Why do you need it? Rechargeable NiCad and NiMh batteries that come with these cameras only have a short life span, are very expensive and usually hard to find. 9V batteries are very cheap and easy to obtain. As rechargeable batteries get older, their charge may only last for a couple rolls of film. Many times the rechargeable batteries can die without warning which is terrible if you are on a shoot and your battery goes dead. The rechargeables usually take 14 hours or more to charge. With our system, you can just pop in a new 9V battery. Rechargables are notorious for blowing the battery doors off the 500 series cameras when their fragile internal chemistry goes bad. 9V batteries are much more stable and reliable. A 9V battery runs about $2 versus the rechargeables which can run close to $100.
How does it work? The Nine Volt Battery System is very easy to use. It does not modify your camera in any way and installs as fast as you can connect a 9V battery and slip it into the camera. While Hasselblad® didn’t design a great battery system for these motorized cameras, they did have the foresight to design the camera with two battery compartments. The adapter slips in one compartment and the 9V battery slides into the other compartment. Absolutely no tools required.
How many shots does one 9V battery get? With a decent brand name battery like Duracell®, you can usually get at least 450 shots (37 rolls of 120 film). You can squeeze more shots out of the battery but after 450 the motor starts to slow down.
How did you get 450 shots on one battery!?!? We did two tests. In one test, we held the shutter release down continuously and counted away until we could hear the motor start to slow down. In the second test, we put on 12 exposure backs, one at a time—more like a real-world photo shoot would go. Both tests yielded more than 450 shots. In both tests, niether the motor nor the battery showed any signs of excessive heat which indicated no strain on the camera. We repeated these test multiple times on mulitple cameras.
Will the 9V battery hurt the camera? We get this question a lot. The motor inside the 500 series motorized cameras is actually able to handle 12 volts or more. Hasselblad®, known for their great quality, uses the greater capacity motors even though they know they will be using a lot less voltage. To date, we have sold thousands of our systems with absolutely no returns.
How many adapters are needed? You only need one adapter. In fact, only one adapter and battery will fit in the camera at a time. The adapter goes in one chamber and the battery goes in the other chamber. Lock and load.
