Something old is (like) new again

[michael_gilday]

<p>Back in December, I <A

href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Nk6Z">posted about a

shutter</a> of mine that was acting up - depositing bits of silvery "stuff" on

the inner surfaces of the front and rear lens elements. Acting on the advice of

several people here, I sent the shutter - a 1930s rim-set Compur - off to Carol

Miller in California for a full cleaning, lubrication, and adjustment. It came

back a couple weeks ago, working like new.</p>

<p>Not just "better than it was before", or "pretty good", no... the shutter is

pretty literally as good as new. As many of you probably know, Carol includes a

note with each shutter she services, telling you what the <i>actual</i> speed is

for each of the shutter's settings.</p>

<p>On this shutter - made by F. Deckel seventy years ago - the speeds from 1

second to 1/100th of a second are "right on". 1/250th of a second, the highest

speed, is really "only" 1/200th.</p>

<p>I hope I'm doing that well when I'm eighty years old!</p>

<p>When I got it back, I remounted the lens cells - a completely uncoated,

perfectly clean 105mm, f/4.5 Zeiss Tessar - and reattached everything back onto

the camera - a 2x3 Crown Graphic:</p>

<p><center><img

src="http://frank.redpin.com/users/mike/crown-tessar.jpg"></center></p>

<p>I then loaded an RB67 back with some expired Fuji NPH, and shot some test

photos around the house; I wasn't trying to make artistic photos, just ensure

that the rangefinder still worked correctly after everything was reassembled.

The shutter is unsynchronized - never mind the accessory shoe on top of the

camera - so everything was by existing light on a pretty dreary winter day.</p>

<p>I sent the film off to Dwayne's, whom I've used before for processing; I

wanted to try out their film scanning more than anything. I got the film and CD

in the mail today, and it looks like the rangefinder is still right on. Oh, and

Dwayne's does decent scans for the price; I wouldn't necessarily make prints

from them, but they're okay for web use.</p>

<p>Here's a photo taken with the Crown Graphic and Tessar, of one of my

tyrannical overlords in one of his calmer moments:</p>

<p><img src="http://frank.redpin.com/users/mike/ivan-nocrop.jpg"></p>

<p>And a look at His Majesty, at 100% zoom (i.e. 1:1 pixels from the scan):</p>

<p><img src="http://frank.redpin.com/users/mike/ivan-crop.jpg"></p>

 

<p>Not bad for a lens and shutter made in 1938, on a camera made in the late

1940s, eh?</p>

[jeff bishop]

I have this same shutter mounted on a lens board for my 4x5's. My glass is Rodenstock. The shutter came from a 1937 Zeca camera that I couldn't get a reasonable price out of, so I swapped the lens and sold it for a lot less.

 

Speeds are right on, glass is beautiful. If not for the fact that it says F. Deckel rather than "compur" and that it won't fire a flash, it almost seems modern.

 

Pretty camera, I've got a 1947 model of the 2x3 Crown.

[mark_satola1]

What a beautiful Crown Graphic 2x3. And what fine images it produces. I'm jonesing for a camera just like it.

[rustys pics]

Good work. You just can't beat the pre-war German lenses. I don't know what they were

making the glass from, but even the cheaper triplets produce stunning results. Your Tessar

will be good for at least another 80 years.

Analog Rocks!

[cliffmanley]

I love it, There's nothing quite like a good 2x3.

[profhlynnjones]

It looks good to me Michael.

 

If I remember correctly, the international standard for between the lens shutters was, Faster than 60, +/- 30%, Slower than 100, +/- 25% (that could be reversed because my memory for 40 years ago might be backwards.

 

It lookst to me like you are in great shape.

 

Dekel made Prontor shutters and some years ago was purchased by Compur. Compur continued to be unreliable for many years but Dekel continued to be good.

 

In the 60's, where we distributed large format lenses, one out of every 7 or 8 shutters was returned for defects, A certain very famous lens maker was being returned at about the same rate. This was the reason that we created Caltar, one out of ever 4 or 5 of the European lenses and shutters was being returned in warranty.

 

Lynn

 

Lynn