matthew_vortex

I just picked up an a6000 today, and really like it. Lots of time and testing ahead, but my initial experience is very positive. I’m wondering if there is a black and white filter mode though. I also have a Fuji X30 and a Nikon D3300. They both have the option when shooting in monochrome to apply a virtual filter. Fuji offers Red, Yellow, and Green. Nikon offers even more colors. Not a deal breaker because I can always convert mono in post or carry around my actual red and yellow filters, but it would be much more convenient if the feature was in camera or available in one of the apps. Thanks in advance.

I was fortunate enough to recently acquire an Eos Elan 7E in working condition. Unfortunately, the film door latch was broken. Not the part on the back, but like so many others, the part in the camera body. I tried gluing another piece of plastic to the latch, but as soon as I loaded film, it broke off. I’ve also been cruising the auctions to find a parts camera, but even $20 + shipping seems like a lot for this part. Can anyone point me to a source of supply for the latch itself?

Going through and cleaning up some of my old posts. Examination with a loupe revealed a burnt Low bulb. Cut out and soldered in from a parts Electro 35 GT I had. Working 100% now.

That’s the excruciating part!...I could handle a dead meter or a whacked out FRE. But this is a fraction of a cent plastic piece. I always wanted an FM2N, but didn’t want to pay for one. I was fortunate to get my FE2 for 75 with an AI’d 28/3.5, reported as camera not functioning. Cleaned battery compartment (already clean), cycled ASA dial ad nauseaum, and cycled shutter button halfway repeatedly (think this was what did it). Now it works fine except for a ridiculous plastic mechanical piece. I’ll see if I can find a replacement piece. Maybe I can kludge it back together in some fashion, or I’m fortunate to have a friend who’s a machinist and can maybe make me a metal version. Thanks and best. -Matthew.

Update. Root cause was damage to the rewind knob lock lever. By this I mean the black plastic ring beneath the rewind knob. Specifically, the nub on the bottom which disengages the shaft latch was worn off. In a ramped fashion so that it would glide over the latch even though I tried turning it with downward pressure right over the nub. Doesn’t seem like it was cold related. Probably cumulative. Odd that it opened fine to load this time (I’ve shot several rolls through it), but unload was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I guess things always work until they don’t. I ended up cutting an exploratory hole in the black plastic of the rewind knob lock lever (rkll). Used Richard Haws’s page ( Repair: Nikon FE Camera Back Lock) for reference and disengaged the latch with a dental pick. Figured I would need to replace the rkll anyway based on the symptoms. Was able to retrieve and develop my roll. Now to purchase a replacement rkll or modify my existing one to get this magnificent camera back in action.

I just shoot a roll in cold weather. About 15F. Don’t know if that’s relevant, but the camera is back to room temp. Upon getting home, the rewind knob lock lever moves freely to end of travel instead of hitting some resistance in the 3200 area of the ASA knob. It seems like the spring/lever/knob assy has become detached somewhere. Now I can’t open the back. Which means I can’t get the rewind knob off either. Any advice is appreciated. I love my FE2, and this is the same feeling as having your keys locks in the car. (And the same temptation to reach for a brick). Thanks in advance.

Thanks for all of the input guys. You all are correct regarding manual only on the D3300. My metering concerns relate to my N2000 and FE2. It feels like M42dave nailed it. There’s some play in the aperture lever, which increases with lens length (I.e., closer focus). After looking at some of my other lenses, it feels like there’s an actual rod on the diaphragm which is loose. Still trying to arrange a return.

Thanks, Vincent. I was afraid of that. And yes, both held in hand with stop down lever actuated and mounted on front of camera I observe the same phenomenon. Doesn’t matter with Manual mode, but I’m worried about Aperture priority because I’ll be metering through f4 while the camera thinks I’m metering at 2.5. Plus it’s THE Nikkor 105 2.5. It should be right. I have reached out to the seller to see if we can reach some resolution.

I’ve recently purchased a 105 2.5. Shot some test images in manual on my D3300, and very excited about this lens. I noticed a weird behavior though. Wondering if it’s normal. Focused at infinity and aperture at 2.5, everything is normal. If I click over to 2.8 or above, the leaves enter the aperture, but just barely. Say I stopped down to f5.6. As I focus closer, the lens actually stops down to approx 5.6. If I stop down to 11or 16, the aperture does not shrink. Still approx 5.6. If at 4, it does not stop down past 4. Lens snaps down to whatever aperture is set when I expose. Aperture lever in rear of lens is smooth and quick. Does it make sense that the aperture varies with focus (smaller diameter as you focus closer)? Thank you all. P.S. This is not the macro 105 P.P.S I plan to use this lens on my N2000 and (eventually) an FE2.

I have been shooting an X-370 with the 58/1.4 and 50/1.4. Great pics, good exposures, quite pleased. I then acquired an MD 100/2.5 which was fantastic as well. Figured to round out the set with a wide. Found the MD 35/2.8 for a steal at a thrift shop. It seemed like it was overexposing as I shot the first roll (X370 is aperture priority, mind you). Sure enough, the pics not shot in manual seem about +2. Then, upon further inspection, I see that the "meter coupling tab" is in different positions on my 1.4's vs the slower lenses. The 1.4 tab is lined up with f8, whereas the slower lenses are lined up with f16. I didn't really notice if the 100 seemed like it was overexposing or not, but its tab is at 16 too. Maybe it was, and the scans autocorrected. From web searching, I understand, this tab placement is intentional because of the way the really fast lenses meter wide open. Seems like the placement would actually cause underexposure on the slower lenses as the 50/1.4 at f8 and the 35/2.8 at f16 would look the same to the camera body. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.

Have had an SRT101 and a couple of normals (45/2 and 55/1.7) since my grandfather passed. I have amassed a large collection of vintage cameras and seem to have always picked up something else instead as I rotate cameras. I lucked into an SRT Super (Asian market) at a local goodwill a few weeks ago. The body was trashed, but it had the MD 100/2.5 and MC-X 50/1.4 in the bag with it. Great condition with Skylight filters, Manuals, handwritten receipts, warranty card and all. Bought by original owner in Tokyo mid-70s...for considerably more than what I gave. Since then, my SRT101 and X370 have been my primary carries. The 100 is my first portrait lens, and it has given me a new "style" or perspective if you will. Recently bought the 35/2.8 too. There's a reason the digital crowd is buying these up and adapting them. Rokkor is probably the best bargain out there. Fantastically capable equipment. I'm usually shooting Kentmere in 100 or 400 or Ilford FP4+ if I'm after that look. Enjoy your awesome find.

Wanted to update the group and admonish fellow diy'ers. I purchased a Summitar for a song that had essentially no cleaning marks, but some haze and a stiff aperture. I wanted so badly to clean it myself, but I decided to use tax refund money to send it to Youxin Ye for a proper cleaning. The wheels started turning. I had a lens that was renowned for its wide open performance, but a camera running a stop slow. Then I decided to throw the IIIa in the box too. I'll cut to the chase. He did fantastic work. And he did it fast (<3 weeks). In the forums and via google, there is a mixed bag of information regarding his responsiveness, but he was quick and straightforward via email. I can take backlit pictures with the Summitar and still have contrast. The IIIa is snappier, smoother, and more accurate. So all you do it yourself'ers: you can buy a screw mount Leica and get it working/usable by yourself following instructions easily available on the web. BUT, if you send it to a professional (I'll personally vouch for Youxin, but the web tells us Don, Gus, Sherry, etc as well), you can likely experience a new level of performance. As far as lenses, after butchering the body of an Elmar 50/3.5, the pros do these for a bargain. It's worth it. With 50+ vintage cameras (including Leica M), I can say that this is the best rig I've ever owned. Don't get trapped by the fact that you paid a hundred and something for the camera and a pro CLA is equal or slightly more. The kit, not to mention the access you have when your GAS takes over, proves itself more than worth the sum of the two. Take pictures. Tinker. But don't expect professional results without leaning on the pros. Thanks to all who contributed here.

All, It's always rewarding to see an iconic photo from a historical expedition, and then know that you've used/worked on/seen the type of camera it was captured with. [Or need to buy one :-)]. Would the group provide feedback on known examples? For example; Sir Edmund Hillary photographed Tenzig Norgay atop Everest on their first ascent with a Kodak Retina Type 118. Hiram Bingham photographed Machu Picchu with a Kodak 3A Special upon initial discovery and Kodak Panoramics specifically requested from George Eastman on subsequent extra expeditions. John Glenn took an Ansco Autoset on his first orbital space flight which he had personally purchased from a Cocoa Beach drugstore. 9 out of 10 official photos from Admiral Byrd's polar expedition were taken with Graflexes including the Model D. Thor Heyerdahl took a Leica Screwmount on the Kon-Tiki voyage although I can't find which model. It had slow speeds. Maybe things like Dorothea Lange using a model D as well, but not so much things like "Ansel used LF/Hasselblad" or "Weegee used a B&J." Thanks in advance.

It is done. Root cause 1: dirty camera (down to the spindles) Countermeasure 1: Full disassembly of the shutter crate for cleaning Results: Addressed 2 stop overexposure. Root cause 2: Missing second curtain ribbon on the tensioned roller. Probably someone broke a curtain ribbon and glued what was left. Countermeasure 2: 3 layers of masking tape underneath base of curtain tape. Results: Still a fraction of a stop off. Not using filter factor with a yellow filter puts me about 1/3 underexposed. Regular Sunny f16 w/o a filter leaves me about 2/3 over. Well within film latitude. I blew it when I got carried away chasing the problems with curtain tension. AGAINST ALL SOUND ADVICE IN ANY REPAIR DOCUMENT OR FORUM I'll admit. Resetting tension after the tape shimming really got me on the right path. After an initial +3 turns on opening tension and +1-3/4 on closing, I added +19 teeth on opening tension and -1 on closing. Thanks to all for the advice. I'm so glad I did not screw with the curtains. I wish I could have afforded straight to a pro for the CLA, but I didn't give up work hours...I gave up sleep hours. So I can't really "cost my time" to justify a pro CLA. If I could, I might as well have bought an M series. Finally, I'm thankful I did it. I know this camera very intimately now, and I gained a lot of focal plane shutter knowledge/experience. Hope this can help someone else. Best. P.S. Included a pair of images. The open Alley is with the Jupiter 12 from the third to last roll when I was tweaking curtain tensions. The flower is from second to last with the Elmar 90.

Glen: I think this is one of the main arguments that people provide in favor of iiiC over iiiF: very slow flash sync as a result of the CTT. I've been hesitant to update because I keep thinking "one more roll." Knowing that my camera was thoroughly cleaned down to the spindles, I started adjusting curtain tensions to chase capping observed in test rolls...and then overexposure. I was getting to the point that I had way too many turns on the tension screws. Then I remembered something that I had read in a forum about "shimming" the second curtain ribbon with masking tape at the base layer. Upon further inspection, I think my curtain ribbons have been monkeyed with because I see no spindle in any example pics, but I can see the bare spindle/end of the ribbon when my shutter is tensioned. So I gave some backwards turn to the take up side of the second curtain and put three layers of masking tape the same width of the curtain. Test roll showed capping. So I let all of the tension off and started over with tensioning. At this point, I returned to the iPhone. I surmise it's not as simple as having an x-mm gap across. Just like the official drum tester, it should be a little bit of craft steeped in math. Results look good (I.e., gap widens as curtain transits based on the idea that the spindles are growing in circumference). Tested with some Instax film: Transferred from pack to Leica film gate in dark bag. Removed Leica. Exposed. Returned to bag, slid shot back into pack, and shot instax camera with hand over lens in bathroom with door closed and lights out. Have loaded up another test roll and will update after developing.

Forecast shifted to sunny so I've Swapped the Tri-X for FP4+. Haven't finished the roll yet though. Updating the thread regarding iPhone slo-mo for shutter testing. Probably should've done some math in advance of using it. Given a curtain transit time of 1/20, and an aperture of 36mm, this suggests that the curtains are moving at 36/(1/20)=720mm/sec. Then we consider 240fps video speed. This means 720/240 mm/frame=3mm/frame. If 1/20 shutter speed is full aperture, then 1/500 should be 1/25th of the aperture or 1.44mm. This means that the iPhone is trying to see a 1.44mm gap when each frame the curtains should be moving 3mm. Even worse at 1/1000 when you should have a .72mm gap. Just more confirmation that Dan was correct in disregarding the video.

Developed the K400. Results are improving. Good exposure and amazingly reduced capping. The positives are good without any adjustment. In the negatives, I still see some lightening on the right side of 1/500 and 1/1000. I've given one more sprocket of loosening on the second curtain. I've loaded a roll of Tri-X 400 and will post results. It slightly bothers me to add one more variable, but this is how I shoot. After 187 rolls, I still haven't quite made my mind up on films

The Delta 100 is developed. And the results are encouraging. Took about six pictures bracketed 1/60-1/1000 on each shot. My stupid hat hit the shutter speed dial on a few. I'll chalk it up to operator error/the "difficulties" of owning a LTM. I loved this camera, and it was smooth after CLA one. But after shutter crate disassembly and clean/lube smooth has a whole new meaning. Wow! One of my coworkers today told me that when he was a kid in Central Kentucky Leicas were the only cameras allowed in the courtroom because they were so quiet. I assume this is true, but it's certainly sensical based on what I hear/feel now. Great news: the overexposure is gone. And I got some decent pictures where they should be within the bracket. Bad news: there is capping at 1/200(slight)-1/1000 (2/3 of the frame missing). Based on the fact that the left side of the image (shutter opening side) is well exposed and the right side (shutter closing) is underexposed, I have loosened the closing curtain as opposed to tensioning the open. . Seems correct, but please someone tell me if this is illogical. Went two teeth of the curtain tension gear and loaded back up with some Kentmere 400. Will advise again after this roll. Thanks again to all for your responses and a million thanks to everyone who did not suggest I mess with the curtains.

I can appreciate that. Brainstorming gone wild. Thanks to the advice of the group, I'm sitting here a week after my initial post VERY glad that I have not violated the curtains. Gus, mad respect to you, sir. Thanks for stopping by. Reminds me of getting autographs when I was a kid.

Quick update: I shot another roll bracketed. It was all about 1-2 stops slow, and worst of all capping at 1/500. Which means that I lost well exposed shots to capping shooting sunny f16 with asa 100. Mukul: fortunately my Elmar 50/3.5, Elmar 90/4 and Jupiter 12 35/2.8 all stop down to f22 or better. Adding your advice to the bracketing on my last roll salvaged some pics. Thank you. So, being the impatient, desperate, infatuated owner that I am, I went ahead with a shutter crate disassembly. The process is straightforward. Fortunately the Russians were meticulous enough in their copying that the instructions at fedka for a zorki were spot on http://www.jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page455.htm Two primary difficulties: disassembly of an 80 year old camera is not as simple as knowing which screws to turn in which order...a couple of parts were frozen, and for those of us born with only two hands it takes as much luck as finesse to reassemble. It was a pain to reorient the drum. The first reassembly, I was off by one tooth (advance to drum) which resulted in the second curtain not latching open. Of course it is several steps of assembly to test and several steps of disassembly to correct followed by several steps of reassembly to test again. Based on John's feedback, I did not mess with the curtains, but I focused on the contact points of the drum and rollers. Cleaning with Ronsonol and applying a very light oil (non-responsive yoyo bearing lube). Then, KINDA following what Dan said, I reshot high speed iPhone video with a healthy dose of skepticism to adjust my curtain tension. I think it's possible that whatever error is present in the video is constant and repeatable. I know from using the iPhone on my Salyut that what looks like capping on the phone will definitely cap, but sometimes Half of the negative will be severely underexposed where the phone video does not suggest it. This makes me think that there is certainly error in the video, but that it may be consistent and I can account for it. In the video, it appears that the curtains speed up as they transit the aperture. In which case, it makes sense that I would want the iPhone video to look like the curtain gap is increasing. Whether or not this is reality, I do not know. The camera definitely feels better and the exposure looks better after the crate disassembly. I have readjusted curtain tension based on this logic and loaded a roll of Delta 100 (because it is relatively less tolerant of exposure error...and I like it) to shoot some more bracketed test shots. I will update the post based on the results, but will also say that if they are not satisfactory I will probably be parting with some of my other equipment to try and finance a trip to Youxin.

The worst thing is I know you're right, Dan. I just can't swing the CLA right now. I got the camera on the cheap. And while I know you should budget the CLA with a screw mount (and most vintage rigs for that matter), the only way I could afford one was on the cheap and taking a gamble that I could get it to usable.

Thanks, Mukul. I'm leery of getting into the shutter crate, but I really love the feel and experience of this camera. I think I will run another roll or two through and see how inconvenient the missing high speeds really are. After all, it's a working camera right now. I am open to more feedback from anyone, but I think I'll try and adjust to the camera for right now, and go for a deep cleaning if I need more. Thanks again.

Fair point, Dan. My first test roll showed about +2 exposure at high shutter speeds. That's when I did a cleanup. Next roll I shot bracketed and was still more than +1 judging by the unadjusted curves in my scanner. I appreciate the point about the iPhone, and I won't obsess over the videos. I will focus on the quality of the negative. I don't shoot slides, and I shoot sunny f16 99% of the time. My goal is to get reasonably accurate high speeds...at least up to 1/500 and hopefully something recoverable on B&W negatives at 1/1000. Thanks.

I'm not sure I understand your response. I freely admit I don't know where to head next. Hoping someone has been in this spot before and can give me some pointers. Other forum posts and Christopher Kuni's guide on in-camera replacement have said that, on the IIIa, curtain placement is the only way to adjust high speeds. I've not seen any more said about it than that though. It would seem that attaching the opening curtain "further back" on the drum is the necessary course (assuming the root cause doesn't sound like just more cleaning is needed).

I am the proud new owner of a IIIa. From the first batch, and alleged provenance includes being taken from a German tank officer (interesting and sad for him if true). I've shot a few test rolls after an "amateur CLA." This includes removing the shutter crate, ronsonol to all of the ancient grease, and some fresh OTIS (dry grease) applied to the greased mechanisms. I love the images. I'm using the Elmar 50/3.5 and 90/4. There's that vintage look that I was after. However, the fast speeds of 1/100 and above are about 1-2 stops slow. Reviewing the curtain gap with a backlight and iPhone shooting 240fps video, it seems like the gaps are large. 1/100 leaves a little more than half of the frame open. 1/200 about a quarter. 1/500 close to 1/8, and 1/1000 barely less. Given a curtain transit time of 1/20 (which I've read elsewhere on the forums), I'm assuming I should be about 1/2 at 1/60 and roughly decreasing by halves thereafter down to about 1/48 (just shy of a millimeter) at 1/1000. I know the sure fire bet is to send to YYE or another professional for a full CLA, but I haven't got 150 in the camera, and I'm comfortable shouldering some risk. My main question is if I should try: 1. disassembling further for more CLA (I.e., disassembly of the shutter crate) 2. Reattaching current curtains at a different point (they are in good shape and appear original at least in the sense that they are sewn and not quite fresh) 3. Further disassembly and curtain replacement. If I go 2 or 3, or even 1 and 2 or 3, I'm curious as to how I should vary current placement to close up the gap. I have the utmost respect for this camera, the right toolkit, and experience on quite a few other disassmblies/CLA. I don't expect perfect 1/1000, but I'd like to shoot asa100 f16 1/100 on a sunny day and have faster speeds than my Argus C3. Thanks in advance. P.S. Included is a collage of 12 images. It is 1/30-1/1000. 6 opening and 6 closing.