Hasselblad out of focus

B

brisa_main

Messages
16
Name
Ron
Edit My Images
No
Hi

I have a hasselblad 500c with an 80mm 2.8

Put a few films through it now and not one shot is really sharp. I'm not expecting super mega sharpness but it always seems to be off. And the edges seem to be in focus, the center is always off.

What could be going wrong? Here are my ideas:

Film not loaded tight/flat?
Faulty camera?
Scanning problems?
Simply not focusing correctly? What finder is easiest?

Many thanks
 
Check the negs on a light table with a loupe to eliminate scan cock-ups.
You need to shoot a flat 2D target to really start to narrow down the possibilities.
All your ideas are plausible without the target and loupe&light table.
 
I've put another film through it and it seems to be focusing in a different place to where the viewfinder shows.

I took a shot of some lettering at an angle and focused on the 'e' but that was out of focus and the ones further away were in.
Same deal with some full body portraits. The focus point is further away than the viewfinder shows.

How can i solve this short of compensating and guessing it everytime?
 
Ron, have a look at the focussing screen. It may not be original, or fitted the wrong way around. ( This will not be a problem if its a C instead of CM)
What kind of screen is it? The normal Hassy screen is a pain to focus and has to be approx( was for me anyways), since it does not have a split image. Do you wear specs? That might be affecting how you focus
Check the mirror, it may not be sitting properly.
What f value are you using? If the foucs point is a few inch, 4 and above f stops should eliminate the problem...

Can you provide more details of the set up you are using to test and to scan( distance, f stop value, any focussing aid, ) and a few shots please
 
I'm not expecting super mega sharpness
Click to expand...

Ron you should do with a Blad! the only thing that normally causes unsharp images is camera shake with them.

As ujjwaldey8165 says check focusing screen should be sat nice and flat with smooth side up.
 
My Bronica EC had light seal material under the focussing screen carrier, unfortunately the seal had deteriorated, the screen was seating lower into the body than it should have been, probably only 1mm lower but it was enough to throw the focussing way out.
 
The screen has 4 screws in each corner securing it and they all have a clear superglue substance over them...

I've done a few portraits at 2.8 to get a nice background blur so wasn't particularly surprised to see them out of focus but I put that recent film through to test and did some at f/8 and they still aren't sharp (slight improvement)

I don't wear glasses and have very good eyesight. When i look through the viewfinder, even though it's hard see that clearly it does look sharp through it. What can be done to improve the viewfinder? currently using the older wlf that you have to fold away...

Here's an image i used to test, when looking through the viewfinder the 'e' and "," of sacksonville, looked pinsharp. After scanning (epson flatbed) the point of focus seems to be further away on the first 's'

http://i48.tinypic.com/28s79fo.jpg

That distance with portraits tends the throw the whole face out of focus, particularly from long distance, full body ones.
 
Since your camera is C instead of CM, you cant change the screen, so you are stuck with the old and less brighter screen. You can use a prism finder, but that will not improve the brigtness.

What f stop did you use for this shot.

Have you tried a test trying to focus the same distance with another camera? You can then check how much off it really is. ( I always check with a 35mm SLR + 135mm lens to see if there is a problem....

If there is indeed a problem, I would have a CLA done.
 
Also, do you have another lens you can try? It may be possible one of the elements is loose :thinking:
 
brisa_main said:
My friend has a slightly newer but the same model, lens and back as myself.
So you suggest keeping my back and body the same and switching lenses?

I have just done a video of the mirror to see if anything is wrong. Is the slight buckling a problem?

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=os4ohz&s=6
Click to expand...

Mirror shouldn't make much difference, it seems to seat properly.

I only suggest swapping the lens as way of ruling out variables one by one, so if you have access to another it's worth a try.
 
As you said it is seating properly.

If it is the lens, what can be done to fix it?
Is there anywhere in the uk?
 
I know very little about Hasselblads but I know they have a UK office. But first of all you need to eliminate the causes. As I said try another lens on your camera or your lens on another camera. I'm not sure about the film backs but it may be possible that the film is not sitting flat. Just keep trying different things until you know what part of the set up is causing the problem then remortgage your house so you can afford the repair :D
 
Plenty of good advice here, but can I just add the comment that blads are an absolute pig to focus - even with the best focusing screens. It's a problem for many users. A split image screen is a big help, or any sort of prism or viewfinder aid which magnifies the image helps also.

The image in the viewfinder of my RB67 snaps in and out of focus very positivley compared to the blad - probably due to the bellows focusing.
 
TBH, if its an old chrome C lens of 75mm, I wonder if it'll worth the fix. I seriously doubt though whther the lens is a problem. To me, the most likely candidate is the mirror not seating properly; or ,more likely, simply the difficulty in focussing blads without a split prism.

Whereabouts are you located Ron? I have a spare 150mm lens, thats good to test focus
 
Hi
I've had a go with another lens and haven't got anything sharp back.
I was shooting at f/11 most of the time on a tripod.

It seems to be softer in the middle (still not that sharp at edges) which i guess points towards film not sitting flat. After i loaded a film i pulled the dark slide out and it look really tight and flat though.

So next test is using a different back.
 
Doe's anyone have a hi-res scan then can upload that is really sharp.
Just to see what i'm aiming for
 
ujjwaldey8165 said:
Whereabouts are you located Ron? I have a spare 150mm lens, thats good to test focus
Click to expand...
If you answer this question someone that's near enough to help might do so :)
 
I have had my camera serviced now.

I was wondering, could anyone post a hi res scan they have from a hasselblad so i can see what kind of sharpness i'm aiming for?
 
brisa_main said:
I have had my camera serviced now.

I was wondering, could anyone post a hi res scan they have from a hasselblad so i can see what kind of sharpness i'm aiming for?
Click to expand...


That's kinda dependant on the quality and sharpness of the scanner, you'll be comparing scans not Blad photographs..
Take a look at the film thread, there is a wide range of scan sharpness right through the thread.
I you really want to test the sharpness of your lenses, you need negs to compare with a loupe on a light table.

:)
 
joxby said:
That's kinda dependant on the quality and sharpness of the scanner, you'll be comparing scans not Blad photographs..
Take a look at the film thread, there is a wide range of scan sharpness right through the thread.
I you really want to test the sharpness of your lenses, you need negs to compare with a loupe on a light table.

:)
Click to expand...

Or have a print made.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top