paul s

David:

I think some of our viewpoints are colored by our experiences. I've always had a soft spot for classic VX Exaktas because my father carried one to Korea with him in 1952. A lot of my baby pictures were later shot with this same camera.

I recently acquired an almost mint RTL1000 for little more than the price of the the Oreston lens and was somewhat disapponted because it felt more like a Pracktica than an Exakta (which is exactly what it is, so why was I surprised?)

The VX's are a gadgeteers delight. They have features that you may never use in a lifetime like a self-timed 6 second shutter speed setting, or an internal film cutter knife. It's kind of like a Swiss Army knife camera.

-Paul

I have two different 45/2.8 Tessars on my two Contaflex I's. One is a Carl Zeiss Tessar (West german) and the other is a CZ-Jena Tessar (East German). Otherwise, the bodies are identical.

-Paul

A very, very inexpensive way to test a fresnel screen is to buy a fresnel bookmarker from Borders or Barnes and Noble. It runs about $2.50. Use an Exacto knife to cut it to fit and then drop it onto the viewfinder (grooves down). It can't create light that is not there, but it can spread it around to make it more usable.

If it doesn't have much effect, you probably need to do some cleaning under the focusing screen as the others have suggested.

A place called Surplus Shed:

http://www.surplusshed.com/

is a source for front surface mirrors, but read their specs closely. Some of their mirrors are as thick as 1/8 of an inch!

-Paul

Mark:

Are there any distinguishing marks betrween the 5 element 45/2.8's and 4-element 45/2.8's?

-Paul

The Zorki-5 does not have a removeable back. It is a bottom-loader like the Zorki-1, Zorki-2 and Zorki-3. However, its design is actiually more like the Zorki-6.

Tearing of sprocket holes can be caused by the toothed gears binding and not turning while the advance lever is being moved. You can generate more torque with that advance lever than you can with the old knob-wind system and resistance is less noticeable.

The internal gearing probably needs to be cleaned and re-lubed. Most of these old Soviet-era cameras suffer from congealed lubrication combined with dirt and grit.

Zorki-5's also have a reputation for having an easily damaged shutter cocking/film advance system. It may be exacerbated by tight advance gears and people forcing the wind lever with all of its extra torque.

The problem was reputedly fixed in the later Zorki-6.

I think your problem is fairly simple, but the solution is a bit messy since it may require partially dis-assembling the camera body to get at the gearing. There are some website with drawings and internal diagrams of the Zorki-5. Try Rick Oleson's site for starters.

-Paul Shinkawa

Oops! Sorry all. The TC hasn't been posted yet. There is an English language version on Mike Butkus site though as noted above.

-Paul Shinkawa

There is a manual for the TC here:

"http://www.buhla.de/Foto/Konica/eAnleitungen.html#TC"

-Paul Shinkawa

The early (chrome and leather) models also had no neckstrap lugs. That was a later addition.

I picked up one back in 1978 when the second generation SX-70's were just coming out. Mine has the split image screen. I added a tripod socket/holder and a self-timer (the cable release adapter was too expensive) You can make a dramatic improvement in picture quality if you can mount it on a tripod. It's too bad the film is so expensive.

-Paul Shinkawa

Rather intersting comment! The common name for these devices is an "Extinction Meter" !

-Paul

The Mamiya version, which should also work on other TLR's, is called a "Paramender". You can also do a DIY version by calibrating the lift on your tripod center-post. However, the Minolta version is the nicest and most compact I've seen.

-Paul

Nancy:

Both girls already have SLR's, TLR's and P&S's. The one in college asked me to fix up a Russian Zorki for her to take to school this Fall. They are both more adept at using Photo-Shop than I am.

I suspect the small niche market in B&W paper will be a tiny bit more secure with Kodak's former customers. I am not really sad, because I haven't purchased any Kodak paper since at least 1983. I was sad when first Medalist and then Kodabromide were discontinued. It's been slowly downhill since then.

As to Kodak saying that they are staying in the film amd chemical businees... I'm sure it's true today, but in corporate-speak that only means today, not tommorrow or the next day.

-Paul

Kerry:

My repair tech once told me that the only way to prevent it from stripping was regular maintenance. In other words, just be prepared to replace them periodically. The metal is way to soft and the teeh too fine for what it is expected to do.

Mico-tools still stocks this one Retina 3c part, so it must be the Achilles Heel of that camera.

-Paul

I have both an FX and a half-frame Dial-35 with the Canon/Bell & Howell logo. Back in the 1960's it was considered to be a sign of quality to have a respected American importer's name on your Japanese camera. I think the big B&H marketing push was in 8mm and Super-8 Canons.

-Paul

Not all that long ago, Eastman Kodak had a business philosophy that required it to be a participant in every phase of photographic image making. From camera to final print. That?s gradually been falling by the wayside as has a lot of other EK tenets of doing business.

Paper (including the non-fiber papers) are either a shrinking part of the photographic scene or a niche depending upon your viewpoint. So, EK is either conceding a niche market to better players or they are just getting ready to further retrench by abandoning other parts of the non-digital market, If there is no more EK B&W paper to print Tri-X images on, why continue to make Tri-X?

I still feel confident that there will continue to be B&W film, chemistry and paper for the rest of my lifetime, I may start buying digital cameras for the kids though.

-Paul Shinkawa

The front ring on a Zorki Industar is usually a little deeper than the Fed or Industar-10 (Fed Industar) My best guess is that it is an I-22 or I-50.

Isn't it true that Leitz lenses were marked 5cm rather than 50mm? I know the Soviet lenses were marked in mm.

-Paul Shinkawa

You really can't reliably date a Fed lens from the serial number like a Kiev or a Zorki. I have an Industar 26m which was clearly made in the late 1950's or 1960's. It's SN starts with "17..."

-Paul Shinkawa

Looks like a late model Zorki-1 body, possibly an "e" of "f" body. What is interesting is the modified lens. The Soviet made Industar 22 and 50 lenses which usually serve as the base for these copies has its focal length marked in millimeters. The convertors usually leave them in mm rather than changing them to cm when they try to make an Elmar copy. It's a dead giveaway. Someone here went thru the trouble to mark this one in cm.

I don't know what a real Letana looks like. Any chance that this one is real? It sure looks like an Industar to me.

A verified good condition Zorki-1 with a good condition and serviceable Industar lens is worth $100.

-Paul

Unmistakeably a Perfex. How well did it work?

-Paul Shinkawa