Hasselblad V focusing screens and calibration

[tjv]

Bill Maxwell recommends Bill Moretz of Pro Camera US for V repairs and service (www.procameraus.com) anyone here have experience with him? Bill Maxwell said he is very reasonably priced, but can anyone chime in with some figures?
Thanks again,
Tim

 

[tjv]

Thanks. The CRK main service centre is in Melbourne, from memory. Most Hasselblad stuff needs to go there from NZ as that's where the specialist equipment and technical staff are.

Today realised that there is a fault with the 500cm I bought, so hoping it can be fixed close to home at good speed. If it has to go through the ringer service wise, I'll get a new screen and pay extra for focus calibration at the same time. CRK aren't cheap, so it might be cheaper overall to send offshore-see my last post.

Hassy dealer for Oz etc. is CR Kennedy, whose main hq are in NZ...my guess is they can set it up OK for you...someone please correct me if I'm erring...there's another good Hassy guy at their Adelaide office who was born near the Hass factory and has many years of experience servicing them - Lars Carlson (spelling?)...my info is close to a decade old though. ;-)
Other thing wrt viewfinders, the Hartblei for Hasselblad is great and my preference for waist level...4X I think, adjustable for most eyes and nice rubber eyepiece, 50x50mm viewing...google or ebay them...I didn't read the whole thread yet so apologies if someone has already covered this...
btw tests by Zeiss as stated on Photo.net have shown the 60/3.5 (which CFi and CB versions are optically identical) to be their highest resolving lens for Hasselblad V other than the superachromats, though it may some chromatic abberations. Fwiw...
Martin

 

[algrove]

So our in house expert Pham Son says my screen is the #304262. Is it that or the 3042262? Thanks.

 

[tjv]

Going by the pictures you sent me, it's a 3042262. It's still able to be bought at B&H. Crop lines for CFV-39/50. LINK

So our in house expert Pham Son says my screen is the #304262. Is it that or the 3042262? Thanks.

 

[ChrisLivsey]

Lastly, acute matte screens are extremely expensive on eBay, are there any places I'd be advised to look instead?

Thanks,

TJV

Have we moved on then from this statement, a new screen from B&H would not seem to be where you were looking to be advised ?

 

[tjv]

Hi Chris,

In short, I've been trying to do some research to see what's actually still available, especially since the vast majority of AM-D screen aren't produced anymore. I've been fortunate to have received some offers of used screens through PM for fair prices going by what they seem to sell for on eBay etc., but being able to buy something new from B&H for slighly cheaper–all be it with bold crop marks for a 50c sensor, not blank as I'd prefer–gives me pause for thought.

My preference at this stage would be to buy a split prism screen from Bill Maxwell, and for him to etch custom crop lines for my Credo 60 sensor; or to find a pain Acute Matte D screen with split prism second hand for a good price. But beggars can't be choosers. Money adds up, espeically when I'll probably need to send my body for calibration after I get it, hense I'd consider one with crop marks for a different sensor, but the price would have to be right.

In other news, the rear shutter spring on my 500cm seems to need replacing. The reaf baffles / flaps don't fall back into place like they're supposed to. They stay open until the winder is used to cock the shutter. It'll be off to service regardsless of new screen or not, it seems...

Have we moved on then from this statement, a new screen from B&H would not seem to be where you were looking to be advised ?

 

[jng]

...being able to buy something new from B&H for slighly cheaper–all be it with bold crop marks for a 50c sensor, not blank as I'd prefer–gives me pause for thought...

FWIW, the crop marks at least provide a reference for leveling the camera against the horizon or vertical objects (making lemonade out of lemons, I know), and Phase One makes a neat little mask for the 40x54 sensor that slips under the screen - presumably they can't charge *that* much for it. :ROTFL:

If a new screen is in your future, as I think you already mentioned you'd be best off waiting for it before sending the body off for repair and calibration.

John

 

[tjv]

I've broken my resolve to pay off the credit card and instead sent Bill Maxwell an email with an invoice for one of his split image focusing screens with custom etched crop lines for a Credo 60 (for portrait and landscape orientations. It still blows my mind the that Hasselblad backs can't be mounted in portrait orientation!)

I'm not sure yet if I'll send the body in straight away to get calibrated–it needs another repair done, regardless. I'll see how it performs when it gets here and go from there.

Thanks all for the help and PMs. I'll report back when I've received the screen.

 

[algrove]

It still blows my mind the that Hasselblad backs can't be mounted in portrait orientation!)

FWIW, I recall I could mount my P45+ on my SWC and 503CW in portrait orientation.

 

[ChrisLivsey]

Hi Chris,

In short, I've been trying to do some research to see what's actually still available,
In other news, the rear shutter spring on my 500cm seems to need replacing. The reaf baffles / flaps don't fall back into place like they're supposed to. They stay open until the winder is used to cock the shutter. It'll be off to service regardsless of new screen or not, it seems...

Update appreciated, I don't visit every day.

On the rear blinds this is a common problem, I don't think you gave the age of the body you acquired but the original air brake on the 500C was replaced with large rubber disc and spring assembly in about 1970 in the 500c/m and late 500c series and that improved on the troublesome and hard to fix air brake piston assembly. Eventually the rubber disc perished and the sticky blind syndrome was seen. Many home engineers (and some technicians it must be said) opened the body and "fixed" the problem by removing the remains of the disc, the blinds work fine then. After a while the force on the flaps with no brake caused the axels to fail and that was an expensive repair.
The moral is use a reputable service technician and the camera is telling you it has not been serviced for quite a while and needs attention.

 

[tjv]

Yes, you can with the Phase / Leaf backs, it's just that the Hasselblad made backs can't do it. They've only got one mounting point and can't be rotated.

FWIW, I recall I could mount my P45+ on my SWC and 503CW in portrait orientation.

 

[algrove]

I guess that's why the Smart L Bracket is so handy. I got one after being tired of switching my back and increasing the potential for dust and the related sensor cleaning, etc.

Still have the base bracket for a SWC which fits the Smart L Bracket. Not needed today by me.

 

[sog1927]

Yes, you can with the Phase / Leaf backs, it's just that the Hasselblad made backs can't do it. They've only got one mounting point and can't be rotated.

I suspect this is due to the way the Hasselblad backs use the "trigger pin" (the pin in the body that advanced the frame counter in the film magazines) to activate the back. What you gain by not needing sync cords to activate the back, you lose by not being able to reorient the back easily.

 

[photo-bowman]

I suspect this is due to the way the Hasselblad backs use the "trigger pin" (the pin in the body that advanced the frame counter in the film magazines) to activate the back. What you gain by not needing sync cords to activate the back, you lose by not being able to reorient the back easily.

Well.... two slots for that pin to slide into and fire the sensor. One for landscape one for portait should do the trick if they would want to.

 

[tjv]

A rotating sensor would be great, but I doubt they'll invest the money into developing it now they've discontinued the V system.

 

[ChrisLivsey]

It is my understanding that Team Phase One backs also use the pin signal to "wake up" the back then the sync cord to trigger the capture. There are several reports of poor sync where the advice from Team Phase One was to ensure the pin was extending correctly and was bright metal, cleaning if necessary.

 

[tjv]

With my Credo, you can use the back in normal latency mode, as opposed to zero latency with a technical camera (or normal latency with a wake up cable.) The instructions say to set to zero latency to do mirror up before exposure, but I've found this doesn't work as it thinks the exposure is starting too early–I wonder if I'm doing something wrong? Either way, you still need the sync cable.

It is my understanding that Team Phase One backs also use the pin signal to "wake up" the back then the sync cord to trigger the capture. There are several reports of poor sync where the advice from Team Phase One was to ensure the pin was extending correctly and was bright metal, cleaning if necessary.

 

[tjv]

I ordered and paid for a Maxwell screen a little over three weeks ago (a bit earlier but Bill was on holiday,) and haven't heard much of progress. He's replied to messages before-said he was finishing making it on the 5th/6th-but silence over the last while. It's a little frustrating that communication is patchy, not least as I need to book in my camera for service for when it finally arrives, as in the interim it has stopped firing properly (I was to send it in for focus calibration anyway.)

I'm not worried that I might not get it in the end-I trust that good things take time and it'll be a good product-but wonder if others can comment on turnaround from Maxwell?

 

[dave.gt]

I ordered and paid for a Maxwell screen a little over three weeks ago (a bit earlier but Bill was on holiday,) and haven't heard much of progress. He's replied to messages before-said he was finishing making it on the 5th/6th-but silence over the last while. It's a little frustrating that communication is patchy, not least as I need to book in my camera for service for when it finally arrives, as in the interim it has stopped firing properly (I was to send it in for focus calibration anyway.)

I'm not worried that I might not get it in the end-I trust that good things take time and it'll be a good product-but wonder if others can comment on turnaround from Maxwell?

Hi, Tim,

Just sent you an email... not much longer according to Bill.:thumbup:

 

[tjv]

Thanks, Dave. Much appreciated. I knew it'd be in the pipeline, just wanted to make sure my messages were getting through.

T

Hi, Tim,

Just sent you an email... not much longer according to Bill.:thumbup: