bob_rannells

Try Mark Hansen. His e-mail address is ClassCamera@aol.com. He's not in Vancouver But it's worth sending the camera to him. He does great work at a reasonable price.

I've been using TLR cameras for many

years. Not too often,

but every now and then one of them needs repair. I've used several

different repair people including the ones usually listed here. The

repair people with a good reputation usually do good work.

I recently had a Rolleiflex serviced which needed a CLA, shutter

repair and a broken automatic film sensor.

I decided to try someone new. Mark Hansen who contributes to the

Medium Format forum did the work. He did a great job. The camera

works so smoothly now it's probably better than new. The same day he

received the camera he did the work and shipped it out. The total

bill was $100.00. He does a CLA for only $50.00. I highly recommend

him.

Cameraleather.com sells leather kits for cameras. If they don't have your model they can make it.

Check out the various bags Home Depot have. Many of their tool bags make great camera bags at a fraction of the cost.

Usually this isn't a problem. I once had an Autocord with dust between the lens and it had a bad flare problem with backlit subjects. Once it was cleaned the flare improved a lot.

I've changed the magnifier in a couple of my Yashicamats. I bought the diopters (magnifiers) from Mamiya directly. I think they still sell them. These are the diopters for their twin lens cameras. The diopters are all pretty much the same size, Mamiya, Rollei, Yashica, Minolta.

Photo-flo is OK for plastic reels. I'm sure Jobo was referring to C-41 stabilizer which is Photo-flo type solution with formaldehyde. It is the formaldehyde that breaks down plastic. Don't be afraid to use Photo-flo.

Your camera is the Autocord II. With the Autocord II you have to push the button up after 12 exposures. The Autocord III counted from 1 to 24. I own both cameras. You can use a PX-625 battery with the CDS Autocords. They are the same diameter as the PX-1. The contacts are on the side and bottom of the battery compartment. I use PX-625 type batteries and just use crumpled up paper to hold the batteries in place. If you use zinc air cells just make sure not to cover the holes on the battery. Do not use two Wein cells as this would be double the voltage. Use one cell. Alkaline cells do not give reliable meter readings. The voltage decreases rapidly with alkaline cells throughout thier lifetime, so you will never get consistent readings.

Try Mark Hama. He was able to fix my Mamiya C-33 with old parts he had laying around.

You can use a mercury 625 and it will work fine. The PX-1 batteries and 625 batteries are the same diameter. The contacts for the battery are on the bottom and side. There is no reason to put a nail down the center of a dowel. You can use a plain dowel, or a crumpled piece of paper. They both work well. If you decide to use a Wein cell just make sure not to cover up the air holes on top of the battery. Also make sure it is making good contact with the side. With a small screwdriver you can push the side contact out slightly for a tighter fit.

Robin,

It would be well worthwhile putting an enhanced screen in your Yashicamat. I have Maxwell screens in two of my Yashicamats. Beattie screens are good screens also. I have one in my Mamiya C330s. I had a Brightscreen in another TLR and I do not recommend a Brightscreen. The screen they installed arrived dirty and scratched up. When I complained, they explained that was the nature of the screen. Of all the enhanced screens, the Maxwell screen is best. Besides, Bill Maxwell is a great guy. I wouldn't recommend a split image with a waist level TLR as they work better with a prism finder. Once installed you won't believe how much fun it is using your Yashicamat.

 

Bob Rannells