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Hartblei Hcam B1 or not to be

lowep

Member
Due to fortuitous alignment of planets I have been granted an opportunity to explore a quirky Hartblei Hcam B1 system - but cannot find instructions about how to use it, so would be happy to hear from anyone who can point me in the right direction.

So far I have managed to mount a lens and can see the aperture, shutter speed, cable release and other functions seem to be working fine. But I have not put a digital back on it yet (waiting to make sure it works properly before investing in a M645 adapter plate for my MFDB) and the motorised slider refuses to slide more than a few centimetres to the left that hopefully is due to the faulty photographer not the camera?
 

gerald.d

Well-known member
Due to fortuitous alignment of planets I have been granted an opportunity to explore a quirky Hartblei Hcam B1 system - but cannot find instructions about how to use it, so would be happy to hear from anyone who can point me in the right direction.

So far I have managed to mount a lens and can see the aperture, shutter speed, cable release and other functions seem to be working fine. But I have not put a digital back on it yet (waiting to make sure it works properly before investing in a M645 adapter plate for my MFDB) and the motorised slider refuses to slide more than a few centimetres to the left that hopefully is due to the faulty photographer not the camera?
If the motorized slider isn't sliding all the way, then it's almost certainly not down to the photographer.

The B1 was certainly a quirky beast, but - to the best of my recollection - it was the first camera that enabled the use of Canon lenses with electronic aperture control to be used with MFDB's. I had great success with mine and the Canon 17mm TS-E back in the day, before replacing it with the vastly superior Alpa FPS.

Stefan (the guy who designed and made the things) used to be quite active here. Hopefully this thread will come up on his radar and he will he able to help out.

Kind regards,


Gerald.
 

ErikKaffehr

Well-known member
Due to fortuitous alignment of planets I have been granted an opportunity to explore a quirky Hartblei Hcam B1 system - but cannot find instructions about how to use it, so would be happy to hear from anyone who can point me in the right direction.

So far I have managed to mount a lens and can see the aperture, shutter speed, cable release and other functions seem to be working fine. But I have not put a digital back on it yet (waiting to make sure it works properly before investing in a M645 adapter plate for my MFDB) and the motorised slider refuses to slide more than a few centimetres to the left that hopefully is due to the faulty photographer not the camera?
Contact Stefan Steib: [email protected]

Best regards
Erik
 

lowep

Member
24 hrs later

Time works wonders!

24 hrs later, the motorised slider is working fine, after removing the screws of the accompanying base plate that protuded into the body and giving the slider a bit of a push when it got stuck - possibly due to arthritis (of the camera not the operater) perhaps resulting from being in storage for some time.

Now the only problem is the cable release is not working, though it did yesterday, which may have something to do with the mode setting on the camera - if not the near proximity of alien flying saucers :toocool:
 

gerald.d

Well-known member
Re: 24 hrs later

Time works wonders!

24 hrs later, the motorised slider is working fine, after removing the screws of the accompanying base plate that protuded into the body and giving the slider a bit of a push when it got stuck - possibly due to arthritis (of the camera not the operater) perhaps resulting from being in storage for some time.

Now the only problem is the cable release is not working, though it did yesterday, which may have something to do with the mode setting on the camera - if not the near proximity of alien flying saucers :toocool:
You'll need to put that base plate back on the body (or at least put the screws back), because you will get light-leaks through the screw holes.

That exact problem very nearly ruined this shot (H-Cam, TS-E 17mm, IQ180), but thank goodness I was able to recover it.



Kind regards,


Gerald.
 

lowep

Member
Wow Gerald that’s awesome! Conjures up Stephen Rojack's walk around the parapet in Norman Mailer’s An American Dream. Hope you didn’t consider doing that!

Fortunately the screws on the base plate are easy to adjust once the issue is known. Most of the controls are easy to understand (apart from the mode and program options), and as Stefan points out, the whole camera is made of quality industry-standard components.

Meanwhile, another 24 hours later found out the problem with the cable release not working was just due to a couple of loose connectors so that is also fixed (-:
 
Last edited:

gerald.d

Well-known member
Wow Gerald that’s awesome! Conjures up Stephen Rojack's walk around the parapet in Norman Mailer’s An American Dream. Hope you didn’t consider doing that!
Oh I've been up there ;)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/...s-nauseating-selfie-Dubai-s-Burj-Khalifa.html

Fortunately the screws on the base plate are easy to adjust once the issue is known. Most of the controls are easy to understand (apart from the mode and program options), and as Stefan points out, the whole camera is made of quality industry-standard components.

Meanwhile, another 24 hours later found out the problem with the cable release not working was just due to a couple of loose connectors so that is also fixed (-:
Sounds like you're almost there - good to hear!

Kind regards,


Gerald.
 

lowep

Member
OMG Godzilla, King Kong and Gerald! Tough to figure out if your raised right hand is beating your chest or hanging on for dear life, or both? Must have been a wonderful day up there in the sky.

Yep, so far so good with the Hcam.
 

Stefan Steib

Active member
Just to give a short lifesign - best to reach me is emailing me. at [email protected]
There is simply so much to read and do, I apologize for the forum, but I have reduced all this stuff to a bare minimum.

Greetings from Germany to all Hartblei/Hcam existing and future users and curious ones.
Stefan
 
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