CLA a Rollei 3.5E w/ wobbly front?

[terence_m.]

I have a Rollei 3.5E I'm considering sending to Marflex, but wanted

an independent opinion (or ten). The slow speeds are off. The fast

speeds are pretty good. But the front panel can be wobbled when

racked in all the way. The lenses do not appear to move, but the

panel does. I found a few earlier postings about not buying a

Rolleiflex with such a problem, but what if you already have it? Is

it a fixable problem (ie. at a "reasonable" cost, say $150 beyond

the CLA)? There is no obvious damage indicating a drop or anything

such as that. The lenses are clean and clear. Other than it being

a Rolleiflex, the camera does not have any sentimental value. Do I

send it in?

[andy m.]

Yes, send it in, should be fixable- but why not phone them first. Does it take nice images, by the way?

[terence_m.]

Call me paranoid, but I always try to "know" the answer before I ask a repairman a question.

 

Sadly, I admit I have not taken any serious photos with it. Just a very quick roll to check spacing and approximate focus. Haven't enlarged any of them though.

[robert_marvin]

I don't think you'll be able to send it to Marflex. AFAIK they stopped repairing Rollei TLRs as of the start of this year. However, Krikor Maralian who repaired these cameras at Marflex also has his own shop:

 

Krimar Photo Shop,

105-B Broadway,

Elmwood Park, NJ 07407,

201 796-0554

 

He did a great job of CLAing my 2.8E a couple of years ago.

[pensacolaphoto]

Robert,

What was the charge for repair/CLA for your Rolleiflex?

[mike_elek]

The front panel is attached to the front assembly by four or five (maybe six screws). It's possible that someone disassembled the camera in the past and didn't replace all of the screws or that the screws somehow worked themselves loose at some point in time.

 

A qualified repairman should be able to give you the proper diagnosis.

[andy m.]

Terence, my Rolleiflex Automat had quite a lot of play on the front panel when I bought it rather cheaply. The service by a non specialist, but very competent all round camera repair shop in the UK has solved the problem. The full service cost the equivalent of 120 USD.

 

There are apparently several options for having your Rollei serviced/repaired in the US. Check the threads here and send emails to a few of them. That way you can compare anwers and get a feel for the cost etc.

[cpj]

NOTE: The advice above is correct regarding Krikor moving to his own shop, so go to

him directly at the new address. About two years ago he fixed a similar problem for

me along with a CLA for about $185 which I felt was very reasonable. (I think there is

a cam inside that's either come loose or off its track as I recall and may have to be

replaced.)

[robert_marvin]

Raid W. wrote:

"Robert, What was the charge for repair/CLA for your Rolleiflex?"[by Krikor Maralian]

 

IIRC, a little under $200. The service was also VERY fast--less than a week, including shipping both ways. BTW, similar service on my Rollei 35 a year later was about half the amount and equally fast. I really recommend Krikor Maralian VERY highly.

 

Bob Marvin

[terence_m.]

Thanks everyone. I think it's any easy choice.

[travelife]

I haven't used Krikor's service but I highly recommend Jurgen Kuschnik in southern California; he used to be a supervisor/manager in Rollei's Brauschweig, Germany, facility. He works on ALL Rollei mechanical cameras and lenses, as well as Leica's, etc. My 2.8f came back silky smooth in comparison to a 2.8e that was sent to Marflex. Jurgen is also able to touch up small black paint blemishes on TLR's so that its new looking. In my recolleciton, his rates are comparable if not better than Krikor's.

 

See another reference to Jurgen here:

http://www.photo.net/neighbor/view-one?neighbor_to_neighbor_id=187385