will work.


Bob
 

KeithL

Well-known member
Keep in mind that a lot of 35 shooters point the thing and fire off a great number of shots hoping for a keeper...not so with MF. Most of use don't take the shot if nothing looks like it will work.
On the average full day I'll capture one shot. A really good day will see me capture three or four images.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
On the average full day I'll capture one shot. A really good day will see me capture three or four images.
Yep, same here Keith ... I might spend 3-4 hours on a studio shot fussing with the props and prep, getting the composition in the viewfinder how I want it, set the lights and modifiers using the modeling lights, then pop off a shot, refine the lighting, maybe pop off another shot for final refinements, then take the final shot (and any exposure brackets if needed). Usually 4 or 5 actuations in a day's work.

Most of the time is spent not shooting : -)

-Marc
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I guess I keep (naively) thinking that we all shoot people, which (usually) require a shot more than 1 or 4 ;);)
That is why my 100/2.2 has 6200 shots on it. :) I think I had like 4000+ on my 150 before getting the N version last year. People shots.

And I shoot a LOT of the people stuff with a Sony A900 and Leica M9.

BTW, the older 150, while not seen as a stellar performer by the pixel peepers, was actually an excellent portrait lens ... at least I thought so. I got the N version to keep up to snuff with the H4D/60 meg resolution for more critical work. Probably will eventually get the new 50 also for the same reason. While I have the 35-90 you can't use it on the HTS/1.5 which I use a lot.

-Marc
 

leicashot

New member
Yep, same here Keith ... I might spend 3-4 hours on a studio shot fussing with the props and prep, getting the composition in the viewfinder how I want it, set the lights and modifiers using the modeling lights, then pop off a shot, refine the lighting, maybe pop off another shot for final refinements, then take the final shot (and any exposure brackets if needed). Usually 4 or 5 actuations in a day's work.

Most of the time is spent not shooting : -)

-Marc
Man, you guys have it easy! .....we it's probably more tedious than popping off a hundred shots of a model ;)
 

leicashot

New member
That is why my 100/2.2 has 6200 shots on it. :) I think I had like 4000+ on my 150 before getting the N version last year. People shots.

And I shoot a LOT of the people stuff with a Sony A900 and Leica M9.

BTW, the older 150, while not seen as a stellar performer by the pixel peepers, was actually an excellent portrait lens ... at least I thought so. I got the N version to keep up to snuff with the H4D/60 meg resolution for more critical work. Probably will eventually get the new 50 also for the same reason. While I have the 35-90 you can't use it on the HTS/1.5 which I use a lot.

-Marc
Yeah the 1.5 is on the list, but not for some time until I can make the H4D pay itself off. Do you really see a difference between the old and newer 'N' 150mm? I've heard it was improved and I've also heard it wasn't only the glass 'had' to be change to to the lead glass......?
 
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