larry davis

<p>My "new" Praktica MTL3 seems to work ok except for the release button - it doesn't release the shutter. If I remove the lens I can fire the shutter at all speeds by pressing on the pin below and to the right of the mirror. After cocking the shutter again I have to press the release button before again pressing the pin and firing the shutter.<br>

I thought before taking anything apart I would check to see if anyone would have some advice. Maybe it's something simple.<br>

Thanks,<br>

Larry</p>

<p>Thanks, Scott. The only screws are three very small ones that require a 1mm blade - they are on the base, accessed from the front. I am concerned those probably hold onto some part of the blade mechanism on the back rather than holding the shutter together - because they are so small. There are three others around the outer edge of the base that I did remove, but nothing loosened up. There are no screws on the back.</p>

<p>I have the shutter/lens off the camera. There are three screws on the inside of the body that release the shutter from the body.<br>

My problem is that I can't see how the shutter comes apart in order to get at the blades. I have removed the escapement. There is no time delay mechaism on this camera. The shutter is a rim set - there's a central ring that rotates and has tabs for cocking, timing and blade opening and closing. The main spring is an extension spring connected to the cocking ring. It's pretty simple, really.</p>

 

<p>Have any of you repaired the shutter on a Yamato Pax rangefinder? The model I have is the Ruby, but I suspect most of the models' shutters are similar. The shutter blades won't work consistently - this after several naptha baths (with the shutter/lens off the camera and the lens cells out). Typically the blades will stick open after the naptha has dried. I've got it stripped to a point, but I can't see how to separate the shutter base from the rest of the lens/shutter/helical to get at the blades to clean them. Help. Thanks.</p>

Thanks, Rick. Any notes you might have would be a great help, I'm sure. Are they on your site or can you display

them here somehow?

I have a Miranda F SLR (c. 1963) that is in need of some shutter work (it otherwise is in nice condition). I have

searched the Internet and haven't found a site covering repairs to the Miranda SLR line. The shutter works

intermitently - best when warmed up. The mirror doesn't always return but will when cocked. The lens does not

alway return to wide open. The first curtain stops a bit short of all the way across - about the width of the metal

edging on the curtain. The speeds seems to look reasonable, except even when nice and warm 1/30 and X (about

1/45) act like B. Like I said, if I warm it up (in the sun or under a lamp overnight), it works better but shortly returns

to

its sometimes/sometimes not operation - even after many repititions. I'd first just like to try cleaning things - like the

curain spindles and gears and apply a little oil. Does anyone know how to get into it? I like to know these things

before just exploring on my own. Thanks.

I recently picked up a Realist 35B rangefinder on eBay. I didn’t know anything about it, it just looked interesting.

Turns out it needs some work (winder jammed) but is otherwise in nice shape.

 

Looking around here and on the Internet I found that the Realist 35B is really a Iloca Rapid B, made in Germany by

the Wilhelm Witt Kamerwerk company for Realist (U.S.) in 1955. Realist is much better known for its 35mm stereo

cameras. There was also a viewfinder version, the Realist 35A, the same as the Iloca Rapid (A) (I don‘t think the

Iloca viewfinder was actually called “A“). The Iloca Rapid A & B cameras were also marketed in the U.S. as the

Sears Tower 50 and 51, respectively, and the Photrix Rapid B & B2 for Montgomery Wards.

 

This camera has one interesting quirk that the winder is on the left - giving the camera its “Rapid” designation,

because you could wind while keeping your finger on the shutter release. Even though it winds on the left, there is

an elaborate lever mechanism that actually winds the film onto a spool on right. Later models moved the winder to

the right.

 

The name Iloca apparently came from the name of the man, Illing, who originally started the company in 1948 before

Wilhelm Witt took over a few years later. The name is a sort of contraction, as in Leica (Leitz Camera). The name of

the original company was Ilca. The company was takenover by Agfa in 1960. This information is from the F. & S.

Marriott site, http://www.marriottworld.com/pieces/pieces33.htm)

 

Now to my questions (finally):

 

1. I wonder how to pronounce “Iloca” in proper German? Is it “E-lo-kah” or “Ih- lo-kah” or something different?

 

2. Finally, this camera I acquired is missing the winder lever. Would anyone out there have a junker Iloca Rapid A

or B, Sears Tower 50 or 51, Realist 35 A or B, or Photrix Rapid B or B2? It looks like they all have the same

winder.

 

Dan Mitchell has two nice pieces on the Iloca Rapid (A) and B …

http://pheugo.com/cameras/index.php?page=rapida

http://pheugo.com/cameras/index.php?page=rapidb

 

Karen Nakamura also has an informative Iloca B page…

http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?IlocaRapidB.html~mainFrame

 

Here’s a shot of my Realist B sans winder.

 

Larry<div></div>

I'll have to try another roll of film with the end seams taped to see if that helps. I had not changed lenses when exposing the roll of film. The inside is painted a nice flat black, and I don't see any obvious light leak potential inside the camera - it would be on the take-up spool end, where sproket and all the gears are. The curtain looks to be ok. If I hold the camera up to a bright light with the back off, I don't see any light anywhere. There are no obvious gaps or wrinkles in the curtain. The viewfinder is not the brightest, but certainly not dark.

I tried this question in response to a thread a few weeks old and got no

response, so will try fresh.

 

I just got back my first roll of film from my FED-2. In some of the shots there

is a bit of light leak on the left side of the exposure. If this was a typical

60's leaf shutter camera I would attribute it to bad light seals. Is this what

a leaky curtain looks like? The light leak is not severe and fairly uniform

along the edge of the exposure and decrease to none part way across the picture.

 

This is the worst example from the roll. Some shots show a little and some

none at all. I also have a Kiev 4 that exhibited a little of the same, and it

turned out to be a leak from the rangefinder area of the camera - cured with a

bit of black tape.

Here's the worst light leak shot. SOme show none, others less.<div></div>

I just got back my first roll of film from my FED-2. In some of the shots there is a bit of light leak on the left side of the exposure. If this was a 60's camera I would attribute it to bad seals. Is this what a leaky curtain looks like? The light leak is not severe and fairly uniform along the edge of the exposure and decrease to none about an eigth of the way across the picture.

Thanks everyone. I ran some tests today, and I must agree that the resistor ring is not working right. There is very little response to changing the shutter speed. It's as though the meter thinks the shutter speed and the film speed are always the same. I will contact Pacific Rim Camera, as you suggest, Douglas. Again, thank you all for responding with your good advice. Larry

Ok. Great feedback. Let me see if I can address it all ... if I depress the DOF button, I can move the meter needle by rotating the aperture ring. If I try to also move the needle by rotating the shutter speed ring while depressing the DOF button, I get a bit of movement, but not what one would expect, not like the aperture ring effect. I did try the milky body cap - moving the pin does not move the needle at all. The meter needle is in the (-) end when off and jumps to the (+) end when it is turned on. The indexing looks to be correct. When rotating the pin back and forth, however, the movement feels gritty to me, not nice and smooth. There is a clicking at the top center. Moving it back and forth numerous times has not helped. Tomorrow I will check some meter readings outside with nice bright light and compare them against my digital camera to see if even the stop-down readings are right. I have a feeling a CLA is in order, although that tends to cost more than the camera is worth. At least I think I can take shots using a light meter, as these good old cameras work fine without the meter or battery. Thanks agian. I'll let you know how my tests go tomorrow. Larry

Bob, the ASA is set at 100 and the speed at 1/125 - also tried other settings. The aperture index correctly points at 2. I am using a jury rigged 1.4 volt 675 zinc-air hearing aid battry (smaller diameter so I use a strip of rubber to make the battery fit tightly). Seems ok since the stop-down metering method works.

I picked up a black Nikkormat FTn body on eBay recently and then bought a 50mm

f/2 Nikkor H-C non-AI lens for it. The meter works but only in the step-down

mode - that is only when holding down the Depth-of-Field preview button. I'm

pretty sure the lens is mounted correctly - set at f/5.6, pushing the coupling

pin all the way to the right, inserting the lens while engaging the coupling

pin in the slotted prong, turning all the way to the left until locked, then

indexing the aperture ring all the way to the left and right. But when looking

though the viewfinder (with the wind lever out so the meter is on), no movement

of the meter needle (always in the + range) unless I press the DOF button. Am I

doing something wrong? The aperture of the lens when off the camera is as set

on the aperture ring and when installed on the camera is wide open. Also, the

little meter needle on the top of the camera also requires the DOF button to be

depressed to work. Is this a body or lens (or photographer) problem? Thanks in

advance for any advice.

Thanks for all the good info and advice. Now I can begin my search.

I just picked up a Nikon FTn body (c. 1967). What lenses will work with the

FTn? Will the newer Nikon or Nikor lenses work - like the Series E? Or do I

need to hunt for a lens of the age of the camera? Thanks.

 

Larry

Thanks, gentlemen for the input and advice. I did poke around the bushing a bit, and it appears to be one solid piece or the press fit type - no E-clip to be seen. So I guess I will take Alex's adivce and not use the case at all. It just seems a good way to protect it while it's in the bag with other gear.

 

By the way, my black Leica III (s/n 114075 with a Summar f/2, s/n 193004) was my father's - he bought it used in New York right before he joined the Marines in WWII. It was our main family camera until he bought a Pentax Spotmatic in 1966.

I have a nice Leica III with its leather case. The case is attached to the

camera by the normal tripod attachment knob. The tripod knob has a 3/8-inch

screwed-in threaded piece that has a 1/4-inch female end that allows the camera

to be mounted on a tripod with the case on. The male end that inserts into the

camera as the case is attached is the European 3/8-inch size, as is the

mounting hole in the camera. I have a 1/4-3/8 bushing that fits into the

camera and allows me to mount the camera on a normal (?) 1/4-inch tripod mount

without the case, but then I can't attach the case to the camera without

removing the bushing. Does anyone know where I can get a 1/4-1/4 male/female

bushing that will screw into the 3/8 hole in the case knob? Thanks.

 

Larry

I picked up a nice Konica III on the auction site. Everything looks fine

except I have to help the front wind lever return to the top position - from

about half way - still springy. Just takes a nudge. It still cocks, winds and

fires ok. I presume the lever mechanism just needs some lube. Does anyone

know how to do this and hard it is to do? Thanks. Larry

Thanks for the advice Patrick and George. I have cleaned the rangefinder windows to no avail. I agree with you, George, I don't see how to remove the top - must have to somehow loosen the cocking lever and the film reminder ring. Maybe I'll have to stick with guess-o-matic focusing, as you suggest Patrick. I have straightened out the filter ring as best I can without maring the lens name plate, but can't make it budge to remove. I think I'll give up and try a roll of film to see how it works at speeds > 1/50 and viewfinder focusing. It does have depth-of-field markings which will help.

I picked up a Super Baldina with the f/3.5 50mm Baldinar lens and Prontor SVS

shutter. The camera seems to work ok, except slow at the speeds below 1/50 (a

CLA is in order). The Super Baldina (see picture) has a rangefinder. But when

looking through the viewfinder, there is no rangefinder indication - no split

image or whatever the Super Baldina is supposed to have (apparently no manual

on the Internet). What would cause this? Maybe a result of the following

question?

 

This example had been dropped and has a resulting bent filter ring - see the

picture. Doesn't seem to affect the operation (except maybe the drop knocked

the rangfiner out of whack (?). I'd like to remove it and see if I can

straighten it some. The ring has only one tiny screw. I removed the screw but

the ring doesn't budge. I don't know if it's suppose to lift off or unscrew -

anyone know? I'm afraid the bend ring itself is keeping it from moving.

 

Thanks for any help - you guys always do.

 

Larry<div></div>

I managed to break the film loose from the 35mm film canister in an Argus Model

21, overwinding on the last frame. Any good suggestions on unloading the

camera? If I just open the camera in a completely dark room and roll the film

off the take-up spool, and put the rolled-up loose film in a black Kodak 35mm

film canister (maybe tape it closed with electrical tape?), will a normal lab

be able to handle it, or is film development too automated these days? Thanks,

Larry

I checked with a good camera/optical shop that I've used before - almost $200 to fix the separation (which he agreed this was). So the lens looks to be dead. I will try a roll for the heck of it. And I will do a lens disassembly/reassembly - not having tried it before. Checked eBay and reportedly good condition 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar's can be had for around $50-75. Thanks to all who replied with help and suggestions.

This should be a better picture. I used a light table and a tripod. The substance is sort of milky looking.