Edixa Reflex B

<p>Hi all, Merry Xmas to you, I have just aquired this beautiful piece of machinery, it is in exceptional condition for a fifty year old camera, one slight problem, it only fires on the slow speeds, the shutter dial for normal speeds just turns quite freely and does nothing. The wind on is smooth and when the shutter is fired it sounds quite nice, but I think it is stuck on the B setting as when the release is pressed the shutter stays open until the button is released, move the slow speed setting to 10, 5 2, 1 and once again the shutter stays open until the button is released , but if you press and release the button quickly the slow speed escapement takes over and the shutter closes after the appropriate delay and they sound about right, I do not know whether this is normal on an Edixa or not. I do not know whether it makes sense to have the shutter overhauled or who could do it here in England, personally the camera is in such nice condition I consider it worthwhile depending on cost. The mirror has a couple of marks on it but the shutter curtains and inside the back look immaculate as though it hasnt been used very much at all. Ive included a picture of the beast with a 30mm 3.5 Pentacon pre-set lens which is of course the previously named Lydith. I could always use it on a tripod with slow film and tiny apertures. Any comments would be helpful and appreciated.</p><div></div>

<p>It sounds to me like the pin on the shutter dial has broken off. Easy enough to check by simply unscrewing the two screws on the top of the dial. Be careful because there is a spring under the dial, but once unscrewed just lift the dial out and see if the pin is broken.</p>

<p>Thanks for the info Dave, I will check as soon as I have quiet time after the Xmas rush is over, if it is the pin maybe it is something I can fix myself or look for a scrapper body to cannibalise.</p>

<p>The Edixa-Wirgin SLRs have a rock-solid look (and feel) but actually are not. They were slammed together from cheaply made parts and also suffered from some design flaws which were never cured until Wirgin went bancrupt (rather due to design flaws of a completely new camera, the Edixa Electronica - second model). <br>

So it is not easy to find a fully working one. I had this luck 1 and a half time (the second Edixa just suffered from an almost stuck slow speed escapement which I managed to get back to almost full operation). Also, it will be no problem to find a body to cannibalize some parts. <br>

There were many models of Edixa SLRs over the many years of production but the basic design of the shutter was never changed so chances are that you can get the parts if you need some. <br>

Once they are working they are fun to use ... and to see how a small german company tried to compete the japanese invasion with such an outdated design (these cameras were made until 1970 or so, the latest ones with an integrated, but not coupled, TTL meter). </p>

<p>Hi Winfried, I had read that the Edixa Reflex cameras were a bit crude in the internals to put it midly, I have just taken the shutter dial off and indeed the pin has sheared off, I have removed what remained of the pin from inside the shutter dial, problem is now finding a suitable pin/nail/screw to replace it, the hole is only about 1mm in diameter so finding something robust enough may be a problem. The camera does feel quite robust on the outside which belies the fragile internals, looks more like something the Russians would throw together, I am in no rush so I have time to look around now I know what to look for. Many thanks for your comments.</p>

<p>Robert I would look for a complete dial from another camera, non-working Edixas come up for sale on ebay over in your part of the world quite frequently for very little money. If you cannot find one, I have a black dial I could send but I'm in the U.S.</p>

<p>I would also comment that I don't really see any flaws in the Edixa Reflex <em>design</em>. One build flaw would be the soft brass used in the gearing, but if you treat the camera respectfully this should not be a problem. The design of the Edixa Reflex has more in common with later SLRs than does the design of the Exakta or Praktica of the same era (1954), so obviously they had hit upon the right idea. The later Edixas are built pretty shoddily though, the early ones are quite well finished in my experience. Commonly all a pre c. 1965 Edixa needs is a little dusting out and a few tiny drops of oil to work properly - which is not any worse than you'd expect from most other cameras of the era.</p>

<p>Hi Dave thanks for the offer, I will keep my eye open for a scrapper, I did notice that the gear wheel that has the holes in for different shutter speeds, did appear as though it hadnt been treated gently, the holes looked to be a little bit worn. I just hope I can find something on EBay, as I say no rush though. Many thanks.</p>

<p>One design flaw are the shutter rollers. They are very thin (rather axes than drums) and the shutter curtains have to be bent in a rather small radius. Together with the sync contact (which was added later to this design), very high shutter speeds (1/1000) easily get somewhat erratic.<br>

However, when treated carefully, these beasts MAY work several decades. My first Edixa (without slow speeds) worked flawless right from the start.<br>

The Edixas were also called "poor man's Nikon", due to the interchangeable focussing screens and viewfinders and the numerous lenses available for the M42 mount. There was even a third-party meter prism (A. Schacht Travemat), but it is not easy to find a working one, it took me three attempts to find one. But it compares in no way to the Nikon Photomic.</p>

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