Wirgin Edinex II - film transport?

<p>I recently added a Wirgin Edinex II to my collection, and was wondering if anyone could confirm my deductions about the film advance technique? I don't own any other camera as old as this one.<br>

The film transport mechanism is a little difficult to fathom at first, but it appears to work like this. On either side of the top plate there are two small movable wheels (or dials). The wheel to the left has an arrow that indicates anti-clockwise rotation (to the right). On the right dial there are the markings V, with an arrow indicating anti-clockwise rotation (to the right), and R with an arrow indicating clockwise rotation (to the left).<br>

When the right wheel is set to R, the control to the left locks, and the film roller moves freely in either direction. When the setting is changed to V, the left wheel is unlocked, and the film roller locks. The left hand control can now be turned, which allows the film roller to rotate by the equivalent of one frame, and increments the frame counter. I'm guessing the V is Vorwarts (forwards), and the R is Ruckwarts (backwards)?<br>

I posted this question on an old Edinex thread, but I guess it will never be found there.<br>

<img src="http://www.camera.portraits.srv2.com/pictures/edinex25.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" /><br>

<a href="http://www.camera.portraits.srv2.com">My film camera collection</a></p>

<p>The R-V dial controls the direction of the movement of the film. The "V" setting allows unexposed film to advance one frame at a time from left to right (i.e., in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the "V" and the left hand dial). After the entire roll of film has been exposed, turn the right hand dial clockwise to the "R" setting and rewind the film back into the cartridge by turning the large knob on the left hand side clockwise. The following link may be of some help:</p>

<p><a href="

<p>Thanks Gordon, but it doesn't work in the way you have described: it works in exactly the way I have described. What's unfamiliar to me is the fact that the additional left side control facilitates the degree of film advance. Without first operating this "switch", the film will not advance at all.<br>

I was just curious as whether this mechanism was common in 35mm cameras of the early 1950s?</p>

<p>Butkus has a manual for what may be a similar camera (I can't see from the picture above) at<br>

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/wirgin/wirgin_edina_i_ii/wirgin_edina_i_ii.htm </p>

<p>I think the R-V dial is the normal rewind/advance switch common to cameras of this vintage. It sounds like the left hand dial may be a double exposure prevention device, commonly found on moderately priced amateur cameras made in the 1950s and earlier. I have Wirgin Edina rangefinders but no Edinexes in my collection, so I don't have any hands-on experience. If you have a junk roll of film, try running it through the camera as a test.</p>

<p>Another link of interest, in which the poster describes the two dials as "rewind release knobs":</p>

<p><a href="http://cameracollector.proboards.com/thread/8097/wirgin-edixa-edinex">http://cameracollector.proboards.com/thread/8097/wirgin-edixa-edinex</a></p>

<p>I still supect that the left hand dial is a film winding interlock of some kind, the function of which may be clearer when you actually load a roll of film. Wirgin designs were always a little quirky.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks Gordon. The double exposure prevention device idea is a really good one, however the shutter is cocked by a separate lever, but I think you might be along the right lines: it's a double wind-on prevention device, either by design or accident. I've experimented, and satisfied myself how it works, but I think I'm just struggling to get my head around the logic (from a user perspective), which might be a mistake? At the end of the day I think it's just an unfamiliar design solution to a mechanical objective.</p>

<p>I think some people are over thinking this. The Edinex II's shutter is not coupled to the body of the camera at all. There is absolutely no type of double exposure prevention on this camera because the body of the camera is completely independent of the shutter. You could take 10 exposures all on top of one another without advancing the film, or you could advance the film 3 times without firing the shutter at all.<br>

<br />The Edinex II functions similarly to the Argus C3 and Certo Dollina which are two other 35mm film cameras that were originally designed in the 1930s. The Argus C3 has a film catch on top of the camera, and the Certo Dollina has one on the front of the camera. In both of those instances, in order to advance the film for the next exposure, you must put pressure on the film catch while simultaneously turning the film advance knob. You only need to apply pressure to the film catch to get the film advance started. Once the knob starts moving, you can release pressure on the film catch and keep advancing the film until it stops, at which time it is ready for the next exposure.<br>

<br />The Edinex II works much in the same way, except instead of a 'film catch', you have that little disc on the left top side of the camera. This only works properly when film is in the camera, but if you want to play with it, you can mimic film by opening the rear door and using your thumb to spin the sprocket shaft that would normally move if film was in the camera.<br>

<br />To see it in action, turn the R/V wheel so it is in the "V" position and open the rear door. Using your right thumb, try to rotate the sprocket shaft counterclockwise. It shouldn't move. This is how the camera would be when you are ready to take your picture. Pretend you make an exposure and now you're ready to advance the film. Using your left thumb, put counterclockwise pressure on the disc on the left side of the camera. While doing this, using your right thumb, you can begin rotating the sprocket shaft counterclockwise. This is the motion that would happen if you were advancing the film. Once you begin moving the sprocket just a little bit, let go of the disc with your left thumb and continue rotating the sprocket shaft with your right thumb until it stops. Once you feel it click into position, the camera thinks you have advanced one frame of film. Pretend to take another picture and apply pressure to the disc again, and rotate the shaft again to go to the next frame. You would keep doing this until you run out of film, at which time, you would rotate the R/V disc to the "R" position, and then using the left knob on top of the camera, rewind the film back into the cassette.</p>