Hasselblad HC lens check help

So the person who sold me a Hasselblad 50-110 did about the absolute worst packing job I've ever seen. The lens clearly shifted wildly in the package throughout its entire journey because the box was improperly packed. As I understand it, this lens is prone to problems from improper storage. My concern is twofold. This was a con job to pawn a broken lens off on someone, or the possibility the lens broke in transportation because of this poor packing. I put the lens on my H2 and it seems to be functional, but as I can't just shoot a roll and have it developed quickly, what else can I do to check to make sure the lens is ok and functional?

Is the lens broken? If so, in what way is it broken? If you have a dealer or pro rental facility with an H digital system you can contact, they may be able to assist you in testing the lens on one of their cameras.

As far as storage is concerned, It's recommended that you not stand or store the camera with an HC 50–110 attached with the front ring facing down and the weight of the camera resting on top. The weight of the heavy lens combined with the weight of the camera puts stress on the front of the lens which should be avoided.

So far it seems fine, just dry half shutter pressing and getting focus. Zoom and focus feel ok turning. It does kinda sound a tad more grindy than the 80mm and the 150mm when focusing as if there's more sand in it. Not literally, but like the sound is noisier when the focus activates in comparison. Is this normal, I don't know. I could imagine it is. As I'm new to the Hasselblad world, I'm not really sure about what I could or could not be overlooking, or any little things someone more familiar in this ecosystem would be aware of.

I may just have that. I'll see what they say. It's currently sitting mount side to the ground to avoid any further possible issues. Is it safe to store it on its side, or should that be avoided as well? Store all the lens mount side down correct, or again, is on the side safe?

I'm not surprised it sounds louder when focusing than the other two lenses you mentioned. As you can see, the lens is big with a pretty massive front section. The lens is a front focusing design which means to focus, it's moving those big glass elements in front. Without another 50–110 zoom for comparison, it would be hard to say if the sound is normal for that particular lens. Your description comparing it to the 80 and 150 mm lenses seems about right.

I wouldn't worry about storing the lens. My impression is that very few ever experienced a problem and the lens has been available about 20 years. The only thing that I would avoid is what I mentioned; putting the lens face down with the camera attached above it, like a vertical tower combination, adding weight and stress. Other than that, putting the lens and camera down horizontally or in any other position is fine. Storing the lens upright by itself, Hasselblad suggests standing it on the mount rather than resting on the front; but I wouldn't worry about that if there's no camera weight on top or other weight (like leaning on the back of the lens) adding downward force.

I am so shocked about the weight issue. I was expecting something so much physically larger. In my hand, this lens feels perfect. Stick it on the body, that feeling disappears and it turns into this big hunking chunk of glass. It's so bizarre.

I'm glad to hear that noise doesn't sound like damage from transport. Still looking for some local help to confirm things.

My issue about positioning was long term storage and travel reasons. Knock on wood, the H2 is going to start going out with me weekly and my current carrying setup isn't going to cut it with that 50-110, so I'm looking into my options. Just leaving the gear in the case when not in use will probably become its new permanent home, so I just wanted to make sure it would be safe to do that as that 50-110 seems to be problematic in ways other HC lenses aren't.

You've been incredibly helpful now for me a few times and as the resources for this equipment are rather limited, I am extremely grateful. Might I donate $5 for a cup of coffee or something?

I used this lens for some years, but rarely handheld. It is a big heavy lens, no doubt about it. You should find the image quality to be excellent. The HC 50–110 zoom was available from many rental facilities and survived heavy professional use, I wouldn't worry about it being problematic.

I appreciate your kind words and offer. I'm just trying to assist a fellow traveler on the road. If you find it helpful, then I'm happy to have been of some small service.