andrew_spence1

i use my fd lenses on a camdiox focal reducer it doesnt degrade the image on a sony e mount apsc digital it gives the old school film field of view and an extra stop of light i think i need a full frame a7 sometime they all fit even on a 3rd party fd zoom i have but a word of warning the fd 50mm f1.8 has a curved rear element that will touch the focal reducers lens and leaves you about 2-3 mm short on the lens throw of infinity but the fd 50mm f1.4 has a flat rear element and works perfectly i can fit fd lenses to my leica m1 the leica with no rangefinder and use an external rangefinder or zone focusing but i just got my a series slrs out again ........must dust the scanner off regardsAndrew

Sandy i have a high spec lensbaby but it has no scale on it i do that sort of thing on several of my digital cameras i usually use normal sharp lenses on film i wouldnt be afraid to buy a lieca m that needs fixing in the future im always fixing film cameras its fun to me its nicer than welding one of my classic cars

guys it was the viewfinder display button thanks cmuseum for the suggestion i moved the switch back and forwards about 20 times and the display is now working the same thing happens in classic car stereos that ive fixed that get dust in the volume dial they either crackle a lot or stop working and turning the dial back and forward fixes that too it clears the contacts thanks for all your help i just put the 20 year old 100 t max film back in it that i took 4 photos with 20 years ago ill finish the film and process it regards Andrew

Guys i was given an M1 Leica that had jammed but had worked intermittently about 10 years ago and was told take it or its going in the trash. I have never considered ever buying a leica though i have lots of cameras that i use but i spent about 9 hours fixing it and removed a piece of film from the internal mechanism and a light seal that was wrapped around the roller and the other one just fell off but i was determined to save it as i was told it had a hard life in a science lab. It came with a 90mm leitz lens with an m mount adapter that im currently testing on digital on a Chinese helicoid and i like the results. So after i fixed it and gave it a good clean i had a look at getting a leica 50mm lens from e bay that i could zone focus or use an external rangefinder and i decided after checking out the prices i would instead get 2 adapters one for canon fd lenses and one with an eos mount as all my m42 and olympus lenses have eos adapters on them ,this gave me a lot of choice in lenses to use but i decided one of the olympus om 50 mm i have would be a good start as it fitted in the nice used case i bought and i had to get a film take up spool too and as the viewfinder is marked for a 50 and a 35mm a 35mm om is now on the way from e bay and i can easily guess a 28mm lens field of view and a 100mm as i have both which ill try at least once So im very happy with my leica and will use it soon with these modern lenses i didnt get a leica lens for it but i just couldnt convince myself it was the best route for me At the end of the day i kept another one alive and i like it...alot the pullin rangefinder fits in the case to....though i have small er rangefinders i could use i feel the camera deserved all the time and money i have spent on it regards Andrew

guys I put several fresh batteries in my canon a1 and the light meter display doesnt work Any one know whats wrong with it and could i fix it myself the camera works on aperture priority and shutter speed priority with the lens at the a setting id like to try and fix the viewfinder display Should i just leave it alone and use it on the priority modes only and just be thankful it works i have a fully working ae1 and ae1 program regards Andrew

guys i descided to restore a paxette case i have . I sorted that and decided to look for the camera that was originally in the case The camera had a 45mm f2.8 pointar lens in it so i decided to clean the lens and discovered it had heavy cleaning marks on the front element making it sort of misty looking similar to my roliflex that came from a farmhouse attic in latvia that gave a soft glow to images Then i remembered i had a broken one in a spares box so i swapped the lenses and set infinity and i needed one of the tiny grub screws from the broken one too the thing is my misty pointar lensed camera now has a perfectly clear pointikar lens in it and after seeing pointikar photo samples on the net im happy with the lens swap and the grub screw i was worried it would be a lesser lens but as its totaly clear its better than what was in it so throw absolutely nothing out if your into fixing old cameras i even keep old leatherette that ive needed time and again for repairs any one know if theres much difference between these lenses they are both coated triplets so i dont think so but its better than what it was regards Andrew

guys thanks for you replies i made a mistake about the shutter you cock it with the lower lever and release it as normal using the top chrome button the aluminium rims are machine pressed on and look like it was factory fitted over the original part thats threaded for filters look like they are just for aesthetics the serial number is on the bottom is H77692 its all restored now ive just got to do the restitching on the case and put 2 British Army REME badges on it the seller sent me info on her dads ww2 unit and in 1947 just before he came home they changed the badge for the REME so ill put both ww2 versions on it again thanks for your replies regards Andrew

the smelliest item ive ever bought was the leather case that came with an early model ikoflex ii with focusing lever it was awfull covered in mould and stuff you could smell it from 10 feet away but once i wiped it down with a damp cloth and applied several coats of gliptone liquid leather conditioner literaly with a paintbrush over a period of several days the bad smell disapeared and it now has that lovely leather smell, it was a light brown colour at the start of the process but went an awful darkish durty brown so i dyed it black then i stitched it back together it looks and smells great

guys i just bought an ikoflex 2 tlr it was brought back to the uk from belgium in 1947 by a british soldier when he was de mobbed after ww2 its a non automat it has a compur shutter with max speed of 1/300 that is cocked and released with the same lever the lenses are realty unusual in that they have a thick aluminium rim round the outside ive spent the even servicing the shutter and cleaning the lenses etc have any of you ever seen one of these versions ive looked on the internet and i cannot find one like this anywhere is it a rare model i bought it because it looks so unusual any info is most welcome and it didnt cost very much...no one else wanted it

Guys ive found 2 u tube videos on this lens but no written reviews have any of you used this lens for stills and what are your thoughts on it is it good or bad if i got one id use it on my sony apsc mirrorless regards Andrew

guys have u seen this camera i got a suggested post tonight on face book and just had to watch it it looks nice firstly what do u think of this camera have any of you used one then i had a thought whats the chances of them making an apsc sized sensor tlr version all comments welcome id like to know what you guys in the classic manual camera section think as i post here myself i know its a digital question but i still would like to know what u think regards Andrew

guys thanks for your replies mine hasnt anything engraved after the serial number it was described as an s2 by the seller the problem is its like brand new and id be afraid of droping it.The camera is so clean ive ordered a type a op tech strap which will need filed out a bit to fit ive done this before on my ec-tl im looking forward to using it it works perfectly bronicias are great cameras ive several lenses for the ec-tl i can use on the s2 aswell regards andrew

guys just got my bronicia s2 in the post today the thing is it has steel gears in the film holder and the gear wheel it engages with in the back of the camera body is steel too does this mean its an s2a regards andrew

i think it might be worthwhile to inspect the gears and give them a clean or some grease if needed ive never taken a camera like this apart before ill see what i think when it arrives i cant wait to run a film through it thanks guys for your responces

guys thanks for all your replies theres a lot of effort gone into those answers Ive always wanted an s2/s2a i always liked the look of it ,when i was putting new light seals in my friends kieve 88 it reminded me to have another look for an s2 s2a again funny thing is i found a bronicia leather case last night on e bay and a nice s2 with a 75mm nikor lens for £150 from japan a good price for such a camera both separate buys so i bought both of them, post was ok and ill have import tax to the UK to pay from japan which will be ok too case was£30 from england i already have an ec-tl a 50mm nikkor a75 mm and 150mm zanzanon a teleconverter and eye level prism viewfinder and 2 ec filmbacks and i love using the camera as my primary 6x6cm ive also got an rb67 too with a set of lenses too i think ill use the ec-tl alot more than the s2 and ill keep the s2 in its case with the nikkor lens on it .it will be easy to carry with an optech strap im looking forward to using it i must get another ec-tl sometime too thanks for all your posts i just had to buy it some of my sharpest photos ive taken were on the ec-tl and hand held too my kiev 88 owning friend wants a bronicia too hes so jealous ill let him use it too hes very carefull with classics regards Andrew

guys are the brass gears in an s2 realty that bad compared to the steel gears in an s2a should i not buy an s2 for this reason what are your thoughts regards andrew

guys thanks for your help

great news i havd often wondered about that

guys can i use the standard united kingdom battery charger in vietman and if not what charger do i need to get or do i just need an adapter to plug it in in vietnam regards Andrew

guys thanks for your replies very interesting i widened it to 85mm if u file the edge at a 45 degree angle, the face that the bellows are glued onto stays the same so the bellows stay attached. i had a look thru a ground glass screen and the image goes right to the edges.it could go a few mm more I now need to file out a 6x9 devere 504 mask to match it . The ensign 820 special i modified is the only 6x9 folder i have that ive modified i tend to leave everything original on 120 film folders I buy some real scrappers and just enjoy restoring them though i have modified a lot of cameras of other types i should post some photos when i get time of them The 820 special i got for £150 i serviced it ,set the rangefinder cleaned it, its in great condition and the case only needed some stitching and a good polish with brown polish ill be using it a lot regards Andrew

guys have any of you done this, the gate is 80mm wide a bit short for 6x9 cm as stated by Dan Fromm so i descided to widen it as much as it can be i might get it to 85mm ive done this to other cameras though not to a special , Do any of you do this or just leave film gate widths generally as original regards Andrew

well i sorted it out i didnt need to drill any holes i just turned the front standard round and i now have downward tilt was alot easier than i thought it would be regards andrew

joe thanks for your reply i just checked the registration distance and its the standard modern plastic measurement im going to use a 150mm lens on the rangefinder as thats what it seems to work with instead of 135mm it will be fun using it .i have 8 LF lenses ill use too The bellows are ok but i have bought bellows from custom bellows for other cameras as i live in the uk and they do a great perfect job and well worth the money...now for some ilford and fomopan 5x4 film regards Andrew

thanks rodeo the focal plane shutter i keep on permantely open as ill be using the shutters in the shutter lenses im going to use it handheld and on a tripod too i lke the idea of shooting handheld on the rangefinder which is the first thing im going to do with it regards andrew

guys thanks for your responses its an easy fix i just got to drill 2 new holes and slot them towards the back of the standard uprights to hold the locking screws ill need the forward tilt when i use it i wondered why it didnt exist already ....its a great camera i just need some film and im ready to go i got the camera for £75 a couple of years ago in pieces it was easy to fix and looks and operates like new regards Andrew