How are MPB to deal with .... good, bad, indifferent ?

[Simon Bee]

Hi fellow members,
I will be very grateful for your thoughts on my thread title and whether or not you feel my prospective purchase is worth 'going for'.
It's not Oly related so apologies but I'm sure you won't mind me asking all the same. BTW I'm not jumping ship as I LOVE my Pen-F but I have very recently got a new 4/3 body and its not 'micro' ... more 'mega' , 44x33mm actually.
I am yet to get a lens but I have my eye on one at MPB that is available at a very good price of just over £2k ( its north of £7.7k new ) and its leaf shutter has done just 11.5k actuations ( rated to 1 million, yep 'million ).
Possible 'fly in the ointment' is I spotted a very small dent on the edge of the focussing ring. The area damaged is very narrow and given its surrounded by a wide and 'proud' rubber band I'm wondering how it could have come to be and might there be issues further down the line, otherwise the lens looks almost mint.

Yes MPB provide a six month warranty so I guess I can rest assured should something go wrong within that period and I will have plenty of time to check for de-centering etc as it may have had quite a knock to damage the ring where it has. My concern is if it goes 'pear shaped' after six months it will be a costly repair to say the least. What would you do? I'm torn at the moment and whilst ultimately it can only be a decision for me to make some friendly advise is always welcome and very much appreciated.

So what are MPB like? And would you 'take the chance' ?

If you look at 'image 3'. ..... zoom in and look at the ring at the front ...... between 9 & 10 o'clock , very metal edge facing towards the rear, you'll see the dent in question.

Many thanks for any and all advice/suggestions.

Kind regards,
Simon

https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/product/hasselblad-hcd-35-90mm-f-4-5-6-orange-dot/sku-1688049

[blackfox]

only you can make that choice . your covered by distance selling regs for a couple of weeks anyway .. but I do feel there way of buying virtually anything working does allow for a element of hope it will slip through inspection when selling .. as for there warranty never tested it but recent experiences with a couple of non hobby items has found that most warranties aren't worth the paper there written on . caveat emptor

[Simon Bee]

Here's a screenshot close-up.

[Simon Bee]

only you can make that choice . your covered by distance selling regs for a couple of weeks anyway .. but I do feel there way of buying virtually anything working does allow for a element of hope it will slip through inspection when selling .. as for there warranty never tested it but recent experiences with a couple of non hobby items has found that most warranties aren't worth the paper there written on . caveat emptor

Indeed only I can decide and I'm well versed in buying S/H, it's just that these superior shutter ( orange square, 1 million rated ) versions are seldom seen especially at that price and for once I'm not sure which way to turn.

[blackfox]

They used to have a rep on the TP forum that dealt with problems but she may have left , how much do they go for if perfect ?

[Downwind Dec]

I have limited experience with MPB, as I've mostly bought from LCE. I did buy a lens last year, struggled with it for a while and eventually declared it faulty. When I received the replacement, a stunner, it made me realise just how awful the first one was. I have to say MPB were really nice to deal with and the return process (for a straight swap) was painless, but I was disappointed that they had let the faulty lens through.
You could always contact them with your concern about the dent; perhaps they can put your mind at ease.

[pdk42]

A few points from me:

1) I've used MPB a lot and I have nothing but good things to say about them. They never quibble with a refund if you're unhappy so you can be confident in taking a piece of kit for a spin. If you return based on simply changing your mind they'll ask you to cover return postage, but if there is a reasonable reason for rejection, they'll cover it. As a case in point, I recently ordered a Panasonic 70-200 f4 from them. It was described as being in "excellent" condition. It worked fine, but I spotted a very small scratch on the front element - hard to see and definitely not causing any IQ issues. However, I wasn't 100% happy so sent them a mail asking if I could return or if they could offer a reduction in price if I kept it. I got a call within a few hours from a nice lady who explained that the scratch was in fact declared in the listing (which I'd obviously not read!) and its price was already reduced to reflect this. She offered however to either refund me and cover return postage, or else to send me another lens of the same type in stock if I paid any difference in price. I elected to just get a refund and it was collected the day after at no cost to me.

2) Having said all that, the lens you're looking at is described as in "Good cosmetic condition". That's two notches down from the best (which are "Like New", and "Excellent"). As such, it will have some cosmetic marks as you're seeing. Whether that bothers you is obviously only something you can decide. Personally, i try to avoid anything less than "Excellent", but I accept that's more about my own OCD than anything that would stop the gear producing great images.

3) I doubt that such a small cosmetic mark could cause a problem that would lie latent for six months or longer. I think if you do your own checks on receipt and it all works fine then I'd be surprised if it didn't stay like that.

4) Modern lenses are complex with lots of electrical, electro-mechanical, and mechanical parts. Things can fail. The Panasonic 70-200 f4 I mentioned is a £1800 lens at RRP and it's "Leica Certified". Despite all that, it seems there is a known problem caused by failure of the glue that secures some coils in the AF assembly. The result is dead AF. The time to failure is generally measured in years but it depends somewhat on environmental factors (heat, humidity). So, you could own a lens for 10+ years and it would be fine, but OTOH you might get one that fails after carting it around in a rainforest for a few months. In the case of Panasonic, such a failure has no chance of repair - all they offer is a discount on a new one. I've no idea if this Hasselblad lens has any such known design issues, but if you're concerned, getting the longest warranty might be worth it for peace of mind.

5) But in the final analysis, a difference of £5k is a HUGE difference. If it were me, I'd do some digging on the reliability of the lens in question and if the runes are good, then I'd go for it!

Hope that helps!

[Simon Bee]

They used to have a rep on the TP forum that dealt with problems but she may have left , how much do they go for if perfect ?

This latest version is nigh on impossible to find. The 'Pro Cenre' ( formally run by 'blad ) would ask about 2.5x this price. That said there is a very limited market for such a lens so I guess most dealers would want to shift it quick and thus price accordingly.

[Simon Bee]

I have limited experience with MPB, as I've mostly bought from LCE. I did buy a lens last year, struggled with it for a while and eventually declared it faulty. When I received the replacement, a stunner, it made me realise just how awful the first one was. I have to say MPB were really nice to deal with and the return process (for a straight swap) was painless, but I was disappointed that they had let the faulty lens through.
You could always contact them with your concern about the dent; perhaps they can put your mind at ease.

I have spoke with them, they were not aware of the dent until I pointed it out

[Box Brownie]

I can surmise that such a prestige brand lens is robustly made.......but such a 'dent' as you pointed out, with no other obvious signs IMO suggests it has struck or been struck very/quite hard. With the best will in the world I would be concerned about the potential for internal damage. Though such damage may not be obvious at this time?

The other thing I noticed was in the picture of the mount end. There is clearly abrasion wear as evidenced by the Matt black painted surface being rubbed down to the bare metal on the black flanges. Is that considered 'cosmetic wear', if so why and what do those flanges do. Plus FWIW & IMO cosmetic wear should not relate to anything other than the exterior surfaces.

[Simon Bee]

A few points from me:

1) I've used MPB a lot and I have nothing but good things to say about them. They never quibble with a refund if you're unhappy so you can be confident in taking a piece of kit for a spin. If you return based on simply changing your mind they'll ask you to cover return postage, but if there is a reasonable reason for rejection, they'll cover it. As a case in point, I recently ordered a Panasonic 70-200 f4 from them. It was described as being in "excellent" condition. It worked fine, but I spotted a very small scratch on the front element - hard to see and definitely not causing any IQ issues. However, I wasn't 100% happy so sent them a mail asking if I could return or if they could offer a reduction in price if I kept it. I got a call within a few hours from a nice lady who explained that the scratch was in fact declared in the listing (which I'd obviously not read!) and its price was already reduced to reflect this. She offered however to either refund me and cover return postage, or else to send me another lens of the same type in stock if I paid any difference in price. I elected to just get a refund and it was collected the day after at no cost to me.

2) Having said all that, the lens you're looking at is described as in "Good cosmetic condition". That's two notches down from the best (which are "Like New", and "Excellent"). As such, it will have some cosmetic marks as you're seeing. Whether that bothers you is obviously only something you can decide. Personally, i try to avoid anything less than "Excellent", but I accept that's more about my own OCD than anything that would stop the gear producing great images.

3) I doubt that such a small cosmetic mark could cause a problem that would lie latent for six months or longer. I think if you do your own checks on receipt and it all works fine then I'd be surprised if it didn't stay like that.

4) Modern lenses are complex with lots of electrical, electro-mechanical, and mechanical parts. Things can fail. The Panasonic 70-200 f4 I mentioned is a £1800 lens at RRP and it's "Leica Certified". Despite all that, it seems there is a known problem caused by failure of the glue that secures some coils in the AF assembly. The result is dead AF. The time to failure is generally measured in years but it depends somewhat on environmental factors (heat, humidity). So, you could own a lens for 10+ years and it would be fine, but OTOH you might get one that fails after carting it around in a rainforest for a few months. In the case of Panasonic, such a failure has no chance of repair - all they offer is a discount on a new one. I've no idea if this Hasselblad lens has any such known design issues, but if you're concerned, getting the longest warranty might be worth it for peace of mind.

5) But in the final analysis, a difference of £5k is a HUGE difference. If it were me, I'd do some digging on the reliability of the lens in question and if the runes are good, then I'd go for it!

Hope that helps!

Indeed Paul it is the price difference that is keeping me looking at it. I can get a mint earlier version ( 100k shutter rated ) for about £2.5k but this latest lens has a shutter that's rated 10x higher at 1 million.
OK if the mint one is around 10k actuations how likely am I going to get beyond 100k given this is a hobby and a sort of camera that does not get used like a machine gun? Then again this latest version has a completely redesigned and uprated shutter plus it will also AF with the 'X mirrorless' bodies should I decide to get one in future, the earlier version will not.

[pdk42]

Go for it Simon. YOLO and all that!

[Dave in Wales]

All good from me.

But, but, i'v only ever sold to them

[Wreckdiver]

I use MPB quite a lot now, Nikon D7200 for my son, E-M1X batteries, Olympus 100-400mm lens and yesterday a low shutter count D850. Saved quite a bit of money but also more environmentally friendly reusing good equipment over buying new. Had very good service from them and now my first port of call for used gear (HDEW for new gear). Very good company.

[Simon Bee]

"Box Brownie" .... Yep exactly my way of thinking.
I'm very familiar with Hasselblad, having owned and used several over a couple of decades. They are indeed built for rugged professional use but like anything else can fail given the right ( wrong ) circumstances.
Like you the things that stands out to me are ......

1) Where the dent is ... i.e. the edge of the focussing ring, that ring is geared to the AF motor for instant manual override.

2) The rubber focussing ring is 'proud' and meant to be so, under normal use it does a very good job of protecting the mechanism thus it would not normally be easy to damaged the focussing ring where and in the way such damage has occurred.

3) That ring is very robust and I can see no further obvious damage on the barrel so like you I am lead to believe it was likely struck quite hard in the area of the damage plus the fact they had not previously picked it up and it took my keen eye to point it out is troublesome.

I guess I'll stick with my instincts to ere on the side of caution. There are other options open to me and it may be wise to pursue them.

[Box Brownie]

Best of luck with whatever you decide and finding one at price and condition that 'sits better with you'.

[Crazy Dave]

I guess that it is the luck of the draw. I sold a camera in 2021 to MPB, they quoted a price, I accepted and that’s what they paid - all good.

However, last November, I purchased a battery or thought I had. It’s too long and convoluted to bore you with the details other than to say at the second attempt, they sent the wrong item, the third attempt went AWOL and I gave up. As far as I can tell, you cannot speak to anyone at MPB, contact is made via the Chat system, I found that highly unsatisfactory.

I think that I’d have to be desperate to use them again. Conversely, I found dealing with Park Cameras easy and agreeable, that’s where I recently bought a camera and lens. Second-hand and indistinguishable from new.

David

[drmarkf]

I’m sure MPB are a good organisation, and I’m sure they would work with any customer to put things right if there was an issue.

I’ve bought and sold various things with them over the years and I’d just raise 2 issues:

Once they sent me a Panasonic G3 body rather than the Sony/Zeiss 35mm lens I’d ordered. They sorted it reasonably quickly at no cost to me.

I bought a PL 17mm f1.7 from them, described as “excellent”: it was indeed excellent, but only after I’d carefully cleaned a layer of some unidentified grease off the outside of the body and front element. It looked like it had been used to document work in a fish & chip shop for 6 months! Anyway, it came off easily and careful testing showed it’s giving fine results.