Servicing an F1

[John D]

<p>I am thinking about resurecting a stored F1. It is the older variety and the one with the Lake Placid Olympics from 1980 logo on the front. My wife and I both had F1s at that time. I later sold mine but we kept this one. It shows almost no signs of wear or brassing. It has been sitting in a drawer for a number of years since we went digital a long time ago. Every once in a while I get an itch to shoot some film and since I have the 100mm micro for this camera I may give it an outing to make some flower photos. My question is who do you folks use to do a CLA on these old cameras. I am less concerned about the built in meter but I have read that they can be recalibrated to use other than the mercury batteries. So where do you send it. The old repair guy I used to use here (along the Wasatch front) is long gone.</p>

[User_502260]

<p>I use MR-9 adapters from C.R..I.S. with 386 silver oxide cells in my older F-1s and they work very well. Two of my F-1s were overhauled by Essex Camera Service in Carlstadt, NJ. Ken Oikawa was also been mentioned on this forum. </p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>You can either get it re-calibrated or buy and adaptor. I have bought mine from this guy in the Netherlands - he is great to deal with and the adaptors are perfect. Here is the link as he tells you all about the possible solutions and gives instructions if you want to build your own!<br>

www.buhla.de/Foto/batt-adapt-US.pdf<br>

In terms of a CLA try Ken Oikawa - if you google him on the F1 forum you will find lots of posts - as far as I am aware all good. As this one says he is hard(ish) to contact - he is an California. But he does the best work I have seen - I cannot recommend him enough. I once sent him a lens he was unable to repair (as he could not get the part) - he not only sent it back and did not charge me but he paid for the return postage himself!<br>

http://www.photo.net/canon-fd-camera-forum/00Z1ZV</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/canon-fd-camera-forum/00Z1ZV</p>

[Bettendorf]

<p>Ditto for Ken Oikawa. Very honest in all his dealings. In the last two years I have sent five A and F series bodies to him for CLA and have been very satisfied. He will re-calibrate the voltage as part of the servicing.</p>

[John D]

<p>Thanks for the speedy responses. I had somehow forgotten Essex. Must be old age.</p>

[jim_bielecki1]

<p>One more plug for Ken Oikawa, who is a retired Canon repair tech. And most importantly, he has a supply of NOS F-1 parts.</p>

<p>Jim B.</p>

[mwmcbroom]

<p>I'll wager that if your old F-1 was properly cared for before it was put in storage, that it is just fine as it is. Check the slow shutter speeds -- that's usually a good indicator. If they're slower than normal by a significant amount then it's in need of a CLA.</p>

<p>As for the battery, I use hearing aid batteries: the 675. It's smaller in diameter than the original but since the compartment is spring loaded, just spring pressure holds it in place. If you prefer something more secure, you can put an o-ring around the battery or cut about a 1" long piece of 18 gauge wire and lay it into the bottom of the battery compartment, along the perimeter.</p>

<p>The 675 is similar to the Wein, which is a modern replacement for the PX625 1.35v mercury battery. Both the 675 and the Wein are zinc-air, both produce 1.4v. But the biggest difference is the price. A Wein will set you back about $6 each, whereas you can buy packs of 5 or 6 675s at your local drug store for $5 or $6. I buy my 675s at Costco for $10 for a card of 30. Yep, 30 cents each.</p>

<p>The zinc-air battery, whether 675 or Wein, doesn't last as long as the old mercury batteries. A merc might last a couple years or longer. Dunno about the Wein, but I've been able to get almost a year's service out of 675s, even though a lot of folks say they're good for only 4 or 5 months. Guess it depends on the camera. The zinc-air battery also does not handle cold weather as well as the mercury one. When I take a camera with 675 out on a shoot on a very cold day, I also bring along a hand-held meter. But one really good feature of the zinc-air battery is it has almost the same identical discharge profile as the original mercury -- which means the meter will hold optimum accuracy throughout the battery's life.</p>

 

[John D]

<p>Michael, I like your suggestion. I have advanced the wind lever and fired off the shutter a couple of times and all seems in order. Wind on is smooth and the shutter sounds about right. I did not try the slow speeds though. I took a look at the writeup that Phillip mentioned and it provides solutions I am not quite ready to tackle unless I get really desperate. The 675 battery sounds workable and cheap enough that it is surely worth a go. A roll or two of film at this point is not likely to do any damage since all the parts which should move are doing so when you exercise the camera. Low speeds are probably best tested with film anyway. Thanks for the advice, folks.</p>

[mwmcbroom]

<p>John, if you're shooting print film, then even if the slow speeds are slower than normal, you should be okay. Most color print film handles a moderate amount of overexposure very well.</p>

<p>The main thing is to take that old F-1 out and push a roll or three of film through it. It's a great old camera. My favorite, in fact.</p>