alan_starkie

<p>I used to work in a camera shop in Manchester UK and while the Spotmatic was sleek and cool the Zenit E seemed to be a lot of camera and lens for a quarter of the price. Every so often, I would open a box and find inside a black version which was always a nice surprise for the customer.<br>

I too moved up to a Canon Ftb but have always had a soft spot for Zenits and the lenses. I still use an Industar 61 today. Great pictures by the way. Nice treatment.</p>

<p>I happened on this site because of a camera repair question someone posted last year. While I consider myself a competent amateur since the late 1960s, my real interest is fixing stuff, which I am just getting back into after many years when I used to repair 35mm and large/medium format gear for a living. I got out when digital became popular but now that there is a growing trend towards 35mm film, there is work to do.<br>

I have decided to restore 1970s rangefinder cameras, nothing special but I do like Olympus 35 SP/RD/RC so will probably stick with those for now. Probably better to get to know a small range really well rather than trying to be a Jack of all trades.<br>

I shoot mainly Micro 4/3 and like Lumix because I do a bit of video too but I can't wait to load up some B&W neg and have some fun! <br>

Thanks Alan</p>

<p>I've been working on a 35RD all day and have an unusual fault with the aperture blades. With the shutter assembly held horizontally, everything is fine, when held vertically in the mode the camera will be used, the diaphragm will not open to the correct aperture setting. The entire shutter unit has been disassembled and rebulit (several times now).<br>

Everything has been ultrasonically cleaned and the iris and shutter blades have been correctly installed. I used to be a professional camera repairer and my feeling is that there is some wear on the round brass plate (that the iris blades sit on) that is causing it to bind inside the shutter block casting. Horizontally it is free to move but vertically, gravity seems to allow it to get stuck.<br>

Obviously, lubrication is a no-no in this area but I was considering graphite but I don't think this would be a long term fix. If I find a solution, I'll report back because I suspect this is a common fault.</p>