[HUG ] Re: an 80 mm f/2.8 1959 Synchro Compur Hasselblad lens.

On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 06:04:33PM -0600, Sherman Bloom wrote:
> I just acquired an old 500C with the above lens.  The f/stop and  
> shutter speed are coupled, and I've been unable to uncouple them.  On  
> the left side of the lens, just past the flash port is a lever that  
> moves left <-> right in a slot, and has three positions V, X, and M.   
> To the left of this lever is a thin metal tongue which, when  
> depressed, permits the lever to move left <-> right.  However, I can  
> only get the lever to the X and V positions.  I assume that this  
> lever can, among other things, lock and unlock the f/stop and shutter  
> speed, but is not functioning properly.  Am I missing something or is  
> this lens defective, in which case I would ask to seller to take it  
> back.

Don't worry about it -- you almost certainly don't want the M position
in any case.  'X' is the normal position for synchronising an electronic
flash with the shutter, and 'V' is the timer (around 8 seconds until
the shutter/electronic flash fire).  'M' would be for a flash bulb,
and if your lever won't move to that position then consider yourself
lucky, because it won't get set to that setting by mistake and ruin
the synch of your flash without you noticing.

I don't have a C lens in front of me to double-check this, but the
right way to decouple the aperture and shutter speed should be to
pull back on a flat tab on the ring closest to you (it looks like a
handle that appears not to really connect to anything, unlike the
V/X/M selector which is clearly a switch).  While you're pulling on
it, you can move the single ring, and the intent is that you select
the correct EV index at this point and then possibly adjust the
coupled aperture/speed rings together after that.  If this description
is confusing, let me know and I can try to be more helpful.

Cheers,
Gary.
-- 
     Gary Wong        gtw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx        http://cs-people.bu.edu/gtw/

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