Hasselblad newbie

[pattersonimages]

I recently purchased a used 500 ELX, and I am finding that I am getting light leaking through a back. The light seems to be making it in from behind, as there is light markings outside of the 6 x 6 cropped area. I have seen people using electrical tape at the back seams, is this the only place light can get in? I have tried to figure out where it is leaking.. any ideas would help!
Thanks
Jeff

[Clemmie]

Hassy's are well outside my area of expertise - but I too have wondered about all that electrical tape when I do see one, so your question got my curiosity aroused.



I found this buried in a Hasselblad user's site, which you'll probably want to explore in greater detail - http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/ghassy.html. This excerpt covers diagnosis and treatment of the light leak problem, in some detail.

------------------------------------------

Light Leaks:

Older backs eventually will lose their light-tight felt traps to wear.
Jerry (vicds@aol.com) wrote this interesting treatise:

could use any info on reason for light leaks on backs.

Most of the leaks are from the "felt" light seal around the dark
slide. If this is the only back that leaks eliminate the camera.
You can get the seal kit from Hasselblad in NJ. These leaks can
look like small quarter moons. You can inspect the seal by removing
the screws on the mating plate and taking it off. It's not real
tricky but requires patience.

Make sure the back fits squarely on the body and is not loose.
Make sure the black paint is in good shape and ridges and valleys
on the back to body mating surfaces are not damaged. Make sure
there are no loose or missing parts on the back.

Look at the negative and see if the light leak extends beyond the
sqauare mask of the image area. If it does it's definetely in the
back and not the camera to back seal or in the body.

Orient the image from a negative with the leak so that it is
the same as when it was taken (upside down and reversed left
to right). See if you can see what corner it's comming from.
Sometimes a leak with fall on a section of film that's not
in the frame at all; just in front of or behind the image that's
being exposed. These leaks look like long verticle bars extending
from one edge of the film to the other.

Put the back on with no film. Take the lens off the camera and get
a Mag Light flashlight without the front reflector (bare bulb).
Hold the shutter open with a locking cable release. Go into a
dark room and use the flashlight to search for leaks. It's hard
to see leaks from the dark slide, but you might find a leak in
the back to camera seal, mirror seal, etc. Some cameras don't
allow you to do this. If you still can't find it put some 400 speed b/w film in the back
and go out in the bright sun. Rotate the camera around in the sun
with the shutter held open and a lens cap on. Start taping up
different sections you suspect with black electrical tape. Keep
a list of which frame numbers have what section taped. At some
point you should have eliminated the leak with the tape and be
able to find it.

[pattersonimages]

Thanks alot for the help!!
Jeff