My 2.8E needs a $210 fix job? Do it, or get another?

[rich815]

Any advice or input appreciated.

 

About 4 years ago I bought a real beater Rolleiflex 2.8E Planar from a used

camera booth in Beijing (I was living there at the time). It was ugly as sin,

had some slow speed issues, a small scratch on the front element, but seemed

to focus well so I took it--for $150 USD. For while I shot it at 1/60th above

and it gave me excellent results--no evidence of the front element scratch

either. Sharp as a tack and gorgeous negs.

 

I did get a CLA about 8 months ago from a shop that I'll never go back to,

won't get into that now, but he did fix the speeds and all seemed ok. That

cost about $160 USD. All was going along fairly well, and I've put through at

least 30 rolls since the CLA, until the other day when I fired off a shot,

spun the film advance and all locked up about half-way through the spin---

shutter wide open, film advance arm locked tight and would not move. I just

brought it to a guy who did great work on my SL66 and after looking it over he

says he can get it all back in order......for $210 USD.

 

Ok, in retrospect I probably should have spent $500 USD four years ago on a

nice condition one but I am where I am. I starting to wonder though: I've

seen what seems to be some pretty good Rolleiflex TLRs going for about $300-

400 USD on eBay and I'm starting to think maybe I should save the $210 USD,

add about $300 or so and get me a newer and hopefully better-conditioned

Rolleiflex 2.8 Planar/Xenotar be it a C, D, E, E2 or even an F.

 

I simply LOVE Rolleiflex TLRs and plan to use it for years and years to come.

I have Bay III hoods, filters, etc. so want to stick to this size lens and the

Rolleiflex brand. I guess if I was assured or confident that this $210 USD

would be about all I'd need to spend and the camera would be fine going

forward (except for the occiasional CLA) I'd stick with it and save the xtra

dough. But I'm wavering. Your thoughts?

[bob_the_builder1]

Hi, I am in a similar quandry myself afer having bought a bargain condition 3.5f for 300

Euros, I am told it needs 200 Euros work on it.... Wheras for 500 Euro I could get a camera

in better condition. I say get rid of the old one and invest in something that will last.

[conrad_hoffman]

Save the money for another one. But, before you replace it, go to the classic camera forum and the kyphoto repair forum, assemble some tools, and start learning to fix this stuff yourself. It's not that difficult, and a useful skill to have if you like classics- they're not getting any younger. With luck, you won't have to replace it at all.

[cpj]

Save your money and the camera.

Find a "good" grade or better Rollei on ebay and keep your present camera for parts. Such

things as the focus hood, winding crank, focus knob, film door, etc. can be expensive if

you have to buy them as replacement items later.

 

Take a look at this 3.5F on ebay for example. Nobody has bid on it yet but the seller has a

track record in the 1000s and 99.5% positive rating. It is 170006509957. You might just

pick it up for a few hundred. His starting price is $220.

 

If you have a "real beater" that's already required repairs, don't send good money after bad

because where will you be if you spend another $200 and something else goes in a few

months? ? ? ? ?

 

Cut your losses now!

[bobmichaels]

Richard, I'm a believer in "known entities". You have a camera that you know works well other than being broken. (strange statement, huh?) But you know for $210 your guy can fix what is wrong with it. The alternative is to spend $300-$500 and buy another 25+ year old camera you can only hope will be good.

 

Plus if you original camera does have another problem, your $210 camera repair guy probably will cut you some slack for a subsequent repair. But the guy who sold you the newer one won't care a few weeks after he's spent your money.

[jim_rhoades]

Even a mint condition Rollei could need a CLA or even a shutter and transport overhaul. What does the $210 job include and is the guy a really good Rollei tech? There's only two guys that I would let touch my camera. One one each coast.

 

Yeah, I know somebody said to DIY. Sounds like you already know about hack jobs.

[robert_marvin]

I had the same thing happen to my 2.8E (Xenotar) a couple of weeks ago. Krikor Maralian charged me $200 for the repair. Well worth it IMO.

 

His URL is:

 

http://www.krimarphoto.com/

[jim_rhoades]

As long as Robert brought it up, Krikor is the guy I use. Three weeks ago he overhauled my 3.5F. The turn around time was two days.

[douglas_green1]

Here's a short list of the guys who will do right by a Rollei TLR:

 

Harry Fleenor (in L.A., regarded as the best, but also the most expensive)

 

Ross Yerkes (in L.A. does good work, but may be somewhat of a kook)

 

Paul Ebel (in Wisconsin, I have personal excellent experience with him)

 

Krikor Marilian (two prior endorsements in this thread)

 

I wouldn't risk anyone else.

[feli]

Think of it like this. Pretty much any Rolleiflex you are going to buy, if it is mint or a beater is going to need a CLA for the shutter speeds to be acurate, because by now the lubricants are decades old and all dried up. Clean cosmetics aren't always a accurate indicator of the mechanical condition of the internals.

 

A few years ago I picked up a beater 2.8F. Tried to get it cleaned on the cheap for $150 bucks and ended up having the exact same problem as you. Then I went to Harry Fleenor at www.rolleirepairs.com and he gave her a full rebuild for about $250-300. Now the camera works as new and most important is dependable. In total I spent about $700, which still is cheaper than getting a mint condition Flex, which still would have needed a CLA.

 

I also have a mint 2.8GX, which was pretty much new in the box when it fell in to my lap. Same problem. The lubricants were dried up and the shutter was off. So, off it went to Harry and now it really works like new.

 

Also consider this. A new Rolleiflex is $3500 dollars. Getting a rebuild for $300 dollars is a bargain.

[rich815]

Thanks for all the thoughts and input everyone. I'm leaning heavily towards keeping this one and getting it taken care of right. On that note, I spoke on the phone with Paul Ebel today and after sharing my tale above he said he was confident that it's likely just a shutter jam and that a good CLA would put things right. He also said he would lub and adjust my counter and "feeler" bar (which would occasionally stick) and also lub my back locking mechanism which is a bit tight. All for about $125 or so. His thought was that if I was getting tack sharp images then I have a good Planar and that the front plate and such are in good adjustment and straight. He said getting another "newer" one might have better or newer transport and shutter but who knows on the lens and that if I'm happy with the lens in this one then just get the rest fixed. He said Rollei's are so well built and with such high quality materials that fixed, adujsted and lubed properly will last forever---and thus he's confident the camera is not "shot" but just needs a good cleaning and proper adjustment.

 

So, if anyone can give any reason why I should use Harry or the others over Paul I'm inclined to send it off to him.

[douglas_green1]

Well, I certainly had Paul do a fine job on the Rollei 2.8E that I had him do a CLA a few years ago. Basically, it had a similar shutter issue as yours.

 

One other thing you might consider while it's in the hands of a knowledgeable repairman like Paul or Harry or Krikor, would be, the possibility of adding a brighter viewing screen, like a Maxwell screen. Paul installed a Maxwell screen in mine for $150 additional ($125 more for the screen, $25 more for the installation). IMHO, the ease with which it snaps into focus now makes it a pleasure to use.

[johnmarkpainter]

Harry did two cameras for me and two for a friend of mine. He is REALLY good. I'm sure

Paul is too.

 

P.S. Harry would honestly tell you what he would do.

[bob_the_builder1]

The big problem with Harry Fleenor are his turnaround times. Currently 4 months on

"approved repairs", basically 5 months if you account for payment, transport, etc. That is a

long long time to be without a camera.

[johnmarkpainter]

4 months? Ouch. Mine were 3 weeks

[dan_ringer]

Although there are bargins to be had, over and over, with a variety of different items (cameras, cars, musical instruments . . .) I've seen the same thing. A decent example nearly always costs what the item's true market value is.

 

You can buy for less, but the repairs or restoration will cost at least what you've saved. The best you can truly hope for is to buy the best you can afford, then spread the balance of the cost over time by delaying necessary work. It's way too easy to spend more than the item's worth in the end. If you're lucky, you can do some of the work yourself, and build "sweat equity" in the item.

 

When I have something in need of repair, I ask myself 2 questions:

1. Will the work to be done really fix it? and

2. Knowing what I know about it, would I buy it for the cost of this repair? (If I'm doing some of the work myself, I place a value on my time.)

 

It's sometimes hard to be honest with myself.

[john_philllips]

My 2 cents, 6 Rolleis later. If you owned a beater BMW and needed extensive dealer repairs, you'd still have to pay those prices if you wanted to keep the car. If you are fundementally happy with what you have, spend the $200 to fix it. Those are necessary periodic sunk costs no matter what you pay for the camera. If would rather spend that money to upgrade your camera and if money is less of an object, sell it, spend the premium to get a prettier camera, spend another $300-400 for a full CLA you need anyway to get it completely right and enjoy the camera for another 5-10 years.

[rich815]

Just an update: Paul Ebel has it, and now has it all fixed and working great and I'll have it back in a week. Strange how things work, a member on the Rollei Forum list heard of my "plight", and sent me a bag of 2.8E parts including a new focus/meter knob, meter cell, meter wires, new side plates, and a couple Bay III filters, and he insisted on no reimbursement, even for shipping! I sent all that along with my 2.8E to Paul and he incorporated it all into the repair for only an extra $25. So now I'll have a working, nicer looking camera with a new (non-coupled, of course) meter!

 

Thanks again all for your thoughts and advice.