Hasselblad Photography - Recent Questions, Troubleshooting & Support

Depending on the age of the camera, I gather that the screw we are turning is the one that sets the lens spring? IF so you must turn it almost one whole turn and the more you turn it the harder it gets to turn! It will latch when it gets to the right spot and then you can take the lens off! Be very careful! if you slip off the screw with the tool, you can damage the lens.

I'm not used to Hasselblad. (Out of reach) I wonder if the thing you call crazed is blinking of the highlights, indicating you over blown that part of the picture. It is your decision, if you leave the overblown parts as they are, or retake the picture one or a few stops lower.

It takes five AA batteries (also called LR6 or AM-3). If you need a manual you may download a copy from http://butkus.org/chinon/hasselblad/hasselblad_555_eld/hasselblad_555_eld.htm

Send to a repair facility like CRIS or United camera repair. This is something mechanical that cannot be repaired at home.

The mirror pivots and does not need much force to move it. So you can try taking the lens off or opening the back cover. and gently give it a tug. I have had some of the older mirrors stick due to dirt or grime. It is possible you have damage but it s hard to say. Once you have access to the mirror just gently pull on the edge. If you are lucky that will pop the mirror into its proper position. If it sticks again then the camera needs to be looked at for something bent or damaged by a camera tech. .

The proper order of exposure should be:

Curtain opens/Lense stops down (unless wide open)
Lense shutter closes
When releasing button, curtain closes
When winding, lense shutter opens

If this isn't what's happening, something is wrong. There is only a simple mechanical screw connection between body and lense, so it'd have to be an issue with the gears in the body.

There should be a small slide-switch on the wind knob itself. If you slide it back, the knob will rotate backward slightly and pop off the body.

How fast are you popping off shots? Be sure you're allowing time for your strobes to recharge after each photo. Also, depending on your lense, there is a switch for X and M sync, X is for electronic flash, M for old flash bulbs - if you've managed to slip it off of X to M you'll get no use of the strobes. It's also possible that your sync cord has came unplugged or loose from the PC socket or the strobe/power pack itself, or that the cord is simply bad (it happens frequently) - try a new cord. But, be sure you're allowing 2-3 seconds at minimum for your strobes to recharge unless you're somewhere you're sure they're setup and able to cycle faster.

There is nothing electronic in this model to go wrong, including the lense, so whatever is wrong is either in a user setting, or in equipment from the cord on.

All C and CF lenses manufactured since 1957 will work on your 553ELX. The only Hasselblad lenses which will not work are the F types manufactured after 1976 for those bodies which incorporate a focal plane shutter.

You can download a free user manual courtesy of the Norman Butkus website by clicking here.

I hope that my reply has been clear and useful, if so then please spare a moment to rate my answer.