Balda Baldessa repair?

This is perhaps a bit of a long shot, but is anyone familiar with these cameras?

 

Shutter release doesn't appear to be doing anything. Wind crank is blocked, I'm assuming because it's wound. I was able to cock the shutter, but the release appears to be having no effect.

 

Any ideas?

No specific knowledge of the Baldessa. Some cameras from that era need a film in to actuate the mechanism, or at least need the sprocket wheel rotated by your finger.

Nope, tried that :(

 

I've done a little exploring and it looks like someone has been here before me, which is never a good sign. Screwdriver marks and the wires to the flash have been cut.

 

Top plate comes off easily enough and I can see how to separate the lens/shutter/rf/vf/meter assembly (the front plate) from the film chamber and wind mechanism (the body), but I need to remove the bottom plate in order to do so...

 

...and that is where I'm stuck.

 

No visible screws.

 

Peeled back the leatherette, still no screws.

 

Stumped for now.

Any help here? : Baldessa Disassembly

Thanks, I'll give it a look when I'm ready to have another go (it's in the drawer of shame for now).

 

I can see what look like two screw holes in the bottom of the film chamber, but no screws. This would correspond with how the top plate was secured.

 

There is a large screw in the middle of the tripod bush, but it doesn't appear to be actually screwed into anything, just loose.

 

Given the evidence of previous work, I'm beginning to wonder if someone didn't glue the base plate to the chassis...

I also have a non-working 6x6 Balda. I think it's the shutter. I've thought about trying to get it repaired but the viewfinder is so poor that it's probably not worth the trouble.

Thanks, Here's an obituary:

Modern Photography 1986-03

Thanks, Here's an obituary:

[ATTACH=full]1359010[/ATTACH]

Modern Photography 1986-03

And they are still in business last I checked...

 

Correction, I just checked, it looks like they have been acquired by an Italian company that started to make glass bottles in Venice 71 years ago.

 

Last I checked the about section of the Balda page, early 2010, they specifically covered their camera history, this is not the case now :(

Ralf, just as a bit of history and to acquaint some of our members with the Baldessa, here are links to a couple of ancient CMC posts. I believe there's even a photograph of your Baldessa somewhere in their depths.

 

The Beautiful Baldessa from Bunde

 

Briefly, the Balda Baldessa 1a

Ralf, just as a bit of history and to acquaint some of our members with the Baldessa, here are links to a couple of ancient CMC posts. I believe there's even a photograph of your Baldessa somewhere in their depths.

 

The Beautiful Baldessa from Bunde

 

Briefly, the Balda Baldessa 1a

Ah Rick, great memorable post. Balda made beautiful cameras, but a pity that most of them don't have the best optics that were available in the market at the time. It makes no difference in your posts however, the photos are top notch as always.

I too have seen beautiful Balda cameras from the past.. I own the one breifly mentioned in JD's article , the Vito CS..not their golden past, but well made, sporting the lovely Skopar... needs a battery to work. I took mine out of the drawer where it had been sleeping for a few years and took it with me to Berlin..a quick check showed the batteries to be Ok and I love "flyin' by the seat of your pants" as the expression goes. Camera performed better than the photographer.

 

This post is devolving into a Balda tribute... not much help with the shutter problem...sorry :)

 

A tribute thread is fine by me, they are cute cameras. Mine is still in the drawer of shame, but I'll dig it out for another go when the power comes back on (tree on electric line) and maybe some photos, though it's nowhere near as pretty as Rick's examples.

Progress has been made!

 

Whilst I still haven't been able to get the base plate off, I have found the problem and something of a work-around, though not the most convenient one.

 

The issue appears to be in the wind-shutter interlock, which serves to lock the wind key once the film has been advanced one frame (180° rotation of the advance 'key') and should then unlock it once the shutter has been released. Locking works, unlocking, not so. By poking a small screwdriver through the tripod bushing, I can flick the interlock lever into the unlocked position and wind a frame. So it lives!

 

 

I can't agree with the sentiment that I've seen expressed elsewhere on the internet that these are cheap and nasty cameras. Rather, I would say that they were designed and built to a price, but with the engineers going to great lengths to ensure that the buyer really was getting the most for their money, and in a very neat package!

 

You get an f2.8 45mm lens, 1/500th to 1/15th second shutter plus B, coupled rangefinder, bright viewfinder with parallax-corrected bright lines, fully coupled lightmeter displayed in the viewfinder, external PC flash sync AND an integrated, pop-up bulb flash, accessory shoe, self timer, automatic frame counter.

 

I really can't think of anything else they could have included.

 

 

The camera is built up from a series of sub-assemblies, all mounted to the body casting. The front plate houses the lens/shutter, rangefinder, viewfinder and meter. The bottom plate houses the winding mechanism and the top plate everything related to the built in flash. It was clearly designed for easy assembly and mass production.

 

 

Winding is via the large flat key on the base of the camera, a half turn (180°) is all it takes. To rewind, slide the switch marked 'R', causing the rewind crank to pop out and, I assume, disengaging the sprockets. In the centre of the rewind crank is a film advance telltale, showing that your film is correctly loaded and advancing. Note the little foot under the lens to stop the camera falling on it's nose.

 

 

 

Pop-up flash, lightmetering by Gossen.

 

 

An attempt to show how bright the viewfinder is. It has a strong purple tint, while the circular rangefinder spot is more neutral or yellow in tone.

 

 

Big, bright frame lines and a meter display in the viewfinder, what more do you need? The red lines are coupled to aperture and shutter, there is a needle coupled to the meter, just centre the needle between the lines (there wasn't enough light for the needle to show, but trust me, it works).

 

 

Adjusted the rangefinder vertical alignment (two screws to remove the top plate, horizontal and vertical RF adjustments are staring you right in the face) and checked the meter, looks to be 'close enough', tending toward 1 stop over exposure, loaded up a 15 year expired roll of Foma 100 and off we go.

 

Photos once we've finished the roll, which may take a while.

 

Very pleasant camera to use.

again, Nice report, thanks.

Well done, I wish I had your patience and persistence. I'm afraid if it were mine, it would have been on its way to the dead camera box.

Excellent, Steve! Looking forward to the pics.

I desperately need to find something that isn't damp forest and soggy cows to take pictures of!

Ok, as promised:

 

Les vaches Limousines mouillées

 

There were a few issues, not least that 15 year old Fomapan has a wicked curl. Frame spacing was off in places, with a couple of overlapping frames, but nothing serious. There was some light bleed at the frame edges with bright skies. Rangefinder looks to be good though, meter, shutter, all works.

 

On to the cows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All full frames, with no cropping in the interest of presenting the fairest view of the camera.

 

The 'Color-Isconar' is plenty sharp when you get the focus right, with a tendency to swirl under certain conditions.

 

 

All in all, I found it a very usable little camera, I think any family would have been quite satisfied with this in the 1960s.

 

 

(Please excuse dust and hairs on the scans, one dog and two cats does not make for a clean house!)

Encouraging results, Steve. I don't have a Baldessa with the Color Isconar lens, but it appears to be an adequate performer. Great that you could resurrect the camera, despite the slightly irritating film advance procedure.

Nice results and handsome subjects. I've had good experience with Balda camaras, like the Super Baldina;

 

LINK -- Some Shots with the Baldina

 

Also a Super Baldax 6x6cm coupled rangefinder which I've still got:

 

LINK -- Some Shots with a Super Baldax

Thanks.

 

I think it's worth another roll, despite the need to carry a screwdriver for the film advance.

 

I also realised that I made an error on the 'scanning' - the enlarger negative carrier that I use wasn't properly locked shut, so the film wasn't as flat as it should have been.

The Baldina Super is a very attractive camera, too. There was an earlier folding Super Baldina, which may cause Google a little confusion...