Vintage film cameras

[Kenzie]

Want to get out shooting but don't seem to have any time. Just won a Lubitel 2 tlr. Hoping that it will work ok. It should have the ability to focus.

Sent from my Xperia

[Kenzie]

You guys ever seen one of these? Its an Olympus Six 381813231928

[johnnyrod]

Not in the flesh but there are a few around, not many, and mainly on sale from Japan

[johnnyrod]

Did you bid on it?

Had some success today, got the shutter mounted on the Certo again, I managed to clean up the screw threads with a combination of small screwdriver scraping, elbow grease and persistence. I don't think my blood ended up on it. Anyway was going to have a stab at collimation tonight but my tripod is in the same bedroom as our sleeping daughter, oops. If I can get hold of a screw to fit the hole in the focus ring then I have a plan but you might have to finish the job yourself. If so then you could print a spacer to go behind the focus ring. Then bottom it out on the spacer, adjust the infinity focus and clamp it, then just try not to unscrew it in use! Infinity is always closest to the film.

[Kenzie]

No, I think it will go for too much. My Vito ii arrived today. It's tiny! Gave it a good clean and loaded a roll of AGFA APX 100. I really appreciate all your efforts to revive the Certo by the way, should send something to say thanks. My eBay watch list is rather long. Got a bid on a Pentax Nettar. The listing is for a Pentax ME Super and a Zeiss Ikon Nettar, so it should slip under the radar. Hope the Bessa will be more straightforward! Wonder how Yoko is getting on.

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[johnnyrod]

I wondered for a moment what a Pentax Nettar was! Hey it's no problem, some things like the knackered threads are frustrating, as is anything missing parts (and for no reason), but it'll live and I'd never leave anyone in the lurch. That and I've got a fixation with fixing things instead of binning them, I once opened up the speedo in my Peugeot 309 and had to adjust the position of the plastic worm gear that made the odometer work as it had worn in one area and started counting double miles (at 150k it was almost academic I guess). If you care, it was spring loaded so when you put it in reverse it wouldn't count any miles - Ferris Bueller would have been scuppered by this one too. I'm on the lookout for a Roberts radio for our kitchen, which is being refitted in January, need to try to get one fully working as if I start on anything else I think Mrs. Rod will blow a gasket.

Taken no pictures. It's half term next week and I am off on Tuesday for Spawn Herding duty, so thinking of taking her to Yorkshire Sculpture Park for a bit of a walk and take her digi camera, not used it for a while.

[Kenzie]

Sounds like a plan. The Lubitel and the Rondo arrived today. Managed to get the shutter in the Rondo working but noticed a fingerprint inside the lens where I can't get at. Hoping it won't affect IQ but who knows. The Lubitel has been repaired at some point and also has a piece of a wood with a tripod screw glued to the bottom as well as some sketch of stick people glued to the back. Shutter fires but just needs a good clean. Focus at infinity seems a bit off.

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[johnnyrod]

Have been wrestling with the Certo again, I think I'm done. I can't figure out how to collimate it, and the lens doesn't match any photos I have. They seemed to have a lot of different versions of this. What i have managed to work out is that the frontmost lens element, which has a silver (nickel) ring bearing the distances, is the focus ring - it has a coarse, multiple thread. So, this is a front-cell focusing camera. This screws into a black ring (which holds the middle element) on a fine thread. This thread is too fine and not long enough to be the focusing thread. Simply screwing everything in doesn't work, alas - but that's how it is right now, and the 40ft mark aligns roughly with the V mark on the face plate, which I think is meant to be the scale indicator. If you unscrew the black ring until the infinity mark lines up (just slightly less than one full turn) then I think that's the right spot - the black ring wants to be locked in place (somehow) so you can focus using the front cell (nickel ring). The fineness of the thread on the black ring also suggests it's for collimation not focusing for shooting (there is something analogous on the RF model I have). To confuse things though, there are badly-drilled holes in the black ring that suggest screws that would clamp it to the nickel ring, I think these are a red herring though as you wouldn't be able to focus it right. So... if I'm right then what it needs is something like a washer behind the black ring so it can be screwed in tight. The washer needs to be the right thickness so that, when the nickel focus ring is fully wound in, the infinity mark lines up with the V on the faceplate. I doubt this is how it was meant to be done, but unless you can figure something else out, then that's the way. You'll have to experiment with shimming it as the thread is fine, so a bit of thickness equals a lot of rotation. Anyway I've had enough of it for now so am putting it to one side! Sorry for the epistle, it'll make more sense when you have it in your hands again.

[Kenzie]

Hi Johnny, once again thanks for all the effort. I'm still amazed that you even got it all back together! I can always take a look at it when you send it back. I'll try to avoid sending over anything as complicated again! I'm sure you have some of your own projects to sort out? Oh yeah, took the front of the Rondo and didn't realise there was a detent ball and spring. Lost the spring but managed to find the ball. Took a spare spring from a stripped down Fujica GA that I have. Managed to repair quite a few cameras with bits from the GA.

[johnnyrod]

Don't worry about it, it's all fun. I'm half way through the Bessa, much easier (so far!). Boatloads of oil, I took the escapement out and it left an damp patch on my finger. So much in the shutter leaves that they were stiff just to push open, but all gone now, escapement and self-timer soaking overnight, should just be a case of putting it back together tomorrow. Doesn't look to have much if any adjustment so will check the speeds but they will probably be what they are. Glass looks good, bit of a clean still needed, all in it's a nice camera. I like how when the front door opens it also pops out the finder, and the shutter release lever on the door is a nice touch.