Do the RB67 Winders Suck? Or did KEH just send me a bad one?

[neil_rankin1]

So, I just picked up this Rb67 from a friend in very, very nice shiny condition. Really excited, except the

120 back needs to be serviced before I can use it. No biggie, I'll just have it serviced, and I bought one

from KEH, graded Excellent Plus to use in the meantime.

Well, I get the Ex+ back today, and it doesn't work very well. The winder does not return to its original

position after film advancement, so you have to hold the little tab to the left to return it manually. Not only

is this an inconvenience, but it screws the winding sequence with the counter, and is basically a complete

pain in the ass. Are all Rb67 Pro S 120 backs so chincy?

Is this Excellent-plus 120 back? The thing doesn't even look that great, when I compare it to Ex+ gear I've

bought from KEH in the past. So what do you think? Did KEH send me a lemon? Do they have a policy with

fim backs that is different? I don't see how they could. WTF?

Neil

[paul ron]

NO! winders on RBs are very reliable and smooth. Return it to KEH and I am sure they will send you a good replacement, that's their policy. I'll bet the bad one was a mistake. Anyway it sounds like the return spring is out of it's notch.

 

Call Jeannie Cox at KEH, 404 748-6041, she's very good.

[k5083]

Here is a tip that may help. I had kind of a similar problem with my Pro-S back. The winder action appeared smooth, it advanced the counter but sometimes wouldn't let me cock the shutter and didn't return to its original position. Eventually I figured out that it was me -- I wasn't quite winding it all the way. On this particular unit there was a "soft stop" kind of effect just before it was completely wound, and it was difficult to notice that I had not wound it all the way. So the next few times you use it, try pushing it just that little bit farther at the end. DON'T FORCE ANYTHING but just see if you can wind it a little farther than you have been. It worked for me. My conclusion is that something happens right at the end of the wind (shutter cocking?) that puts just a little resistance on the wind crank and can fool a hesitant new RB67 user like myself into thinking the thing is fully wound when it isn't.

[k5083]

P.S. In the above I meant "wouldn't let me fire the shutter" not "wouldn't let me cock the shutter".

[neil_rankin1]

Yeah, August, I've experienced the same thing on other cameras, but in this case, the back needs to be overhauled before it can be used.

I called KEH this morning, and they apologized for the bad back,and are being sending me another one 2nd Day Air to help me get one by the weekend.

Bummer of the story is that RB backs seems a bit chincy. I wonder if the RZ is better in this regard?

[denys_meunier]

Neil,if you want jam an RZ,install a winder,he jam pretty good,just great.

[k5083]

Neil, you must have just got one that has been abused. The RB backs are considered very solid and are frequently substituted for the backs on other Graflock compatible cameras. I predict that when you get a good one and take good care of it, you'll have no complaints. Best of luck!

[erie_patsellis]

Neil,

I have about a dozen RB backs, with the exception of the one or two I bought strictly for parts, all work flawlessly, not chintzy at all.

 

 

erie