diwan_bhathal

Sorry, brain dislexia...

 

"This one will become a long term companion"--> Refers to the CERTO DOLLY w. TESSAR.

 

Sorry...

Thanks to all for the tips. It seems that the liquid insulating material from Home Depot will do the trick. This seems the way to go. Good solution. The bellows are old, not worn, so possibly, while losing flexibility, a small tear appeared that I could not detect with the flashlight.

 

I love this camera already. This is a different beast than the heavy and bulky Mamiya Super that I have, same format, though ! I guess that the bellows are the weak link in these cameras. My COMPUR shutter fires accurately in the 1/100s and the 1/50s, I would not trust the higher speeds. I would not trust the higher speeds in any leaf shutter.

 

Mine has a problem in the 1/25s and below. The clockwork whirrs really slowly, the time is totally inaccurate. Possibly with more use the shutter will come back to life in that speed range.

 

I also have a ZEISS NETTAR with a NOVAR lens. The TRIOPLAN and the ZEISS TESSAR are superior in contrast and resolution to the NOVAR. At least this is what I saw in my photos. This was under my exposure and development conditions. I liked the TESSAR so much, that I will revive the DOLLY. Again, it fits in my pocket, and using TMAX-100 it is a killer combination. Not to forget the leatherette, quite special look to it.

 

I do not use the NETTAR anymore, To me it has soft lens and it is only best, at least to my liking, at f/8 and f/11. Maybe this is what it was designed for, since the diaphragm has a red dot at f/8. This was optimal for zone focusing and all purpose exposure. This one will definitely become a long time companion.

 

There are lots of folders out there with superb lenses. The good ones are definitely superior in image quality than the 135 format. Film is cheap, and the more 120 that we buy, the longer it will be available.

Thanks everyone. This is the second CERTO DOLLY SUPERSPORT that I have. The first one has a MEYER TRIOPLAN, which I was not too excited about. Nice lens, though, no light leaks on this one. It has bad edge distortion at full aperture. Very nice contrast and definition below f/8. I found the same camera with a ZEISS TESSAR. First test on TMAX-100, I was impressed. This lens is beyond the TRIOPLAN. This is the one I want to keep.

 

I tried to exchange camera bodies and lenses. The ZEISS TESSAR is much thincker so it would not fit in the MEYER body by a hair ! Maybe the factory filed the stops or something like that on the TESSAR body.

 

I thought of lighting a piece of 120 film backing paper with my flaslight after I read the posting here. The light did not shine through. I suspect that it is the bellows, but I could not find any leak with the light. However, I painted the junction of the bellows to the camera with black acrylic paint to make sure that the leak does not come that way.

 

I am thinking now of finding a new bellows for this camera I like it so much. These should be available somewhere, they do not look as to having "exotic" dimensions. If it is the bellows, maybe, I will make a "bag" bellows that fits for this camera. Needless to say, I was quite impressed with the lens, it is a keeper. Thanks everyone.

Tammy. Get an incident light meter. This is primordial for lighting ratios. Then read in a good photography book how to interpret those, this depends on the contrast that you want. This will do the trick. I tried the reflected method, it works also, but difficult for me to implement. Incident is the way. Good luck.

Anupam, I do this all the time. I load two 120 films on my Paterson system 4. I have been doing this for a while now, never had any problem. I do not even worry about the overlap. The second film, when loading it, stops when it touches the first film, and that is all. Do not push it further than that. Then develop, you should not have any problem. The second film touches the back of the first film, so there is no emulsion to emulsion contact other than a line.

I tried to spool three 120 films on one spool. This does not work, the spool is too small. Hope my experience helps your worries.

Thanks Dean, great help. I was looking for something like that, but I did not have any idea of where to get the material. I will try your system tomorrow, see how it goes. It is a pity to get rid of such a good camera only for that reason. It is a 645, and it fits in my back pocket ! With a Zeiss Tessar on it. I appreciate your prompt response. Thanks.

Hello everyone.

I just got a CERTO DOLLY with a 2.8 Tessar on a Compur. This camera

takes 645 format, I love it already. A problem, the red window

where the exposure number shows has a bad light leak. After the

years the color has faded and I checked the bellows for leaks and

did not find any. I strongly suspect that it is the film window.

Any indication if there is any material that I could use to replace

the red window. I tried exposed film, but too dark, cannot see the

film advancing. A reply will be welcome. Thanks.