A Weekend at the Workbench

[k5083]

<p>The weekend before last, I found myself with a little time on my hands and the motivation to tackle a couple of camera projects that I had been putting off for some time.</p>

<p>The first was Pad of Death replacement on a Yashica Electro 35. I got my Electro (early model, no G etc.) off ebay some years ago, and it obviously needed a new PoD, but I had never felt up to tackling the job. The two alternative means of doing the surgery have been well discussed, and I was sure that the minimally invasive "microsurgery" method was for me, so I found myself some suitable rubber (cut up part of an old ice-skate blade guard) and went to it. Without getting into the blow-by-blow, suffice to say the operation was delicate but successful. The most difficult part, actually, is making sure you've got the remnants of the old pad completely cleaned away, because you can't really get a good look at the surface where the old pad was. Anyway, after the surgery and incidental cleaning of the viewing and rangefinder glass, the camera made that firm Yashica clunk -- probably a bit firmer than usual, because the rubber I used was more unyielding than most.</p>

<p>You've all seen plenty of cheesecake shots of Electros so I won't post another, but while googling for tips on the repair, I came across an ebay auction for camera porn of a different sort. I never buy old magazine ads, but this one, I had to spring for. Be sure to read all the text on this one, especially the paragraph under the camera.</p>

<p><img src="http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/k5083/Electro35ad.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>After reading that, I actually felt a little dirty just picking up the camera. Often when I'm testing a newly acquired or repaired camera I shoot a few photos of some women friends whom I see on my commute -- just head shots, we're all happily married. But I couldn't do it with this camera after reading that ad, it would have felt weird.</p>

<p>So all I have for example shots are pedestrian images -- literally, in the first case -- that do little more than prove to my satisfaction that the auto shutter now works as it should.</p>

<p><img src="http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/k5083/Scan-120301-0001.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p><img src="http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/k5083/Scan-120301-0002.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>So, that's one more of these fine old cameras brought back to life.</p>

<p>The next project was a little more exotic. Having tinkered with medium format folders for some years now, I've accumulated quite a few spare bits from my less successful projects, including some serviceable lens/shutter assemblies that have been orphaned from their camera bodies for whatever reason. I've always wanted to convert one of them into a lens for a 35mm camera. So this, too, I set out to do.</p>

<p><img src="http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/k5083/IMG_0545.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>The lens comes from a prewar Balda 6x9 folder. It's an uncoated 10.5-cm, f/4.5 triplet simply labeled "Anastigmat", in an unidentified but modest shutter. It was nice and clean and I liked the deco front plate. I epoxied it to the front of a $7 set of Nikon mount extension tubes, fine-tuning the collimation by partially unscrewing the tubes and then cementing them in place when the focal length was just right. The whole process was really pretty simple. When shooting, the shutter is left open with the T setting, aperture and focus are handled on the front of the lens, and the camera is operated on manual or stop-down aperture-priority mode. I made a jig with my son's Legos to get the lens square.</p>

<p>Besides just being a fun process, the resulting lens is actually worth using, especially as a portrait lens. It's the right length and it is plenty sharp, especially considering that the 35mm camera uses just the sweet spot at the center of the 9-cm image circle the lens can throw. The contrast and the way it renders color are soft and subtle, again good for portraits. It's slow, but you wouldn't open up past f/4.5 at portrait distances anyway, because you couldn't get the model's nose and ears both in focus. I walked around town with it a little and liked the way it performed.</p>

<p><img src="http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/k5083/Scan-120301-0005.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p><img src="http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/k5083/Scan-120301-0006.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[rod_larson]

<p>That's a really cool application of the Balda lens. And it works too!</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I waited to see if there was more coming.</p>

<p>I really laughed when I saw that ad.</p>

<p>Not all changes in our public demeanor are bad, but it is certainly tamer now. ;)</p>

<p>As for the Balda lens.</p>

<p>"It's ALIVE, hahhhhha! Igor, turn down the power"</p>

<p>cool.</p>

[subbarayan_prasanna]

<p>That is a lot of patient and precise work <strong>August</strong>! These innovations are very rewarding photographically and spiritually. Thanks for the post. sp.</p>

[will_daniel1]

After seeing that ad, I'm sorry I sold my Electro 35.

[gene m]

<p>My goodness. How cool.</p>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>Good grief! <em>What</em> an ad...I thought the old Miranda ads were saucy, until you showed me<em> that</em> one, <strong>August</strong>. Great restoration on the PoD, a tricky little job but really worthwhile, in light of the fact that quite often the issue is the only one preventing the functioning of an otherwise healthy and very worthwhile camera. Love the pastel shades from the old Balda lens.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Nicely done. I like the Balda adaptation. How do you focus it closer for a portrait? </p>

[k5083]

The Balda originally focused as close as 2 metres and I was able to push that to about 1.5 metres by removing one of the

two stop posts. At 105 mm that's close enough for a pretty tight head shot.

 

Another nice thing about the Balda is its has 10 aperture blades shaped in scythe-like curves, as many of these old

shutters do, so out-of-focus highlights are nice and round.

 

Also, people smile when they see it. Almost as good as wearing a clown nose.

 

The Yashica ad, by the way, turned out to be from a 1968 issue of Playboy. I've got to get me some more copies of those

old mags. That'll be a new excuse: "I'm just reading it for the advertisements!"

[donnie_strickland]

<p>Great stuff August!</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Oh, I now see, it's a front cell focusing lens. Got it. Thanks August.</p>

[chuck_foreman1]

Wow what a cool job with the Balda. I wouldn't have the patience for the Collimation. I like how you described using the sweet spot and the few photos you did are very fine! One day I too will have a Yashica Elctro 35M; hope fully the POD will either be OK or already done! I never thought I was a klutz, but everytime I start a project it never ends or it never quite turns out good! Like the city shot with the Yashica a lot Made me think of the song Downtown