Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 534/16 film frame adjustment

My 534/16 film frame spacing is far too close and by the last few are

non existant. Can anyone tell me how this is adjusted please?

Roger

Roger, that's pretty much the norm on a Super Ikonta IV.

To see any real improvement, it will need to have its film advance gear assembly cleaned and lubed.

I usually make sure that the start of the film's paper backing is wound as tightly as possible onto the take up spool and try to shoot the roll in one sitting if possible. This seems to help, but the frame spacing is still tighter than on my other folders with an auto film advance.

I use a Super Ikonta III and wind a little more than necessary onto to the take up spool when I start a new roll. About an inch to 2 inches. I get the impression that Kodak Portra has less problems than Fuji Reala. I have not used Reala for years, so you might want to take that statement with a grain of salt.

I also take care to wind the film slowly and smoothly. Rapid winding seems to make the problem worse.

Here is a new contribution to this classical problem.

I think that the gear usually works as it should and it

does not help to clean it (who can do that?).

The problem is due to two different things.

First, the take up spools used to be somewhat thicker

in the fifties. I actually got an old metallic spool

still remaining in an old camera. Making a blind test

with a Fuji test film and checking the film numbering

on the back side (the small looking hole) I could see

that the film advance was more accurate using that old spool.

Seconly, some films are thicker than other and they were

obviously thicker in the good old days. Kodak today seems

thicker than Fuji but I prefer Fuji because of lesser film

grain though I have had less spacing problem with Kodak film.

Conclusion is that the film advance gear is made according

to circumstances prevailing in the fifties.

My solution to the problem is use a couple of stripes from

plastic electrical tape and place it on the takeup spool.

The plactic tape I use has a thickness of approximately

0.3mm I guess. I cut 2 stripes of approximately 60x7mm and

place so that the gap for film leading tip is not covered. The plastic tape is very easy to handle.