christos_theofilogiannakos

<p>OK, for what it's worth, I'm back with the results of the added light sealing of the film door and it seems like the leaks were really coming from the back, as there is nothing to be seen in this new set of pics. The pics I took before adding the black tape added at various locations are leak-free, so I guess everything is alright and there was really no need for the detective work!. What did the job i think, was the added material at the hinge area which was most likely causing the problem. Thanks everyone for their feedback, I hope this discussion will prove helpful for other fellow photogs!</p>

<p>Chris: It's a cloth shutter alright. God know why they insisted on those.<br> Matthew: There was no extra padding between the shutter window and the take-up spool originally, but it would be a useful extra precaution...<br> The original seals were in the body grooves AND the film door edges and after removing them, I only added a double layer of cotton string in the grooves and the usual felt pad at the door hinge, an arrangement which has proven very efficient so far. Now I have added a band of 2mm-thick foamy all around the door's edge, incl. the hinge area. I'll take some shots with this arrangement, then some more with black tape placed around the hinge, then around the latch end and finally all around the door. If it's the seals, it will show!</p>

<p>John Seaman, Rick Drawbridge: OK, this makes sense too... I reinforced the hinge seals and I am going to try it once more. I will also add the black tape as you suggested, but only after I've made a few shots to test adequacy of the extra sealing and I'll be back with the results.</p>

<p>Thanks for the input everybody! </p> <p>Jochen Schrey: I had already thought about something similar, but it would be hard to keep the shutter open as the FR I has an electronic cable release and I don't have it. The hole in the body cap is a good idea (I have a C/Y body cap), I couldn't figure out how to get the lamp into the camera. However, as the extra sealing made no difference whatsoever, it is most likely that the shutter curtains are the culprits.<br> Chris Garner, Charles Monday: I checked the curtain movement, it seems OK in lower speeds. What I noticed is that at higher speeds (1/125 and over, which is where the problem mainly appears) there is no discernible difference to the naked eye. I know it is hard to judge high shutter speeds without specialized equipment, but I can definitely tell the difference between 1/125 and 1/1000 in my Spotmatic and I definitely cannot do so in the FR I. The curtain hypothesis seems to be further supported by the fact that the leaks are stronger in those photos that I deliberately overexposed by choosing too high an aperture in Auto mode (i.e. the needle pointed at the red zone above 1/1000 in the viewfinder) allowing more light to get through. <br> I had shutter capping issues with a mint Canon FTb last month and I am gradually becoming a disciple of the vertical metal shutter. It is noisier, it tends to vibrate more, my Spotmatics (favorite cameras) don't have it, but I have never come across a faulty one so far, which is something I cannot say about horizontal cloth shutters. I will have a talk with the local repair shop and if the cost is reasonable (I got the camera very cheap) I'll get it fixed because it is otherwise a really nice camera and the lens is great. If not, I'll just sell them separately, the body as "for parts or repair" on eBay.</p>

<p><img src="/bboard/www.flickr.com/photos/89076261@N03/14973717715/in/set-72157646632912972" alt="" />Hi everyone!</p> <p>I recently purchased a used Yashica FR I with a ML 1.7/50 attached from a local fleamarket, mostly intending to run a couple of rolls through it and then sell it, as I have decided to stick with mechanical cameras in the long run (Yashica Electros excluded).<br> Using the camera has been fun, as it really feels like a well-made precision tool, very solid with good ergonomics and very smooth feeling overall. So the notion of maybe keeping it for a while started forming in my mind, until I received the results from the three rolls I shot during my holidays, most of the pictures having been ruined by severe light leaks. Before starting using the camera I went through my usual routine of replacing the light seals and mirror bumper which has proven very effective for all my used cameras so far with no problem whatsoever. I normally use black cotton string on the body to seal the film door, so I added a second layer of string and shot a fourth roll, but the problem remained:<br> www.flickr.com/photos/89076261@N03/sets/72157646632912972/<br> Checking the negatives, the leak extends over the lower sprocket holes (which corresponds to the upper part of the door as the image is reversed, right?) but not over the upper sprockets. However, the constant location and vertical edge of the leaks on the negative plus the fact that some of the pictures turned out OK, made me think that there could be some problem with the shutter curtains at certain speeds. If this is the case, why do the leaks extend over the lower sprocket holes? Doesn't that point to a door leak, or not necessarily? I reinforced the light seals by adding foamy material along the door edges (where the original seals were) and reloaded the camera, but I would like some advice regarding the source of the problem before ruining one more film roll and what could be done to determine the source of the leaks without specialist equipment (if possible). </p>

<p>I'm considering this camera as an Aperture-Priority AE camera for my M42 lenses. How is build quality compared to Pentax Spotmatic F, Yashica TL Electro X and Fujica ST605N? (My main usable M42 cameras, none of which has an AE mode). It comes with an 1.7/55 MC Auto Chinon lens which i haven't used in the past. How does it compare with the SMC Takumar / Yashinon DS-M or the Fujinon (not EBC) of same focal length / max aperture? What's the difference from the CE or CEII earlier models? I also looked at the Fujica AZ-1 and the Yashica Electro AX, but i get mixed vibes for these cameras (although few actual users' opinions)<br> Thanks!</p>