bennybee

Travis, here's a quick and dirty digicam picture of the stuck ball before those batteries die on me again. I still don't know why I tried to shove it in there. I guess I was already giving up on the camera. Or perhaps I figured the setting screw in the locking ring would not fall out again (it didn't seem to fit anymore and was not locking right any longer)...<div></div>

BTW, re. those batteries : I know it's OT, but I see they now sell rechargeable Li-Ion CRV3 cells. Anyone think it's worth buying those (with yet another dedicated charger) to replace the four awfull NiMH and NiCd AA's? Or should I spend that good money on another stinkin' 30s or 40s wreck (or film) that brings so much more joy?

OK. Sorry, but the picture of the 'steel ball in the hole' (see above) will have to wait : the damn digicam's batteries are flat. Again. They got a full load on monday and the camera turns itself off after just 1 minute - while I was resetting the date, hour and preferred settings because the other battery set had also died inside the camera BTW !! That digicam and its dreadful batteries are driving me nuts. As if I needed to be reminded why I prefer old fashioned cameras.

I have always liked the looks and compact dimensions of the Kodalux L for the Retina cameras, but it is difficult to find a nice AND cheap one. Of course nothing ever is nice AND cheap, but since I adopted this rule I found myself buying less from evilbay... not even a Kodalux L.

Travis, stand-by for a close-up of the 'steel ball in the hole'... I'll take out the digicam after work tonight.

Mark Kittleson's hilarious story corresponds the full 100% with my own. The ones I managed to screw together again were never better after than before my surgery, just different. I found out too late that you don't need to remove the shutter button and its locking collar on an Electro GSN : something else holds the top down! Now the collar can turn full circle (I ended up trying to rip it off!) I could not completely cure the lens wobble on the Konica Auto S2, but at least now the shutter speed ring is tight as hell. I hate to open up the lens barrel a second time since I marred the beauty ring the first time. I killed a shiny UV-Topcor 50/F2 lens by wanting to swap its perfect focusing ring against the mildly scratched one of my first lens - I couldn't resist to remove the front group and it never wanted to go back on again. Broke a pin and threw away the three seperate lens parts. I did salvage every possible screw and spring (and the focusing ring) to make up for the $10.00 cost of the lens. Latest horror : I never succeeded to remove the top of a $30.00 Nikon EL2, so I screwed it all back together again but the green pointer in the viewfinder does no longer care what the shutter speed barrel does. Also a tiny steel ball fell out from somewhere (from the motor drive axle ball race?) and I stuck it in a free whole in the locking ring around the shutter release button. I knew that wasn't its original place, but it is now. Forever! Why did I do that? Perhaps I'd already given up on the poor EL2. Score? I'd say about 1:1. What do you think?

Wow Erin, looks like my chrome GSN urgently needs a black companion. Frank, I also recommend Jon's kit (Hi Jon!) - I refoamed my GSN using his foam srips and it is as good as new now. Peace of mind and great pictures as a result. That Yashica glass is just fabulous.

Well Travis, at least it won't get stolen...

BTW, got myself a niiice XE-5 that just turned out it's first film : great pics those Rokkors make!

No aliens are watching Ilford : it's already been zapped! Nikon? Isn't that the company that's always a couple of years behind? Maybe they did not realize yet that film is already dead... an F6 with nothing to feed it!

(just kiddin' guys - I'm a film and a Nikon user!)

They're peeing in the buckets?

HP5, Acros 100, PanF, Provia, and Superia 200 for the quick & dirty color prints.

Yes, I remember the Ford Anglia very well... ours had flat wheel caps because my father kept kicking it every single day because it would never start.

You found one hell of a nut for a blind squirrel, CE! Congratulations on 1) such a nice lady, 2) a great camera and 3) very nice pictures - but those are to the credit of 1) and 2) haha...

Wow, I like the lilac picture a lot! Thanks for sharing.

Mighty fine camera and great results. I like those pictures. If i'd only be a more active photographer I'd want a camera like that !

Steve, that is one beautiful camera and a great find. I have a Minister D myself and also very happy with it. Yashica really had a fine range of euh... rangefinder cameras. Enjoy!

Stephen,

I have a CLA'd Agfa Record III with Solinar f/? for sale. It was CLA'd by Jurgen Kreckel (aka Certo6) in 2004 with new black bellows and overhauled shutter. I'd have to check the shutter/lens speed details and exact price at home and will email you late tonight. Anyway the price will be around USD150.00 + shipping (can't remember the CLA cost since I'm at work now). I am just asking the purchase + CLA price - I don't have to get rich on the camera. Best,

I keep reading good feedbacks about these screens. Could use one for my Rolleiflex 3.5F too. This is not good for the health of my wallet!

Ted, I sent you an email... if it is a bayII hood I am interested !

Ouch, Graham. The MTL3 is a bad camera! (just kidding. Nice piece!)

Thanks Kai, I made a bid on that BayII hood on the German *bay and keep my fingers crossed... If I am outbid by someone richer I will finally go with a bay/52mm step ring and a regular 52mm screw-in hood, as I expect 49mm to be too small for a BayII lens? OTOH, I am very happy to have won a B&W 30mm push-on hood for my Isolette III. It costed only EUR4.00 !! I also bought a EUR2.00 Agfa 30mm push on yellow filter with case from the same German *bay seller. Sometimes I AM lucky - most of the time not though, heheh.

Jorn, Woooh that collapsible bayII hood at Ritzcam looks way cool! Pitty it is so expensive (for me)...

Thanks for the replies, guys. To Lester : my camera is a 1962-ish 3.5F with f3.5 Planar lens. I think the same camera with a f2.8 lens takes the bayIII. To Kai : in case go for the step-up adapter option, do you know if a 49mm screw-in hood will do (vignetting?) or should I go for a 52mm hood (not too wide to be effective?).

I have received the wrong lens hood on two occasions. Both evilbay

sellers claimed their hood was a bayII, but one was in fact a bayI

and the other a collapsible Rollei bayIII. Now that I know how a

bayII should physically look like, I discovered that these are in

fact rarer than hen's teeth and thus extremely expensive... Now I am

thinking of buying one of those (cheaper) bayII to 52mm or 49mm

converter rings and using my Nikon 52mm screw in hood. But perhaps

this hood will be too large/wide to be effective? I suspect that

these adapters are rather intended to use 52mm filters -not hoods- on

your TLR. Has anyone tried this please?

BTW, I have a pristine metal no-brand bayI hood with leather case to

give away for free (shipping cost USD12.00), as well as an original

Rollei bayIII (collapsible rubber) hood for sale (USD45.00 +

shipping)!