don_gillette1

<p>I had a lot of good shots with a Konica auto s2 the hexanon lens is super sharp but is a fixed lens and not wide angle. If you are considering an older 35 remember to have it checked out by a camera repair man. There is a camera for everyone mine is the original leicaflex and with my older eyes the super bright view is spectacular and this is a bit heavy but built like a tank. It has a center focus spot like the old leica rf cameras. There are a lot of things to weigh when buying budget, weight ,and adaptability etc. Good luck and let us know what you get.</p>

<p>Yes there is a booby trap if removing base where you need squared drive to remove reverse screw in tripod but for the top it is pretty straight forward except for the meter cam as mentioned. I start at the rewind first there is a 1mm screw on the rewind knob that has to be loosened then you can un screw knob by holding spool shaft. I make sure shutter speed is on 1/2000 before removing cover. Then remove shutter speed dial with a two pointed drive ccw. (special tool) or you can make one from piece of wood with two finishing nails in spaced properly and filed to fit small slots on release collar. remove shutter dial 3 1 mm screws , Next remove retainer ring with spanner ,then remove another retainer ring with spanner . Now remove two shiny chrome screws on front by lens mount. Next step is to remove grub screw under meter plate, Now you can remove battery cover and then use some sort of ferrul spanner or home made wood one so as not to scratch metal of battery housing chamber. Next step is to carefully back off to grub screws in side top of film guide rail area there are two holes for this, carefully remove eye piece and light baffle this is plastic so be gentle. Here is where it gets interesting remove with spanner the ring that is around the rewind shaft. Now you can remove the top. carefully lift off top. All this just to replace strap lugs. Now if you have tools time and patience success and replace top in reverse order. Putting the shutter on 1/2000 puts thing in right location for the asa cam. While you have the top off you might clean the prism held by two screws and hold down spring. Good luck, Don</p>

<p>Another check would be to test the continuity of the circuit with a v.o.m to make sure all is ok. I have also had the battery holder center terminal break, I repaired it by undercutting the plastic in the holder and burnishing what is left and soldering a thin wire from there to the center of the holder where I placed a tapered compression spring soldered to that wire and then put epoxy over the excavation and channel cut in the plastic. Who ever owned this before me left the battery stored inside and it corroded. Better way would have been to find new holder but I didn't find any. Other batteries will work but check exposure accuracy and compensate by asa dial. The mercury batteries were good , they lasted for a long time and held accuracy but died quickly after their expiation date.</p>

<p>You might take a look at <strong>fedka google it, It might be a lot cheaper to get a Russian copy , I have used them and they are pretty sharp.</strong></p>

<p>One piece of advice to make sure it never recurs is to make sure there is a back on camera and dark slide in it and to be careful when changing backs to not be near the shutter release with other hand, I had this happen and your directions are very good. Also keep camera shutter uncharged when not in use this also keeps tension off internal springs of synchro compure shutter.</p>

<p>If you plan to keep the old lens you might think of having both boards so as ton interchange quickly.</p>

<p>There seems to be a problem with terms , a press focus tab will open the shutter not the diaphragm this saves you from having to use a cable release and putting shutter on b to focus.</p>

<p>I use a rubber band wide and size of outer barrel it usually works and if not a bit of lighter fluid around the perimeter then try again. for the rear element some have knurling or a way to grip. I am not sure for it has been a long time since repairing these. Any way you look at it glass has to come off to clean shutter.</p>

<p>If I remember correctly first remove front element then there is a brass ring that has to come off After removing ring you should be able to remove front plate. Then you will see the cam plate you will see pins sticking through those slots. You can remove cam plate But remember all those pins have to be aligned back in the slots. If you are going to clean shutter I recommend also removing rear element. The copal is a fairly good shutter except they were made of mostly brass that can wear. Now to clean it I usually used my ultra sonic cleaner with solvent. Make sure it is dried before re oiling. Take a pin just put the least amount of clock oil at each pivot hole. Don't use any other type of oil. There are different ways to clean a shutter but a full cla is the best. If you have any questions let me know. I know this sounds complicated but after doing a few it becomes easy, the next best thing is find a camera repairman, but know it will cost.</p>

<p>Looks to me like a Koni Omega rapid or rapid m, If you have the Hexanon lens excellent.</p>

<p>I agree with Stephen it would probably have no noticeable affect on photos. Even the best optical glass can have bubbles and the size is checked at manufacture. I was a camera salesman back in the 60s and the factory rep told us that small bubbles are common and will not affect image quality, It doesn't look like anything to be concerned about at least it isn't fungus or separation.</p>

<p>The problem is mainly that the leica flex lenses have a back focus of 47mm , Leicaflex lenses can be adapted to Nikon but not the other way around because Leicaflex has such a long back focus which is the distance from lens mount to film plane. A Nikon or other lens adapted will not focus to infinity on a Leicaflex.</p>

<p>Yes as Pete mentioned Exakta's have to be operated in an exact manner (no pun intended). That is that to use self timer or long slow speeds the shutter has to be tensioned first and set to b or t then tension the large slow speed knob otherwise damage can occur. I would advise shooting a test roll first because 3/4 of all the Exaktas I have had pin holes in the rubberized cloth shutter or worse yet wrinkles. I have replaced curtains on two of mine and it took me about a week on and off working on them. The Exakta cameras were like the vw beetle, didn't change looks much in the basic body. I also have a beautiful Minolta srt mc with f1.4 lense which is easier and faster to use. Good luck and lets see some pics....Don Gillette</p>

<p>Yes but just a replacement for the original Argus C3, I saw one for bargain price and my will power was low. after that was a Werra 1, Petriflex 5, Leica 3c with nikkor lens, Zorki 1, then Leica M3,2,1 , then Leicaflex original which had the brightest view, then a large plethora of cameras, just couldn't decide. The Argus was simple, worked nicely but I had to devise system to remember if I had advanced film to next frame. Is there a group for us camera-holics?</p>

<p>The argus c3 is pretty reliable and simple, And for the price hard to beat. And I agree that the retina reflex and range finder cameras can be problematic. I once used a retina range finder camera and the film advance jammed. It used a straight gear inside to advance the film and that went bad on mine now it is a paper weight. A camera that is reliable and usually cheap rice is the Minolta srt series. Many lenses are still available and I found them easy to fix. The argus a series is a very basic camera and lens isn't up to par with Minolta rokkors. I once modified an argus a and removed the lens put a long focal length lens on with about 100 mm, it was a very easy job and had a ball. Good luck and let us know what you decide on.</p>