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FTb Aperture Needle


cesar_gomez1

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I just bought an FTb with what I think is a broken meter. The meter needle does

swing up and down depending on the amount of light. But the aperture needle is

always just above the meter index no matter what aperture setting I use. Even in

stop-down mode, the needle stays in the same place (It's supposed to swing all

the way down, right?). Is this an easy fix? Or am I missing something? I know I

can use the camera without the meter, but it is a lot more convenient than

carrying around a handheld meter. Thanks!

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If the camera was dropped then the mechanism can be broken. If not then there is either dirt or oil in the mechanism or the wire connecting the battery compartment to the meter mechanism needs to be replaced. The original FTb (all metal film advance lever) went out of production in about 1974. This means that the very newest one is 34 years old. The FTbN (plastic tip film advance lever) was made for several more years but even the newest one is about 30 year old now. If you like the camera I would recommend that you send it to Essex Camera Service in Carlstadt, NJ. For about $110 they will completely overhaul it. That price might even include modifying the camera to acceot 1.5 violt batteries. You will then have a camera in good working order and which should give many years of dependable use.
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The camera is the early model. It doesn't show any signs of being dropped, but I could

be wrong. The price for even a cheap hand held meter is $100+ which means that an

overhaul makes more sense, since it would get a CLA and the meter adjusted. Should

be good for another 20 years!

 

Just to clarify, the only way to fix that needle would be to open up the camera, right?

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Cesar, I have an old beater F1 which has a similar problem. The mechanical coupling from the aperture needle in the meter window to the lens aperture arm is probably not following (spring repair?). I'm told it is a simple fix during a CLA. Who knows. Good luck. Regards.
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  • 2 weeks later...

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