IQ160 + Hassi V + Syncing woes

[miska]

Hi !

While waiting for my tech-cam to arrive, I have been playing with a Hassi 503 CX and a set of CF lenses (50mm FLE, 80mm CF, 150mm CF and lastly aquired of the bay, a 250mm CF). A pretty cheap camera & lens kit. I am using an IQ160 behind the Hassi, connected to the lens with a short sync cable (the other side of the cable being connected to one of the IQ's sync ports).

The system is really a joy to use. Nice focus feeling on the lenses, really nice and loud "clonk" sound when the shutter is pressed, nice viewfinder, and even winding the crank manually is fun. The lenses are pretty good, closed at f/11 or so, so it's a really nice (cheap) system before the Rodenstock lenses arrive.
I have only had one problem with the system and it's a syncing between lens-shutter and IQ-back.
When I started using the system, I connected the cable to one of the IQ sync ports, and it didn't work (back complained about no sync signal received). So for the heck of it, I tried the back's other sync port, and voila that worked. So I assumed one port on the back was defective, and I was going to bring the back to Phase for tests (there is still warranty left on the back).

Now I kept working like that for a while, using the 50, 80 and 150 mm lenses.
A few days ago, I received a "new" 250mm lens and wanted to use it. But it refused to sync. Tried to wiggle the connector on the lens side. Nothing. Then (again) for the heck of it, changed the sync cable to the other IQ-sync port (the one I thought was defective). And voila, on that port, the 250mm lens works ! Tried the other lenses on that port again. Nope, still no joy.
So it seems one IQ sync port works on the 250mm and not the other lenses. The other port works on the 50,80 and 150mm but not on the 250mm.
Strange, isn't it ? I need some sync Voodoo here !

I will take to back to phase for inspection before the warranty expires, but in the meanwhile, any ideas why this behavior happens ? Any other tests I could carry out to try to diagnose what's going on ?

Latest firmware on the IQ.

Thanks for the ideas. Perhaps I should just carry a rubber chicken for sync-port luck ?

 

[fotografz]

Very odd.

I do not know P1 backs, but with other backs on the 500 series cameras, you had to set a menu item to "sync".

One port on the back marked "IN" was used to connect a C/CF/CFi/CFE lens to the back ... the other marked "out" was a standard flash sync port.

Personally, I wouldn't screw around with it anymore until P1 advises you.

- Marc

 

[jlm]

hmm...my IQ160 has two ports:
the actual synch-input port is multi-pin and should connect to the shutter PC connection.
the other port on the IQ is a synch-out port, standard PC and is what you fire your strobes with

 

[miska]

Well, the Phase One manual (page 138, of document version 1.5.2) shows that with a Hassi, one should use a sync cable from the lens to one of the two sync ports. The multi-connector is used for outgoing flash signal.
This may be different with backs on other mounts.

 

[dougpeterson]

Multiport Connector is NOT used for outgoing flash signal. It is for incoming signals from lenses (or other signaling devices).

Work with your dealer on evaluating additional lenses and testing with another back. Isolating the issue shouldn't take your dealer more than 10 minutes.

70% of the time I've had a Hassy V customer with syncing issue the culprit was the lenses, many of which are quite old by now and some of which require a service overhaul specific to the shutter and flash sync port before they'll operate normally. 20% of the time it's been the body, which has a PAL pin that protrudes out of the body to wake the back up, and which can become worn down to the point where it's insufficiently reflective (the receiving component for the PAL pin is illumination/laser based so the PAL pin needs to be reasonably shiny/reflective). 10% of the time the culprit is the digital back sync port.

These are obviously meant to be rough estimates.

 

[miska]

Thanks Doug for the info.

> Multiport Connector is NOT used for outgoing flash signal. It is for incoming signals from lenses
> (or other signaling devices).

The manual is a bit misleading then, since it says:
"A flash cable is always connected to the F-connector on the IQ back with all Hasselblad V series cameras."
I don't use a flash, so how it's attached to the back is irrelevant for me.

I guess I can try to connect the lens to the multi-conector (one more option) and see if that works.
I also have sometimes a problem with the lens not syncing, and wiggling the sync cable on the lens side helps too, so a lens side problem is of course not excluded, and perhaps it's just a coincidence that one of the back's sync ports is more sensitive to something than the other (or my sync cable is somehow funky).

My tech cam should arrive soon, and I want to play with it as soon as it lands, that's why I don't want to take the back to P1 just yet...

Thanks for your help guys. I understand this is a freak "incident"

 

[schuster]

Micro plug sync cord from lens sync post to IQ-160 on Hasselblad CW has been working for me. Cleaning the smallest amount of corrosion from the cord collar that contacts the sync post usually solves infrequent sync problems for me.

BTW, that satisfying "clonk" or ka-flop sound when releasing the shutter is noticeable in the image, compared to releasing the mirror first and then the shutter. It will make a nice quiet "tsk".

 

[miska]

Hi,
Yes, the picture above is how I connect it - except the side port only works for the 250mm. I have to use the port on the other side for the rest. But perhaps that's only because it applies more tension to the cable. Hmmmm.

I do use the mirror lockup most of the time to get sharp pictures. But man, that CLONK ! My Canon sounds ridiculous in comparison. It's like a V12 compared to a 4-cylinder engine !

 

[jlm]

my IQ160, H back, does not have a port in the lower left corner which appears to not be in the back itself, but in the back-to-V adapter plate. I also do not have the round button? on the top left or that little slide switch, top middle (which is part of your back. I use the multiport connector, in the top opening covered by the little rubber flap.

did not realize the V backs were so different

 

[Douglas Fairbank]

Some years ago I discovered that noise or contact bounce on the flash contact in the shutter of the lens could upset Phase backs. This problem is not isolated to Hasselblad cameras or Phase backs, it first came to attention with some computer flashguns many years ago. It is very easily corrected during a CLA or 'service' when the flash contact is tested dynamically, a simple test flash or continuity tester will not detect the problem. I developed a capacitor discharge circuit monitored by an oscilloscope that has served me well for more years than I care to remember with 100% success and would never test a shutter any other way.
This is why the preferred method of syncing flash would be semiconductor switching.

 

[dougpeterson]

my IQ160, H back, does not have a port in the lower left corner which appears to not be in the back itself, but in the back-to-V adapter plate. I also do not have the round button? on the top left or that little slide switch, top middle (which is part of your back. I use the multiport connector, in the top opening covered by the little rubber flap.

did not realize the V backs were so different

The V backs include two additional sync inputs not present on an H. They function equally to a multiport, and were included to maintain compatibility with cables used on previous generations of backs.

I greatly prefer the multiport as it is not prone to having the cable pop out of place.

The small round button in the top left (and the hard to see horizontal slider next to it) is the release to remove the back from the body. This is present in all but the H mount backs. On the H mount backs the release from the body is on the body itself.