m42dave

I usually buy film on Amazon and have noticed a lot of variability in prices, whether it's shipped directly from them or from 3rd-party vendors. Prices can vary considerably from week to week, with stock-outs seeming more frequent and lasting longer. If one is patient and looks around enough, though, you can still find some reasonably good deals.

Fall colors from car window.

So I now cut my own hair and shoot more film. :D

Those other two PDFs both include articles on the 7S, one of which is disasembly notes (SPT Nov.-Dec. 1970). I'm sorry they weren't of use to you. I also looked in both of my camera repair books by Thomas Tomosy, and there is no information on the 7S, unfortunately. As common as these cameras were, there seems to be little online about them.

The Learn Camera Repair site below has five PDFs on the 7S, including several SPT articles (one of which you may already have on the Citizen shutter) plus the original factory repair manual with parts list and diagrams. A PayPal donation is suggested. Learn Camera Repair

Residence

Finally got some test photos back from the Edixa Prismat LTL I restored, shown in the "What Cameras" thread back on Feb. 20. I was pleased to find that the camera works well, as my previous Edixa body had problems I couldn't fix. It's always rewarding to successfully restore a classic camera. Taken with ENNA Lithagon 35/3.5, AGFA APX 100, deep yellow filter, developed by local photo lab and scanned on Epxon V330. First time using APX 100, which had been sitting in my fridge for several years. I like the tones from this film, though results seem less consistent than the FP4+ I usually use and a bit grainier than expected--perhaps due to machine processing, though I wasn't terribly careful with the exposures either. Flagpoles

As the majority of film shooters nowadays are hobbyists and not professionals, I suppose the price increases will pinch students and budget shooters, but probably won't make a big difference for photogs who are more comfortably well off. After all, people are willing to spend considerable amounts on digital camera systems. I've always defrayed the cost of film with eBay/Amazon points and gift cards, selling a bit of gear, etc. and given the modest amount of film I use, can absorb some price increase; I spend very little on other hobbies anyway. A high school teacher of mine who was a photo enthusiast used to recycle aluminum cans and put the earnings he made every year towards film and processing. Dwayne's Photo lab in Kansas seems to be doing well, and now has a staff of over 70. It was taken over by the founder's grandsons, who describe business as "booming" with "more film than they know what do do with." Parsons business expanding after being reopened by late owner’s family | KSNF/KODE - FourStatesHomepage.com

Good luck, Ralf. I hope you can get it to work satisfactorily, given the nice restoration job you have done. :)

This thread below from The Camera Collector site gives some insight into the construction of and issues with the Edinex: https://cameracollector.proboards.com/thread/8097/wirgin-edixa-edinex It does not sound like the camera was designed for ease of service. To quote: "Typically with Wirgin a lot of parts are riveted together, the knobs for instance cannot be removed."

Agfa Isolette I, Agnar 85/4.5, Ilford FP4+, medium yellow filter.

Also, if it's something like a shutter capacitor that may not have charged up in over 30 years, the camera could come back to life after a while. You might keep a battery in it for a few days and try using it periodically. It's worth a try, at least.

Sometimes "mint" condition cameras can have more problems than ones that are well used, since parts that haven't moved much in years can seize up. It could be an electronic issue, as well. Things like sticky shutter magnets and capacitor problems are not uncommon in older electronic cameras (this model dates from the 1980s), which is why I would never pay too much for one.

Almost forgot that Ricoh was another big supplier of cameras and lenses to Sears: https://www.aperturepreview.com/the-legacy-of-ricoh-and-sears

I haven't found any repair info online for the Altix, though this old thread below has a bit on disassembling the Tempor shutter: Tempor shutter repair? Someone who services Compur shutters might be able to do it, if it's similar. From the photo, I'm assuming it might need a donor camera for parts, if not the entire shutter unit.

And a bonus pic.

Big Clouds

Two more taken last summer with Agfa Isolette I, Ilford FP4+, medium yellow filter. Wetlands

For Mar. 2nd. Agfa Isolette I, Agnar 85/4.5, Ilford FP4+, medium yellow filter.

I wouldn't be turned off by the store brand name. Sears cameras and lenses were generally quite good, often being re-branded Mamiya and Chinon products, both respected manufacturers. It may be a re-branded Chinon 300/5.6, possibly made by Tamron. As for Vivitar, they were not a manufacturer. The serial number shown also does not correspond with any published Vivitar serial numbers.

Given that the Sekonic Micro-Leader was a simple amateur meter and not worth much today, using an adapter (unless you have one already) or modifying the circuit may not be worth it. Assuming the meter is still accurate in the first place, a 1.4v zinc-air hearing aid battery should work well enough and is the most economical option. While alkaline batteries are not suitable for some meters, some CdS meters work fine on them (my Sverdlovsk-4 does).

Don, Ollinger's site states that it originally took one PX-13 (625) battery: James's Light Meter Collection: Sekonic L-98 Micro-Leader If the reading is off using an alkaline equivalent, there should be an adjustment screw on the back. Or you could try a Wein Cell 625, or use a 675 zinc-air battery with a spacer. Dave

High Desert 2

Nothing recent right now, and haven't been out much lately to a minor injury. Here are two test photos taken last summer with an Agfa Isolette I, Ilford FP4+, medium yellow filter. First time posting medium-format here; my interest in 120 cameras has been limited to basic folders, box cameras, and pseudo-TLRs. They are affordable and I'm often surprised by the quality that can be had from these simple cameras. The Isolette's Agnar 85/4.5 triplet lens seems plenty sharp to me. A previous owner had installed new bellows, but to my surprise the corners were not light-tight so I had to touch up the inside with black fabric paint (see John Seaman's recent post on pinholes in bellows). High Desert I

Hopefully he is OK. The butkus.org site has been updated as recently as last month, and there's no mention of anyone other than himself running it. Micahel actually posted to photo.net not all that long ago, as I recall. I donated to him shortly after and got a thank you back.