Hasselblad 553 EL User manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Hasseiblad 553ELX Instruction Manual
Page
3 Introduction
4 Parts and Components
6 Basic Instructions
6 Batteries and Fuse
8 Normal Settings
8 F ront Protective Cover
8 Rear Protective Cover
8 Attaching the Lens
9 Removing the Lens
1 0 A ttac h ing the W ag azi ne
10 Removing the Magazine
11 Camera and Magazinelndicatois
12 Focusing Hood and Magnifier
13 Strap Lugs
13 Left Hand Grip
13 Focus and Release
14 Operating Details
14 Exposure
14 Time Exposure and Locking (LOT) Lever
15 Release Sockets
15 Re/ease Cords
16 Mode Selector Dial
17 Remote Control Socket
17 Double Exposure
18 Battery Types
19 Battery Check
20 Lens and Shutter Funciions
20 Shutterspeeds
20 Aperture
21 Exposure Values
Page
21 Shutter Speed/Aperture Interlock
22 Focusing and Depth of Field
22 I nf ra red Ph otog rap h y
23 Checking Depth of Field
23 FiashSynchronization
24 MagazineOperation
24 Load i ng th e Mag az ine
26 Load Status
26 Removing the FIm
26 Film Tab Holder
25 C han g I ng th e M agaz i ns Status 1 nd i cato r
26 Film Plane Index
27 Viewfinder System
27 Changlngthe Viewfinder
27 Changlngthe Magnifier
28 ChangjngtheFocusIng Screen
28 P MEand PME3/PM E5 Viewfinder Adjustment
31 Automatic Flash Control
32 Flash Adapters SCA390/590
32 Film Speed Setting
33 Viewfinder Signal
34 Accessories
34 Accessory Mounts
35 Accessory Chart
36 Technical Specification
37 Camera Body Dimensions
38 Troubleshooting
39 CircultDiagram
40 Camera Care, Serviceand Guarantee
Copyright© 1392. Victor Hasseiblad AB,
rigtits f9S&ivec No pan of itus maier/aJmayOe reproduced, swreCin a reifieirai sysiern, or transmiaed. in ar^y form
orbyanymeane. e^cuonic, meci^anica}, photocopy recording, or otherwise, v^nhouiihepriotwrinert permission oUhe
Company
1

Gu«irante9
Provided frial you bought your camera from an
authorized Hasselblad outlet. ii Is covered by an
iniemaclonal guarantee for one year. Fuhher
details can be found on page 40,
Service <ind Maintenance
While Hasselblad equipment is extremely reli¬
able and durable, cameras arid lenses that are in
constani intensive use in a professional environ¬
ment should be mainlained and serviced by an
authori2dd Hasselblad service center at regular
intervals. Further informaiion on service and
maintenance can be found on page 40.
Introduction to the Hasselblad Camera System
As a Hasselblad owner, you have In your
possession a camera of exceptional quality,
the product of an into mat ton ally renowned
tradition o' excellence in the world of pho¬
tography. Victor Hasselblad, the father of
the cameras which bear his namo, was
himself an accomplished photographer li
was to satisfy his own exacting standards
and Clverse requiremerits that he first
envisioned the Hasselblad system: a me
dium format single lens reftex camera with
Intercharrgeable lenses andfilm magazines.
A photographer first and businessman
second, Victor Hasselblad would never
sacrifice quality for ease of production. To
this day, Hasselblad cameras are pain¬
stakingly crafted with this principle In mind.
The Hasselblad sysiem has boon taken to
the ends of the earth and beyond - into
space, to earn Us reputation for re^'ability and
absolute fidelity. A range of accessories
affords llmitii^ss flexibility and the potential
to r success! ul photograph y in any a p pi icatl on.
The realisation of this potential is of course
d^erKlant upon the skill, care and judgement
of the photographer.
The Hasselblad 553ELX isa molonsed single
lens reflex camera featuring lens, magazine,
viewfinder, and focusing screen interchange-
ability It is capable of TTL/OTF (Through
The Lens/Off The Film ) flash metering,
providing direct full control of the Hasselblad
Proflash 4504 flash unitor, with Hasselblad
flash adapters SC A 390 and 590, of the
Hasselblad Macro Flaslj u nit or any flash u nit
conform ing to the European Systems SC A
300 and 500. When the flash output is
sufficient to provide a correct exposure the
flash units’ discharge i$automaf;>nally cutoff,
TTL/OTF moiering Is particularly Important
when using electronic flash for macro
photography.
Lenses
Since the early 1950's Ihe Hassel blad lenses
have been manufactured by Carl 2eiss in
Germany. All C and OF lenses manufactured
after 1967 can be used with the 653ELX.
F-type lenses, however, can onJy be used
with Hasselblad focal plane shutter cameras
manufactured after 1976.
Use this manuaf to learn how to operate
your camera. The knowledge gained from
reading it will give you access to The Hassel¬
blad pofenilal. Expioiling the potential Is left
to your imaginalionl
2
3

553ELX Parts and Components
1 FocusiDQ hood 12 Shutter spooQ ring ana scale 22 Remote socket cover
2 Acutd'Uaue'focusing screen 13 PC flash termmaJ 23 Camera statue indicator
3 Screen retaining clip 14 External and internal lens 2a Siraplag
A Flash turxllonlfxJIcaior accessory mount 25 Frame counter
5 Diivesliati 15 Exposure valuescae 26 Magazinestaius indicaor
6 Lens release burton 16 Exposure value index 2? Flimpiarteinoex
7 Focusir^ ring and scale 17 Rgigase button 28'Frim wiriding crank
8 Shuiterapooc and aperture 16 Front releese sockets 29 Magazine desag notion
interlock burton 19 FK30 release cord 30 Mode selector
9 Lens central index 20 Time exposure and bcKing 31 Nameplate
10 Depth-of-field scale lever 32 Magazine catch button
11 Aperture ring ana scale 21 flsmote release seeket
4
'Acute-Malte designed by MINOLTA
33 Focusing r>ood magnifier
34 Magazine slide
35 Film l^der key
36 Film load indicator
37 Rim lab holder
38 Motor housing
39 Tripod socket 1/4" thread
40 Quick-coupling plate
41 Fuse holder
42 Fuse
43 Banery compartment
44 Lens dri\/e coupling
45 Battery compartment cover
48 Battery check button
47 Battery check lights
48 Cover locking button
49 Deplh-of-Held preview Dulion
50 Flash connector cover
51 Dedicated hash connector
52 Lang locating index
53 Accessory rail
54 Strap lug
55 Rim speed selector
NOTE: In the text, the positions of components are described in relation to the camera as you see it
I when taking a photograph, I e. thelensisonlhe from, the viewfinder is in the lop. and the winding crank
I is on the right harxl Side
S

Basic Operation
This sect! o n d escri bes th e steps yo u m ust take to
make the camara read/ to use. Follow the steps
as they are described. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
ATTACH THE LENS TO A CAMERA WITHOUT
BATTERIES. You will tind comprehensive infor¬
mation on how to operate the camera in the
following sections.
Batteries and Fuse
You cannot operate the camera until you have
inserted the batteries and the fuse mto the bat¬
tery compartiTiehl. To get access to the battery
compartment ycxj have to remove the cover ot^
the left hand eide of the motor housir^, I.e. the
lowersectionot the camera bod/. You unlock the
cover b/ Inserting a suitable coin Into the cover
locking button slot and turning It counter-clock¬
wise into a vBTlical poshlon. Now /ou can remove
the cover by opening the rear end outwards and
disengagir*>g the hooks In the front end.
The Battery Compartment
Wh@i you have removed the cover the battery
companmeni will be exposed, II you look closely
at the battery receptacles, you will see there
Is a symbol moulded inside each one, indicating
which way each battery should be inserted. On
the front face of the oomDartment at the bottom
is another moulding that represents a battery,
showing the positive and negative ends and the
vdiiojft Jifleieiii Je^gnalions of the required
battery type.
The Batteries
You will need five 1.6V alkaline batteries size AA
(alternative designations are LR6 or AM*3). Fresh
batteries will give you up to 4000 exposures at
ambient temperatures above 32®F (O^C).
Regard! ng u se of oth er bane ry type $, s ee pag e 18.
Battery Types}.
The Fuse
The fuse is a 5 x 20mm instrument fuse rated
1.6A medium slow-blow (semi time-lag).
Pitting Ihe Batteries
Fit the batteries into Ihe companment in accor¬
dance with the symbols moulded into the recep¬
tacles Once fitted the positive ( 4 -) erxfs of the two
uppermost batteries and the negative (-) erids of
the other three, should be visible. Rl fuse into
ils reo^tacle at the top right hand side of ihe
battery compartment. It is always advisable to
have a spare iuse, which can conveniently be
earned In tne hole directly beiow the fuse recep¬
tacle.
When you refit the cover you must ensure that
the two hooks in the Irwil of the cover positively
engage in the corresponding slots in the front of
the motor houslf>g. Rrmly holding the hooks in
place you insert the coin in the lock butter; slot.
Keeping the slot strictly verticdl you push the
cover against the resistance of the contact
springsuntiltholockpinengages in iheelotinihe
nnotor housing. While pushing you turn the lock
button clockwise until It stops (approximately
1/4 turn) and the cover will be locked tn place.
NOTE: If the camera has been released using
Ihe lock/time (LOT) lever without batteries
Inserted, the mechanism remains in the re¬
leased state. When the cover Is positioned
baftenes have been inserted the power
circuit is closed and Ihe camera will start and
complete the rewind cycle.
6 7

Normal Sertlngs
While setting up the camera as described in this
section, it is Important that both ih© mode selec-
lof dial and the LOT lever are set in the O’
position. You wlii find detailed information about
Ihese items on pages 14 arid 16.
Front Protective Cover
Turn the cover (bayonetfittlng) in the direction ot
the arrow and remove.
Rear Protective Cover
Depress the catch, tut the cover Backwards, and
lift it off.
Attaching the Lens
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ATTACH THE LENS TO
A CAMERA WITHOUT BATTERIES!
Make sure that both camera arxl lens are fully
cocked. The adjacent II lust ration sinows the cor¬
rect relationship between the drive shaft, the lens
drive coupling and their indexes.
If Ihe camera is not fully ccd<ed {it may have
been accidentally pre-released), press and re¬
lease the release plate. The camera will then
wind on and be fully cocked.
If the lens Is not cocked, you can insert a coin In
the coupling slot and rotate it clockwise until it
locks (about 4/5 of a turn).
You will find that holding the camera in your left
hand and Ihe lens in your right hand, as shown m
the illustration, is the easiest way of attaching
lens.
When you have aligned the orange ndexonthe
lens with the one on the camera as shown I n the
II lust ration, the lens will be correctly positioned
into the bayonet fitting. You can then rotate It
clockwise until It stops with a faint click as the
lens catch locks it in place.
Removing the Lens
Depress the lens release button and rotate the
lens counter-clockwise until li stops.
NOTE: You can only remove the lens when
the camera Is cocked (fully wound) and not In
the pre-roloascd mode (see page 16}.
6 9

Attaching the Magazine
Ensure that the magazine slide is fully inserted,
and that the indicators are white, it the indicators
are not while, then refer to the Instruction on
page 11
Rest the magazine on the camera's rnaoazine
suppo os a nd m ake sure ih at it i s p rope riy located
on them. Carefully swing the magazine towards
the camera body and check that the camera's
magaz ine hoc ks I it i nto th e s I ots i n the mag azi ne.
Push the magazine gently but firmly against the
nooks while sliding the magazine catch button to
the right,
Paiaasa the button when the magazine has
made contact with the rear plate of the camera,
and push if to the teftto ensure that it has reached
the looked position. Remove the magazine slide
and the carr^era is ready to use.
Removing the Magazine
It is advisable to have the camera cocked (fully
wound) and the magazine indicator disolaying
white. II the magazine indicator shows a red
signal then follow the instructions on page 11
Insert the magazine slide Into tine magazine with
the hinge towards the front of the camera.
Slide the magazine catch to the right, swing the
magazine back and lift K off the magazine sup*
ports
NOTE: The magazine cannot be removed
without inserting the magazine slide. The
slide protects the film from being inadvertantly
ru ined by exposu re. Note a Iso that the came ra
cannot be operated when a magazine, with
slide Inserted, is attached to the camera.
Camera and Magazine indicatore
The 553ELXcamera ind caior Is permanently set
on white. The magazine indicator shows whether
the film has been advanced (white) or not (red)
When the magazine is attached tb a camera
body, it can also be used to determine whether
the camera has been released but not wound on
(red) or is ready to be operated (white). The ex¬
ception Is when the magazine has been removed
to produce a double exposure, dcc page 17.
ft the magazine indicator shows red. the film has
to be advanced to change the Indicator to white.
This can be car ried ou i In two diffe re ni w ays. Th e
procedure below has to be used on frame No. i
and can be used on all consecutive frames.
1. Set the 'LOT' lever from the 0 (nwmal posi¬
tion). to tine T (time exposure) position.
2. Attach tine magazine to the camera, leaving
the magazine slide in place.
3. R eturn the levertolhe 0 position. The camera
will now Stan to wind the film on and the
magazine status Indicates* will change to while.
A ampler method to edvonce tho film on ail
frames except frame No. 1 is described on
page 26.
10 11

Opening the Focusing Hood
Open the lid by gnpping the tab firmly and lifting
it to the ^/ertlcal position.
The Built-in Magnifier
The magnifier flips up into the viewing position
when the ov/al button inside the lid is In the
direction of the arrow.
To fold the magnifier down simply press it back
with your fingertip until It locks into the lid.
The magnifier may be exchanged for correction
lenses. See page 27,
Closing the Focusing Hood
“Pinch" in the side plates attne hinge points, and
fold the lid down.
2
Strap Lugs
strap Attachment
Place mam body of the strap dip over one of
the camera’s strap lugs. Press down on the tip of
the dip and pull back, and ensure thatthe locking
plate secures the $tr^ In place.
Strap Removal
Lift the dip locking plate and slide the dip for¬
ward. The strap is then freed from the camera
Left Hand Grip
You will find that holding the camera In your left
hand with your Index finger on the release plate,
as shown In the illustralion. is most convenient
when taking photographs. Your right hand is then
free tor focusing, setting the exposure and
changing the lens or magazine.
Focus and Release
Before you car take a photograph, you must
remove the magazine slide. The magazine will
then Inrkctd on Ihe rj^mera horfy- and the
camera release plate will De operative.
Rotate the focusing ring on the lens until you can
see a sharp image of the subject In the viewfin¬
der, You can now duress and release the re¬
lease plate to operate the camera.
13

Operating Details
Exposure
As a general rule for all shutter speed settings
except B, with the ‘LOT’ lever m tn© 0 position
you should Keep the release plate depressed
until the lens shutter nas completed the expo¬
sure. This is especially importartt at shutter
speeds from 1S to
If you relax the pressure on the release plate loo
soon, the auxiliary shutters will terminate the
exposure prematurely (see page 20, ’Warning
Signal ). The auxiliary shutter c^sisu of two
blinds covering the rear opening of the body.
Time Exposure and Locking (*LOr)
Lever
The lever located toward the rear of I he motor
housing cdlows you to select time exposure (T),
locking (L), or normal operation (0).
(O) - Normal operating position.
(T) - For time exposures, you should set the lens
at B and the mode selector at 0, S, or RS. The
camera shutter is mechanically opened when
th® LOT lever I® shifts tmm H to T Ths sbuHer
then remains open without ary dram on the
battery. When the lever is returned to the O
setting the shutter closes, the film is advanced,
and the shutter is cooked automatically.
(L) - In the L-mode, release is blocked to prevent
inadvertent exposures.
Release sockets
Hasselblad553ELX has two release sockets at the
f ro n t of th e m otor hous ing. The sockete are parall el I
connected an dean be used optionally lor inserting
the release button.
Release Cords
A iripod should be used when operating the
camera at slow shutter speeds. A release card
provides a suitable means of releasing the
camera. FK type release cords 0.3 and 6 metres
(1 and 20 feet) long can be con nected to ^ th er of
the Iront sockets. LK and SK type release cords
between 1.5 and 5 metres (5 and 16 feet) long
must be connected lo the remote control socket.
14
15

Mode Selector DiaV
The selector dial offers five release modes tor the
camera.
O- NORMAL MODE. Exposure occurs when the
release plate is depressed. The film is advanced.
the shutter cocKed and the mirror returned to
viewing position v^en the presure on the release
plate is removed.
S - PRE-RELEASE. When the dial is moved to
ihts positbn the lens shutter is cbsed, the dia¬
phragm slops down to the pre*selected aperture.
the mirror swings up and the auxiliary shutter
opens. Only the actual operation of the shutter
rerrains when the release plate is pressed. Since
most of the camera operations are pre-released,
Ihe camera's reaction time between release and
exposure is reduced to a minimum, as is camera
induced vibration The selector dial is not re¬
tained in the S-po6ltion but returns to me 0-
position when released.
R$- The camera ts pre released when the mode
selector is rDoved to RS where it is held, and con¬
tinues to pre-release after each exposure until
Ihe mode selector is returned manually to the 0
or A position.
A-Automatic. The camera makes a continuous
sequence of exposures as long as the triggering
impulse is applied, and unexposed film remains
in the camera. The sequential exposure rate in
this mode is about 1 frame/sec.
AS - The camera is pre released in AS and
exposes sequentially as bng as the exposure
button is kept depressed. At the end of the
sequencer the cairiuia leiiialiis in d pre*tel«d&eJ
State. The exposure rate is slighily faster than in
the A posilioh,
Remote Control Socket
At Ihe rear of the motor housing on the hght hand
side is a 5-pole DlN-socket. You can use this to
operate the camera by means of the release
cords {SK and lK), a timer or any means that
closes the circuit between pins 1 and 3 (seepage
38, Circuit Diagram). The external resistance
should not exceed 8 ohms and the circuit should
remain closed at least 0.1 sec for reliable
tnggering.
Double Exposure
The camera has boon designed to prevent acci-
dental double exposure. Intentional double and
multiple exposures on the same frame can be
carried out as follows:
1. Depress the release plate and keep It de¬
pressed. The magazine status indicator now
shifts to red.
2. Move the LOT lever to the L position and relax
Ihe pressure on ihe release plate.
3. Insert the magazine slide and remove the
maga 2 tn$ from the camera
4. Return the lever to the 0 position. The cam¬
era will wind on.
5. Replace the rrtagazine and remove the slide.
The unll Is now ready to make asecord exposure
on the same frame even though the magazine
indicator is red. You can make additional expo¬
sures ih the same manner.
The magazine status indicator remains red until
the magazine 1 $ left on the camera and wound
on.
16
17