Threaded Shutter Release Cables for Hasselblad 500C/M - 2 questions

[MomentsForZen]

I am (relatively) new and inexperienced in the operation of my Hasselblad 500C/M camera. Unfortunately, I don't have anybody physically nearby that I can turn to with some of my practical questions, so I am submitting them to this forum.

[ As an aside, I have a CFV-50c digital back, and the pairing of the delightfully analog 500C/M camera body and lenses with such a high quality digital back provides the best of shooting experiences and fantastic photographs. ]

In low-light conditions, when I am shooting with a tripod, I am using the mirror lockup and shutter release cable functions of the camera body to minimize vibrations.

I cannot find a satisfactory cable to use and I have 2 questions.

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(1) On the 500C/M, the cables screw into the threaded centre of the shutter button. I have tried a number of different cables. None of them have been satisfactory. The issue is how securely I can screw them onto the camera. At best, I would estimate that the cable tip will be screwed by 1 revolution (360 degrees) before it becomes impossible to turn the cable any further. Is this the normal experience of other Hasselblad 500 system users? I have inspected the shutter button, and it appears to be in good condition. I expected that I would be able to screw the cable by several revolutions and then be nice and firmly attached. As it stands, the cables barely attach and pop off all of the time.

The cables that I have tried are as follows :

- Kaiser Professional Cable Release with Lock - 20"
- Kaiser Cloth Covered Cable Release with Disk Lock - 20"
- Gepe Cloth Covered Cable Release with Disc-Lock - 20"
- Bower Professional Vinyl Coated Cable Release with Lock - 20"
- Linhof Heavy Duty Cable Release with T-Lock - 17"
- Nikon AR-3 Threaded Cable Release

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(2) Should I be looking for a "special" Hasselblad cable? My online research indicated that the 500C/M should work with "standard" shutter release cables. But there is a nagging worry that this is not true.

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I would love to read what others have experienced and any assistance and advice provided will be very gratefully received.

... MomentsForZen (Richard)

 

[stephengilbert]

I don't know about Hasselblad, but for some reason Copal shutters use straight threads in the fitting into which the cable screws. All the cables, however, have tapered threads. There's an old thread discussing this problem: http://www.getdpi.com/forum/medium-format-systems-and-digital-backs/12786-alpa-question.html

One way around it to to use short Gepe adapters, leaving them on the lenses to avoid screwing and unscrewing the cable directly into the lens. Don Libby took that course, resulting in the phrase "Libby adapter."

 

[pflower]

I think you are right. I have lost a large number of cable releases for my 503cx over the past 20 years - they do not screw in very far and then fall out if you carry the camera with them still attached. However my experience is that pretty much any cable release will work so I keep a couple of really cheap and nasty ones in a camera bag for emergencies. You either have to learn to remove them whenever you move the camera or use a longer one, loop it around and secure to the side of the camera with a bit of tape - but that puts pressure on the cable where it fits into the shutter button. A rare oversight on what is otherwise a brilliantly designed camera.

I am (relatively) new and inexperienced in the operation of my Hasselblad 500C/M camera. Unfortunately, I don't have anybody physically nearby that I can turn to with some of my practical questions, so I am submitting them to this forum.

[ As an aside, I have a CFV-50c digital back, and the pairing of the delightfully analog 500C/M camera body and lenses with such a high quality digital back provides the best of shooting experiences and fantastic photographs. ]

In low-light conditions, when I am shooting with a tripod, I am using the mirror lockup and shutter release cable functions of the camera body to minimize vibrations.

I cannot find a satisfactory cable to use and I have 2 questions.

----------

(1) On the 500C/M, the cables screw into the threaded centre of the shutter button. I have tried a number of different cables. None of them have been satisfactory. The issue is how securely I can screw them onto the camera. At best, I would estimate that the cable tip will be screwed by 1 revolution (360 degrees) before it becomes impossible to turn the cable any further. Is this the normal experience of other Hasselblad 500 system users? I have inspected the shutter button, and it appears to be in good condition. I expected that I would be able to screw the cable by several revolutions and then be nice and firmly attached. As it stands, the cables barely attach and pop off all of the time.

The cables that I have tried are as follows :

- Kaiser Professional Cable Release with Lock - 20"
- Kaiser Cloth Covered Cable Release with Disk Lock - 20"
- Gepe Cloth Covered Cable Release with Disc-Lock - 20"
- Bower Professional Vinyl Coated Cable Release with Lock - 20"
- Linhof Heavy Duty Cable Release with T-Lock - 17"
- Nikon AR-3 Threaded Cable Release

----------

(2) Should I be looking for a "special" Hasselblad cable? My online research indicated that the 500C/M should work with "standard" shutter release cables. But there is a nagging worry that this is not true.

----------

I would love to read what others have experienced and any assistance and advice provided will be very gratefully received.

... MomentsForZen (Richard)

 

[DougDolde]

When I shot 4x5 I always favored the Linhof cables. I also used the short 3" Gepe extension for some lenses, mostly wide angle. In fact I have three of the Gepe extensions I never use

 

[jng]

This has been more or less my experience as well on both the 500C and 501CM, using a variety of different cable releases. I use an "L" connector and the swinging motion of firing the release and then letting it drop seems eventually to unscrew the thing from the shutter release. It hasn't really bothered me too much (at least not until Richard mentioned it!). If I'm shooting more than a few frames in a given location, I might check every now and then to make sure the cable release hasn't worked itself loose. And I don't leave it dangling while walking the camera around. Packing at least one spare cable release is probably a good idea as well.

- John

 

[MomentsForZen]

Hi there @stephengilbert , @pflower , @DougDolde , @jng

Thank-you for all for relating your experiences.

In one sense, it is a little disappointing to read that there isn't a good solution - I had great faith that there would be such a solution, since for there not to be one, it would be ... "a rare oversight on what is otherwise a brilliantly designed camera."

Still, I actually smiled reading your posts, since your experiences are familiar fare to me - i.e., cables falling off if I pick up the tripod to move it a short distance, heading out to a shoot with not one but several cables, etc.

Hoping that the light is good for you all on your next adventure ...

... MomentsForZen (Richard)