Vintage film cameras

[Kenzie]

The claw like lever at the 11 o'clock position is the shutter speed lever. The needs to touch the adjust ring on the face plate. So I've figured that much. Now need to work out the aperture adjustment and figure out where the spacer off the small cog in the 8 o'clock position went.

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[Kenzie]

Need to 'fess up to dumb moment of the day. Took my AGFA Optima for a walk and shoot, spent a couple of hours out and shot a roll of film. Came to unload it and found it empty.

[Kenzie]

Johnny, did you say you sent one of your cameras off for repair? I have put my Fujica GER back together and checked the focus and will run a test film through but it may need setting properly.

[johnnyrod]

HAHAHHHAHHAHHHAAAAAA like I've never done anything like that...

Hard to say about the Auto M without it in front of me alas.

I had a Pentax SLR lens fixed by Harrow Technical. There are other repairs people around but I don't really know to be honest. There are only so many things to check really - shutter speed, for which you can make an electronic gizmo for next to nothing, aperture, which you can measure yourself e.g. for a 50mm lens at f4 50/4=12.5mm and +/-20% or so but I've not found this to be wrong yet. Lens focus, and rangefinder setting if it has one. I guess the auto settings but it depends on the camera as to what there is to look for - aperture- or shutter-priority. The ones I've worked on all have shutters slower than the speeds on the dial but they're from the 1950s and 60s so the springs aren't so springy and the leaves get oily etc. They're all close enough to use though.

PS have actually looked up the GER and it's not going to be easy, better get your thinking cap on!
http://photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00aze6
Def worth a try first as it could all be fine

[Kenzie]

I held a focus screen from a spare om10 over the film plane and had it at infinity as well as the shortest focal length and it looked ok. Won't know until I shoot a roll. Dumbest thing I've ever done and its never happened before!

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[johnnyrod]

Sounds good enough for a try. I don't know if you can do manual focus but I set up a focus test at 1.5m with five objects at 1.40-1.50m and took a pic wide open (so minimum DoF and actually close enough to see clearly) as a final test.

We've had a Polaroid One in the drawer for years. I've been flogging various things on ebay, seems they go for about £20+. God knows why but I put it up there, is on £12 with a few bids and finishes tomorrow, will see what happens. I'd presumed it was dodo food.

[Kenzie]

I found the missing section of rangefinder mirror for the Yashica Lynx. Just sticking it back together. Now I know how to remove the rewind lever I have managed to get the whole top plate off. Just hoping I can figure of where it sits.

Edit. Managed to glue it back together and it is the mirror that lights up the framing marks in the viewfinder. Everything is drying now and will slap it back together tonight.

Edit again

All back together but the shutter sticks at anything less than 250s.

[Kenzie]

I had another Kodak Retinette 1b arrive with the view of using it to repair the other. However when I took the front off I found that the mechanism was just stuck and I managed to free it off. Not sure what I will do with the old one. Bought a Fujica GA to possibly steal the lens for the GER if I can't get it to work.

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[johnnyrod]

Blimey!

The Polaroid went for £24 in the end, unbelievable! Had no luck with fixing the Konica S, I can't turn up a couple of aperture leaves for anything. It only seems to share them with some varieties of Yashica Lynx and itself. Where do you get all these old cameras from?

I also started looking at a Japanese auction site. OMG it's almost like pron.

[Kenzie]

Well you can't have my Yashica Lynx 1000! Might disassemble the 1b for the sake of spare screws etc. Will see what the blades look like. Mostly get the camera from eBay but Carrboro sales or charity shops. Search for "old camera" on eBay as people who don't know what they are selling don't put a name on the auction. Also people at carboots often don't know what they are selling and I´be had some serious bargains.

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